I bit the inside of my cheek at his jab. “Fuck you.” I turned and ran down the stairs, leaving him standing there.

Chapter Ten

I showed up to Thanksgiving dinner just before 3pm with a pecan pie on my hands. Not made by me, but my local grocery store. I couldn’t bake to save my life. My mom had been over at Kent’s mom’s house since early that morning helping Kent's mom prepare the huge dinner as she did every year since we were eight or so. I dressed conservatively in a plain black dress that showed no bare skin below the neck or above the knee. My makeup, however, was the usual glossy lips and smokey eyes.

I made my way into the kitchen with the pie and set it down on the counter. "Hi Mrs. Lytle. It smells ridiculously wonderful in here."

Kent's mom glanced at me, she had a towel in her hand that she'd been using to dry the dishes and she brought it to her mouth in surprise when she took in my new transformation.

"Elly! Oh my god! Your mom told me you'd lost a little weight, but this is...you look fantastic! KENT! Why didn't you tell me that Elly was a supermodel?"

I blushed and closed the distance, hugging Kent's mom briefly before stepping back. "Thank you, it’s not a big deal."

I heard Kent from the living room. "Mom, I told you she looked good." In just a few seconds Kent came into the kitchen. I was still pretty pissed at him from our fight the week before. I’d been so pissed at him that I’d tried to switched sections in Art History just so I wouldn’t have to see him. It hadn’t worked.

"It is, dear, not a lot of people can accomplish what you have. And you!" she pointed at Kent, "You told me she looked good, I thought she got a new haircut or something. Not..." she swept her hand from my toes to my head. "This!"

While Kent and his mom bantered, I held my breath and stared at Kent from across the room, studying him. I hated to admit that I didn’t hate him. I didn’t even dislike him, not even a little. The fact that he was supporting Jen, despite her bad behavior, just showed me how much he really loved her. For better or for worse he was going to be there for her. And I couldn’t fault him for that.

"Elly's always been beautiful, mom. Or have you forgotten how you used to make me keep my door open because you were afraid we were having sex, huh?" He teased his mom and looked towards me and I looked away quickly.