Childhood best friends to enemies to lovers.
Alina wants nothing to do with the rebellious bad boy, Liam Somner.
Which is difficult, because he goes to her school. And lives on her street. And keeps showing up at her apartment, and sitting in her ki...
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There's more wine and cookies and apple strudel and the tv on in the background while we talk and tell stories. The sun has long set and Mom has opened a window to let some air in, because the seven of us crowded into our living room is making it warm, even in November.
But after a while it's hard not to notice just how drunk Liam has gotten. Our family is very relaxed when it comes to underage drinking - our mothers have always allowed us to drink at home since we were seventeen - but the rule has always been that we don't get drunk. But now, as the afternoon progresses into evening, Liam's voice grows louder, and then his movements become more erratic.
Julia says that in situations like this - with lots of talking and music and clinking glasses and tv in the background - she often can't hear anything that's going on. She's not deaf, but she has issues with auditory processing, which means she has to ask people to repeat things, and she gets frustrated with conversations. The doctors have said it's only ever going to get worse, and that she'll gradually lose all of her hearing. Which is why I've been learning ASL.
"Liam is drunk," I sign to Julia, and she nods.
It's the first time I've been able to use my sign language in a situation like this, where I've actually needed to communicate with someone who is hard of hearing, and I've been able to do it successfully. And I get a little thrill at the idea that I now have a secret language, shared only with Liam's aunt.
Mom and Sonja are talking loudly, while Fiona's in the kitchen, with the kettle boiling loudly. Meanwhile, Oscar and Liam have gotten up from the table and are now dancing around the living room to the music that's blasting through the speakers.
I allow myself to watch Liam. He's pulling Oscar around the room, and both of them are grinning from ear to ear. Oscar's overdramatically lipsyncing to the song, while Liam is serving some kind of angry pout look as he dances.
When I look back at Julia, I realise that she's holding Liam's mug. I open my mouth, about to say something. Julia's battled with alcoholism for all my life, and I don't know if I should tell her to put the mug down. But she just sniffs at the contents, and then says to me with sign language, "Did Sonja put rum in the mulled wine?"
I shrug.
Julia glances up at Liam.
Fiona returns with the pot of tea, and murmurs something in Julia's ear, but Julia has to ask her again what she's saying.
"Can you turn the music down?" I yell over at my brother and Liam.
"No! It's Bowie!" Liam yells back.
"Turn it down, Liam!" Sonja says.
"Oscar!" Mom says.
"Come and dance, Cook!"
I look over at Liam, who's gesturing for me to join him on the carpet in front of the couch. I roll my eyes at him. Drunk Liam is the worst Liam, and I don't want to get involved.
