Page 83 of You + Me – Against the World

The weekend before Christmas is always the worst of the year.

My mother is beside herself because nothing is ready the way she wants it to be, and my father complains because Georgia went to spend the holidays with her own family and isn’t here to help anymore. Despite that, he doesn’t exactly volunteer himself. Lily is sad that our maternal grandmother can’t come and spend Christmas with us as promised, and my parents are keeping it from my sister that she is sick and far too weak for the trip. My English grandparents are coming, though; they should be arriving any minute.

Having Albert and Margaret descend on our house once a year is enough to put everyone on edge. As usual, they are going to bombard us with their opinions on every possible subject, especially on what’s better in England—which basically means just about everything. Like he does every year, Edward Lancaster will slip almost instantly back into his old, upper-class customs. To please them, Basile will be even more perfect than usual, and Granny and Grandpa will make it extremely clear that the eldest son—the heir, naturally—is their favorite. At least Clémentine will be there to laugh about it with me during the meal.

I don’t even dare imagine what Vadim would think of such a stuffy, ostentatious Christmas dinner. Fine china on the table, a six-course feast, endless champagne, a mountain of luxurious gifts under the tree, showy displays of good manners, scathing remarks and hypocritical smiles. All of it would drive him crazy.

I escape from my bustling house, just for an hour, to go meet him.

The park is deserted at this time of year. I wait for him on our bench, my legs swinging back and forth of their own accord, like they did when I was nine. I run my fingertips over the words “You + Me” carved into the wood.

Vadim appears, a little late and looking annoyed. His lips barely brush my cheek before he drops onto the bench beside me.

“Is that it?”

“I’ve got too many things to tell you…”

“Did you get arrested again? Did you steal a car on the way? Did you—”

“No, Alma, I can’t even blink without someone writing up a damn report! This community service group is hell!” He groans, running a hand through his messy hair. “I picked up litter all day on campus. Emptied trash cans, washed stuff, folded stuff, put away stuff… They treat us like slaves!”

“Who is in this group?”

“A bunch of losers! They do everything they’re told without even complaining.”

“That’s what it’s for, Vadim. To redeem yourself and show you know how to behave. Do you want to get expelled from the university?”

He buries his face in his hands and groans in frustration, like a kid who’s been denied the latest must-have toy. “Stop it, Alma, you sound like Mama Keith… I get it! I’ll be an angel. I’ll sort the trash by color if it makes them happy, and I’ll even make some friends!”

“I’d like to see that…”

He turns toward me, looking exhausted. I smile at him and weave my fingers through his curls.

“There’s this one girl who’s pretty cool.”

“Cool? Cool how?”

He lets out a low, husky laugh that sends a flutter through me.

“I don’t know, I talked to her for like five minutes. Her name is Cheyenne.”

“That’s not a name, that’s a Native American tribe.”

Clearly, I’m doing a terrible job pretending I don’t care.

“She is Native American, I think. Anyway, she’s funny, that’s all. And you, Alma Lancaster, are jealous.”

“And you are dreaming, garbage collector.”

Vadim laughs louder this time, then turns toward me, sitting astride the bench. “I have some other big news.”

“What was the first? Your new, funny, cool friend?”

He smiles at me, extremely proud of himself. “Do you want to know or not?”

“Go ahead,” I reply reluctantly.

“I saw Keith this morning. He found Roman.”