I have to be reading that wrong.
“I’ve adjusted pretty quickly to being an uncle,” Aidan interjects, prompting laughter from around the table. I smile at that. He’s even bought her a toddler-sized jersey of his favorite football team, which just so happens to be the rival to Chris’s favorite team. And of course he had have her wear it immediately.
“We’ve all taken to her. I don’t know what we’re going to do when she’s gone,” Mrs. Scott says sadly.
“I completely understand. I miss her to pieces,” Raven says, eyeing me.
“How do you plan on working out the visiting schedule if Lauren decides moving here isn’t the best idea?” Raven blurts out, and I shoot her a shocked glare.
“You’re thinking of moving here, Lauren?” Chris asks. He actually sounds really excited. Jenna’s eyes look like they’re about to jump right out of her head and roll across the table.
“It’s just an idea I’ve been tossing around. I wanted to talk to you about it first,” I say quietly.
“Don’t you think you should take more time to think about making a move like that?’ Mr. Scott interjects.
“I agree,” Jenna says sharply. Chris shoots her a warning glare. I feel my patience wearing thinner and thinner by the minute.
“All of these secret and private conversations are really getting to me, Chris. Don’t you think this is something that you should have mentioned to me?” she continues, turning to Chris.
“Aren't you listening, Jenna? She hasn’t talked to me about it yet,” Chris says defensively.
“Everyone, I think we should all calm down and finish dinner. Later on Chris and Lauren will talk about this, but until then, there’s no reason for anyone to get upset,” Mrs. Scott pleads.
“No, this isn’t just something for them to talk about. I am going to be Chris’s wife. This involves me!” she says pointedly to Mrs. Scott.
“Do you understand that, Lauren. You two are over. You should start acting like it. No more talks between you and Chris. Anything you say to him needs to be said to me as well.” Her tone is acid.
“Jenna, this is not the time,” Chris interjects.
“Are you kidding?” I ask her in disbelief.
“No I’m not kidding, and since we’re on the subject, when are you signing the divorce papers?”
“What divorce papers?” I ask, feeling my heart in my throat. She whips over to Chris who looks down guiltily. Everyone at the table is completely silent.
“You didn’t give her the papers yet?” Jenna asks Chris pointedly.
He’s going to give me divorce papers? Is that why he’s been so nice to me? He’s been buttering me up to get me to sign divorce papers?
“This isn’t the time, Jenna,” Chris says, his voice stern. I look at him and his eyes avoid mine.
“No, it’s exactly the time!” she yells.
“Shut her up or I’m going to shut her up,” I hear Hillary say.
I’m frozen, like I’m in a dream and everything is going in slow motion.
Chapter 46
Chris
Lauren looks like the wind has been knocked out of her. All the color’s drained from her face, but this time, her eyes won’t leave mine. She looks embarrassed, hurt, and most of all, betrayed, and that’s what hurts me the most.
“You’re going to shut who up? I know you’re not referring to me?” I hear Jenna screech. “…are you’re going to let this trash threaten me like that?” I feel a push on my shoulder.
“Trash?!” I turn to see water coming at us. Lauren’s best friend has just thrown water in Jenna’s face.
“Whoa!” Aidan says. Jenna is about to return the favor but Lauren’s friend has nearly leapt over the table, ready to grapple. I quickly grab Jenna, pick her up and drag her out the door.
“What was that in there?” I say, barely able to contain my anger.
“Are you yelling at me, after I basically got attacked?” she screeches.
“You kind of deserved it.”
Her mouth drops open. “Why would you bring that up in there?” I ask her, and she looks at me in disbelief.
“Because it should have been brought up!” she yells back.
“You did it to embarrass her, to hurt her,” I say pointedly.
“This isn’t my fault, Chris. If you would have told her when you were supposed to that wouldn’t have happened! How do you think it makes me feel that you haven’t done it already?”
“You didn’t have to act like that, Jenna. I can hardly recognize who you are anymore,” I say. Her frown hardens.
“You don’t recognize who I am?” she responds with a mirthless laugh. “If that’s not the most ironic statement of the year, I don’t know what is!” And with that, she storms off to her car. She storms off a lot these days. Like my own personal hurricane. I have too many of those in my life right now. I’m getting tired of cleaning up the aftermath. My dad appears on the porch, his face red, he looks flustered.
“Where’s Jenna?” he asks, exasperated.
“Gone,” I say, letting out a deep breath.
“You just let her leave?” Now my dad seems angry with me and I just don’t want to hear it right now.
“What was I supposed to do? She was wrong in there. She shouldn’t have spoken to Lauren or Mom like that,” I tell him, and he groans.
“This girl has been nothing but trouble since the day she got here. Her and her crazy family,”
“Oh, that’s really nice dad,” I spit back. “Because we’re the picture-perfect family ourselves,” I say sarcastically and walk past him.
When he grabs my shoulder, I jerk away from him and go back into the house. The kitchen is empty except for my mom, who's cleaning up the aftermath of what just happened. She looks at me, exhausted and regretful.
“I’m sorry, Mom,” I apologize, and she shrugs.
“It’s not your fault, Chris. Things like this are to be expected, I guess. We’re all getting to know one another’s personalities. It’ll get better,” she says, giving me a reassuring squeeze before she finishes sweeping the floor. I enter the living room and see Lauren’s friend Hillary sitting on the couch next to Lisa and Aidan sitting across from her.
“She’s a fucking bitch,” she spouts angrily, her arms and legs crossed tightly. She’s still furious. Her hair is blond at the roots, but turns a bright shade of red. She’s wearing leather boots up to her knees and a white leather jacket. She looks like she still wants to fight. If she weren’t so pissed off, I’m sure she’d be a pretty girl. She and Lauren seem so different. She actually reminds me of a more hotheaded version of Lisa. She glances up at me when she sees me enter the room and rolls her eyes.
“Look, I’m sorry to disrespect your house like that. I apologized to your mom and now I’m apologizing to you,” she says, throwing her hands up. “But I’m not going to let anyone talk to my best friend that way, especially when she’s really trying to be nice. I don’t know if you’ve seen Lauren pissed but she can go there fast. She was really trying in there,” she states.