AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I nodded. “Abby,” I said.
“Go with Lyle,” she told her brother. “He was just on his way out for some lunch for us.”
I was surprised. Cal leaned over and kissed her forehead. “Go easy on her. She’s nice.”
They headed out to get something for lunch. Rhonda patted the sofa beside her.
“I’m harmless. It’s the other sisters you have to worry about.”
She was teasing, I realized. I took a deep breath and sat down uncomfortable and unsure of what to say. I was socially backward. Afraid of saying the wrong thing so I didn’t say anything at all.
“It’s okay,” Rhonda said. “I’m not as breakable as they think.”
“I’m really sorry.”
She sighed. “Me too. I hope you never lose a baby Abby. You aren’t sleeping with my brother, are you? If you are use condoms. You both are too young for a baby.”
I choked on my spit and Rhonda chuckled. “We’re pretty straight forward in this family. You’ll learn. So, are you sleeping with Cal?”
“No,” I declared, mortified at her questioning me.
“Virgin?” She asked. Her eyebrows raised over eyes that were very much like her brothers. Brown and unremarkable until you got close. Then you saw specks of color in them that were green and gold and truly beautiful.
I nodded quickly.
“Nothing wrong with that. I’ve only been with Lyle. It’s kind of nice having only been with one man. We went to the same college together. We were going to get married after graduation, but Dad couldn’t make it home. Then I was like I don’t need a piece of paper to be married which pisses off my father and makes me happy,” Rhonda declared.
We decided we were settled enough last year and got pregnant pretty, quickly. Then this but we’ll be okay.” She looked at me long and hard. “You’re pretty quiet.”
“I am,” I agreed.
“That won’t do. I’m a talker.” She smiled at me. I decided that I liked Rhonda.
“I just moved here this summer,” I told her finding that Rhonda was easy to be open with just like her brother.
“That sucks. High school is hard enough without moving during your sophomore year.”
I told her about my grandma. She smiled at my description of her. I told her about my writing on Dystopian.com. “Can I read it?” Rhonda asked.
“Anyone can.”
She nodded. “I’ll look it up. I like you.”
She figured out from us talking before Lyle and Cal got back that I hung out at school with Tyson, Cal and Cal’s friends. She hugged me when they got back with the food. “Girls can be catty, but you need a good girlfriend.”
“Don’t I know that,” I whispered.
Cal looked at us strangely.
“Mind your business, Calvert,” Rhonda told him. He rolled his eyes at his sister because she too had used his full name.
“Hey, hon. I’m here if you need a sister or a girl to talk to.” Then she squeezed my shoulders. We walked to the table and sat down. She was wearing hot pink pajamas and her hair was tied back but she was really, pretty, even without make-up. I liked her natural style. She liked color I thought from the choice of pajama color and the blanket color too.
She sat by Lyle and I took the seat by Cal.
He held my hand under the table while Lyle passed out food to each of us on a paper plate. His mom was right. We had helped Rhonda’s mood and she had helped me. It was a good time at their apartment. The problem was, I lost track of time because we had watched a movie or two after the food was gone.
Cal drove me home at six-thirty. I had left my phone at home so my parent’s calls to it were useless to them. I knew they were probably worried, but I was having such a good time.
