Someone Else's Fairytale

Twenty: Phone Calls

“Give me the magazine, Chloe,” said Mom.

I shook my head and kept my arms clasped over the magazine. I knew I was scrunching Jason's picture, but I reminded myself that I shouldn't care.

“Are you scared?” Mom asked. She started to giggle.

“What? What's so funny?”

“Honey, I've never seen you scared of anything. You've faced down being murdered, and you're afraid of boys?”

I turned away from her. Why couldn't she be a wise, caring, mother? Why did she have to act like one of my high school classmates? She was full on laughing at me now.

“Well,” she said, “that got you through high school without incident, but you've gotta let it go someday, honey. It's okay to get your heart broken. It doesn't hurt worse than multiple gunshot wounds.”

“How do you know?”

“Well, it doesn't hurt worse than seeing your daughter with multiple gunshot wounds. Not even close. I can tell you that.”

I shook my head.

Mom held out her hand for the magazine. “Come on,” she said. “I can read it and tell you if it's good or bad.” When I didn't move she wiggled her fingers. “Come on. What if he tells the world he's in love with you?”

Tears sprang to my eyes. I let go of the magazine to swipe the back of my hand across my cheeks.

“Oh, what, honey? You love him?”

“He told me he loved me.”

She yanked the magazine out of my arms. “I'm reading this.”

“Mom-”

“You want me to read it aloud or no?”

“I...”

“If I leave it here without reading it aloud, you going to read it, or you going to do your stoic thing and throw it away?”

I folded my arms across my chest, as if they'd form a shield between me and her.

“I'm reading it aloud.” She cleared her throat. She was just right there. I could still grab the magazine. “They asked if he'd ever met his fairytale princess, and he says, 'Well... maybe'

“Then the interviewer says, 'That a yes?'" Mom gave me a significant look. “Shall I go on?”

I grabbed a couch pillow and hugged it to my chest. “He'll probably tell some story about some other girl.”

“Which, according to you, could be a total lie. He lies in interviews, right?”

“Sure.”

She squeezed my arm. “Be strong. He says, 'Well, I've met someone who deserves to be the fairytale princess. Beautiful, intelligent, and, like, the strongest person I've ever met. Knowing that she doesn't have someone in her life who loves her for the amazing person she is, that's what breaks my heart. No one deserves a Prince Charming more than she does.'” Mom inclined her head. “Think that's you?”

“I don't know.”

“It's this month's issue of the magazine.”

“Could be an old stock interview, from a year ago.”

“He looks like he did in the interviews he did for Danger Fields.”

“Maybe they do the photoshoots at a different time.”

Mom dropped the magazine on the coffee table. “Call him.”

“I can't.”

“Now.”