Wyn blushed and everyone hollered and clapped. And I thoughtthis is what I want. This is what I always wanted, a family, comradery, bantering, being surrounded by people who care about each other. Not to mention I wanted this for my sweet and shy sister, who’s always been around toxicity and drama. And if there was a chance she could get that, I should take it.
So I said yes—not that they would’ve let me say no—and then and there they all sat down and made a plan, a schedule of sorts, of who will do what and on which day. Callie, Tempest and Wynwould take turns making meals for me and Snow, so I didn’t have to worry about cooking. The guys would be in charge of talking to my landlord and then helping me pack things so we could move as soon as possible, without giving any notice. There were duties involving laundry and who would drive Snow to the doctor’s appointments. Who would be there for Snow when I had to go to work and so on.
And I would’ve taken all of that. In fact, Iamtaking all of that, without feeling completely overwhelmed and freaking the fuck out that none of this is real and could be snatched away from me any moment.
Until Callie brings up the topic of college. And not Snow’s college butmycollege.
It’s moving day. So it’s been a couple of weeks since Snow’s surgery and we brought her home from the hospital today, and by that I mean the new home: the Thorne house. The moving is all done. Ledger and Reed brought in all the boxes and the girls helped me unpack and set up my room and Snow’s as well. She’s taking Callie’s old room upstairs, and I will be in the downstairs room, the one I had slept in the night that changed my life. The fridge is stocked. The pantry is stocked. We have beef chili for dinner and vanilla cupcakes with chocolate frosting for dessert. Everyone is gone; Tempest and Ledger had to leave early because they had to relieve their sitter; Wyn went home too, to be with Conrad, and Reed is picking up Callie soon.
So I’m totally not expecting her to drop this bomb on me, but she says she’s been looking into colleges for me and Bardstown Community College has a dance program. She herself wanted to go back when she was at St. Mary’s and if Juilliard hadn’t accepted her application. While it hadn’t been her first choice, she still wanted to dance—she’s a ballerina—and she would’ve taken any opportunity to go to college to study it.
I know it’s rude, but I cut her off mid-speech and say, “But I… I can’t go to college.”
We’re standing at the kitchen sink, putting away last of the dirty dishes from lunch. Wyn and Tempest insisted on helping but I shooed them away. They’d already done so much; I can handle a few dirty dishes that I simply have to stick in the dishwasher. A curious fact: I don’t think they had a dishwasher when I came over the other night. Plus the steel looks super shiny and new. It’s crazy, but they didn’t have it put in just because Snow and I were moving in, right? Because that would be kinda insane.
“Why not?” Callie asks.
“Because Snow needs to go to college,” I reply.
“Why can’t you too?” she asks.
A blush paints my cheeks, but I persevere. “College takes money and I don’t really have any.”
Callie watches me carefully. “If I told you we’d help you, would you take offense?” My back goes up and I open my mouth to retort but she keeps going. “How about you think of it as a loan of sorts?”
I stare at her for a beat, my heart racing, my heart hoping for things, wishing. But then, I say, “That’s…really sweet but I can’t. You guys are already covering her surgery and other medical expenses on your insurance. I don’t know if it’s really a good idea to pay for my college too.”
It's not an easy thing to change insurances, but Conrad pulled some strings and she was brought on to his insurance policy. Which is how we were able to move her to a different hospital so quickly. It was really awkward, accepting financial help like that either, but I had no choice. But this is too much. They’re already doing so much for us. I can’t let them do this too. All I really need and want is for us to be a family, that’s it.
“Look,” Callie says, turning to me. “Even though, for me, our parents were out of the picture pretty much all the time, I still had a big family. I still had my brothers looking out for me, caring for me, coming to my rescue. So I don’t know how it feels to be doing everything alone. I don’t even think I can imagine it, so maybe I don’t have any right to say this, but you do have a family now. I know it’s still new and will take some getting used to but please tell me you’ll think about it?”
I promise her that and soon after she leaves with Reed, I go upstairs to check on Snow. She’s in bed, watching soccer on TV while also reading a book. Her nightstand is filled with flowers and get well soon cards, courtesy of everyone over the last few days. Plus there’s a couple of balloons tied to her bed posts that Ledger brought this morning when we went to pick her up.
Snow closes the book when she sees me at the threshold and smiles. “Hey.”
She looks a little pale, and I think she’s lost some weight, but overall she’s doing much better. She’s eating more; finished most of her lunch today. Her breathing is better too. I was a little worried about her room upstairs and her having to take the stairs every day, but the doctor said it’s for her own good.
I sit beside her on the bed and smile back. “Hey, you feeling okay?”
“Yup, just a little tired,” she says.
I look at the book pointedly. “I wonder why.”
She chuckles. “I just got to the good part.”
“You’re always at the good part.”
“You would be too, if you took up reading. Reading is just that magical.”
“I’ll have to take your word for it,” I say because I hated school, and I never really had time to take up recreational reading. Then, looking around the room, I add, “So this is new, huh?
Snow does the same, sitting up slowly and watching me for a beat. “I really like them, Juju.”
My heart squeezes. “Yeah?”
“They’re all very,” she searches for a word, “kind and sweet. Even Conrad.”
“You think Conrad is sweet?” I ask, chuckling only because that isn’t the word I’d use to describe him. Even though he’s one of the best men I’ve ever met.
