true colors - jb & ag 《completed》

{nineteen}

Mrs. Innes pulled her tiny yellow eco car into the driveway of Bieber House and stopped behind a painter's van. Before Ariana could even open the passenger door, her mom flew down the porch stairs with her zebra-striped pants streaming behind her.

"Sweetie, are you all right? The nurse called. I was so worried!"

"She's fine, Mrs. Grande," Mrs. Innes reassured as Ariana climbed out.

"What happened? The message only said she collapsed at a pep rally."

Ariana walked around the front of the car, working to disguise the way her bruised knees caused her to limp. "I'm fine now. It was a panic attack." She leaned into her mom and wrapped an arm around her shoulders, inhaling her familiar scent of lilac and herbs.

Mrs. Innes propped her bent elbow on the open window and winked. "I think it helped that a cute boy came to the rescue."

"Really?" Mom gave Ariana's arm a squeeze and asked, "Who's that?"

"Um . . ." Ariana needed to change the subject . . . or did she? Maybe if her mom heard something good about Justin, it would improve her opinion of him. "It was Justin, Mom."

Ariana felt her mom stiffen, but before she could respond, Mrs. Innes gushed, "You should've seen him! He held her in his arms and talked her through it. It was like they were the only two people in the world."

She let out a dreamy sigh, and that's when Ariana remembered Mrs. Innes and her husband were new to Gilt Hollow. As part of the staff, she had to have heard the rumors about Justin, but she hadn't let them cloud her opinion of him, making her Ariana's favorite teacher of all time.

Ariana faced her mom. "He remembered the breathing techniques and the panic script the doctor gave me right after Dad passed away. I was on the verge of passing out, but he pulled me back from the edge."

Her mom's lips tilted in a mechanical smile. "I'm just glad you're all right." She turned to Mrs. Innes. "Thanks so much for bringing her home."

Ariana and her mom waved as Mrs. Innes drove away, then looped their arms around each other's waists and walked back to the house in silence. Wood-and-metal scaffolding was set up on two sides of the house. Men in white uniforms worked like busy little ants, painting and repairing siding. One even dangled from a harness from the third-floor turret, welding the iron railing of the widow's walk. The dizzying height sent tingles down Ariana's spine, and she looked away. She'd always been terrified of heights.

They mounted the porch stairs, skipping the broken step in tandem. Inside, Ariana put down her book bag in the foyer and looked up at the grimy, cobweb-covered chandelier, unable to meet her mother's eyes. "If we get permission to have the Halloween party here, let's not dust that."

When her mom didn't respond, Ariana lowered her gaze. Arms crossed over her narrow chest, jaw set, brows slightly arched, Joan gave Ariana the mom look. Ariana swallowed. Her mom had asked her to stay away from Justin, and Ariana had done the exact opposite. Maybe it was time to come clean.

Mom held out her hand. "Let's make some tea and have a chat."

Perched on a stool at the kitchen bar, her hands wrapped around a steaming mug of chamomile, Ariana struggled with how to begin. After Mom agreed to let her talk without interruptions, Ariana decided on a selective truth. Some things, like Justin breaking into the house, would only freak her mom out. So she started with how Justin had been sleeping in the tree house because he had nowhere else to stay, and how he'd given his parole officer this address as his place of residence. When she got to the part where she'd told him he could sleep in a third-floor bedroom, Mom sucked in a breath and gripped her mug until her knuckles turned white, but she remained silent.