Audre & Bash Are Just Friends(25)
That may be fine for Eva, but Audre craved order. Rules, logic, sense. Especially when it came to family. Quietly, it bothered her that her family wasn’t tied in a bow like everyone else’s. She had two sets of parents. Two homes on two different coasts, with different lives in each place. “Brooklyn Audre” was driven. “Malibu Audre” was relaxed. Eva, Audre, Shane, and Baby Alice all lived in the same house but had different last names. On their Christmas cards, for example, they couldn’t sign off with Happy Holidays from the Walker Family. Instead, it was Happy Holidays from the Hall, Mercy, Mercy-Moore, and Hall-Mercy Family.
Baby Alice was her half sister. Which sounded fake, like it didn’t count. Audre wished she was her full sister. It felt cleaner. Easier. Why did her life require so much explanation?
A year after Baby Alice’s birth, Audre still couldn’t believe there was another Mercy girl in the world. Her little sister had so much to learn—especially about the feats of power and magic their lineage was supposed to pull off. As her big sister, it’d be her job to teach her all about how their family worked. What would she tell Baby Alice about their mom?
Unclear. Audre was raised by a very different Eva than she was now. Audre’s Eva was a stressed-out single mom—writing books and raising a daughter alone despite her painful disease. Shane’s love changed her mom. Baby Alice’s Eva was lighter. Happier.
Audre would love to trade places with her sister. Once, she’d read that babies have bad eyesight to protect them from overstimulation. Must be nice.
“When is Grandma Lizette coming to meet Baby Alice?”
“Not sure. It’s hard for her to travel.”
“Maybe she’ll come now that I’m here all summer?” Audre said this with a hopeful lilt.
Eva picked up the endless veil in one hand and faced Audre. “Honey, I know this isn’t how you wanted to spend your summer. But there is an upside. You’ll have time to bond with your sister!”
“We’ve bonded. I’m not a monster.”
“I didn’t say you were,” sighed Eva. “Though I know you call her The Goblin.”
Audre grimaced guiltily.
“Also, you can help me with wedding stuff. You love planning events at school.”
“I have my own life, Mom,” said Audre, her voice rising. “I’m too busy to be your event planner, okay? Who wants to spend their summer planning their mom’s wedding?”
Any other summer, she thought, I wouldn’t even be here. Technically, I’m not even supposed to see Summertime Mom in person.
“Fine, but you will have time to do an original art piece for our wedding gift, right?”
“You know I don’t paint anymore,” muttered Audre.
Eva made an exasperated sound. Annoyed, she grabbed the remote and muted The Exorcist. “Jesus. Why are you so cranky all the time?”
“I’m the easiest kid ever. You’re lucky! Other kids are on drugs right now.”
“But you’re not. Obviously.” Eva squinted, peering into Audre’s eyes.
“Well, maybe I just haven’t been brave enough to engage with that side of my personality. Who knows what scandalous activities I’ll get into this summer?”
“Don’t even joke about that. I’d have to sell this veil to make bail.”
Audre nibbled on a nail, suddenly itching to bring up an issue that had been gnawing at the corners of her mind. “If I asked you something weird, would you tell me the truth?”
“Always. What is it?”
“If you were a boy, would you think I’m… cute?”
“Of course! You’re adorable. You’re beautiful.”
“But I don’t want to be adorable. I want to be dangerous.”
Eva frowned. “Dangerous.”
“You know,” said Audre, wiggling her shoulders seductively. “Hot. Like, sexy.”
Eva almost launched out of her seat. “Sexy? Why are you asking me that, out of the clear blue? Are you… do you… are you having sex?”
“Mom. Relax.”
“Jesus Christ, who are you having sex with? Was it Ellison at prom? Did you use protection? How could you not TELL me? Jesus. Oh, Jesus.”
“Mom! Relax!”
“Just tell me this. Did you get on top? Both me and your grandmother have tilted uteruses, so you might, too. And getting on top is most comfortable.”
“MOM, PLEASE.”
“WHY ARE YOU YELLING, AUDRE?”
Audre was overwhelmed. “I’m going to erase the last two minutes, okay?”
Slowly, Eva pulled the veil over her face. “Sorry, that was a lot. I’m not emotionally prepared for Elder Teen Audre.”
“I’m not emotionally prepared to hear about your tilted uterus. And what girl gets on top the first time they do it?” Audre let out a long-suffering sigh. “I’ve just… I don’t really have experience with guys, and sometimes I feel so behind.”
“Oh. Okay, this I can talk about,” breathed Eva. “With sex, everyone your age is on their own timetable.”
“But Reshma…”
“Don’t compare yourself to Reshma, come on. You two are very different girls, with different lives. She needs a lot of attention to sustain her. Those self-absorbed parents who stay away most of the year? She’s sexually advanced because she’s looking for love and affection, any way she can get it. But then, she shuts down when the girls fall for her. It’s as if she can’t trust anyone who claims to love her.”