Page 77 of Taking Care of You
I smile at him. “Thanks, babe.” Needing to change the subject, I ask, “What’s the plan for the rest of the day?”
“My parents are going to some kind of gala. They were going to volunteer again, but all of the slots are full at the shelter. So, they’re going to rub elbows with people my dad works with. Ryder wants to come over, though. You cool with that?”
“Of course. I like Ryder. I’ll see if Crystal, Mitch, and Elle are free. Crystal will be watching movies with her dad, but I’ll ask anyway. She might be free later tonight.”
Mitch and Elle are busy with their families and aren’t able to get away, but Crystal said they watched their movies last night and she’s free. I tell Ethan.
“Double date?” he asks.
Tilting my head, I look at him quizzically. “They’re not dating.” The look Ethan gives me tells me that I’m missing something. “Are they?”
“I wonder about you, creep. You really do miss all the signs.”
Feeling slightly offended, I mutter, “I do not.”
Ethan raises an eyebrow at me and pulls his legs up on the bed. “No? So why did it take me kissing you for you to know that I wanted to be with you?”
He has a point there.
“Okay, fine,” I whine, making him laugh. “But are they, like, actually dating?”
Ethan shrugs. “I think they’re getting there. Not sure if anything is official or not. Ask Crystal when she comes over.”
I plan to do just that.
We spenda few hours watching Hallmark movies, a habit I picked up from Crystal and her dad, but Ethan and I do the opposite of what they do. We talk about how their relationship could happen in real life, even if it’s farfetched. It’s all in good fun and I spend a lot of the time laughing at how ridiculous he is.
His parents head to their gala at seven that evening, looking amazing in their formal attire. They promise to be home no later than two, and Ethan jokes with them, telling them to make sure they don’t break their curfew.
Ryder and Crystal show up about twenty minutes later. Together. Damn, I really did miss the signs.
Crystal comes over and plops down onto the couch beside me, pulling me into a tight hug. “You okay, Koby?”
I nod against her shoulder, hugging her back just as fiercely. I feel really bad that she had to see what my mother did.
Pulling away from her, I pin her with a look. “I’m fine, but what’s going on with you and Ryder?”
She turns to look in his direction. He’s in the kitchen with Ethan, so we can’t actually see them.
When she turns back to me, she has a slight smile on her face. “I’m not sure yet. We’re seeing what happens. He’s nice, Koby. I mean, I knew he was, but he’s more than what I thought. He’s sweet. And sensitive. And super smart.”
Glad for my friend, I give her another hug. “That’s good. What about college, though? He’ll be way up north.”
Crystal rolls her eyes playfully and sits back in the chair. “They invented something called FaceTime for a reason, my dear friend.”
“True, indeed,” I respond.
For the rest of the evening, we all sit around, eat the food Ethan’s parents left for us, and talk about college.
Ryder opens up more about his parents and I really feel bad for him. He heard his parents arguing one day when they thought he wasn’t home and his father accused his mother of only having him so his father would be forced to marry her. She didn’t deny it.
He told us he plans to cut off all contact with them when he leaves for school. “The only reason I haven’t done it now is because I need a place to stay. My dad hasn’t put me out yet, so I’m going to stay until it’s time to go.” He shrugs, but the pain in his eyes is apparent.
Looking at the four of us, Ethan is the only one that has two solid parents. Crystal’s dad is a fucking rock, so she has that going for her, but Ryder and I are practically fucking orphans. Unwanted and thrown away like we’re trash.
I don’t mean to do it, but I excuse myself to step into the bathroom. It’s only been a few days and I’m still feeling the effects of what went on with my mother. It’s hard to keep the tears at bay until I’m behind the closed door of the bathroom, but I make it. I turn the water on, in case my sobs get too loud, then I let the tears flow.
God, I really hate that I’m still so broken up about it. I know my feelings are valid, but I wish I didn’t feel like this. I wish I could disconnect myself from these emotions. I wish I could get over it, just as I’m sure Barbara got over it when I left.
