Read Online Brittany Bends by Kristine Grayson - Free Book Online
Authors: Kristine Grayson
Tags: Fiction
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to slide my hand back, but I don’t. “You didn’t think she’d hire me.”
“You have no experience,” Mom says. “Of course, I didn’t think she’d hire you.”
“But she says most people who start in retail have no experience, and she likes me .” I surprise myself by putting emphasis on that last part. It matters more to me than I thought it would. “I know I get into these situations where I get hired even with no experience, but I’ve been thinking about it.” After talking to Eric, that is, but I don’t tell Mom that part. “It doesn’t sound like working in a retail store will be life or death. I mean, the fate of the world isn’t at stake this time, right?”
Mom chokes out a laugh, then she shakes her head. “My goodness, Brit. You are a treasure.”
I freeze—and not just because it’s cold out here. I’ve watched TV where they say that people use phrases like “you’re a treasure” to convey sarcasm, not love.
“I don’t mean to be,” I say.
She chuckles. This time it sounds freer. “Baby,” she says, “I meant that as a compliment. I didn’t think you wanted the job.”
I take a deep breath. “You talked to Eric.”
“No,” Mom says. “Why? What would he say?”
“Nothing.” I shrug. “He just—never mind.”
She stares at me for a moment. When I don’t go on, she says, “I know we’re forcing you into all kinds of things that you’ve never experienced before. I know everything is new. A job, on top of school, on top of dealing with the family, it might be too much.”
“But applying for jobs isn’t?” I almost feel like I did as an Interim Fate. People want something from me, but they’re not clear about what exactly they want, so I feel like I’m making decisions without having all of the facts.
Screw that. Without having any of the facts.
Mom squeezes my hand, then lets go. She sighs and looks up at the house.
I don’t. I kinda like staring at the edges of the hollow, the shadows building across the lawn, the dark shapes of the trees against the darkening sky. The air smells wet and cold, something I’ve never smelled in my life before.
“You were raised by so many people,” Mom says. “The lifestyle, the culture, it’s so different.”
“Tell me about it,” I say.
She grins at me. “I know you know. You’ve been dealing with that since you arrived.”
No kidding. But I don’t say anything. She’s going somewhere with this.
“When you’re two parents raising a gaggle of kids, you have to balance the needs of the family against the needs of the individuals,” she says.
“Like Spock,” I say. I know my Star Trek (which shocked Leif, who’s this major fan). “ ‘The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few.’”
“‘Or the one,’” Mom says, then nods. “I think I’ve seen that movie thirty thousand times.”
She has to be exaggerating, because time is linear here, and she would have wasted sixty thousand hours on one movie. That’s over six years. I don’t think Leif is that fanatical. But then, what do I know?
I don’t say that, though, because saying things like that has already shoved me into an advanced math class that seems both too easy and too hard.
I wait for her to continue. She sighs again.
“What I’m trying to say, honey, is that sometimes I do things because the other kids expect it. They’ve all been raised with several expectations. We tell them that they have to go to college, although I’m not sure how we’ll manage that.” She looks down, then shakes her head. “Sorry. Just thinking out loud. Anyway, they’ve also been told that by the time they’re sixteen, they must have a part-time job.”
“Oh,” I say. “That’s why you sent me to get a job.”
“I didn’t think you’d get one right away,” Mom says. “I thought you would be trying and trying, and everyone would know that, and they’d forgive you for not getting one because you’re new here. The fact that you
“You have no experience,” Mom says. “Of course, I didn’t think she’d hire you.”
“But she says most people who start in retail have no experience, and she likes me .” I surprise myself by putting emphasis on that last part. It matters more to me than I thought it would. “I know I get into these situations where I get hired even with no experience, but I’ve been thinking about it.” After talking to Eric, that is, but I don’t tell Mom that part. “It doesn’t sound like working in a retail store will be life or death. I mean, the fate of the world isn’t at stake this time, right?”
Mom chokes out a laugh, then she shakes her head. “My goodness, Brit. You are a treasure.”
I freeze—and not just because it’s cold out here. I’ve watched TV where they say that people use phrases like “you’re a treasure” to convey sarcasm, not love.
“I don’t mean to be,” I say.
She chuckles. This time it sounds freer. “Baby,” she says, “I meant that as a compliment. I didn’t think you wanted the job.”
I take a deep breath. “You talked to Eric.”
“No,” Mom says. “Why? What would he say?”
“Nothing.” I shrug. “He just—never mind.”
She stares at me for a moment. When I don’t go on, she says, “I know we’re forcing you into all kinds of things that you’ve never experienced before. I know everything is new. A job, on top of school, on top of dealing with the family, it might be too much.”
“But applying for jobs isn’t?” I almost feel like I did as an Interim Fate. People want something from me, but they’re not clear about what exactly they want, so I feel like I’m making decisions without having all of the facts.
Screw that. Without having any of the facts.
Mom squeezes my hand, then lets go. She sighs and looks up at the house.
I don’t. I kinda like staring at the edges of the hollow, the shadows building across the lawn, the dark shapes of the trees against the darkening sky. The air smells wet and cold, something I’ve never smelled in my life before.
“You were raised by so many people,” Mom says. “The lifestyle, the culture, it’s so different.”
“Tell me about it,” I say.
She grins at me. “I know you know. You’ve been dealing with that since you arrived.”
No kidding. But I don’t say anything. She’s going somewhere with this.
“When you’re two parents raising a gaggle of kids, you have to balance the needs of the family against the needs of the individuals,” she says.
“Like Spock,” I say. I know my Star Trek (which shocked Leif, who’s this major fan). “ ‘The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few.’”
“‘Or the one,’” Mom says, then nods. “I think I’ve seen that movie thirty thousand times.”
She has to be exaggerating, because time is linear here, and she would have wasted sixty thousand hours on one movie. That’s over six years. I don’t think Leif is that fanatical. But then, what do I know?
I don’t say that, though, because saying things like that has already shoved me into an advanced math class that seems both too easy and too hard.
I wait for her to continue. She sighs again.
“What I’m trying to say, honey, is that sometimes I do things because the other kids expect it. They’ve all been raised with several expectations. We tell them that they have to go to college, although I’m not sure how we’ll manage that.” She looks down, then shakes her head. “Sorry. Just thinking out loud. Anyway, they’ve also been told that by the time they’re sixteen, they must have a part-time job.”
“Oh,” I say. “That’s why you sent me to get a job.”
“I didn’t think you’d get one right away,” Mom says. “I thought you would be trying and trying, and everyone would know that, and they’d forgive you for not getting one because you’re new here. The fact that you
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