Sadie (18+)

Chapter 4

I woke to the sound of a brown bag crinkling, and then a whiff of hot, doughy goodness. My eyes shot open; I was met with a smiling, bright-eyed Julia, and bagels. My surroundings registered a second later—I wasn't at home.

"Good morning, sleepyhead," she said, pulling at my arms to raise me up on the couch. "My parents want to talk to you about something."

The sunlight filtering through the curtains coaxed out an unpleasant headache. I sighed, gathering my knotty hair into a bun and then sleepily followed Julia into the kitchen.

The sight of Vincent momentarily stopped me; I'd just remembered how lovely it had felt to be so close to him, to watch his chest rising, to be so still in the dark.

I could only imagine the pitiful looks I would get now that I also remembered how foolish I acted last night, not to mention the information I spilled about my mother. What he must think of me now that he saw me crying on his doorstep like a lunatic. My headache only worsened at the thought.

I needed to stay away from alcohol or I would surely turn into her.

Julia gestured for me to sit down, and so I did. I tapped my fingers against my leg, feeling as though I were a child about to be scolded.

I stared at the poppy seed bagel in front of me until Gina pushed the butter in my direction, motioning for me to use it. She wrapped her hands around her coffee mug and watched me, but her demeanor was not cold or scary like my mother. There was a kindness, a gentleness that glimmered in her soft eyes.

"Honey," she began, "Vincent explained to Julia and I what happened last night."

I looked over at Vincent, the stubble peppering his jaw, the crow's feet, the faint circles under his eyes. He was buttering his own bagel until our eyes met. He gave me a soft, half smile, the kind that people give when they feel bad for you. I turned away, feeling uncomfortable.

"You're not in trouble," Julia said, laughing. "Lighten up."

I forced a smile, and Julia grabbed my hand under the table, giving it a squeeze.

"I didn't realize how difficult things were at home," Gina said, moving her fingers across the mug. "I don't like the idea of you drinking and driving, but what I don't like even more is you being in that kind of environment."

I looked over at Julia. She was bouncing in her seat, and from the looks of it ready to squeal with excitement.

"I want you to stay here," she continued, taking a sip of her coffee. "You can sleep over any time, and up until you both leave for college if that's what you feel like you need."

"Gina, I—"

"Sadie, stop," she interrupted. "We would be honored to have you here, as much as you so desire. We love and care about you."

Julia turned to me excitedly, her wavy hair swaying. "Sadie, I swear if you don't agree to this I'm going to have a fit."

"You guys are way too nice to me," I said, laughing. "I can't. You'll get sick of me, and I just couldn't impose like that."

Gina shook her head. "We love you. I wish you'd told us what was going on."

"It's not like she's abusing me," I said, shrugging. "I'm really okay. I just got emotional."

"Why don't you hang out here more than usual, see how you like it?" she offered kindly.

I glanced over at Vincent. He was nodding in agreement to Gina's words, but strangely quiet.

Julia reached in the middle of the table for a second bagel—cinnamon raisin. We frequented this bagel shop quite a bit, and usually on our way to school. I knew it was the same bagels; the hot, doughy center was unlike anywhere else. Julia always ordered a cinnamon raisin, and she loved strawberry cream cheese on it.

I took a large bite into my bagel before I came to a decision.

"Okay. I'll try it. I'm sorry about this whole thing, though. I didn't mean to inconvenience any of you last night—it just sort of happened."

"Don't worry about that," Gina replied. "You have nothing to apologize for. I have to leave for work in a few minutes, but I understand if you stay home from school today. Why don't you take the day to recuperate?"

"Shit," Julia cursed, springing from her seat. "I would stay home too, but I forgot I have a stupid history test today."

"The one on the Gilded Age?" I asked, remembering her complaining about it a few days ago.

"Yup," she said, popping the 'p'. She looked over at Vincent, her eyebrows pulling together. "Shouldn't you be at work?"

Vincent shook his head. "I called out already. Didn't get much sleep. I could use the day off, anyway."

"Since when do you decide when you can stay home, missy?" Gina asked her daughter, narrowing her eyes in a playful manner.

Julia rolled her eyes at her, then turned to me and put a hand on my shoulder. "Come upstairs. I want to talk to you."

I excused myself from the family and followed her upstairs. I plopped down on her bed as she rummaged through her closet, tossing articles of clothing on the floor that didn't satisfy her. I fiddled with a string on her blanket, distracted.

After a hectic few minutes, she stopped and sat down across from me, a frown etched on her lips. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," I said. "You know how my mom is."

"Yeah, but I didn't think things were so bad that you apparently drive drunk now. That's like, really bad, Sadie. And dangerous."

"I don't," I replied, huffing out a sigh. "It was a one time thing, I swear."

"You better mean it," she said. "I know your home life really blows, but I'm psyched about having you here. I'm so glad they agreed."

"You came up with this idea?" I asked.

"Duh," she said. "It wasn't just for selfish reasons, I swear. I really think it'd be better for you. Your mom probably wouldn't even notice."

"That's true, I guess."

I took in the stimulated girl before me: she was so loving and kind. Julia gazed at me expectantly, those bright, honey brown eyes twinkling with eagerness.

"Do you know how much I love you?" I asked, feeling overly affectionate. I wrapped my arms around her and gave a tight squeeze, then planted a kiss on her cheek. "Thank you, Jules."

"I love you more," she said, smooching me back. "Now write me a cheat-sheet for my history test, pretty please."