The Force of Gravity(69)

I’m not sure why he’s saying this after he just drove me home, but I’m too tired to question him, and I know we have to be quick.

He regards me with caution as I open the passenger door. “Hey, I’ll have my phone on me today. Let me know if you need anything, okay? And take this.” He slides his garage door opener off his visor. “Come back anytime, okay?”

I nod, trying to read his thoughts. A flicker of apprehension crosses his features as I take the garage door opener from him and slide out of the Tahoe. He waits until I’m safely in the house before driving off.

As I walk toward the stairs, I notice a man’s shoes beside the sofa in the living room and come to a halt. Did my dad leave his shoes here? I drag my fatigued body up the stairs, too sleep-deprived to put the pieces together. The hardwood floor creaks as I tiptoe into my bedroom and peel off my dress. I’m in desperate need of a shower, but all I care about is sleep. I slip into a clean pair of underwear, then throw on a pair of thin sweatpants and a tank top. As I draw back the covers in anticipation of rest, it hits me.

A strange truck.

A man’s shoes.

Elijah’s concerned face.

I’m a moron.

Anger rips me out of my exhaustion, and I turn from my bed and stride down the hallway toward my mother’s bedroom. I wrap my hand around the doorknob, turning it slowly. I hesitate, trepidation filling me as I try to prepare myself for an image that has the potential to burn itself into my brain for the rest of my life.

I push open the door.

Thankfully, they’re both under the covers, but there’s my mom: sleeping in the bed that she and my father shared for over eighteen years . . . with a strange man.

I slam the door shut and storm into my bedroom. Outraged, I slip into my flip-flops and grab my phone charger, along with Elijah’s garage door opener. I charge down the stairs just as my mom scurries out of the bedroom in her robe.

“Kaley,” she says, panicked, chasing after me.

“I’m not staying in this house, Mom,” I say, my voice shaking. “You promised me you wouldn’t bring him here!”

“Wait!” she cries as I open the front door.

“What?” I snap, turning to face her.

“Kaley, I’m sorry. I thought you’d still be at Emily’s. I’m so sorry.”

“Look, I get it, Mom. You moved on before the rest of us even had a chance to. In fact, you moved on before you were even separated—not to mention you’re still technically married to my father. I thought I made it abundantly clear that I cannot handle this. It’s only our first day living together, and I’ve already caught you in bed with him.”

“You weren’t home. I was going to have him out of the house before you got back.”

“I didn’t realize that was part of the deal,” I say cuttingly.

“I’m truly sorry, Kay. Please, forgive me.” Her tortured face tugs at my compassion. I don’t want to stand in the way of her being happy, but it’s too much . . . too soon.

“I forgive you,” I say impatiently. “But I can’t deal with this.” I turn and walk out the door.

“Where are you going to be?” she calls from the front steps.

I’m about to tell her I’m going back to Emily’s house, but then I realize it doesn’t matter anymore.

“Elijah’s,” I holler as I hop in my car.

As I tear out of the driveway, my vision begins to cloud. Maybe I’m overreacting, but my father’s side of the bed isn’t even cold yet, and she already has someone in it. She knew about her affair seven months ago—on top of the months of flirting that I’m sure went on prior to that. I, on the other hand, just got blindsided. I’ve only had a few weeks to get used to this twisted situation, and it’s all happening way too fast. All of a sudden, my dad is living three hours away, there’s a strange man in my house, and I barely even recognize my mom’s personality.

My world has been upended at a time when I’m supposed to be exploring my way into adulthood, not being forced into it. With all the unknowns that lay ahead of me, I feel like I’ve been sent into battle without any armor, stripped bare of everything I used to cling to. Surprisingly, Elijah is the most stable thing in my life right now. Well, he and Emily. But she’s leaving for college soon, starting a new life, with new people and new surroundings. . . . We’ll no longer be minutes away whenever we need each other.

