I reply, “Nothing happened. The dinner was good.”
Gianna blinks. “Then why are you crying?”
“I’m not.”
“Babe,” Mara says.
My face heats, and tears fall from my eyes. I quickly wipe it away. I don’t mean to. I thought I was done. Iwasdone. I told myself no more tears.
Gianna stands up and crosses the living room. She wraps both arms around me without saying anything. Mara joins. The three of us are standing in the middle of the kitchen with a Doja Cat song playing low and Gianna’s mascara smudged on her left lid because she didn’t get to finish.
After a minute, I step back and wipe my face with the heel of my hand.
“I’m fine. I’m fine. Sorry.”
“Stop apologizing,” Mara says.
“What happened, Lucy?”
I take a deep Camdenth. “Her boyfriend made dinner. My mom was happy. Bear cleaned up without being bribed.” I stop. “It was a normal family dinner. And I can’t—” I don’t finish.I just can’t comprehend what’s happening.
Gianna gets it. She has known me for three years and watched me come back from that house every Wednesday. She knows that my family and I do not have dinner together.Ever.
“It’s okay.” Gianna shakes her head. “Sorry, it’s not okay, but it will be.”
“Yeah.” Mara is still standing close. She has my elbow with one hand. She is in jeans and a top that is closer to a bra than a top.
Gianna pulls back and looks at me. “Okay. You’re coming with us.”
“Where?”
“To the Hawthorne House.”
I only know the term because she has mentioned it a million times in the past few years.
“It’s going to be so fun,” Mara says.
I wipe my eyes. “I can’t go to a party right now.”
“You can.”
“Lucy,yes,” Mara says.
“I cannot go. Not tonight.”
“You absolutely can.”
“G,” I plead.
“You’re going to put on something cute. You’re going to take a shot. You’re going to dance for two hours. You’re going to forget about your mom, her new boyfriend, and your brother for one night. And in the morning, when it all hurts again, you’ll have had a night.”
I stare at the ground. “I already had a glass of wine.” Which explains why I can’t stop crying.
Gianna nods. “I can smell it on you. I haven’t been drinking, so listen to me, alright? Go get ready. We leave in ten.”
“We’ve got you, girl.” I look at Mara. Mara has the kind of face you cannot say no to when she’s being earnest. She is being earnest. She is also wearing what is, I’m sorry, a bra.
I think about my bed. I could crawl into it right now and finish this much-needed cry alone in the dark. But the photo on the fridge grabs my attention. Benson Reeve will be at this party. It’s his house. I still have a paper bag of chocolate from him that I could eat by myself. His smile shines across the room, and I can’t think straight. My heart starts thumping.
