Alexa snickered. Reaching forward, I grabbed the wooden spoon from the counter and smacked her on the shoulder.
“Yeah, yeah,” Alexa said. “And pigs can fly, what else don’t I know?”
I slumped down into a kitchen chair and crossed my arms over my chest. It wasn’t fair. I felt like a normal girl, but it was almost like there was something wrong with me. I obviously wasn’t normal. I’d never been kissed, much less had an actual date with a guy. But I still had needs. I still had crazy fantasies and dreams that made me wake up blushing.
Why wasn’t anyone able to see through me and realize how badly I wanted a boyfriend?
Just as I was about to ask Alexa what Steve looked like, the doorbell rang. Alexa’s head snapped up and she grinned. Turning to me, she pinched her cheeks and hurriedly tidied her hair in a knot.
“Expecting someone?” I raised an eyebrow. “Like, maybe Jared?”
Alexa licked her lips and shook her head. “Definitely not,” she said. “At least, I don’t think he’d try showing up without calling.” She rolled her eyes. “He knows that’s a bad idea.”
I bit my lip. I couldn’t think of who would be at the door – especially without calling. It wasn’t like I had a ton of friends.
I knew it must be someone for Alexa.
“Can you get it?” Alexa asked. “I have to run to the bathroom.” Without waiting for my reply, Alexa darted off, grabbing her cosmetics case from the kitchen island before disappearing down the hall.
With a sigh, I plodded towards the door and yanked it open.
“Belle?”
The sound of my mom’s weak voice was enough to break my heart. I gasped when I saw her standing there. She was shivering against the cold, and wearing a black jacket that I didn’t recognize. When I looked over her face, I felt my heart plummet. Her eyes were rimmed with red and her cheeks were bloodless, pale. Her normally full mouth looked thin and saggy, like she’d aged ten years overnight.
I knew she wouldn’t just show up for no reason at all. There had to be something wrong – something really, really wrong.
“Mom?” I said tentatively. “What are you doing here?”
Mom was shivering uncontrollably. She wrapped her arms tightly around her body and hugged herself.
“Come in,” I said quickly, wrapping an arm around her thin shoulders and pulling her inside the apartment. “How long have you been outside?”
Mom looked at me with mournful eyes.
“Mitchell’s dead,” Mom whispered. “He was in a car accident.”
And with that, she collapsed against me.
“Alexa!” I screamed loudly. “I need your help!”
Fifteen minutes later, Mom, Alexa, and I were sitting together in the kitchen. The pasta had long been forgotten and I’d made tea for all three of us. Mom was clutching her mug with both hands, like it was some kind of magical, life-saving device.
“I can’t believe it,” Mom said hoarsely. “One minute, we were talking about plans for dinner.” She blinked and a tear rolled down her cheek. I was close to crying myself. My chest ached and my heart was pounding, but somehow, the tears wouldn’t come. It was like I couldn’t be sad about Mitchell when I had Mom to take care of. She was, and always would be, my first priority.
“I’m so sorry,” Alexa said. She leaned in close and put an arm around my mother. “I wish there was something I could do, Mrs. Rhodes.”
My mom shook her head sadly. “I don’t know what to do,” she whispered. When I looked at her, I realized that she looked like a scared little girl. “Belle, what do I do? What happens now? Who’s going to take care of us?”
“We will, Mom,” I said softly. I reached across the table and took her hand in mine. As I squeezed Mom’s fingers, her hand felt limp and cold in my grip. “Mom, everything will be okay. I promise – we’ve always survived, and that’s not going to change now.”
Mom stared at me like she wasn’t even hearing my words.
“Belle, I’d like you to come home for a few days,” Mom said in a strangled voice. “Just until everything’s taken care of. You can do that for me honey, can’t you?”
I nodded, thinking of my finals and how much harder I was going to have to work now that I would be missing the last of my classes.
“Of course I can come home,” I said. I squeezed Mom’s hand again. “I can stay for however long you need.”