Gray skewers a piece of his steak and drags it through the pool of juices on his plate then, he pops the forkful of meat in his mouth. His knife and fork hovers at each side of his plate as he chews thoughtfully on the steak. I glance at my mother, sitting opposite me and staring at Gray, her fingers clasped together on dinning table, like she is waiting for the praise she deserves on cooking that steak everyone says is divine. Gray leans back into his chair and nods.
"A little overdone but still edible. Maybe take it out five minutes before—" Gray starts and I shut him up by nudging him in the rib with my elbow. He clears his throat and smiles warmly at my mother. "Your steak is amazing, Mrs. Kaelin," he says. My mother's lips twitch into a wide grin, but my father's face stays immobile. He and Asher have been staring, glaring at Gray since we got home.
Despite Darlene's obnoxious chewing, an awkward silence hangs in the air. I scratch my forehead and look down at my empty bowl of soup. I am not allowed to have steak, says my mother who thinks she's a doctor with a PhD. Gray takes another bite of his meat, oblivious to the glares my overprotective father and brothers are passing his way.
"Gray is a psychic," I say.
"Is that right?" My father asks, amused.
Gray drags his long, hard stare to me and says, "I'm not, you crazy person."
"He is too. He can read people." I waggle my eyebrows at my father. "Go on Gray, show my dad."
"He owns a Ferrari and now he's psychic? That's great," Heath says, sarcastically. "Go on Gray, read me. No wait— don't read me. Read Asher."
"I bet your bottom dollar he's a fraud." Asher snorts through his nose loudly, running his fingers through his neatly trimmed hair.
In the silent minutes in the frostbitten dinning room after Asher challenges Gray, Gray drops his fork and knife on his plate with a sardonic smirk hovering his lips, eyes narrowing at Asher as he grabs a napkin from the table. He exhales deeply, wipes an imaginary sauce off the corner of his lips and drops the cloth, tapping his fingers on the table as if steadying himself so he wouldn't be disrespectful. For some incomprehensible reason, my temperature flares and my heart rate quickens when he looks at me briefly and winks.
Why does he keep doing that?
"See, he can't do nothing." Asher shakes his head stiffly.
"Oh no?" says Gray lightly. "I should not bother telling you that betting a thousand dollars on the car race next week is quite a stupid thing to do to your father's bank account?" His throaty accent somehow heightens the sarcasm.
Asher flushes lightly and his mouth hangs open.
"What?" My father asks.
"How did you know that?" Asher growls. "Gigi—"
"I didn't tell him anything. I didn't even know."
Asher suspects Didi next but she also quickly denies her involvement.
"How did you know!" Asher repeats.
"Your nails are neatly groomed, you got a haircut. That means you've recently won or about to win something big. Something that makes you very confident. You're wearing the hoodie of your favorite car racer, Hamilton but I wouldn't have known you were a gambler if you didn't mention 'betting a bottom dollar'. Your pupils were dilated then," Gray explains.
"Whoa!" Darlene cheers. "He has magic."
"You were going to bet a thousand bucks of my money on a race!" My father roars.
"Calm down George." My mother taps the man's back gently.
"You are not using my money for that crap!"
Asher glares at Gray, his face in a grimace, a huge vein on his forehead. "This guy!" he tries to stand but fortunately, Heath holds him down. "You are going to regret telling my father."
"Don't be mean." I step in. "You dared Gray and he only told the truth."
"You're defending him?" Asher asks.
"She's brainwashed by her stupid boyfriend," Heath murmurs.
Gray hand balls into a fist and he clears his throat loudly. I hate the fact that my brothers think it's okay to be rude to Gray just because they think he's not good enough for me.
"You're going to win the bet, Asher," Gray says.
"I am?" Asher cools down quickly, seeming a little taken back by the realization. Clearly he didn't even believe in his bet enough.
"He is?" My father asks and Gray nods. "How much is the win?" he ventures to Asher.
