Page 122 of Faking Forever 1
“Why the hell is she here?” I say, becoming fully conscious now, sitting up.
“Who?” she mimics me, turning to find out what I’m looking at.
“My mother.” I look at her, “Let’s go.”
I don’t know what could cause her to come to our house near midnight. I hadn’t spoken to her in weeks, so I’d assumed my dad hadn’t for longer. He talks about her like her name is sour to the taste. They can’t go over ten minutes without insulting each other, so by now, they were probably in the middle of aprofoundargument.
The front door was unlocked, and the lights in the front room were all out. As we both walked inside, I noticed that all the lights were out except one, coming from my dad’s office, which was open almost halfway. I would’ve moved faster, but their quietness was nearly alarming.
“Try to be quiet,” I whisper as softly as I can, inching the front door closed behind us.
She steps behind me, nodding as I start creeping down the hall. The closer we got to his office, the more it wasn’t so quiet.
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I could hear my mom giggling like she was off her rockers and my dad talking to her like he’d drank a few too many beers. I shut my eyes, preparing to see a nightmare, then slowly peek in his somewhat opened door. Paisley stays behind me but looks over my shoulder.
“God, I missed your jokes,” my mom says while kissing my dad and sitting on his lap.
He was smiling—kissing her back. They were downright sticking each other’s tongues down each other’s throats and laughing about it. One second was enough. I grab Paisley’s hand, dragging her further down the hall and up the stairs to my bedroom, shutting the door with shaky hands.
“Josh, don’t panic—”
“I’m not.”
I let go of the door, kicked my shoes off, and then turned to her. She stood at the side of my bed, visibly worried for me. If I got angry, it wouldn’t solve anything. Seeing them together again makes me feel disgusted before anything. I had knots forming in my stomach the second it crossed my mindwhyshe would be here. Paisley rubs her arms, leaning against the bed frame, feeding off my anxious aura. I began unbuttoning my shirt. I just wanted to lie down and let myself process the monstrosity tomorrow.
“I think you got mail.
It looks important,” she says,
shuffling her bare feet on the carpet to walk to my desk. It says it’s from Vermont State. Did you ever apply?” She picks it up.
“Vermont?” I immediately stop unbuttoning my shirt and walk toward her. “I applied weeks ago. I just thought maybe they forgot. I was pretty late.”
“Well? Open it.” She puts it in my hand, smiling. I bet it’s 295
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good news.”
It better be good fucking news for once.
“Yeah. We’ll see.” I say, trying not to sound hopeless.
I used my finger to rip the envelope open, then took the folded papers out, tossing the envelope on the desk. There wasn’t much to lose emotionally, but a tiny part of me was excited with the energy I had left. Unfolding the papers, I started reading them when I saw the beginning, which addressed me. I read quickly, but it was worth it. Waiting was worth it. The more I read on, it was more and more worth all of my troubles. Bittersweet as it was, Stillman’s had been smashed to dust. My parents were gallivanting in secret and most likely bumping uglies.
And I had gotten into Vermont State.
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peace treaty
PAISLEY
