Silver Linings

chapter four

of brownies and broken girls

AFTER dinner, Chloe, Lexi, and I said our goodbye's to Madison and the guys and decided we needed a girls night. With my parents never being home to tell me that I'm not allowed to have anybody over, impromptu girls nights have kind of become our thing. As per usual, we stopped at Publix on the way home to pick up some traditional girls night snacks. The cashier gave us a small smile, eyebrows raised, as she rang up our frozen pizzas, brownies, cookies, and liter of soda.

We pull up to my house fifteen minutes after leaving the store. I park on the driveway, since the garage is full of boxes of stuff my parents bring home from their excursions, and the jet ski my dad bought last summer that he never has time to use, (due to the fact that he's never home to use it).

"I love your house," Lexi swoons. She picks a grocery bag up from at her feet, swinging it on her arm as she steps out of the car.

"You say that every time you come over." I pull the keys out of the ignition and the radio cuts out. And within five seconds, the sticky Florida heat consumes the car, even though we had the AC on full blast the whole way home. 

Lexi has been to my house at least once a week since we first met, and she always comments on something. She's wanted to be an interior designer ever since she was fourteen, and it shows. The first time she came over, she couldn't get over the cobblestone driveway. The next time, it was the bricks on the walls. The time after that, it was the "luxurious furniture" my mom brought home from Italy last summer. 

Lexi laughs. "I'll probably never get over it."

I twirl my keys around my finger as I lock the car. "Both of your houses are nice too, don't be so dramatic."

If we're being entirely honest, anybody who can afford to attend Canterbury Prep has a pretty nice house. 

"Yeah, nice, sure. But yours is like out of a magazine for the rich and famous or something like that," Chloe smirks as we walk up the driveway.

I've lived in the same house my entire life, so I guess it's "wow factor" has never really occurred to me. But with it's multiple high windows and endless miles of square footage, it's definitely nice. My dad had a pool installed a couple years after we moved in, and you can hear the waterfall from the front of the house. Bright green bushes surround the entire permitter of the house, perfectly cut and manicured; although I'm not sure how, since neither of my parents are ever around to take care of them, and I've never seen any landscapers. 

"Are you parents home?" Lexi asks, knowing that I'll say no four out of five times.

I shake my head no. "Bahamas," I say flatly as I turn my key in the lock, swinging the door wide open. Nothing has changed since I left for Chuck's party last night. In fact, nothing about my house ever changes. It always looks perfect. And not in the good, we-take-care-of-our-house kind of way, but in the, does-anybody-even-live-here kind of way. It's eerie, and not at all welcoming or home-y. 

"Nobody needs this big of a house for themselves. Maybe I'll come live with you." Chloe says, pushing a strand of hair out of her eyes. Her tone starts out sarcastic, but I can hear her voice crack as she continues talking, "I could use a break from my parents anyways." 

Lexi and I exchange knowing looks. Chloe's parents have never had the most solid relationship, but the past couple months have been especially bad. Chloe's shown up to class multiple times with red cheeks and puffy eyes, and she's been spending as much time away from her house as possible.