Backwoods Backwards

Six

When I get home from school, having walked because, contrary to what Perry believes, he is not my personal chauffeur, I don't feel the typical dread I usually do when heading straight for my front door. I feel somewhat in control for the moment, and considering I'm usually grasping at straws, this is nice.

That is, until I make it past the threshold.

Both of my parents stand just short of the doorway, but instead of yelling at each other like they tend to do, they're having polite conversation with two other people. Two people I typically don't see much of, let alone in my own home.

Just like that my control is gone, and I'm floundering again in the hopes of touching bottom for some semblance of normalcy, because there is nothing normal about this, about these people.

Because the two people standing in my house are my sister and her boyfriend.

Lindsey gives me the biggest, and, in my opinion, most fake, smile ever when she finally notices me.

"Lacey!" She coos loudly, opening her arms for a hug.

Stunned beyond belief about the new additions in my rather boring, rather typical lifestyle, I can only stand there mute as she hugs me, unable, or unwilling, to hug her back.

After this morning, she's not really the person I want to see right now.

"Don't I get more of a warm welcome than that?" She asks, still smiling.

Immediately my mind goes back to our earlier conversation, and all I can think of is our blowup argument as I respond absentmindedly with a, "Mm."

Her smile falters a bit, but not for long because then she's backtracking to her boyfriend's side, taking his hand and pulling him up to stand in front of me. "Lacey, this is Ian," she says as a way of introduction.

With her nasty words from this morning ringing in my head, my temper flares, and I speak before I can stop myself and hold my tongue. "Yeah, I know who he is, Lindsey, because I've met him before. You brought him home last Christmas, and for Thanksgiving the year before that."

Finally her smile falters, then falls altogether. "Right. Well then." She clears her throat. "We're back again now."

Suddenly she draws in close to me, her boyfriend forgotten for the moment. "Why didn't you tell Mom and Dad we were coming? They didn't expect us."

My temper flares even more. "What do you mean? You never told me you were coming!" I hiss. "You could have called them, too, you know."

Her expression and eyes harden. "Right, well, it slipped my mind." She turns on her heel and steps away, rejoining Ian at his side where he stands with our parents.

I roll my eyes. "Unlike that stupid sweater," I mutter under my breath.

I glance over and see Mom staring at me and Lindsey with a slightly hurt expression. "You called Lacey?" She whispers.

Lindsey pauses, then nods. "This morning."

Mom stares at me like I stole her soul, then nods herself. "Okay."

I shift my weight uncomfortably. The last thing I want to be is in the middle, and it seems like that's where I'm headed. Maybe that's why Lindsey called me this morning, even if she didn't tell me what she meant to.

"Well, like I was telling Mom and Dad," Lindsey says, addressing me once more, "Ian and I came just for the night because we have some news we wanted to discuss with all of you."

It seems to me more like she has news she wants to tell us for Ian, as he hasn't said a word yet so far apart from polite greetings.

My hands fist at my sides. "What news?" I ask warily.