Some Kind of Wonderful (sequel to Give Me the Greenlight, Mr. Clifford)

Ch 14 - It's Complicated

I knew there was absolutely no way I was going to get any sleep that night. When it was time to get up for school, I was already awake, of course. I was so preoccupied and exhausted it would have been useless for me to go to school. I told my mom that I didn't feel well and wanted to stay home. She didn't object, but being a nurse, she asked fifty questions and checked my temperature, trying to figure out what was wrong. I convinced her that my stomach was upset, which wasn't exactly a lie.

I called Ryder to let him know that I wouldn't be going to school. He said that he'd stop by after school to see how I was. He also asked if I was still upset about whatever was bothering me the night before. I told him I was feeling better about that, which was not true at all. On one hand, I was excited that he'd be coming over, as he hadn't in a while. But on the other, I hated the thought of facing him, knowing I was keeping such a huge secret from him. We had the wedding rehearsal later that evening, so maybe that would keep us occupied and keep my mind off things, at least for a little while.

The more I thought about it, the more I was convinced that Ashton really was my natural father. We did look alike, and the dimples were a dead giveaway. Even before now, I could never find any resemblances between Dad and me. Luke was right, I was going to have to ask my mom if I wanted to know for sure. I would never ask my dad unless I was positive that he knew it was a possibility. If he was in the dark about Mom and Ashton, I'd rather keep it that way. I couldn't handle the thought of Dad's heart being broken, or him being upset with Mom and Ashton.

Mom and Dad had some errands to run, but they didn't want to leave me alone. Eventually, I convinced them that I was starting to feel better and I'd be fine by myself. As soon as they left I went into the home office where we kept a filing cabinet for all of the important papers like birth certificates. I had seen mine before and knew Ashton's name wasn't listed as the father. But I wanted to look and see if I could find anything else that hinted I was an Irwin rather than a Clifford. As expected, I came up with nothing.

I gave up and got myself something to eat and retreated to my room. I was looking for a movie to watch when I thought about the movie Mom had suggested. But I couldn't remember the name of it. I texted Ryder.

Me: What was the name of that movie Mom suggested?

It was several minutes before he answered. He was at school after all.

Ry: Some kind of wonderful. R u gonna watch it?

Me: Yes. Bored af

Ry: Warning: the acting is shit. But decent story. You'll cry.

Me: Haha I can't believe you watched it. Wait. Yes I can.

Ry: Don't make fun of me. Btw how r u feeling?

Me: Better. Can't wait to see you later.

Ry: Me too. Gotta go. ILY.

I had seen "ILY" and had heard the actual words more times than I could count. But this time it gave me butterflies and brought tears to my eyes. It had a whole new meaning.

Me: I LOVE YOU TOO, RYDER THOMAS IRWIN. And don't you forget it.

Ry: Stop shouting. As if you'd ever let me forget. See u later KATESBY MARIE CLIFFORD.

Blech. I didn't care for my middle name. It sounded like an old lady's name. But it had been passed down for generations on my mom's side, so I'd probably give it to my poor daughter one day, too.