The Year of Falling in Love

  "Sorry, I couldn't resist." He shifts back in his seat with a slightly confused yet somewhat pleased look on his face. "I'll call you tomorrow, okay?"

  I nod then grab my bags and climb out of the car. He waits for me to get inside the apartment before he backs out of the parking space, which I greatly appreciate considering the whole thing with the blue car.

  Through the window, I watch him drive away, only turning away when he disappears down the road.

  "Holy crap, I can't believe that just happened," I say to myself, slumping against the wall. I try to sort thoughts. While the kiss was amazing, it wasn't the firework show I'd been expecting. But then again, it only lasted like a half a second.

  "What just happened?" Indigo asks as she walks out of the hallway, wearing a pair of plaid pajama bottom shorts and an oversized T-shirt, running a brush through her damp, auburn hair.

  I let my arms go limp, my bags sliding off and dropping to the floor. "Kyler just kissed me. Well, kind of kissed me. It was on the corner of the mouth, so I'm not sure if it counts." I expect her to get all giddy, but she simply stands there, combing her hair. "That's a good thing," I feel the need to tell her. I flop down on the sofa, slip the elastic out of my hair, and run my fingers through my tangled hair, feeling as though I'm floating on clouds of marshmallows. "I've been dreaming for it to happen forever."

  "I know you have." She sets the brush down on the kitchen counter then sits down in the chair across from me, tucking her legs underneath her. "It's kind of bad timing, though."

  "There's no such thing as bad timing when it comes to getting kissed by Kyler Meyers."

  "Isa ... You basically just got kicked out of your house, found out your mom is ... Grandma Stephy told me what happened today. I hate to say it, because I'm all for kissing, but considering your emotional state, I don't think any guy should be kissing you right now."

  "I'm not that emotionally unstable." Even when I say it, though, I feel a tremor inside me, bottled up pain trying to explode. I swallow it down, knowing once I let it out, it'll be yesterday all over again. "Really, I'm not."

  She gives me a look. "No, you're just trying to live in the land of denial."

  "I'm not living in the land of denial. If anything, I'm living in the land of who-the-hell-am-I?" I bite down on my lip until I taste blood. "Look, I'm just afraid that, once I let it all out, I won't be able to turn it off. Yesterday ... When Lynn said my mom was dead ... I nearly lost it." Hot tears pool in my eyes, and I attempt to blink them away. "If Kai didn't find me before I took off ... I don't know what would've happened."

  "Kai found you?" Her head angles to the side as her brows dip. "Where? When? And how the heck did you end up with Kyler, instead?"

  Sighing, I sit up and give her a brief rundown of everything that happened over the last twenty-four hours, including the creepy car that kept showing up everywhere I went.

  "You think it was your parents?" she asks after I finish. "Or Lynn and your dad, anyway ... I'm sorry. I'm not sure what to call them anymore."

  I pick at my nail polish. "Me, either."

  She drums her fingers against her knee. "How about those douchey assholes we used to know?" The small smile that touches my lips encourages her to go on. "Or we could just refer to your dad as the sperm donor, 'cause that's kind of what he is. And Lynn can be the Botox Bitch, and Hannah--"

  "How about The Half-Sister from Hell."

  "More like the She-Devil from Hell. She doesn't even deserve the title of half-sister. She may be related to you by blood, but that bitch has never acted like an older sister. None of your family has ever really acted like your family."

  "I know." But, God, do I wish I didn't know.

  I coil a strand of my hair around my finger, thinking about Big Doug and how I haven't heard anything from him yet. "I wish I could find out more about my mom ... even if she's ..." I suck back the tears. "Even if she's dead like Lynn says, I still want to find out more about her. I mean, what about her parents? Maybe they're still alive. And what if she has kids? What if I have, like, a half-brother or sister somewhere I don't even know about? And what if they're, like, nice or something? What if there's people out there I can call family?" By the time I'm finished rambling, I'm out of breath, and Indigo's eyes are wide.

  She blinks a few times, shaking her head. "Okay, first of all, you do have a family: me and Grandma Stephy. We're always here for you. You're not alone in any of this." I open my mouth to tell her I know that, but she talks over me. "And second, we're going to get to the bottom of this whole mystery of your mom. We just need to come up with a plan."

