Free Home Again by Lisa Fisher Page B

it.
    For the last three weeks, everything had been perfect. Well, aside from Monday’s. I’d go to my appointments every week, like clockwork, still irritated that it was an obligation. Still waiting for everyone to see that I didn’t need to be there.
    Every other day though, was perfection. I was either with Becks or Easton—or both. We spent our days in the lake swimming or pretending we knew how to fish, or at the restaurant, or just bumming around town. It felt like I had never left.
    Saturday nights were spent at the park, watching old movies. And about every other night, East would sneak up the trellis and in through my window to spend the night with me, making love to me, holding me as if I would be in his arms forever. Now with only three weeks left, I felt like I was carrying around a ticking time bomb.
    “Come here, rock star!” Becks shouted, doing a cannon ball in the lake.
    I rolled my eyes and dove in after her. “Shit! I never expect it to be that cold.”
    “It always is,” she said with a laugh. “Wasn’t East supposed to meet us here an hour ago?”
    I nodded. “Yeah, I wonder what’s up.”
    “Maybe his shift at the restaurant ran late.” She swam back to the shore, getting ready to jump in again.
    “Yeah.”
    “Ais, I really missed this place. Have I told you I’m glad you’re back?”
    I chuckled tracing her path back to the shore. “East told me you stopped coming out here.”
    Becks shrugged. “It wasn’t the same after you left.”
    “Sorry.”
    “Stop it. We should make a drinking game out of how much you say that.”
    “It would be a good idea if you were able to handle your booze,” I joked back.
    “Yeah, well, that’s probably a good thing. At least I know I’ll never be an alcoholic.”
    I nodded, with a laugh. “True.”
    “I’m going to call East and see where he’s at, okay?”
    “Okay.” I grabbed my water bottle and took a swig, wiping the sweat off my brow. My gaze fell over to John, and his place in the shade. “How are you dressed like that?”
    He looked down at his jeans and black t-shirt and shrugged. “It’s my job.”
    I rolled my eyes. So far, nothing had happened. Less than nothing, even. I hadn’t seen one camera take my picture, which was really odd. John had a really boring job.
    “He’s working late,” Becks said, walking back toward me. “He’ll call later.”
    “Well, ready to call it a day then?” I asked, wanting to go back to my air-conditioned home.
    “Yeah,” she said. “I’m going to faint.” Then her eyes darted to mine apologetically. “Shit. I’m sorry.”
    “There’s that word again.” I laughed uncomfortably. We still hadn’t talked about that elephant, and I was hoping it wouldn’t come up again.
    “You haven’t wanted to talk about it, and I get it… but I really want to be there for you.”
    “You are, Becks.”
    “I don’t even know what’s true, Aisley. I mean, the magazines printed everything from dehydration, to anorexic, to crack whore.”
    I laughed nervously. “Look, I’m obviously not a crack whore.”
    “But you are a little skinny.”
    I wrapped my arms around my body instinctively. “That doesn’t mean anything. Ninety-nine percent of what you read in those things is garbage. Don’t worry, I’m fine.”
    “Whatever you say.” She shrugged. I was thankful when she dropped it with that.
     
    And for whatever reason, Easton didn’t climb up my window that night, and he never called.
     
    ***
     

Chapter 10
     
    The scale in the bathroom was gone. Like, someone took it out of the bathroom, gone. “Mom? Mom!”
    “For heaven’s sake, Aisley, you aren’t a child, so quit yelling like the house is on fire.” My mom came out of her bedroom, frowning. “What’s wrong?”
    “Nothing,” I said, realizing it would be a weird question to ask her. “What’s wrong? You look like you’ve been crying.”
    She shook her head. “It’s nothing, sweetie. Just grown up stuff.”
    I