Page 62 of Genesis
I cock my head. “Seriously?”
“What? They’re girls. They know what you all like.” He waves a hand like it’s that simple.
“We don’t all like the same stuff, dummy.”
He fills the glasses, handing me mine. “Did I fuck up again?”
I shake my head, rolling my eyes at this clueless boy that I love. I know his heart was in the right place, so how can I be mad that he asked a few clubhouse hookers to help him Christmas shop for his girlfriend?
God, just thinking those words makes me question myself. I fiddle with my earring. “You didn’t fuck up entirely.”
His lip lifts. “I’ll take it.”
We clink glasses and I chuckle before I take a sip of the bubbly. “Better than beer,” I say with a look of approval.
He taps his hand on the counter. “All right, let me see you smile,” he says, walking over to the tree.
____________
Christmas morning equals warm pj’s, hot cocoa, andA Christmas Storyon repeat for most of the day. Uncle Hale and I exchange gifts, and Trinity comes over in the afternoon, but the sun goes down without a word from Danny. “I thought Danny was coming over?” Uncle Hale says as I grab a drink from the fridge.
“He got tied up with family stuff,” I say on a shrug, like it’s no big deal, like what I’m saying is true.
And that’s the third time I’ve lied to him about Danny. I look to the TV when the local news comes on.
“It seems a bad batch of heroin has been floating around Postings over the past couple of months. We caught up with a local medic to see what he had to say about this.”
“Every week there seems to be more and more overdoses on the streets. It’s becoming an epidemic.”
Jesus, this town.
“All right, well, you’re more than welcome to watch a movie with us,” Hale says.
“That’s sweet, but I’ll let you two have some time.”
“We don’t mind,” Trinity says from the couch. “We’ve got popcorn.”
I give her a smile. “You kids have fun.”
“Suit yourself,” Hale says.
I walk back to my room, shutting the door behind me as I grab the phone from my bed and dial the O’Briens’ number again.
“Hello,” Ma says on the other end of the phone.
“Hey, Ma, he made it home yet?” I ask her.
“Sorry, Bexley. No.”
I nod even though she can’t see me.
“Is that her again?” I hear. “Let me talk to her.”
I hear some shuffling, and then Samuel’s voice comes on the other end of the line. “Bexley. Why don’t you come over? Ma would love to see you, and Paul’s here.”
I look through the photos I took from my new digital camera Danny bought me. I captured Hale and Trinity playing in the snow and a redbird landing on a snow-covered tree. I really like this thing.
I don’t really like him right now, though.
