Read Online Glimpse by Stacey Wallace Benefiel - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Stacey Wallace Benefiel
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more than twenty years. You don’t think that has anything to do with us, do you?”
“I don’t know.” Avery shrugged. “It just seems like the most logical explanation.” His eyes grew wide and he loosened his grip on me just slightly. “Hey, you don’t think we’re, like, related or something?”
“No! Gross!” I slapped him on the chest. “There is no way that’s what’s going on. Yuck, I can’t believe you said that!” Okay, it had crossed my mind for like a nanosecond, but I didn’t want to have to change my firm “no” stance on incest, so I’d let it go. Too skeevy. I tried to pull away from him, but he just pulled me closer, laughing.
“Our moms were best friends too,” he said. I’ve seen a picture of them with my dad and Jason’s standing in front of your mom’s old house before their prom. Maybe it has something to do with them not being friends anymore?”
“Maybe.” I chewed my lower lip. This was something Claire and I had debated several times. “Do you know why they don’t like each other? I mean, they were as close as me and Claire and I can’t imagine us not being friends.”
Avery looked up at the street light. “I think it might have something to do with my sister.” His eyes met mine, his face somber now. “Did you know that? That I had an older sister? Her name was Erin. My family never talks about it.”
“No, I’ve never heard any mention of her.” That surprised me, not that I knew everything about Avery, but Rosedell was a pretty tight community, surely I would have heard about him having a sister? Something really bad must have happened— Oh. The now familiar smell of pine began tickling my nose. “What happened to her?” I asked, not really needing to. Images of a baby girl, sprawled out on a hospital bed, tubes running up her nose and into her arms, flashed through my mind.
“She had leukemia.” His eyes filled with tears and he looked away. “Actually, my parents partly had me because my bone marrow maybe would’ve helped her. She didn’t…she died before I was old enough for it to be harvested.”
This was the thing that Avery lived with. I was realizing his life wasn’t as perfect as I’d always thought. Of course it wasn’t. He could be beautiful, do well in school, be on every sports team, but he was born to save his sister and he thought he had failed at that.
Avery wiped his eyes with the back of his hand, facing me again. “Anyway, this one time after church? We were like, nine, I guess? I saw our moms having an argument over by the coat closet. Your mom kept trying to hug my mom, but she pushed her away. They were both crying. Then I heard my mom say Erin’s name and your mom say she was sorry.”
I turned in Avery’s embrace, resting my head against his chest. “ I’m sorry that happened to you. All of it. I don’t know what my mom’s deal was. Both of her parents died when she was our age and she can’t…she probably wasn’t there for your mom like she should’ve been.”
Or she’d known what was going to happen and didn’t say anything.
Mom always had the right answer in the game. It wasn’t a parlor trick; she wasn’t reading my mind, she was checking out my vision. She was like me, or I guess, I was like her. I felt a little relieved, knowing now that at least one person would believe my secret.
Guilt stepped on the back of relief’s heels. Of course, Mom had royally screwed things up and broke her best friend’s heart. I couldn’t do that to Avery.
I had to get this over with and tell him. Holding back the vision from him, it was the wrong thing to do. “I have something to tell you. Kiss me first.”
Avery took my face into his hands and pressed his mouth to mine, sliding his tongue between my lips. It was the most wonderful sensation. I tried to block out all the thoughts that were scratching at my brain and let myself go, relish the moment.
That worked
“I don’t know.” Avery shrugged. “It just seems like the most logical explanation.” His eyes grew wide and he loosened his grip on me just slightly. “Hey, you don’t think we’re, like, related or something?”
“No! Gross!” I slapped him on the chest. “There is no way that’s what’s going on. Yuck, I can’t believe you said that!” Okay, it had crossed my mind for like a nanosecond, but I didn’t want to have to change my firm “no” stance on incest, so I’d let it go. Too skeevy. I tried to pull away from him, but he just pulled me closer, laughing.
“Our moms were best friends too,” he said. I’ve seen a picture of them with my dad and Jason’s standing in front of your mom’s old house before their prom. Maybe it has something to do with them not being friends anymore?”
“Maybe.” I chewed my lower lip. This was something Claire and I had debated several times. “Do you know why they don’t like each other? I mean, they were as close as me and Claire and I can’t imagine us not being friends.”
Avery looked up at the street light. “I think it might have something to do with my sister.” His eyes met mine, his face somber now. “Did you know that? That I had an older sister? Her name was Erin. My family never talks about it.”
“No, I’ve never heard any mention of her.” That surprised me, not that I knew everything about Avery, but Rosedell was a pretty tight community, surely I would have heard about him having a sister? Something really bad must have happened— Oh. The now familiar smell of pine began tickling my nose. “What happened to her?” I asked, not really needing to. Images of a baby girl, sprawled out on a hospital bed, tubes running up her nose and into her arms, flashed through my mind.
“She had leukemia.” His eyes filled with tears and he looked away. “Actually, my parents partly had me because my bone marrow maybe would’ve helped her. She didn’t…she died before I was old enough for it to be harvested.”
This was the thing that Avery lived with. I was realizing his life wasn’t as perfect as I’d always thought. Of course it wasn’t. He could be beautiful, do well in school, be on every sports team, but he was born to save his sister and he thought he had failed at that.
Avery wiped his eyes with the back of his hand, facing me again. “Anyway, this one time after church? We were like, nine, I guess? I saw our moms having an argument over by the coat closet. Your mom kept trying to hug my mom, but she pushed her away. They were both crying. Then I heard my mom say Erin’s name and your mom say she was sorry.”
I turned in Avery’s embrace, resting my head against his chest. “ I’m sorry that happened to you. All of it. I don’t know what my mom’s deal was. Both of her parents died when she was our age and she can’t…she probably wasn’t there for your mom like she should’ve been.”
Or she’d known what was going to happen and didn’t say anything.
Mom always had the right answer in the game. It wasn’t a parlor trick; she wasn’t reading my mind, she was checking out my vision. She was like me, or I guess, I was like her. I felt a little relieved, knowing now that at least one person would believe my secret.
Guilt stepped on the back of relief’s heels. Of course, Mom had royally screwed things up and broke her best friend’s heart. I couldn’t do that to Avery.
I had to get this over with and tell him. Holding back the vision from him, it was the wrong thing to do. “I have something to tell you. Kiss me first.”
Avery took my face into his hands and pressed his mouth to mine, sliding his tongue between my lips. It was the most wonderful sensation. I tried to block out all the thoughts that were scratching at my brain and let myself go, relish the moment.
That worked
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