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“Yes, your daughter Gia.”
Her entire tone shifts from the overly warm and bubbly welcoming one to something cold and indifferent.
“Oh, well, I’m actually really busy at the moment and—”
“Hi, Mom!” Gia interrupts, stepping closer to the phone. She’s a lot more unsure than she was before, but she still forges ahead. “It’s not going to work out here in King City. I’m boarding a bus tomorrow morning to come stay with you. Is that . . . okay?”
The line is quiet for a moment before Florence forces out, “Oh, darling, I know King City isn’t the greatest, but you’ll love it if you give it a chance.”
“But I miss you, Mom. I want to come stay with you,” Gia declares, and I press my lips together to stop from saying anything.
Someone on the other line starts a conversation with Florence, and she laughs and turns on the charm as they discuss some movie. Gia shifts nervously from foot to foot as Florence takes her time, completely dismissing how important this moment is to her daughter.
Finally, Florence says into the phone, “What were we saying again? Oh, right. You coming here is not a good idea, sweetheart. I’ve moved in with Jim, and he hates kids. And it’s your father’s turn to take care of you and your sister. You guys need bonding time and all that.”
“But, Mom—”
“I’ve got to go, baby. But tell Siena to think about my offer. Be good for your father!”
This time she does hang up. The sounds of the party are completely cut off, and we’re wrapped in silence once again. Gia stares at the phone in disbelief, and you can see the heartbreak all over her face from a mile away.
That was the first time she’s had any interaction with our mom in years, and Florence completely brushed her off.
I tuck the phone into my pocket, keeping my facial expression stoic. I’m not going to gloat or sayI told yousoor hammer the point home. Gia knows what just happened, and now she has to process it on her own.
I know she realizes Florence couldn’t care less about her when she wipes the tears from her eyes and a hardened expression takes over her face. “Take me home.”
She picks up her backpack and pulls the handle of her suitcase, marching past me as best she can while dragging the luggage across the uneven terrain.
I want to hug her and comfort her and assure her that Florence doesn’t mean shit to us, but I’m not sure that will help right now. This can’t come as a total surprise, but now she can’t live in blissful ignorance. Now she has to acknowledge that her fantasies about Florence are just that—fantasies—and it’s not easy.
“I’m sorry, Gia,” I say because I can’t help myself, following her through the bushes. Jason attempts to take Gia’s bag for her, but she shrugs him off.
“No, you’re not. You were right, Mom couldn’t give less fucks about me. No one cares, and now Zia Stella and Dario won’t either. She knows the truth, and she’s about to implode my entire life. Dario’s going to see the car. I have no one.”
Heat flushes through my entire body, and her words finally crack my impassiveness. “You have no one? What the fuck am I? I do absolutelyeverythingfor you, Gia, and it goes deeper than making your lunches and putting money in your accounts. I took the fall for you because you needed me to,twice! I lost weeks of my life locked away for you, and I’d do it again because I love you. So don’t you dare say you have no one.”
She doesn’t look at me, instead yanking her suitcase over the curb and onto the asphalt. “You don’t count. I just want—I don’t know what I want! Just take me home where I can pretend tonight didn’t happen before morning comes and everything changes.”
“Gia—”
“Leave me alone, Siena! You’re always—what the fuck happened to your face?”
Now that we’re on the paved lot, the dim lights from the bus stops aren’t blocked by the trees, and Gia is seeing my face properly for the first time. I haven’t looked at it since that first time to make sure nothing was broken, but I can only assume the bruising has gotten deeper and more developed in the hours since it happened.
“It doesn’t matter right now,” I tell her, not wanting to pile more onto all the shit that’s happened today.
Gia, my little sister who was pissed and yelling at me only a second ago, rounds on Jason, who’s standing beside me, the silent, angry accusation clear on her face.
The action makes my heart flutter.
Jason’s horrified at the thought and steps back with his hands raised. “I’d never.”
That answer doesn’t appease Gia. “Did you kill whoever did it? Was it Brandon?”
“No, Gia,” I say, stepping between her and Jason. “It was an accident. It doesn’t matter.”
She scans my face for a moment before relenting.
