“Okay, I can handle that. As long as it isn’t a salad. I need real food.” He pats his stomach and I laugh softly.
I forget how big he is, until he sits opposite me, and takes up a lot of space. I’d feel sorry for anyone who had to share a bench seat with him.
“Am I going to be angry with my mom when she tells me?” He clearly knows what it is, and if I’m honest with myself, I don’t really know how I feel about that.
“I don’t know how you’ll react, but no, I don’t think so. You may feel a little hurt, but secrets aren’t always a bad thing. It’s just better you hear it from her than our resident secret keeper.” He stares out of the window, and I wonder if he regrets not bringing his phone with him.
“We have a resident secret keeper? What does that even mean?”
“Every Harkwright in a position of power has something they do to ensure they get what they want. Some bribe, threaten, and some use sweet talk.”
“Like Aeron’s mom.” I don’t mean to say it out loud, but I seem to have his full attention now.
“Yes, like her. She deals in secrets. And uses them whenever she wants to get her own way.”
I guess morals only exist when you don’t have money, what a sad world we live in.
Mom returns with the food, and we tuck in while she waits on other tables. We say nothing else, as I listen to the hustle and bustle of the diner. Everyone here seems so happy and carefree. I miss it more than I realized.
“Can I get you anything else?” she asks, and we shake our heads as we finish the fries.
“Could we have a minute, if that’s allowed?” she asks Tucker, and he thinks for a moment before he gets up.
“I can give you five minutes,” he says, and then he walks out and heads to his car.
“I hate that this is happening. I’m sorry, Luna. Maybe I should have told you, but I didn’t want to ruin the way you saw your sister. You two were so close, and I wanted to preserve it.” She’s wringing her hands, until she picks up a napkin and shreds it.
“Just tell me, mom, please.”
“Poppy didn’t come back because she had something happen to her. They kicked her out of college.” What? That makes little sense. “She wanted to join a sorority, and there was only one place left. It was down to her and another girl. She bullied her, Luna, and it got so bad, the girl had to leave. I don’t know what she did, but it didn’t stop there. There was this guy she decided she had to have, and she created rumors about his girlfriend. He didn’t buy into it, and she couldn’t understand why he would stay with her.” She pauses for a moment and takes a mouthful of my shake, before grimacing at the sweetness. “She trashed her room, broke a window, destroyed all of her belongings, and shredded her clothes. I made a deal with the dean, he wouldn’t press charges if I covered the costs. I don’t know how he got the girl to agree, but here we are. I’m paying off the damages she caused, and a little extra for the girls she hurt. I don’t know if she fell into depression because of guilt, or because they made her leave. All I know is that she destroyed those poor girls and I don’t even know who my daughter is,” her voice cracks, and her hands are shaking.
“Mom, it’s not your fault. Didn’t the doctors say it could be because of what is wrong with her?”
“It’s a possibility, but I’m not sure. Even if it is, can I really condone her actions? I don’t know what happened when she went to the other college, but something made her fall into Catatonia and I can’t help but wonder if it was some kind of karma. How terrible does that make me? Wondering if my child deserved what she got. I can’t handle anymore, Luna. I just want this guilt to go away.” Tears are streaming down her face, and heads are turning.
“Mom, it’s understandable what you are feeling, I probably would have thought the same thing. I love Poppy, I really do. But lately, I’ve been wondering if I put her on a pedestal for all the wrong reasons. It’s okay to not be okay with what she did, but it doesn’t mean you love her any less.” I wrap my arm around her. I wish I could make her tears go away, I don’t like to see her hurting.
“Donna, are you okay?” Tony comes over, his brow is wrinkled, and his eyes look... pained.
“I’m fine, Tony. Don’t worry. I just… need a few moments.” She tucks her hair behind her ears, and I can’t help but pick up on it.
Does mom have a thing for Tony?
“Go outside and get some air, take as much time as you need.” His hand hovers in the air, before he wipes it on his pants, and walks back behind the counter.
We walk outside, and she leans against the wall, while taking deep breaths. Tucker is leaning against the car, and now and then, I catch him looking at us. He walks over to us, with a grimace on his face, and I know what he’s about to say.
I wrap my arms around mom and place my mouth close to her ear. “You are the greatest mom a girl could ever hope for, you do everything you can for us, and you have nothing to feel guilty about. I know you didn’t want me to join the Academy, but I’m glad I have. I’ve learnt so much about myself, and I think I may have also finally discovered what the right kind of love feels like. Even if it is complicated and messy, I wouldn’t trade it for the world. If you have that with Tony, then go for it. I just want you to be happy.”
She looks at me with wide eyes, and her cheeks are as bright as a tomato. I knew she liked him, and I’m glad I was right. Tony is a good man, and she’s worked for him for the past two years. Besides, if he treats her wrong, I could always set someone on him. You wouldn’t do that. Yeah, but he doesn’t know that.
32
Time Flies By
I’ve got a study plan organized, and both D and Maddox are helping me to stay on track. I’m helping Dustin with the baking side of things, and Aeron is helping me with the econ. I didn’t know what to say when he offered, but Tucker has agreed to give him permission, as long as it’s for studying.
“Okay, how are you with the principles and understanding problems that can arise in business?”
“Great, yep, I’ve got that down,” I say with an eager nod.
“Yeah, well, I want you to answer these questions and then we’ll see if you need to study any further. You don’t want to chance it, Luna. If you fail this year, then you’re gone.” Wow, what a way to drive it home. Thanks for making me a nervous wreck, Aeron.
I get to work on the quiz and then pass it back to him.
“What happened between you and Tucker?”
“What do you mean?” he asks, glancing up from the quiz sheet.
“Didn’t you guys used to be close? You, Tucker, and Tom.”
“Yeah, I guess so, it hasn’t really changed. Things are just... different now than when we were younger. Sometimes things change, and there isn’t a lot you can do about it.” He rubs the back of his neck, before picking up a pen, and marking the sheet.
“How did I do?”
“You did good, I’ve marked the places you could develop further. But I can help you with that next time. For now, we just need to know which areas you have a good grasp on.”