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Natalie sighed with relief.
“You’re so jealous,” Haley accused.
“What? No, I’m not.”
“Liar. You’ve always treated Cody like he’s yours. You hated it every time he and I did something together without you.”
“I just wanted to be included.”
“You wanted him all to yourself. I’ve heard you and your friends talking about him. You all think he’s hot. You talk about him like you two share this close relationship.”
“Because we do. Cody and I do a lot of things together.”
Haley conceded that with a nod. “But that’s not the same as what he has with Summer, even if you make it seem like it is.”
“You don’t know anything. You’re just a child.” Natalie stormed off, walking into the kitchen, dismissing whatever their mom said to her, and running for the stairs so she could go up to her room and blast her music and sulk like a master.
Haley shook her head and followed her sister’s path into the kitchen.
“What was that about?” their mom asked.
“Just because you want something to be one way doesn’t mean it is that way.”
Her mom’s eyebrow shot up. “What does that mean?”
Haley rolled her eyes. “Natalie is... Natalie.”
“Well, that explains it.” The sarcasm came with a mom look. “Is this about Summer?”
“Yes. But also no. Summer didn’t do anything, but Natalie always acts like she did.”
“Natalie is having some growing pains. Life is changing for her. She’s graduating soon and facing college. A whole new experience where she’ll be going it alone without all her friends around her. It’s hard to realize you’re going in different directions and it won’t be like it’s always been. It’s the same thing with Summer. Home and family are different now because Summer has been added to the family. Natalie isn’t the oldest anymore. Summer is the new thing in the house and everyone is giving her attention.”
“Cody is giving her a lot of attention.”
Her mother’s lips pressed tight.
Haley felt a lecture coming on.
“They’re getting close. And that scares Natalie, too, because she doesn’t want to lose him.”
Haley rolled her eyes. “He’s family. You can’t lose family.”
“Yes, you can. People drift apart all the time. Natalie doesn’t want that to happen.”
Haley suspected Natalie wanted to be in Summer’s place with Cody, even though that seemed absurd. “Things change. It’s up to you to make the best of it. That’s what you always tell us.”
One side of Miranda’s lips drew back. “Your sister has a hard time doing that. You see the good, the possibilities. She sees what could go wrong, and that makes it hard for her to see in the moment all that goes right.”
“I just wish she was happy instead of always so upset about nothing.”
“It’s not nothing to her,” her mother pointed out.
Haley rolled her eyes again. “I hope she’s not like this tonight at the party.”
“You and me both,” Miranda admitted with a sly smile. She held her arms out wide.
Haley went in for a hug.
