Splinters: Part One

Part One | 23

"About the recital?"

"Yeah. You think your family will want to come?"

I nodded. "Definitely. Except you only gave me seven tickets."

"Well I didn't think Ursanne would want to come."

"She might."

"C'mon, Brayden..."

I frowned, shrugging. "You're probably right. She wouldn't deserve to go anyway after how she treated you."

But I felt bad. Ursanne had attempted to redeem herself with me by helping me find a good Christmas gift for Collie, but after everything, she honestly didn't deserve to go to her recital, and like Collie said, she probably wouldn't want to go anyway.

...

The next day after school, I brought the tickets to my parents' attention. It was before dinner when I showed them the tickets.

Greg held them in front of him. "I think this would be fun. The girls would love it."

Melissa stared at them. "You're only holding seven."

I rubbed the back of my neck nervously. "Uh, yeah, Collie didn't think Ursanne would want to go..."

She crossed her arms. "She didn't think she wanted to go or she wasn't invited."

"Melissa," Greg began. "She doesn't need to anyway. She was utterly rude when Collie came for supper."

"That's not fair-"

Greg shook his head. "I think it is. One hundred percent."

"Greg," she began, propping a hand on her hip, but he interrupted her.

"No, Melissa. She needs to pay the consequences. She was extremely unwilling to be civil with Brayden's girlfriend and this is what she gets."

She frowned. "Collie must really think Ursa hates her."

"She does," I admitted.

She sighed. "Fine. Ursa doesn't get to go."

I sighed in relief because I knew that if she did, it wouldn't end in a fabulous evening. She'd find something to criticize about Collie. Greg brought this to everyone's attention later when we had supper.

"So, Ursanne," he began.

She chewed, looking up at him, giving him her full attention.

"You'll be home alone Saturday night so it might be a good idea to have Bella or someone over."

She frowned. "What? Why? Where's everyone else going?"

He clasped his fingers together and shifted in his seat. "Collie gave Brayden some tickets to her piano recital."

"Piano recital?" Odera questioned, but no one answered because Ursa shook her head and said something a second after her.

"Why am I not going?"

Melissa lifted her glass and spoke before taking a sip. "Honey, you've made it clear you don't want much to do with her."

My sister crossed her arms. "So everyone's going besides me?"

Greg nodded.

Melissa tilted her head. "You wouldn't have enjoyed it anyway, Ursanne. You know that."

Ursanne stared at her and then turned to me, scrutinizing me. "Was I even invited?"

I squirmed in my chair at the question.