I turn onto Ironwood Drive and pull up to Elijah’s house, parking on his side of the garage. As soon as I step into the kitchen, I flip on the coffee maker—I couldn’t sleep right now if I tried. I skim my fingers over the glossy island countertop and look around. I’ve never been alone in his house before; it feels . . . oddly wonderful. As the coffee brews, filling the house with its potent aroma, I scrounge around his cupboards in search of food and find two large shelves that look like they belong in a nutritional supplements store.

“The man definitely likes his protein powder and vitamins,” I mumble.

I open the refrigerator, and sparkling clean shelves filled with meat, eggs, fruits, and vegetables stare back at me.

Ugh.

Just as I’m about to close the door, I notice the carton of leftover Chinese food on the bottom shelf and snatch an eggroll from the container. I pour myself a cup of coffee, taking a bite of the cold roll, and plop myself onto the couch.

Breakfast of champions.

I glance at the clock—Elijah’s already in second period. I send him a text letting him know I’m at his house.

He replies right away:

Are you okay?

I smile, realizing he knew it was only a matter of time before I figured it out.

Yes, I reply. Just a little slow, apparently. I found them in bed & got into it with my mom.

Sorry, baby.

A strange curiosity comes over me. What are you guys working on right now?

Finishing up quadratic functions.

Ooh, that’s so hot.

A student just asked me why I’m grinning. I love you. See you soon.

I laugh as I imagine the clueless student’s face. Love you, too. I’ll be waiting. :)

Curling up on the couch, I finish my nourishing breakfast and soon become sleepy—the coffee clearly unable to penetrate my oncoming fatigue. I flip the channels on the TV and eventually zone out to a marathon of my favorite show on Bravo. I doze off a few times before plodding down the hall and crawling into his luxurious bed, the dark-gray walls surrounding me in peaceful tranquility. My body dissolves into the mattress as my mind wanders in and out of consciousness. I don’t want to punish my mother—I really am choosing to forgive her and want everybody to move on. But not only would I feel disloyal to my father by being around her boyfriend, I really don’t think I can handle it. And if this man truly makes her happy, then she should be able to see him.

It’s probably best for everyone if I don’t live there.

I wrap my arms around his pillow, embedded with his incredible scent, and plan out how I’m going to get my own place as I drift off to sleep.



MY PHONE WAKES me two hours later. I squint at the screen, then answer it.

“Where are you?” Emily demands.

Her voice is way too intense for my groggy state, so I decide to have a little fun with her.

“In Mr. Slate’s bed.”

She pauses before yelling at me. “I am driving right now! You could’ve caused me to swerve into oncoming traffic!”

I laugh. “You’re fine,” I say. “What’s up? How was the party?”

“When are you going to be home?” she says, ignoring my question. “Don’t make me wait any longer!”

The fact that she’s so alert before noon after a night of partying makes me take her eagerness seriously.

“I was home for a minute. Slate dropped me off, but I found my mom in bed with her boyfriend.”

She gasps. “Shut. Up.”

“I’m serious. Do you think I can stay with you until I get my own place?” I ask. “I’m going to take extra shifts all summer so I can save up as quickly as possible, but I’ve gotta get out of there.”

“Totally,” she says. “You know my parents won’t mind.”

“Thank you,” I say, relieved. Maybe this summer won’t be so bad. “Anyway, I got like no sleep last night; can we catch up in a few hours?”

The other end of the line goes silent.

“Let me get this straight,” she says. “First, you stayed the night at Slate’s house. Then, you tell me you got no sleep. And now you want to talk later? I hope you’re joking.”

I laugh. “Okay, you’re right. So, how are you and Derek?”

“Kaley!” she whines. “It all sucks, okay? He has a ton of football crap to do, and I just found out he’s leaving town almost a month before I am. This whole summer is going to suck, and I don’t want to talk about it. So quit dodging my questions and tell me everything!”

My heart aches for her. “It’s not going to suck,” I assure her. “We won’t let it suck. Did you at least enjoy the party?”

“Yeah, but I missed you. . . . A lot of people missed you, actually.”

Something in her voice catches me. “Really? Oh, wait. Are you talking about Tommy?”

“Oh, he and Avery were all over each other—it was so gross. So, yeah, I think that was his way of missing you,” she says, breaking us both into laughter.