ChapterTwenty
KRYSTAL
When Bryce dropped me off at home, I walked through the door with a smile on my face. How could I not grin after a day spent like that? But I didn’t know what to do with Bryce. He was making me question everything I thought I wanted.
“Mom, I’m home!”
“I’m in the kitchen.”
Mom’s voice sounded weary, and I immediately focused on finding her. I hurried toward the kitchen. She was sitting at a chair a few feet from the table, tears in her eyes.
“What’s wrong, Mom?”
“I came in here for some water, and I sat down to rest a beat.” Her voice cracked. “Then I couldn’t stand up. I’m too far from the table, and I didn’t bring my cane in. I don’t know how long I’ve been sitting here, but I was so afraid I would fall. I knew you’d be home eventually, so I just stayed.”
I dropped my bag on the table and went over to her. “Oh, Mom. I’m so sorry. Let’s get you up, okay?”
She sniffled her agreement, and I helped her stand. After a stop at the restroom, I got her settled back in the recliner.
“Are you sure you’re okay? When did Mrs. Storm leave?”
“About two o’clock, I guess.”
I checked my watch. It was after four. If Mom had gone to the kitchen right after Nancy’s visit, she could have been in there for almost two hours. Guilt tore at my insides. I’d been off making out with Bryce, while Mom was stuck and terrified for who knows how long.
“I’m so sorry. I should have come back sooner.” Some caretaker I was.
“Oh, no. I shouldn’t have been so stubborn. I know I’m supposed to bring my cane. I just thought I could manage to get a little drink. You’d think after all that torture at the therapist I’d be further along.”
I shook my head and tried to talk some sense into her. “Mom. You broke your back. It takes time to heal! You’ll get there. You just have to be patient.”
“Not exactly one of my stronger qualities,” she admitted.
I chuckled, grateful to see her usual joking attitude. She seemed to be okay, so I tried changing the subject. “What did you and Nancy talk about?”
Mom waved a hand. “Oh, you know. Our kids, mostly.” Mom gave me a sidelong glance. “I hear you and Bryce are getting along.”
My cheeks burned as I thought about our kiss at the creek. “It’s nothing serious,” I said. My inner voice taunted me. Liar, liar.
“And why on earth not? I thought you two would figure this out fifteen years ago, and here you are again, claiming that ‘we’re just friends’ nonsense.”
“Look, I don’t know what we are. I’m here for a few weeks. We’re hanging out, that’s all,” I snapped at Mom.
I couldn’t let it be more serious than that. Even if today had been pretty much the definition of perfect. Even if my feelings for Bryce were anything but casual.
I turned and walked toward the hallway. “Holler if you need me. I just need some time.”
Frustrated at how I’d handled my mother and knowing she hadn’t deserved my disrespect, I channeled my energy into organizing the attic. Using my anger to organize and sort through some of the boxes seemed like a good alternative to sitting in my childhood bedroom and overanalyzing the afternoon I’d just spent with Bryce.
The first box I opened held my high school yearbooks, graduation gown, and scrapbooks. I flipped through the binders of certificates and awards my mother had kept. Attendance. Straight As. Varsity letters in drama and choir. Everything carefully slipped into clear sheet protectors and filed away.
I grabbed the yearbook from my senior year. Rows and rows of headshots smiled back at me. I found my photo, cringing at my bangs, and then turned the page to find Bryce. His shoulders were narrower, his face splotchy with acne. But he had the same genuine smile as he carried now.
I traced the heart drawn around his photo with my finger, remembering how he’d taken the sharpie and drawn it himself with a mischievous smile while we stood in the hallway. “I’ll record your true feelings, so you don’t have to admit them,” he had joked.
I turned the pages, finding group photos of the drama club and the athletic teams. Candid shots of the student section during a basketball game were mixed with action shots of athletes and theater performances.
There was me and Bryce, sitting in the common area. I was smiling at the camera. Bryce, on the other hand, was smiling with his head turned to look at me.