He is?
"Thirty grand. . ." Asher clears his throat. "Should I go through with it?" he asks my dad for permission then looks at Gray. "Well, should I?" he questions again.
"We'll talk about that later," my father says.
"Oh come on. Anyone would have guessed that. He's not a psychic," Heath states.
"Never said I was."
"Try it on dad," Didi suggests.
"No, no, no." I chuckle nervously.
"No, it's alright. I want to know what he's reading from my energy," dad says.
"Are you sure? Gray can be very blunt. He has no filter," I say.
"If he wants to continue hanging out with you, I suggest he watch his mouth. Go on." Dad nods.
"Okay." Gray clears his throat. A beat of silence stretches between my father and him. "Your dad was a football couch in Texas. Wasn't that much of a big deal but you worshipped him," Gray starts. "You were in the military. There's military in your posture sometimes. Other times you just look. . .fat."
Darlene and Didi burst into giggles and my mother tries to hold back from chortling loudly as she stares at my father's pale face.
"Oh my God, this boy," I whisper.
"You were very good in the military but your father died, you gained some weight and it was hard keep up with them so you came home."
"Impressive, I'll admit." my dad smiles.
"He likes you now so stop talking," I whisper to Gray but he's not quite done.
"That's when you met Mrs. Kaelin. She was beautiful, nice but very principled."
"Aw." my mother blushes.
"She got you to start eating healthy and exercise and she was the breath of fresh air you needed. But unfortunately, you had these five ungrateful, stubborn kids and you started depending on meat and beer to solve your emotional problems."
"Ungrateful?" Heath asks.
"You are completely right. And very honest." Dad chuckles.
"Ha!" I scream sarcastically as my father raises his bottle of beer to his lips to take a sip. Gray slowly drags his gaze to me and I clear my throat. "You are very honest, Gray." I force a smile.
"I don't appreciate the sarcasm, baby." he smiles back.
"That was very impressive Gray." my dad says.
"Don't think this changes anything. We're not letting you date Gigi ever!" Heath exclaims.
"Heath that's enough," my mother hushes him.
"I have to go to the mechanic and pick up my truck." My father backs off his chair.
"Before you go, should I bet on Hamilton?" Asher asks.
"I'm sorry Asher. I know you need money but I can't bet one grand on a car race. Maybe try getting a job?" Dad asks but Asher shakes his head bitterly. "Darlene, honey wanna come with me?"
"Not on your life." Darlene forces a smile at him and he sighs. My father kisses my mother's cheek before leaving the house. My mother gathers all the plates and sends them to the kitchen with the help of Darlene. Asher gives out a defeated sigh, sulking terrible as he runs off to his room. Heath follows. Didi winks at me several times and gestures to Gray before she disappears into the hall. I sit facing Gray, he glances at me and shakes his head.
"What? I wanted my family to like you," I say.
"I don't want your family to like me."
"Too bad they already do." I chuckle. "Is Asher really gonna win that bet?"
He takes a long pause and blinks. "Yes."
"Lies!" I yell. "Why would you build up his hopes?"
"He's going to win." he backs off his chair. So do I.
"Sit down," I demand.
"No."
"Sit. . .down," I repeat.
"I don't want to."
"Sit." I grip his shoulder tightly and force him into his seat as he groans. "Do you know for sure if Asher is going to win the bet or not?"
"Of course I don't know. I can't see the future."
"Gray," I whisper.
"Your brothers are extremely mean to me, why is this my fault?"
"He's still my brother!" I slap his arm.
"Ow!" he screams. "You are so abusive, little Ariel."
"You slapped a guy more than seven times in the school's parking lot."
"Yeah, because he slapped you," he says.
"He slapped books out of my hand."
"Which is the same thing."
"What?" I ask quietly.
"Will you deny the fact that your brothers are rude to me for no reason?" he asks.
