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“So since I didn’t answer, you decided to call anyway?”
She paused. “Are you busy?”
I sighed. “I’ve just got a lot on my plate. There’s a reason why I didn’t answer your text in the first place.”
“Well, I promise I’ll make this qui--are you in the car or something? You sound a bit echo-y.”
“I am in the car. I’m coming back from a new study place I found. I need to catch the library before midnight.”
She snickered. “My busy little bee. I won’t keep you very long, then. I’m on speaker, right? You’re not holding the phone and driving?”
I rolled my eyes. “What is it, Mom?”
“Fine, fine. So testy lately. So Kline’s mother called me this morning.”
“That doesn’t shock me. Kline called me very early this morning. Not sure if it’s rude or pretentious.”
She gasped. “Danika! What in the world? Are you stressed or something?”
“Mom, we’re almost at midterms. I’m a bit stressed, yes.”
“Well, why don’t you try to tone down the attitude a bit. I’ve never had to worry about that with you. Don’t make me start worrying about it now.”
Dani, the good little girl. “Mom, I can’t really talk about this right now. Can we do this some other time?”
“I said I’d make it quick. I just want to talk about what happened. She told me a very interesting tidbit that I wasn’t sure about and wanted to confirm it with you.”
I turned on my blinker. “What did she tell you?”
Don’t get me wrong, I adored my mother. But I was tired of playing this ‘good girl’ shtick. I was tired of my mother constantly being in my business. Constantly trying to force me into things. Granted, I hadn’t made things easy on her. I practically shoved that poster board of my perfect life in her face every day after high school. All she was doing was trying to help me achieve it.
Keep your cool, Dani. It’s as easy as the lie you just fed her.
Holy hell, I was lying to my parents now. That wasn’t a thing I ever did. I didn’t want to make it a habit, either. I gripped my steering wheel as I heard my mother whispering in the background. To my father, no doubt. I heard a small click sound on my side of things and I knew I was on speakerphone. Which meant I had to be overly careful about what I said.
Dad could suss out lies from a mile away, after all.
“Mom, look. I’m almost at the library and I need to hop off soon. But I know you’re disappointed. I know you were banking on this. I never said I’d agree to go out with him, though. I told you I’d think about it, and I did. I decided not to get coffee with him. That’s all that happened.”
She sighed. “Is it because you’re already seeing someone? Because that’s what Kline’s mother told me you said to her son. That you were seeing someone.”
I bit my tongue. “Oh.”
“Are you?”
“Am I what?”
“Seeing someone.”
I held my breath, wondering what in the world I needed to do. I mean, I was almost at Max’s place. What would happen if I was still on the phone with her and Max saw me outside? The lie I had already told would be blown out of the water. It would be an absolute nightmare. And I didn’t have the stomach to lie to her again. Especially with my father secretly listening in.
So, don’t lie.
“Dani? You still there?” Mom asked.
I sighed. “Mom, it’s nothing serious.”
She gasped. “Oh. My. Gosh. You are seeing someone!”
