Somebody Else's Sky (Something in the Way #2)(77)

My dad walked up and patted his brother's back. "I'm assuming that enormous present you brought Lake is a personal computer. More and more students have them these days."

I blushed at his teasing. "Dad."

"I wish it was, kiddo," my uncle said to me. "If only I didn't have two college tuitions coming my way."

"Any progress with Craig?" Dad asked.

My cousin Craig was sixteen and, to the family's dismay, had his heart set on the military. My peace-loving, Berkeley-alum aunt and uncle couldn't wrap their heads around it, and my dad just all around disapproved of not going to college. "No," Roberta said, "but we've still got a couple years to change his mind."

Dad nodded. "It's a good thing Lake's around to carry on the Trojan line," he said. "I have no idea what I would've done if she hadn't gotten in. None." 

Manning put an arm around Tiffany and tried to pull her away. Remembering what he'd said in the kitchen, I began to hear the conversation as she might, more reminders of what she hadn't done. But for some reason she glared at me, as if I'd orchestrated this whole thing just to embarrass her.

My uncle side-eyed my dad. "Give Craig five minutes alone with Charles and he'll bleed Cardinal-red and gold. I swear, he could get a Bruin into 'SC."

Manning, seeming to give in to the fact that Tiffany wouldn't budge, said, "Tiffany's headed to college this year, too."

Dad looked over her head and amended, "Community college. Which is fine. It's how I started out as well."

"She was just telling us about it," Roberta said. "And you must be the boyfriend. Madding, was it?"

Manning shook her hand. "It's Man-"

"Actually," Tiffany said, her voice an octave too high. She laced her fingers with his almost aggressively. "Not for much longer, right, babe?"

"Uh." Manning paused, his eyes darting over the ground as if processing her comment. "You mean . . . no, Tiff." He shook his head. "This isn't the time."

"But all of my family's here," she whisper-hissed.

"So, Lake," my uncle started, "where's the first place you plan to drive your new car?"

Manning and Tiffany were locked in a stare down, seeming to have a silent conversation. Something felt off. "Not for much longer what?" I asked.

Manning looked at me. The concern in his expression made my heart sink before Tiffany even spoke. "Manning won't be my boyfriend much longer," she said. "He'll be my fiancé!"

I stared at her. We all did. As the word fiancé began to take on meaning, I covered my stomach, my gut smarting.

That had to be some inside joke between them I didn't understand, some mistake. But why say it like that? Why say it at all? To be funny? Or get the attention back on her? Did she just want to ruin my party?

It didn't matter. It wasn't true-it couldn't be.

"Your . . . what?" Dad asked. "What's she talking about, Manning?"

Manning looked around the circle, pausing when his eyes met mine. He turned his head as if to look away but couldn't seem to. He swallowed. "Nothing's official, but yes. It's what we've decided."

Decided. It was such a cold, un-Tiffany-like word to describe a marriage. It also left no room for doubt. My throat closed. I was pretty sure I hadn't taken a breath since the conversation had veered into this territory. I tried to inhale, nearly choking, feeling as if hands pressed around my throat.

But I was eighteen now.

Manning and I hadn't even had a chance to talk since my birthday, and there was no end to the things I wanted to say. The things I wanted to hear.

Tiffany held up her left hand, wiggling a bare ring finger. "There are still some minor details to work out," she said, her tone light and airy for the first time all night, "but we really feel it's the right next step for us."

My mom walked over to us, her party dress flouncing around her. "What's going on over here?" she asked cheerily. "Why do you all look so glum?"

"Tiffany's just made an . . . announcement," Dad said.

A fly buzzed around the opening of my dad's beer can. It landed on his knuckle. He shooed it, so it tried the aluminum tab, then his shirt cuff, then my uncle's beer before disappearing for a few seconds and starting all over.

Mom took Dad's elbow, and he shifted his beer to his other hand. "What's your news, honey?" she asked.



       
         
       
        

"Mr. Kaplan," Manning said. "I'd planned to talk to you first-"