  I pick at my thumbnail. "Actually, I have a guy looking into it already."

  She looks taken aback. "Who?"

  I shrug. "Just some guy Kai knows."

  Suspicion fills her eyes. "And how does Kai know this guy?"

  "It's just a friend of his."

  "A friend who does what exactly?"

  "I don't know. Looks stuff up on the computer, maybe. I'm not really sure. I didn't really ask too many questions when I met him." I scratch at my arms, squirming under her unwavering gaze. "Why are you acting so weird? It's not that big of a deal."

  "Did you pay this guy?"

  "No."

  "So, let me get this straight. Kai introduced you to some random guy with a computer, who supposedly is going to look up stuff about your mom and do it all for free? Because, let me tell you that sounds sketchy and like, eventually, you're going to have to pay for it."

  "It's not sketchy," I argue, not bothering to mention I met Big Doug in a pool house with some really expensive-looking computer equipment. "He's Kai's friend. I'm sure that's why he's doing it for free."

  "Hmmm." She doesn't seem too convinced. "I think I want to talk to Kai about this."

  I'm about to tell her that's not necessary--after everything Kai's done for me, the last thing I want is for Indigo give him the third degree--when my phone goes crazy, an unknown number flashing across the screen, and I hesitate. I'm not sure why. It's not that weird or anything, but considering all the stuff that happened today, I find myself nervous about the unknown.

  "Who is it?" Indigo wonders, braiding her hair.

  My finger hovers over the talk button. "I don't recognize the number."

  We sit there in silence as the phone rings three more times before it switches to voicemail.

  "I don't know why I'm so nervous." I balance the phone on my knee. "I'm just so afraid the cops are going to show up and drag me outta here. Every noise and out of place thing has me jumping out of my skin."

  "Grandma Stephy took care of the whole police thing, and she wouldn't have told you she did unless she really has the situation handled."

  "I know ... but I can't shake the feeling that Lynn has something else up her sleeve and she's just waiting for the right moment."

  Silence stretches between us as we both sit on my declaration. Then my stomach lets out a loud grumble, breaking the tension.

  We both erupt in giggles.

  "Have you eaten at all today?" she asks after our laughter dies down.

  I drape my arm across my starving belly. "I had some ice cream. That's about it, though."

  "I'll find us something to eat." Instead of heading for the kitchen, she walks over and gives me a hug. "I'm so sorry this is happening to you. And I'm so sorry I haven't really been there for you over the last couple of weeks. I've been a really shitty friend."

  "You don't have to apologize." I hug her back. Sometimes, it still feels so strange getting hugs. Growing up in a household where no one really liked me, I rarely--if ever--got them. "You've been busy with work and stuff."

  "I know, but still ... I should've made time for us to hang out more, especially with everything you've been going through." She steps back. "You know what? Tomorrow, I'm going to blow off work, and you and I are going to drive into the city and go shopping."

  "You don't have to do that. I promise, I'm f--"

  "Don't you d
are say you're fine. You have a bad habit of doing that sometimes."

  "Doing what?"

  "Acting like you're fine, even when you're not."

  "I don't do that," I protest. "I mean, look what I did yesterday. I totally lost it. Like, crying until I had no tears kind of lost it."

  "Probably because you held it in all those years in that house," she says. "You dealt with all that shit and hardly ever complained about it once. If I were you, I would've lost it a long time ago."

  "Maybe I did lose it a long time ago," I suggest. "Maybe that's why I'm so weird. Maybe my sanity button snapped a long time ago."

  "Maybe." She pats my head. "But we're still going shopping."

  "Fine." I pick up my phone as it notifies me I have a voicemail. "Well, whoever it was left a message." I dial to my voicemail and chew on my thumbnail as I wait anxiously to see who called while Indigo wanders into the kitchen, eyeing me worriedly.

  "Hey, Isa, it's Kai ... I'm guessing you're either busy with Kyler still or not answering because some weird-ass number showed up on your screen, but I really need to talk to you." He pauses, and when he speaks again, tension pours from his voice. "Okay ... I guess I'll call back in a few minutes. Hopefully, you'll answer."