"They think you're trying to date me. They responded worse when Diana brought Dallas home."
"Which was reasonable because he turned out to be a cheat but I'm not trying to date you in the first place so they can relax," he whispers. I swallow, feeling an uneasiness in my chest. We are just friends, I remind myself.
So I decide to change topic. "Can you read me?"
He narrows his eyes at me. "No."
"Why not?" I question.
"Because. . ."
"Come on. Just read my energy."
"You're harder to read thank you think," he says.
"Liar!" I shout and giggle. But I must admit I'm relieved he won't do it. "You're lying. You probably know everything I'm thinking."
His gaze drifts off to my nose and he takes a moment to fix my nasal cannula and says, "You're thinking, 'I'm so glad Gray can't actually read minds because then he'd know I check him out a lot'."
"What?" I slap his hands from my face as he laughs. "That's not what I think at all."
Well...
"I know, I'm just kidding. You're harder to read than you think. You're still a mystery to me, Genevieve."
"Is that a compliment?" I whisper.
"Gigi, time to take your medication!" My mom yells from the kitchen.
"So I wanted to know if you could do me a favor. I was wondering if I could meet your sister. You've met my family so it would be nice if I met your sister."
"No."
"Gray. . ." I whine.
"I said no. Stop asking."
"I want to meet her. Either that or we're not best friends anymore." I fold my arms in front of my chest.
"Bluffing," he says.
"You think I'm bluffing?" I ask. "I will stop hanging out with you if you don't let me meet her, I promise you that."
He opens his mouth to speak but stops and winces. He groans loudly. "Damn it, little Ariel." he gets off the dining chair as Asher walks in again, still sulking over the loss of his bet. I tuck strands of red hair behind my ears and try to shake off the thought that perhaps he has no sister. I ignore the thought quickly. Gray might be similar to a con artist but he would not lie about his sister, let alone his parents' death. That's just inhumane. "You still want that one grand, I'll give it to you," Gray says. I am momentarily too surprised to speak but Asher, on the other hand reacts quickly: he lurches forward at Gray with his eyes round.
"You will?" he whispers, his voice trembling slightly with excitement. "Dude, it's a thousand bucks. What's the catch?"
"The catch is you move out of this house and do something meaningful with your life." Gray looks at him coolly, his expression without pity or shame. Asher's brows come together in a frown, and for a moment I fear he might hit Gray. "Isn't that what you want? To move out so your father can stop looking at you like a failure? So do we have a deal or not?"
"Deal but I will pay you your thousand as soon as I win. I don't want to owe you anything."
"I understand." Gray pulls his wallet from inside the pocket in his leather jacket and shortly, he hands Asher his credit card. "Give it back when you take out the money."
"Whoa!" Asher exclaims, examining the credit card between his fingers. "This is an American Express Centurion Card. Known as 'black card' to amateurs like Heath. Only filthy rich business people have it. Where did you get this?"
"The same way he got the Ferrari," Heath announces as he joins us. "He's a criminal, a con artist, a fraud. He just shows up in town with no family and he's trying to manipulate all of us. He's a con artist."
"Heath be nice," I say as Gray sits back down with a smile.
"If he's a con artist why would he even try to con our family? We have no money smartass!" Asher slaps the back of Heath's head. "Tone it down a notch, will ya?"
"Am I the only one who's trying to protect Gigi from this guy? Asher can't see it because he's blinded by that card and you Gigi wouldn't see it even if I put it on a billboard because you think he's hot." Heath shakes his head.
"He is." I shout. Gray looks at me and I add, "not."
"You might fool everyone with your money and your weird psychic abilities and your flawless skin but you can't fool me. Unlike my siblings, I actually trust my instincts and it's telling me you're too bad for Gigi," Heath states.
"Heath, you're so stupid," I say.
"You'll thank me one day Gigi," he says, "now let's go use his credit card Ash!" he giggles loudly and grabs Asher's hand before pulling him out of the dinning room.
