Placebo Girl

Chapter 18

Placebo Girl 18

Hollis's POV

As we all three look out at the workers draining the pond of all it's water, I notice Grandpa Jack, smiling. He shakes his head and turns around to look at me, then Luke.

"Hey, Luke, did you know this one has always been about as stubborn as they come?" Grandpa asks, motioning towards me with his hand.

Luke smiles, looking at me. I know he's probably thinking about me wanting to give him money for the trip or me insisting on buying him a ton of clothes when he wouldn't agree with me. I think he still hasn't fully gotten over that since he still complains about it every day when he wears something from the new wardrobe.

"Yeah, I'm actually starting to realize that she is," he jokes, reaching out to touch my stomach playfully.

I smile at him and look back at Grandpa Jack.

"Well this isn't the first time they've done this, drained the pond I mean. They did it once back in '09. This one was just a kid. She and Hollis were here for the summer that year and about the second week they were here, crew started draining it. This one was a firecracker, I'll tell ya."

I smile. I know he's talking about me, me as in Hollis. I feel comfort in the fact that Grandpa is telling Luke something about me, the real me, and not about Mary. I know this must be confusing for Grandpa Jack and I never wanted to pull my grandparents into this mess, but I appreciate him talking about me like I'm still me.

"What'd she do?" Luke asks.

He's too eager, leaning closer to my grandpa, wanting the rest of this story. I roll my eyes playfully.

"She marched her little butt up to the crew. I drove the kids down in Ella here and I got talking to my neighbor, Fred Bedford who lives up the hill. Next thing I knew, this one was gone. I got to looking around. Her sister finally pointed towards the crew who were trying to drain the water. This one started trekking down the muddy bank and into the shallow end of the pond, plopped right down in the dirt and mud, made them stop the whole operation. Well, at least until I dragged her home."

I see Luke smile. I feel his eyes burning into the side of my face as I position the camera and take a picture of the crew. I know in Luke's mind, Mary is the one who did that, and Hollis is the sister who sat in the golf cart pointing. It bothers me that he doesn't know, but I can't even be upset because of the way he's looking at me, his eyes intense, burning through me.

"She's a real rebel," Luke says.

"You're telling me," Grandpa agrees.

"So, Jack, how long have you and Annie lived here?" Luke asks.

"Well, we built the place when we were seventeen, so, a long time, son."

"It's beautiful," Luke says.

I watch Grandpa Jack look at Luke with eyes full of approval. When he meets mine in the rearview mirror, I can tell that there's so much he wants to ask me. I know he's wondering how it is that the last time he saw me, Mary was with Luke and now, I'm pretending to be her. It must make absolutely no sense.

When I see that Luke is looking away, his eyes remaining on the crew of workers as we drive away, I mouth, "thank you" to my grandpa.

He nods. His expression is still filled with the same disapproval as before and I know he doesn't agree with this. However, he smiles slightly as he looks at me and I know for sure that I'm still loved. Despite everything, all of this shit with Luke, I feel my heart swell. I allow my eyes to close as I feel the warm breeze caress my face.