Chapter 28 - Clumsy Secret Agents
Kelly's mood was downright giddy since she got her mom's text. She was still careful, but she danced more dances with me, sat by me during breaks, and she even sat on my lap for a little bit.
At one point, when Kelly went to get a drink, Kristy and I had a few seconds alone.
"Ani? I had a thought," Kristy said.
"Uh-oh."
"I'm serious." She proceeded slowly and cautiously. "You know how they say some girls have 'daddy issues' and look for a guy to give them the relationship they feel like they missed out on with their fathers?"
"Yeah, why?"
"Well, I was thinking about Kelly, and...well, you saw how her mood changed when she got one little text from her mom, right?"
"Yeah," I said. It bothered me that Kelly was so anxious for her mother to communicate with her that she got excited over such a small effort on her mom's part. She deserved so much more. Every child deserves better than that from their parents.
"Do you think...do you think, maybe Kelly could have 'mommy issues'?"
The question seemed to come out of nowhere. I slowly started processing it, and-
"Are you suggesting that Kelly only likes me because she wants a mother figure?" Kristy knows me well enough to be able to sense when I'm about to flip from calm to fight-mode.
"I'm not saying that's the only reason. I'm just wondering if it's one reason, Ani! Don't get mad. Think about it. She really misses her mom. She craves maternal attention and approval. That first weekend, before she really knew you, she heard all of the other girls calling you 'mom' and saw you taking care of us. I'm just saying, maybe that's what made her move so fast."
"So, you think instead of being attracted to me as a person, my girlfriend was just looking to replace her mother." I didn't say it like a question. I said it like an accusation, daring her to confirm it.
"No! She adores you, but...Ani, you know her past. Maybe she's been looking for the wrong thing in relationships for a while now. Maybe she just lucked out that you're a great person, and you aren't like the other girls she's been with. You know her past. She needed to feel loved, and was willing to-"
"Do not finish that sentence." Kristy's eyes widened and she leaned back to put a little distance between us. I leaned towards her. "Kelly's been called a slut enough by her own mother. She deserves better than to have friends saying it."
"I'm not calling her a slut, Ani!"
"You're right. You're calling her a whore, trading sex to feel loved."
"Ani-!"
I stood up. "From now on, keep the conclusions of your little psychological profiles to yourself."
I stormed off. I went out into the hall to look for Kelly, and saw her talking to a bunch of the Juniors from her math class and their dates. She looked happy, laughing along with whatever they were talking about. I didn't want to bring down her mood, so I decided to take a walk to my locker and give myself time to cool off.
As I passed the corner of the commons area where the student council members had built a little backdrop for photos, I saw Kala and Tara goofing around and getting their picture taken.
"Perfect timing!" yelled Kala. "Get over here Cuddle Buddy! We need you in the pic!"
Her bright and smiley face got very serious when I glared at her. She and Tara came over to where I stood.
YOU ARE READING
The Gods of Song and Poetry
Romance"Was that flirting? It kind of felt like flirting. No. Couldn't be. She just thinks the senior girl is cool, like all of my sister's other friends. I was just wishing it was flirting. She's the new girl, she's super cute, and she makes me feel reall...