"He's a charming fella," Gray states.
I scoff. "Wanna explain why you gave my brother—"
"It's a small price to pay to see his hopes and dreams crumble and die. So what do you want to do tonight."
"I want to meet your sister?"
He groans. "Genevieve."
"Gray, if you don't let me meet her, I will start to think that you don't actually have a sister and I am not going to forgive your lies anymore. If I don't meet her, this is where we say our goodbyes." I replace my playful tone with a serious one and hold my breath for his response. Gray has made it very clear on several occasions that he does not care and daring him to make a decision against his immoral principles is a brave move on my part.
His jaw tightens and he bangs his fist on the table as he shouts. "Fuck!" he runs his fingers through his hair and pulls the roots. "Okay fine, you win. Jojo will be in town in two hours to visit me. She's coming with our aunt but they will be leaving first thing tomorrow morning. Tonight at eight, we'll be having dinner at Bambino. The owner of the restaurant is throwing a party and I was invited. You can meet her there."
"But my curfew is six o'clock at most."
"That isn't my problem," he says.
"Okay, I'll try." I nod. "Aw Gray! You're really scared of losing me."
"Stop," he says.
"What are you wearing? Bambino is very fancy."
"A suit."
I feel a little warmth in my cheeks as my lips twitch into a smile. "So I'm like your date?"
"My sister is my date. You're the one emotionally blackmailing me even though I barely have emotions. I'll pick you up at 7:45. Goodbye." With that said, he leaves. I nibble on my lower lip, wondering what the heck I'm going to wear to the event. As my mom walks in from the kitchen, she drops a napkin on the table and sits beside me.
"I overheard you and Gray's conversation," she says.
"You were eavesdropping?"
"A little bit, yes." she nods.
"I know my curfew is at five but Gray's sister -"
"I think you should go but would you be able to handle the stress?" she whispers, running her fingers through my hair. My mind wonders off to an image of dragging my oxygen tank around the entire Bambino, receiving sympathetic stares from the rich folks. "Maybe Didi can go with you and help you."
"No. I would rather not go." That was a very quick decision and meeting Gray's sister is one of the things on top of my list but the oxygen tank hinders me and ceases all joy.
"Honey, I thought meeting Gray's sister is important to you?"
"It is, very very much but I don't want to be strolling around a place like Bambino with this and slow Gray down," I whisper.
"Genevieve, I know this is hard. Having a tube in your nose isn't anything a teenager or any other person would be enthusiastic about but it isn't anything to be ashamed of. We watch the fault in our stars every year. You say she's brave." she chuckles, her green eyes glinting with hope.
"That was a movie, this is reality. She's brave, I am not. She was alive at the end of the story, I won't be." I have carried hope with me for a long time. In the end, Hazel was still alive. Perhaps I would be too but what if that wasn't it. What if the story hadn't ended at that point. John Green, the writer makes it clear that if not, Hazel would have died a year after Augustus. It was inevitable, I guess. Some things can't be stopped.
I stand up, grab the handle of my tank and drag it through the hall, upstairs to my room. I admit that was a bit harsh to my mom but I am very tired. I take off the nasal cannula and lie down on my bed, looking over Didi's bed, neatly made with that black bedsheets with white polka dots. I sweep my tongue over my chapped lips, feeling my eyelids get heavier by the second. Air leaves my lungs but it is very hard to get them back in. Yet, I still manage to sleep.
My hair falls across my face but I am too tired to brush it off, sleep is pooling on my eyelids. I never liked teddy bears as a kid, even when I was scared of the things in the dark or in my closet, I never liked teddy bears. I preferred pillows. They're filled with softer feathers, they're warm. They're able to soak up all my tears. Till I got a hold of Captain Cuddles. I don't know from whom exactly but I remember I brought it back from the hospital after my second stay.
It was the best present I ever got. I would thank the person who gave it to me only if I could remember.