Page 91 of Suck My Puck

“What do you mean?”

“I’m going to need you to move out.”

“What?” My voice is so sharp that Braden jolts back slightly.

My stomach starts to sink as I listen to my aunt.

“I know this is terrible timing, but my new tenants who were supposed to move in during the spring asked me if they could move in at the end of this month instead,” shesays. “They need a place to live right now, and if I don’t let them move in early, I’ll lose them as tenants entirely. I’m so sorry to spring this on you, honey.”

“It’s okay, Aunt Lucy. Really. I understand.” I try my best to hide my disappointment. She has every right to do this. She was more than generous by letting me live here for free for the past month and a half.

“I just hate to think of you moving back in with your parents. I know you all aren’t getting along right now.”

“Don’t worry about me, okay?” I force myself to smile so I sound happy on the phone. “I’ll be fine.”

She apologizes again, but I tell her it’s all okay. “You were so generous to let me stay at your place at all. I’ll be just fine,” I lie, despite the chipper tone I attempt.

“You sure, honey?”

“Positive. I’ll have all my stuff out before Thanksgiving.”

“Thank you, honey. I hate that I’m doing this to you.”

She sounds so sad. It makes me feel awful.

“Please don’t feel that way at all, Aunt Lucy. You’ve already done me a huge favor.”

Just then, my phone beeps. I look and see I have a call on the other line from my mom. I think about ignoring yet another call from my parents, but I’ve been dodging their calls and texts for weeks. They’re already annoyed with me. And I should probably at least try to get on their good side since I’ll need to move in with them again.

“Mom’s calling me,” I say to my Aunt Lucy. “I should probably answer it.”

“Oh honey, I’m sorry.”

“Don’t apologize, Aunt Lucy. I love you.”

“Love you too, honey.”

I hang up and answer my mom’s call. “Hi, Mom.”

“Finally. Bella, do you know how many times your dad and I have tried to call you?”

“I’ve been busy, Mom,” I say.

“Oh, don’t take that tone with me, young lady. You’ve been ignoring us.”

“I’ve been working a lot. I can’t just pick up the phone whenever you call me.”

“But you could call us back,” she says, her tone sharp. “And you wouldn’t be working so much if you hadn’t made the mistake of moving in with that awful ex-boyfriend of yours. How many times did your father and I tell you that was a terrible idea? If you had just listened to us, you wouldn’t be in this mess, working so much that you can’t even return a call or text from your own parents. I thought we raised you to be smarter than that, Bella.”

I bite my tongue and fight the urge to tell off my mom. I’m not in the mood to hear another lecture from her.

Frustration simmers inside of me. I can’t deal with her right now.

“Mom, I have to go.”

I hang up before she can say another word.

“What’s going on?” Braden asks, his brow knit in concern.

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