Page 572 of Filthy Elites

My mother only sounds that British when something upsets her. I doubt it’s about a silly dress, though.

“The one you got last summer? You gave it away to Lola. It was squashing your boobs.”

Unlike Audrey and me, Lola’s on the flatter side.

Audrey’s eyes widen. “Oh.”

I roll my eyes, taking an armful of dresses to start hanging them back up. “Why did you need the gold dress?”

“It’s Thanksgiving this Thursday. You know.”

I shrug. My mother’s British, whatever her green card says. We’ve never made a big fuss about the American holidays. To me, Thanksgiving has never meant more than a couple of days off.

“Well, Xavier invited us for lunch. Both of us. I told you last month.”

I’m sure she did. I tend to willfully ignore that kind of offer. “Pass, thank you.”

“Erica, I wish you’d reconsider. Lisa was telling me how she’d hoped to see you just today. You made quite an impression on her.”

Why is she pushing this? It’s not the first time she’s had a boyfriend, and she knows I’d rather stay out of the picture. If she actually saw someone good for her, it might be different, but Xavier is married. How could I sit at the Archer table, knowing Audrey’s having an affair with Chase’s father? It’s just sick. I don’t like to hurt her feelings, so I just say, “I don’t get along with Chase. At all. I don’t want to mess up their family time with our bullshit.”

That’s true enough, though it’s not the whole truth.

Audrey sighs and gets to her feet, only to walk to her bed and lie back on her piles of clothing. “Okay, sweetie. But if you change your mind, I’d be so glad if you would come with me.”

There’s no chance of me changing my mind, but I leave it alone. “Have you eaten tonight? I was going to throw together something quick.”

Audrey shoots me a look. “You know I’m the mother, right?”

It’s been a while since she acted like one, so it’s hard to remember. I think I was eleven when I started to call her by her name rather than “Mommy”. It felt natural, because she was more of a friend or a silly older sister than an actual parent.

“I could eat. I’ll tidy all that up and come down to give you a hand.”

I make my way downstairs and start on dinner. It’s too late for anything too heavy if I want to sleep, so I throw together a salad with apple slices, feta cheese, and a french dressing. We eat it with cold cuts and Audrey pours us each a glass of wine.

She waits until we’re done to ask the question I know must have been burning in her mind for the last hour. “So, Chase. He’s quite handsome, isn’t he? Much like his father, though he got the blond hair from Lisa. You said you don’t get along?”

I reach for the bottle of wine and pour myself a generous glass, rather than give an answer.

“Come on, Erica. Spill. If Chase is out of line with you, I need to know, so I can have a chat with Xavier about it. If he isn’t, well, I want to know.”

“He isn’t,” I find myself saying, and it doesn’t even feel like a lie. “I can handle him. That’s all you’re getting. It’s late and I have homework.”

Audrey pouts, but doesn’t push me any more. We clean up and I head to bed, surprised she’s staying in the house tonight. I can count on my fingers the nights she’s spent in her bed since we moved in. Not that I mind. I’m eighteen. Next year, I’ll be leaving her home, and this town, with a bit of luck. I’m fine by myself.

Always one to work on whatever is easier first, I’m done with calculus and biology by the time Audrey knocks on my door. “Hey, when are you going to be home early enough to go get your dirt sample this week?”

“Algae."

She rolls her eyes. “Same difference.”

“I can come directly after work tomorrow, or after science club on Wednesday.”

“Tomorrow’s good, so you can have what you need for your club. Sleep well, darling.”

ChapterTwenty-Five

I’m waitingfor her Tuesday morning, and she huffs, but when I open the passenger side of the Jeep, she climbs in. I think the rain’s on my side, plus, she loves coffee. Me, not so much, and I started to understand why the third time I read her folder last night.

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