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There’s a knock on my door and Mom pokes her head in.
“Can I come in?” she asks.
“Sure.”
Mom takes in my outfit. “You look so pretty. You should go to a party. You don’t need to hang out here tonight.”
“I thought I was grounded.”
“Yeah, I don’t think that’s really necessary anymore.”
She sits down on the bed and puts her hands on my cheeks, like she used to do when I was little. “Kylie, I’m sorry I’ve put so much pressure on you.” She’s gearing up for a big talk, the kind of talk we never have. Normally, I’d love it, but I’m kind of talked out today. I just want to kick back and turn off. “It wasn’t fair to rely on you to take care of your brother every day. I should have figured something out so you had more freedom.” She’s determined to have the talk.
“Don’t beat yourself up, Mom. Seriously. I like hanging out with Jake.”
“I feel like you should have been hanging out with friends more, and I didn’t make that enough of a priority.”
“Maybe that’s my fault as much as yours. I kind of used all the stuff I had to do at home as an excuse to hide away. I mean, I probably should have pushed back a little, right? Maybe said no every now and then, like a normal teenager. But I didn’t. Because it was safer to be here than dealing with everyone at school.”
“I hope you won’t do that at NYU.”
“I hope so too.”
Mom smiles. “You can be just like your dad sometimes.”
“I know.” I say this like I’m not thrilled with the similarities, and Mom picks right up on that.
“That’s not such a bad thing, you know. He loves you and your brother very much. He’s just been hurt by life and he’s still picking up the pieces. But he’ll get there. And, you know, we’re going to be okay next year. I don’t want you worrying about us. We’re going to miss you a whole lot, but you just need to focus on making the most of NYU and New York City.” Mom puts her arms around me and pulls me close. “You make us so proud, Kyles. You always have. And I know you always will.”
Tears pool in my eyes. I wrap my arms around Mom and squeeze her tightly. I can’t remember the last time we held each other like this. It’s nice to be with her when she’s not distracted or in a rush or worrying about Jake. Those moments have been few and far between over the years.
The doorbell rings, and thank God for that, because another second here with Mom and I would have turned into a blubbering idiot.
“I’ll get it,” I say, releasing Mom. “It’s Will.” I rush out of the room, wiping away the tears with the back of my hand.
I fling open the door to find Max standing there. Oh my God. My heart flips around in my chest like a fish out of water. I struggle to breathe.
Max smiles, his cheeks dimple, and I fall in love all over again. Man, what is wrong with me? I’m such a sucker. How will I ever make it in the big city?
“What are you doing here?”
“We need to talk.”
“Let’s go outside,” I say.
I step outside and close the door so we are alone.
Max doesn’t say anything for a few moments. He’s nervous and fidgety as his hands try to find a place to rest comfortably. They finally slip inside his front pockets. It’s jarring to see Max like this.
“You look…really nice,” he finally says.
“Thanks.”
“Listen, Kylie, if you don’t want me here, I get it, I just…”
“Who says I don’t want you here?”
Max takes a deep breath; I can see him steeling himself.
“I can’t stop thinking about you. I know you might not feel the same way. But I had to tell you that. I wanted to say something after the ceremony. I looked for you—”
“You did?”
“Yeah. Did you look for me?”
I can see the fear in Max’s eyes, and it surprises me. The fact that I have this power, any power, really, over Max is shocking. “I went to find you as soon as it was over, but you were with Lily and everyone. I couldn’t even penetrate the circle.”
“Lily and I were breaking up. Actually, she broke up with me. She kind of got there first. I think she knew, after seeing us together, that it was over.”
This jolts me. Maybe I read everything wrong. “You were going to break up with her?”
“I told you last night. There was no way I could stay with her after being with you. It didn’t feel right anymore.”
“Yeah, but this morning you seemed—”
“This morning I was half out of my mind. I was just doing damage control. I thought Lily would go berserk, so I tried to appease her. I screwed up.”
I had convinced myself that I didn’t care about Max, but as soon as I hear that he and Lily are really over, the walls come tumbling down. Maybe next time I shouldn’t build those walls so quickly.
“In the parking lot, I ran after your car like a maniac.”
“You did?”
“You didn’t hear me?”
“No.” I’m not sure what to say. It feels like this isn’t really happening. Girls like me don’t get the guy.
“Will told me to leave you alone,” Max says. “Said you were pretty adamant.”
“Well, that’s true. Then again, I’m adamant about everything.”
“Yeah, so I’ve gathered.”
“Honestly, I didn’t think you cared,” I say. “Or I had convinced myself that you didn’t.”
“I care. A lot. I kind of thought you didn’t.”
We both smile at the classic misunderstanding. It’s all so cliché-ridden, it’s embarrassing. I wish our story could have some more original twists and turns. Maybe one of us will turn into a vampire or something.
“We were both wrong,” Max says. He lets out a deep breath, and his body seems to relax from the strain. He looks more like the cool, confident Max I’m used to.
“So, where does that leave us?” I ask. I’m not trying to be dense. I really don’t know what to do. I’m scared to take the next step. Max is going to have to lead.
“I want to be with you, Kylie. I’ve been trying to say that for a while now, but you kept shutting me down.” He takes my hand in his and pulls me to him. A swell of heat rises in me. I feel like I could burst into flames at any minute.
“But I’ve got an internship this summer,” I say. “And you’re supposed to be in Europe and then I’m off to New York and you’re at UCLA—”
“And the world could blow up. Or I could get hit by lightning. A lot of shit could happen, Kylie. Don’t spin things out and start making problems before we have to. I’m not going to Europe. I’m hanging here. So let’s just start by, I don’t know, going out for di
I laugh nervously. “Wait, we aren’t really married, are we?”
“No. Not really. It wasn’t legal. I asked my dad.”
“I didn’t think so.” Still, I breathe a small sigh of relief.
“But I’ve still got my ring,” Max says, pulling the cheap piece of gold out of his pocket and slipping it onto his finger.
“Me too. As a souvenir, you know? I forgot to pick up a snow globe.”
“So, what do you think about di
Max is right. I’m jumping way too far ahead, as usual, finding things to worry about when there aren’t any. I throw my arms around him and pull him as close to me as I can.
Max kisses me.
Yes. Yes. Yes, I want to shout. Of course we can go on a date. And another. And another. And another. As long as you promise to kiss me like this every time.
I hear the door open. It’s Mom and Dad. I quickly disentangle myself from Max and take a giant step away. Awkward.
Mom’s never seen me with a boy. I’ve never seen me with a boy, so I can only imagine how she feels.
“Do you want to invite your friend inside?” she asks.
“Hi, Mr. and Mrs. Flores. I’m Max. A friend of Kylie’s from school.” Max extends his hand and shakes both Mom and Dad’s hand. “A pleasure to meet you.”
The boy has ma
My parents, slightly in awe of the beautiful boy on our front porch, stare at him like he’s Prince Harry.