  When the message ends, I hang up. "That was Kai."

  "What'd he want?" She grabs a box of macaroni and cheese from the cupboard and then closes the door.

  "I don't know." I stare at my phone, willing him to call back. "He sounded funny, like he was nervous or something."

  My stomach winds into knots. What if this has something to do with T? What if he's in trouble somewhere? Or worse, what if he's hurt?

  "Did he say he'd call back?" She flips over the box to read the instructions on the back.

  "Yeah." I keep my eyes glued to the phone. Come on, Kai. Just call back.

  A few minutes trickle by, and my phone remains silent. I'm just talking myself into dialing the number, seeing if Kai will answer, when my phone rings again. The unknown number crosses the screen, and I quickly answer it.

  "Kai." For some reason, I sound like I just ran a marathon.

  "Hey, you answered." A relieved exhale floats through the line. "I was worried maybe you didn't have your phone on you."

  "Sorry I didn't answer the first time you called. I didn't recognize the number, and after the weird day I had ..." No. Now's definitely not time to get into that conversation with him. "Where are you? And whose phone are you calling from? Is everything all right? You sounded nervous on the message."

  He chuckles, the sound like calming music to my ears. "Which one of those do you want me to answer first?"

  "Umm ... How about, where are you?"

  "In Mapleview."

  "Still?"

  He heaves a weighted sigh. "Look, it's a long story, but before I even attempt to get into it, I need to ask you for a favor."

  "Whatever you need, I'm there." After how much Kai has done for me, I owe him like a gazillion favors.

  It takes him a second to answer. "I need you to drive over to Big Doug's house and tell him something happened, that I'm stuck in Mapleview, and he needs to come pick me up. I'd call him, but I don't have my phone, and I can't remember his number."

  "If you need a ride, I can come and pick you up," I find myself saying without even putting a lot of forethought into the decision.

  "You mean you and Kyler can come pick me up, right? Because I don't want him knowing about this." A drop of jealousy lands in his tone, leaving me feeling guilty and sort of confused.

  Is it because he despises Kyler that much, or is it something else? One thing I do know for certain is that the whole being friends with Kai while kind of dating Kyler thing is going to be pretty complicated since the two of them don't get along at all.

  "I'm not with Kyler anymore," I tell Kai. "He dropped me off at my Grandma Stephy's house a while ago. I'm with Indigo right now. And I'm sure she'll let me borrow the car."

  "Oh, I will, will I?" Indigo says from over by the stove. She's only kidding, her expression laced with curiosity.

  "It's okay," he says. "Big Doug can do it. I need to talk to him, anyway."

  "Are you sure? Because I really don't mind." I don't, either. Yeah, I'm tired and in desperate need of a shower, but he sounds like he might be in trouble, and I want to help him like he's helped me. When he hesitates, I add, "If you don't let me, then I'm just going to sit around and worry all night. I probably won't get any sleep, and then I'll be cranky when Indigo takes me shopping tomorrow. She'll end up never taking me shopping again, and I'll be forced to wear the same clothes forever because I suck at shopping by myself, and honestly, being in a store alone kind of freaks me out."

  "It does, does it?" He sounds amused.

  "Um, yeah. It's like the worst place to be if an apocalypse happens," I continue on with my awesome story. "But, anyway, all my clothes will eventually get holes in them, and I'll end up having to go everywhere naked. I'll get kicked out of school because of their whole no being naked on school grounds policy, and I'll have no choice but to join a nunnery and wear their robes because it'll be the only way I'll ever be able to get clothes again."

  His laughter fills the line. "A nun, huh? Because I can't picture you being a nun."

  "Exactly. That's why you have to let me come and pick you up." I love that he sounds more relaxed and that I've played a part in it. It makes me feel like I did something right.

  "Are you sure you don't mind?" He double-checks. "Because, honestly, I'd rather you come get me. I'm a little pissed at Big Doug right now."

  I wonder why. I wonder what happened. I wonder a lot of things, but I can ask him all that when I pick him up.

