The Clichés

Chapter Sixteen

Even though she's not coming back to Dad, Mom hangs out with her family every day. She's bought an apartment close to Madeline so her children can now visit her without restrictions. Sometimes, they even sleep in her house.

Every Sunday, she hosts them, including Dad. After lunch, they sit outside the porch overlooking Mom's flame tree orchards and talk about good memories and the things Mom has missed.

It's at one of these meetings that Helena says bluntly: "I have broken up with Chantel. I'm now seeing someone else. She lives close by."

Mom, who doesn't know anything about Helena's sexuality, sits up. Her forehead is furrowed. "She? You mean you're a lesbian?"

"Of course you wouldn't know," Helena says. "You left for too long. But if you were really attentive to me as a child, you would have seen signs."

"Oh, honey."

"Should I feel bad for myself then?"

Dad rushes to her side. "Come on, sweetheart, we've talked about it several times—"

"I want to hear from Mom."

Mom gets up from her chair and comes over to Helena. She squats before her and buries her face in her lap. She begins to cry, whimpering, "I'm sorry, please forgive me" over and over again.

*

It was Ethan who suggested that Vanessa bring the Clichés back together. He was stringing his guitar to Pharrell Williams' "Happy" when it came to him.

"You can do it," he said, his voice firm.

Helena said the same. She reminded Vanessa how she used to get their parents reconciled, how she used to force Ethan and her into listening to her stories for peace to reign.

But it's not going to be easy with the clichés, Vanessa thinks. Things are no longer the same with them. Lucas remained in police custody for two weeks. Only Chase visited him once. Vanessa tried to get Dylan to go with her, but he insisted that it was weird for him to be there without the complete cliché boys.

When Lucas was released, he was arraigned before Crownston Academy's Court. He refused to say anything despite the accusations hurling at him. The jury concluded he wasn't remorseful and was looking to take further action against him, but the principal pleaded on his behalf. The school counselor, who was summoned, recommended therapy. And that was when Lucas screamed, "I'm not mad! Nothing is fucking wrong with me!" He'd not apologize for using the f-word, and so he was expelled.

Mason now comes to school dressed differently, masking up his face to disable recognition. He'd sit alone at the back of the class, take notes, then leave immediately once the lesson was over. Most times he walks past Dylan and Chase but he says nothing to them.

Chase and Dylan are still very much in touch. But, whenever Vanessa observes carefully, she notices a difference, a twisted cord to their relationship that was never there before. She notices Chase now gets angry too often, too easily, while Dylan has become a hopeless apologist.

And Ethan is suggesting she unties them.

*

She thinks about it all night, and in the morning, after breakfast with Mom, she drives to Dylan's place.

She finds him knitting a beautiful sweater. He always hides it away from her because he thinks it would make him less of a man. She knew he knitted though; Missy told her. Plus, he had mentioned something about it back at the resort.