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“Yes!” Mom sounds positively indignant with just that one word. “I know Iris would never.”
She’s right. Iris wouldn’t go for Silas because she knew how I felt about him. But do I feel that way about him still?
A little bit.
Maybe?
Rhett’s face magically appears in my brain and I banish it. I am definitely not interested in him.
Am I?
“Yes, Iris would never, but Alana would. And did.” I sigh. “It’s okay. I don’t think I’m that interested in him anyway.”
“You don’t sound very convincing to me.”
The doubt in Mom’s voice is obvious and I appreciate her supporting me. “Really, it’s okay. There are plenty of other boys on this campus.”
“Don’t settle for just any boy though, Willow. Make sure he—respects you,” Mom warns.
“Is that what you did with Dad?”
“What do you mean? Settling with your father? Oh my.” She laughs, her expression turning wistful. As if she’s remembering when she was my age and they first met. “There is no settling for Crew Lancaster. Want me to be truthful?”
“Yes, please.” I crave any bit of information they share about the early days of their relationship. I loved hearing my father tell me the story of how Mom hated him. Or so he thought. She was actually just scared of him.
Scared of any boy really. Mom was a bit of a self-admitted prude, and I kind of am too.
“Your father put on an act. He was rude and acted ridiculous when he was around his friends. In public in general, he was kind of awful. But when it was just the two of us? He was as sweet as he could be.” Mom smiles. “Though I think he also enjoyed antagonizing me.”
Yet again, I think of Rhett. He seems to enjoy antagonizing me every chance he gets. “Do you mean Dad enjoyed teasing you?”
“Well, yes. And being rude.” Mom wrinkles her nose. “He sometimes said the most awful things. You know how boys are.”
“Considering I have two brothers and plenty of boy cousins, yes, I do.”
Mom laughs. “You also know that a lot of what they do and say is just for show. I don’t know why they act that way, but they do. Sometimes it’s our job to get to the core of them. Figure them out.”
“That seems unfair.”
“Oh, but they have to do the same to us, don’t you think? Our public personas are different compared to our private ones,” Mom points out.
“I guess you’re right,” I say, my voice soft.
“Maybe you should try to talk to Alana. Is it worth losing a friendship over a boy?” Mom asks.
“She’s not being very nice.”
“Maybe she feels threatened by you.”
That is such a mom thing to say. “Why in the world would she be threatened by me? Alana is beautiful and confident and interesting. I can see why Silas fell for her.”
“Willow. Darling. You are beautiful and confident and interesting too. And so incredibly smart. Sweet. You have many wonderful qualities. Why wouldn’t she feel threatened?”
I roll my eyes. “You’re just being a mom.”
She laughs. “I suppose I am.”
We talk for a little while longer and once we end the call, I remain on my bed, staring at the ceiling. Ruminating over everything we discussed. Even if Alana is threatened by me, she should know I would never stoop so low as to try and steal her boyfriend. I’m not interested in Silas like that. I can’t be—he’s taken. And besides.
