Today's Reading
Helena, on the other hand, counted it a win if she made it to school on time four out of five days. Her idea of meal planning was scribbling down lesson plans on a Post-it Note while she scarfed down whatever she'd found in the vending machine during her lunch break. Her biggest accomplishment this year was remembering to reset all her clocks the night before time sprang forward. Fitting into this clan was not going to be easy.
She told Landon, "They'll be playing some round of croquet with their careful manners and smart conversation, giving me condescending looks because I hit the ball too hard and laugh too loud at inappropriate times."
He raised an eyebrow. "There are inappropriate times for laughing in a croquet game?"
"Probably. How would I know? I haven't taken croquet etiquette. That's why I need you there."
"And you assume that at some point during my childhood I took croquet etiquette?"
"Maybe. You're a soccer coach. Don't they teach you about all kinds of games at those coaching training things?"
"Sure. Yeah." The sarcasm dripped from his voice. "They cover lawn-game etiquette right after soccer defensive strategies and team-building techniques for high school players."
"Good. Because I don't know that it will be croquet. The Perfects could be into badminton. Or boccie ball." She ran a hand through her hair, which reminded her she needed to make an appointment to get her highlights touched up before the trip. She was pretty sure an overdue hair appointment could be spotted a mile away with this crew.
"Helena," Landon said and gave her that look.
Helena knew that look. It was the one he gave her when she knew whatever was about to come out of his mouth was going to hit closer to home than she wanted it to. One of the things that had made Helena become fast friends with Landon was his ability to make her laugh. He had this dry snarkiness that beckoned full-on belly laughs, often at the most inappropriate (but most needed) times. Like faculty meetings that lasted way longer than they needed to.
But if she were being honest, what made them true friends was the wisdom Landon gave after one of these looks. The first few times it had happened, early into their friendship, Helena was caught off guard. Landon's advice was often one sentence, barely more than a phrase, but it was so insightful that it forced her to look at the problem in a way no one else had pointed out to her. Landon's nuggets of wisdom prompted introspection and change. She loved him for it.
She also hated him for it.
At the moment, she didn't want introspection. She wanted someone to despise The Perfects as much as she did and be her plus-one at her mom's June wedding. And it wouldn't hurt if that person helped her kick their Perfect butts at whatever yard game she was forced to play with them at their isolated Indigo Island beach house.
"What?" There was a bit of hostility in her voice as she readied her guard for whatever truth bomb Landon was about to launch at her.
"You know that these people are about to be your family, right? You think it might be time to start calling them by their real names?"
Helena huffed. "First of all, they will not be my family. My mom is marrying their dad. At best I might have to spend some holidays with them. Let's call them my 'holiday buddies.'"
"Pretty sure that's not a thing."
"And secondly, if you meet them"—she held up a finger to correct herself—"no, when you meet them, you will also call them 'The Perfects.' They're like a walking, talking Christmas card with their solidarity and coordinating outfits. Grown-ups. Wearing coordinating outfits. It's weird."
"I thought one of them was a kid and they were dressed in similar colors because they actually were taking a picture for the family Christmas card."
He wasn't wrong.
"What's your point?" she asked.
He stood up and walked around to lean against the front of his desk, putting himself eye to eye with her. "My point is, you don't get to pick your family. You love your friends because of who they are. You love your family because they're your people."
And there it was. The truth that rattled her.
Helena was the only child of a single mom. The only extended family she had was her great-aunt Robyn, but even she only came around once in a while. The Crosby family tree was more of a family stick.
...
