05 | Easy as Pi

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Think of the most awkward situation you can imagine.

Did you think of one?

Okay, so now multiply that awkward situation by sixteen—and don’t ask me why I chose that number.  Did you do that?  You got the equation all solved?

Now whatever answer you came up with will still not amount to how awkward it was at my dinner table. 

Okay so maybe you didn’t have to do the multiplication.  Oh well.  You still got to waste fifteen seconds of your life.  Unless you suck at math.  Then it would be twenty seconds.  Because you would sit there trying to figure it out and then realize that someone invented a calculator for a reason.

“So, Isabel, how was school?” my dad asked with a smile on his face as he cut a piece of stake and plopped it into his mouth.  As he chewed, he stared at me as though willing me to answer the truth and nothing but the truth.

My father asking me how my school day was wasn’t what was awkward.  Actually, that was probably the most normal thing happening at my table right now.  No, the awkward part was the fact that Diana was practically hopping up and down with a stupid grin on her face and my mom was watching her as though she needed mental help.  And, while this was all going on, Kendall was seated at the last free seat, her arms folded in front of her while she evaluated the situation with a fair amount of amusement. 

So, basically, I had one friend resisting the urge to ask me questions about my dead sister, and I was resisting the urge to look at my dead sister.  And my parents were probably thinking about telling me to take a break from hanging out with Diana before her craziness fed off to me.

If only they knew.

“School’s fine,” I said, fighting back my habit of waving my hand dismissively.  My dad didn’t really appreciate it when I did that.  Sucked to have bad habits.

“Keeping up those grades?”

I nodded, resisting the strong urge to bite my lip and glance over at Kendall.  I still couldn’t believe that I was supposed to be a B student.  It was, like, scarring.  “Yep.”

My apparent lack of enthusiasm earned a raised eyebrow.  “Trying your best?” my dad pressed.

  “Yes.”  I faked a smile.  “Aren’t I always, Dad?”

Now I’d earned a smile.  “Yes, Iz, and that’s one of the reasons why I love you.”  He glanced at his wife.  “Hon, you look like you’re going to be ill.  Is everything all right?”

My mom swallowed so hard I thought her throat was going to burst open.  I winced at the image it brought to my mind, and from the glance Kendall gave me, I knew that she was visualizing it, too.  Whether it was the whole “twin” thing, I wasn’t sure.  I just hoped that no one else at the table noticed it. 

“I’m fine, honey,” my mom said with a tight smile.  “Diana, are you all right?  Do you need to use the restroom?”

I gave Diana a pointed look and gestured with my eyes that she needed to say yes, she did need the bathroom.  And then she was to go in there, calm herself, come back, and act like a normal human being.  Diana’s eyes shot to me and she let out a short breath of air before nodding.  “Yes, I’m sorry,” she said, taking on that feigned polite tone that she used when my parents were around.  “May I please be excused for a moment?”

My mom nodded and Diana pushed back her seat, hurrying out of the room.  I wondered for a moment if she even bothered going into the bathroom or if she was simply waiting outside the room, leaning back on the wall and telling herself to calm down.  If she didn’t calm down I was the one who’d be punished for it.  And getting punished would not help me.  I needed to be able to leave the house if I was going to figure out how to save Kendall.

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