Less Than Three

Chapter 39: This Way to Madagascar

Author Note: We're coming to the end, dear Wattpaddians. Only six chapters left!

Saturday, July 5, 9:32 AM Term of the Day: Nonchalant- Without showing excitement or anxiety

A conversation with my father:

Dad: Hey, Peach. (I think my dad will still call me Peach when I am as old and wrinkled as a prune.) Why the long face?

Me: Nothing, Dad. I'm just working on the website.

Dad: All work and no play make Summer a dull girl.

Me: I'll keep that in mind.

Dad: Your mom says she thinks you've hit a rough patch.

Me: Yeah, well ...

Dad: Always darkest before the dawn, you know.

Me: Sure, Dad. I know.

Dad: And the rainbow never comes until after the rain.

Me: Yep.

All I can say is, this better be leading up to SOME rainbow.

I left for the library a few minutes later. Lily P was there. I tried to avoid her but when I ducked into the 000's (Computer Sciences) for a book on web design, there she was. And when I scooted over to the 200's (Mythology) she appeared again. I could accept both of those as coincidence but when she showed up in the 500's (Astronomy) ... well, come on.

"Are you following me?" I asked.

And she was all 'Like ohmigod!' That's not fair. What she really said was, "Do you think you are the only person in this town who reads?"

I grabbed a book of poetry and spent the rest of my visit in Fiction, picking out books for the long drive to and from the beach. I was headed for the check-out desk when I spied Lily again. She sat at a long row of computers. There was something about the concentration on her face that made me stop a few feet behind her and stare, squinty-eyed, at the screen.

My blog?

Her shoulders made a shiver-y move. She closed out the screen and turned to me. I was prepared for her to taunt, "Who's following who?" but she didn't. Instead, her forehead wrinkled, her mouth turned up on one end, her eyes went wide, in a look of ... sheesh. Was that pity?

***

Mom was waiting for me when I got home. "Anything you want to talk about?" she said.

"Not that I can think of."

"You're sure?"

"Pretty sure," I said, going for that non-chalant thing.

"Chocolate Kamikaze Crunch?"

"Nah. Not hungry."

"She came over, you know."

"She who?"

"Madison. While you were at the library. She brought this." Mom opened the closet door and pulled out a large plastic bag.

"What is it?" I asked, dropping my goal to semi-chalant.

"Apparently, it's all your stuff. Are you sure you don't want to talk about it?"

"There's nothing to talk about," I said, before dragging the bag toward my bedroom.