Page 109 of The Bad Girl List

“You said you were going home because of period cramps,” Mom says as I approach.

I stop a few feet in front of her. Half a dozen lies circulate in my head. As I stand there, I realize how exhausted I am. Everything with Trevor and Tim Moretti has left me wanting a good, long nap.

Before I can settle on a story that I think she’ll buy, Mom says, “Dom, are you cheating on Oliver?” Her voice is soft, her eyes accusing and hurt, as though cheating on Oliver hurts her.

Something in me snaps. “Am I cheating on Oliver?” I say. “Mom, he cheated on me. He dumped me weeks ago for his tennis partner.” I storm past her toward the house.

“What are you talking about?” Mom follows me up the walkway. “You said he got a promotion. I thought everything was fine between you guys–”

I spin around to face her in front of the door. In my periphery, I notice Auntie Helen, Auntie Dee, and Annika all peering through the front window blinds to watch the show.

“I lied, Mom,” I say flatly. “I didn’t want to tell you and Dad we broke up because I know how much you guys love him. And I was embarrassed, okay?”

Emotions play over her face, too many for me to process. I fling open the front door and march into the house.

Auntie Helen and Auntie Dee pretend to be absorbed in the air around them, neither of them looking my way. Annika gives me a grimace that clearly conveys sympathy.

“In case you didn’t overhear our conversation, Oliver and I broke up,” I say to the living room at large. “He cheated on me with this tennis partner, then dumped me.” I put my hands on my hips as Mom comes into the house and closes the door.

“Dom,” she says, but I roll over her.

“I also got fired from Presidio last week,” I say. “I didn’t tell you guys because I didn’t want to spend our vacation buried in Craigslist ads.”

The silence stretches. Annika stares at me as though my hair has just turned pink.

“That’s right,” I say. “I am jobless and boyfriendless. Sorry to disappoint everyone. But you know what? I’m going to start my own business as a design consultant. Tim Moretti just hired me to redesign his wine label portfolio. And once I’m done with that, he’s hired me to update all of his marketing collateral.”

This statement seems to kick-start everyone’s ability to speak.

Auntie Dee says, “What about healthcare?”

Auntie Helen says, “What are you going to do about retirement?”

Mom says, “This doesn’t sound very stable, Dom.”

“Oh, my God.” I throw up my arms. “Can you guys just stop? I am really, really excited about this. It’s a huge opportunity. The Moretti family is well connected. If this job goes well, it could open a lot of doors for me. And in case you’re wondering, I’m not seeing Trevor. He just gave me a ride home after my meeting with Tim.” I spin on my heel and leave my family standing in the living room, stunned by my outburst.

I slam the door to the bedroom and flop down. Annika scurries in a few seconds later.

“Holy shit!” she hisses. “Holy shit! Way to let it all out, cousin.”

I cover my face with my pillow. “How bad was that?”

“Ummm …” I feel her sit down on the bed next to me. “You might want to stay in here for a while. Damn Perfect Dominique just turned their world sideways. But seriously, Dom.” She grabs the pillow from me and tosses it aside. “I am so proud of you! You just stood up to our family!”

“I didn’t stand up to them. I blew up at them.”

“In a family that’s as polite as ours, that’s essentially the same thing. I know it’s hard, but don’t you feel better now that it’s all off your chest?”

I consider her words. I’m not sure I’ll ever be able to forget the look of horror I saw on my mom’s face, but it’s a relief to have the lie out in the open.

“It does feel a little better,” I admit. “But it feels crappy, too. I feel like I’m a bad kid.”

“Focus on the part that feels good. Now you don’t have to hide anymore.” Annika leans over and gives me a big hug. “I’m so proud of you, Dom.”

I hug her back, wondering what I would do without Annika. I can always count on her.

“Can I tell you something?” Annika asks.

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