Something Unexpected

THIRTY-THREE: The Deal

Grant hops out of the car and walks me to the front steps. I see that the door has already been unlocked which means Miranda and Oliver probably saw Grant's car pull up in the driveway.

I turn to Grant who's standing with his hands in his pockets. "So I'll see you tomorrow, same time?"

"Yeah. Adam and Lenny will be back at school tomorrow. You up to having lunch with us?" He asks.

I nod. "Yeah, I guess it will be alright."

He smiles. "Okay, well I'll see you tomorrow then."

"Alright. Goodnight Grant." I walk inside, and close the door behind me. I can see Miranda and Oliver snuggled up on the couch in front of the electric fireplace.

They stop talking to look over at me standing by the door. Miranda smiles, full of warmth as always, and holds onto her pink mug with both hands. "Did you have a good time sweetheart?"

I nod and walk over towards the empty leather armchair. "Uh, yeah. It was really nice actually. I learned a lot too since Grant is like an art connoisseur."

Oliver smiles and nods in agreement. "I'm glad you enjoyed yourself."

I nod and watch as Oliver looks down at Miranda. There's a silent exchange between them, and it seems so intimate. I feel like an intruder. But as I looked at how comfortable they look with each other, I find that I think I'd enjoy having something like it.

I clear my throat, feeling a little bad that I interrupted their moment, and let my body sink into the plush armchair. "So, Grant and I made this deal."

"What kind of deal?" Oliver asks.

"There's a new exhibit the gallery is going to plan and they're looking for original works from local artists. I wanted him to submit a piece so I brought it up while we were eating dinner. He didn't really want to but said he would if I applied to Carmichael Prep."

I pause for a moment when Oliver's eyebrows raise. He takes a sip of wine from his glass and exchanges another look with Miranda.

"And what did you say?" He asks.

"I agreed to the terms. I'll apply to the school, give him proof and he'll work on a piece to submit to the gallery."

Miranda frowns. "Didn't you say the rolling application period was over in April?"

Oh. Crap.

"I think you're right..." I look down at my feet, feeling irritated.

"There's no harm in checking. This deal will probably benefit the both of you." Oliver says.

"I'll check before I go to bed."

Miranda reaches for her glass on the coffee table and takes a sip of the same red wine that Oliver was drinking. "Let us know if you need anything sweetheart. Going to that school is such an amazing opportunity."

"I know..." I start to feel a little nervous as I see how hopeful Miranda and Oliver look. Would it be horrible if I told them that I still didn't want to go to that school? That I was just doing it so that Grant would submit a piece. What will I do if I apply and get accepted? They'll expect me to go, won't they?

I could feel my thoughts start to spiral and I squeeze the rests of the armchair. Remembering the grounding techniques Dr. Ashe and I talked about in our last session, I work to calm myself down.

"What's wrong Alana?" Miranda asks, pulling me out from beneath the heavy thoughts.

"I'm just tired. I think I should go and get ready for bed now."