“A Change Will Do You Good” Chapter 12 “Anything But Down”

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Anything But Down

We left Skylar’s condo holding each other’s hands, but not saying anything for a long and tense minute and sixteen seconds. I took that time to run through how everything was supposed to have gone according to Katie: the grandparents would have burned us at the stake. They would first gave us a tongue lashing along with a verbal hanging before slamming the door on my face and calling the police. They would then leave in the middle of the night, forcing Skylar to leave her books, the dress, the bracelet and anything that had to with her, with only a shell remaking: Stephen.
“You grandparents are nice.”
“I’m surprised they did that. They’ve always been strict and everything by the book and planned out.” She let go off my hand, stepped a few feet ahead and turned to me. “I am, as you can see, completely unplanned.”
“That’s true,” I replied as I reached out for her.
“So to hear them say that. To actually state that they were against Katie in this. They were too quick to accept it.”
“I don’t know, maybe they’ve always know, but just allowed you to do what you want.”
“That would explain why no one’s commented on my laundry. I really worried about that.”
“Why?”
“They’re pink. Some have a lot of frills…and I know if I say any more then you’ll ask to see them.”
“No I won’t,” I replied.
“Liar.”
I only nodded.

“Do you know what a phone is for?”
We arrived at my family’s condo and I had not even dropped my foot past the threshold when my mom shouted from the living room area.
“Yes,” I replied.
Mom marched into the entry area and stared at the two of us.
“Do you know where yours is?”
“On the dresser in my room; plugged up and probably at full charge.”
“Not what I meant, Spencer. Where have you been?”
“We were with Skylar’s grandparents, talking.”
Mom looked at Skylar bout then turned her attention to me again. “We need to talk. Right now.”
“I’ll wait outside,” Skylar said and without waiting for an answer she stepped out into the hallway and closed the door. I looked back and was about bring Skylar back in when Mom snapped her fingers to get my attention.
“”Come here.”
I followed her down the hall to my room. She fished a piece of paper out of her pocket.
“Serena said you took everyone shopping today.”
“Well, the four of us went down the street.”
“What did you buy for five hundred dollars?”
“A dress and a bracelet.”
“For, her?”
“Yes.”
“Spencer Miles Logan, you’ve just met this person and, isn’t her or his name Stephen?”
I really wanted to raise an eyebrow and simply stare at her for that comment but instead I took a deep breathe.
“And if they were a thousand, I still would have gotten them for her.”
“This is reckless, you know?”
“No. It’s not reckless at all.”
Mom looked at the receipt and then at me.
“This isn’t like a plot for one of your books.”
“Maybe it can be. Mom, come on. When have I eve found anyone who talks to me for me? Sure, she knows the books I wrote, I’ll bet she knows them better than I do, but, she’s not with me for money.”
“Maybe now she is.”
“No and her family wants me to go to dinner tonight with them.”
“You’re not going anywhere else tonight. You need to stay here and chill a bit.”
“Chill?” I asked. “What have I been for most of my life. Mom, nothing has ever happened to me that made me feel like this. I never got a true valentine card. My prom date ditched me five seconds after we arrived in a freaking limo. And, and as much personal tragedy makes for a great plot line for a book, I want to have one time where I am the one who’s happy. Not someone that I’m living vicariously through because I’m either too dense or too introverted to do anything in real life.”
“I just think you’re putting too much into this queer infatuation. Sorry, I mean this summer fling.”
I wasn’t which part of that sentence pissed me off more than the other.
“Just let me figure it out on my own,” I said as I got up and walked out of the room.
“Spencer!”
“I’ll take care of this, mom.”
“You need to stay here.”
“Fine, I will, but I need to do something first.”
The rest of my family, and Serena’s friend, failed to hide the fact they were all paying close attention to my second dramatic performance of the evening.
I walked to the door and placed my hand on the knob.
“Spencer, you’re not going anywhere tonight.”
“I’m aware of that,” I replied as I opened the door.
Skylar stood a few steps away.
“I just need to tell someone I much love them.”

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