Ricki put her hand against her chest. “I’ve been blessed,” she said in an exaggerated tone.
“See, I told you,” Blythe said, ignoring the sarcasm.
“Don’t you live near the town you grew up?” Ricki asked. “Didn’t you stay in touch with any of your friends?”
Abby ran her fingers over the napkin on her lap. “Not really. My two closest friends attended college out of state and never came back. Besides, I was focused on my education, so I wasn’t involved in the shenanigans you two were.”
“No!” Blythe frowned. “You missed the experiences every teen should have.”
“My brother Carter experienced enough for the both of us.” Abby straightened her water and wine glasses, lining them up next to each other.
“Doesn’t count.” Blythe shook her head. “You can’t live vicariously.”
“What aren’t you saying?” Ricki asked.
Astute.Abby wanted to avoid talking about her brother, but how could she wiggle out of it now? And why did she feel as if she was guilty of his sins?
“Um, well, he caused lots of trouble when he was in school.”
“What? Pulling the fire alarms? Drag racing?” Blythe said.
“It was more serious than that.” Sitting next to Blythe, Abby didn’t have to make eye contact with her, but with Ricki across the table, Abby couldn’t avoid her gaze. Ricki’s eyes were soft and welcoming, making Abby want to tell the story she rarely shared. “On one of his many wild nights of partying and drinking and driving, he crashed his car. His best friend and captain of the football team lost a leg in the crash. Thank god his girlfriend refused to get in the car with him since he was drunk. Had she, someone would have sat in the backseat, and I doubt they would have survived.”
“Oh, Abby,” Ricki said. Her eyes were full of compassion. “I’m so sorry. That must have been terrible for you—your entire family.”
Blythe put her hand on Abby’s leg but said nothing.
“It shattered my parents. They were best friends with the parents of Travis, the guy who lost his leg.”
“Were?” Blythe said, picking up on her choice of words.
“They tried to maintain the friendship, but the strain never went away. My parents felt guilty, and Travis’s parents went through bouts of anger. Within a year, the friendship fell apart. They still live in Harveston, but if they see us, they look away.”
“What about your brother?” Ricki asked.
“A normal person, it would have scared straight, but not Carter. I’m sure he’s an alcoholic, but he’s never sought help. He’s been in and out of trouble and can’t hold a job. That’s why my little brother Eric and I were such goody two-shoes in school. We didn’t want to cause our parents any more heartbreak.”
Blythe squeezed Abby’s leg, so Abby put her hand on top of Blythe’s. “So your oldest brother caused you and your younger brother not to have any fun.”
“No, it’s not like that.” Abby glanced at Blythe and smiled. “We had fun. Just a different kind of fun.”
“Math competitions and band?” Blythe said.
“Leave her alone,” Ricki said. “There’s nothing wrong with those things.”
“Geez. Sorry, I was just teasing. But were you in the math club and band?” Blythe gave Abby a disarming smile.
“Plus the speech team,” Abby responded.
“Well then, speech team saves you. Math and band might have dragged you down, but the speech team elevates your cool points.”
Abby couldn’t help laughing at the goofy expression on Blythe’s face. “For a long time, it bothered me that’s all I did in school. But when I got older, I realized those things weren’t so bad. And I’m glad I wasn’t drunk or high through most of my high school years.”
“You embraced your inner geekhood,” Blythe said.
Abby nodded. “Yeah, I guess I did.”
“Nothing wrong with that,” Ricki said. “I wish I’d had more courage. I would have done more geek things. Instead, I was all about playing sports, so I missed out.”
