Seeing Lake's expression change from confusion to shock, my heart swelled. This was what I wanted for her. Everything. This was why I'd done the time, had kept my hands to myself, had watched from afar. So she wouldn't lose sight of what was important. I had to clench my own jaw to keep from getting emotional.
Lake's mom put her hands over her mouth. "Charles."
"What is it?" Tiffany asked.
Lake's hands trembled as she pulled a thick, white packet out of the bag. She turned it over, then held it up for us all to see. Proud of her as I was, in that moment, my eyes went to Tiffany. When she registered the USC logo on the packet, her expression remained smooth. I couldn't read her. Tiffany might put on a show sometimes, but I knew she cared about Lake. That first and foremost, Lake was her sister. I didn't believe she'd feel anything but pride watching Lake get everything she wanted, but the way her complexion paled, I wasn't sure. Could Tiffany ever truly be happy for her sister, who'd now done everything their dad had ever expected of her? Or would Tiffany see this as something else?
Cathy stood and went around the table to pull a still-in-shock Lake into a tight hug. Her dad did the same. Tiffany slid the unopened packet over to her side of the table. "What if it's a rejection?" she asked so only I could hear.
"You know it's not."
She tore one corner of the envelope right before I took it away. "Don't spoil this."
Tiffany's eyes fixed on me as she sat back and crossed her arms. Maybe she thought I was the enemy, but I wasn't. If Charles saw Tiffany with the envelope, he'd make a scene. I put it back in its rightful spot, in front of Lake.
Once they were all seated again, Lake ran a hand over the envelope.
"Aren't you going to open it?" Charles asked.
She slid a finger under the flap and removed a sheet with a cardinal red-and-gold booklet. She read her acceptance letter as we all watched.
"So?" Charles asked after a few seconds of silence. "How does it feel to officially be a Trojan?"
"Good."
"That's it?" he pressed. "Good?"
Lake's nostrils flared. A few silent tears tracked down her cheeks. Cathy had her hands clasped in front of her, looking as on edge as I felt. Lake's body began to visibly shake as she covered her face and dissolved into sobs.
Cathy's eyebrows drew together as she and Charles exchanged a glance. "What?" she mouthed.
"Overwhelmed," he said softly.
I reacted physically, my throat thickening with a lump, my hands aching to hold Lake. Her crying sent my body mixed signals. I was the last person at the table who should comfort her, but maybe the only one who knew her well enough to understand her tears. Was she overwhelmed? Relieved? Yes. But the intensity with which she cried told me there was more to it than that. Maybe she didn't want this after all. I'd tried to warn her, years ago, that she'd have to fight to be heard if she had any doubts about USC. Maybe she hadn't really believed me, hadn't realized that was true, until this moment.
When the silence at the table grew uncomfortable, Tiffany broke it. "She's been under so much pressure, she can't even enjoy this moment."
Charles rubbed Lake's back. "You don't know what you're talking about, Tiffany."
"She's right," I said. I hadn't planned to speak up, because fuck, Charles and I had started an evening off on the right foot for once. But Tiffany puckered her lips, blowing me a grateful air-kiss.
Charles glared at me a second, but then turned back to Lake. "She's just overcome," he said. "Isn't that right, Lake?"
Lake nodded her head in her hands, inhaled a deep breath, and looked up. Her mascara painted her face like watercolor. "I'm sorry. I'm happy. I was just so worried it wouldn't come."
Tiffany got some tissue from her purse and passed it to her sister but didn't say anything.
"Nobody doubted you," Charles said.
Lake dabbed under her eyes. "I know."
Cathy took Lake's hand across the table. "How about we go shopping this weekend? Get you some college clothes?"
"I can think of something she'll need more than new clothes," Charles said. "If only she'd pass her driving test. No more screwing around, Lake."
Lake's eyes went wide at the same moment as Tiffany's, in a way that made them look twin-like. Lake had been inspecting her champagne, but she put it down. "Really?" she asked.
"You're buying her a car?" Tiffany asked. "Because I'm not giving her mine."
"She'll have to get around," Charles said. "Not to mention come home to visit."