  "Yep. I'm already heading for door," I say, dragging my ass off the couch. "Just tell me where you are."

  He gives me the address, and I punch it into my notepad app. Then I tell him I'll be there in two hours tops, and he thanks me at least ten times.

  After we hang up, I go into the kitchen to get the car keys from Indigo. "You're cool with me borrowing the car, right?"

  She's turned off the stove and is dumping the water out of the pan and into the sink. "Grandma Stephy would chew my ass off if I let you drive by yourself to Mapleview this late."

  "I doubt it. I mean, she's not strict. She let us run around all the time by ourselves on the trip." I zip my jacket up, cringing at the giant mud stain on it. I haven't changed or showered since yesterday morning. I can only imagine how I look and smell right now. "Besides, I'm almost eighteen."

  "That doesn't matter." She puts the unopened box of macaroni and cheese into the cupboard. "You've had a rough day, and she won't want you being by yourself."

  True. She told me that on the phone when I talked to her earlier.

  "So, here's what we're going to do." She dries her hands on a dishrag. "I'm going to change into some clothes while you change yours, because that mud stain is going to drive me nuts. If I have to look at it the entire drive, I might just pull it off you and burn it." She smiles at me, so I know she's kidding. Well, kind of kidding, at least about the burning part.

  While she goes back to her room, I change into a pair of clean jeans, a long-sleeved black shirt, and slip on my favorite pair of red velvet boots. Then I hurry to the bathroom to wash my face, brush my teeth, and put on some deodorant. I don't bother looking in the mirror. I know it will only make me want to clean up more, and there's no time for that.

  "Ready?" Indigo asks as she pokes her head into the bathroom.

  Her hair is curled, and she's put on a touch of lip-gloss and mascara. She has on a skirt, knee highs, and a leather jacket, along with gladiator sandals. How the hell she managed to get all dressed up like that in five minutes is beyond me.

  "You know we're just picking him up at some gas station, right?" I give a pressing glance at her outfit.

  "Yeah, but I need to be prepared. You never know when you're going to run into the love of your life." She heads down the hallway. "For al
l I know, I could get a flat tire on the way there, and when I flag down someone for help, it could be the guy I'm supposed to fall in love with."

  "Or the guy who's going to murder us and bury us in the woods," I say, following her. "Do you know how many scary movies start that way?"

  She rolls her eyes as she collects her keys, purse, and phone from the kitchen counter. "Jesus, Isa. Why do you have to ruin my fun?"

  "Just promise me you'll call a tow truck if we get a flat tire." I open the front door. "No flagging down cars ..." I suddenly get the feeling I'm being watched. My hair stands on end, and my heart rate accelerates as I get a bad case of the heebie-jeebies.

  "What's wrong?" Indigo asks as she steps out onto the porch and locks the front door.

  My gaze skims the parking lot, the buildings, the trees, the street. "It's nothing ... I just got the strangest feeling I was being watched."

  She tosses the keys into her purse and zips it up. "Okay, I think I'm banning you from scary movies for a while. You're seriously getting paranoid."

  "It's not that." I scratch at the back of my head, trying to figure out why I feel this way. No one's around. Even the parking lot is almost completely bare. "Sorry. I think I'm just really tired, and this blue car thing has me on edge."

  "Totally understandable. And, like I said before, when Grandma Stephy gets home, we'll tell her about the car, but honestly, I think it might've been either Hannah messing with you or just some freakish coincidence. This town is too small. I see the same cars all the time and the same annoying people."

  Huh. I hadn't even thought about it being Hannah, but after how mad she was about Kyler and me hanging out, I wouldn't put it past her. Now, what she could be up to is another story.

  "Hannah doesn't have a blue car, though, with a Superman sticker on it," I point out.

  "So, she could've borrowed a car from one of her friends."

  "Yeah. I guess so." Still, I can't see Hannah being friends with someone who would drive a car with a Superman sticker on it.

  "Stop over-thinking everything." Indigo links arms with me and hauls me toward the car. "Come on. Let's go get your man candy."

  I don't correct her about Kai being my man candy. I just follow her to the car and cross my fingers that we don't get a flat tire.