Chapters (95)
- Front Cover
- Title Page
- Copyright
- Contents
- Video #1
- One
- Two
- Three
- Four
- Five
- Six
- Seven
- Eight
- Nine
- Ten
- Eleven
- Twelve
- Thirteen
- Fourteen
- Fifteen
- Sixteen
- Seventeen
- Eighteen
- Nineteen
- Twenty
- Twenty-One
- Twenty-Two
- Twenty-Three
- Twenty-Four
- Twenty-Five
- Twenty-Six
- Video #2
- Twenty-Seven
- Twenty-Eight
- Twenty-Nine
- Thirty
- Thirty-One
- Thirty-Two
- Thirty-Three
- Thirty-Four
- Thirty-Five
- Thirty-Six
- Thirty-Seven
- Thirty-Eight
- Thirty-Nine
- Forty
- Forty-One
- Forty-Two
- Forty-Three
- Forty-Four
- Forty-Five
- Forty-Six
- Forty-Seven
- Forty-Eight
- Forty-Nine
- Fifty
- Fifty-One
- Fifty-Two
- Fifty-Three
- Fifty-Four
- Fifty-Five
- Fifty-Six
- Fifty-Seven
- Fifty-Eight
- Fifty-Nine
- Sixty
- Sixty-One
- Sixty-Two
- Sixty-Three
- Sixty-Four
- Sixty-Five
- Video #3
- Sixty-Six
- Sixty-Seven
- Sixty-Eight
- Sixty-Nine
- Seventy
- Seventy-One
- Seventy-Two
- Seventy-Three
- Seventy-Four
- Seventy-Five
- Seventy-Six
- Seventy-Seven
- Seventy-Eight
- Seventy-Nine
- Eighty
- Eighty-One
- Eighty-Two
- Eighty-Three
- The Final Video
- Acknowledgments
- About the Author
- Back Cover
But things with them got easier after a while. Her mom hugs me when I come to the house, and it feels nice to have some version of a mom back in my life. Even if she isn’t my mom, Laura is very cheery—sometimes more than I can stand, although it all seems to come from a good place. She rides Chloe about her grades (which are always good) and her weight (Chloe is thin without trying too hard) and even her clothes (Laura thought Chloe’s dress for the dance was too short. Not me, no way.).
Chloe told me her parents tended to be overprotective. They’re a few years older than my parents and struggled to have Chloe. Laura had two miscarriages before Chloe was born, and they’d always worried they’d never have a child. Then, after Chloe was born, they couldn’t get pregnant again. Chloe said those miscarriages explained a lot about her parents’ overprotectiveness.
But they’re not all about being uptight. Chloe and Laura also take the occasional girls-only shopping trip up to Louisville, and they spend a lot of weekends bingeing Netflix when her dad is out of town for work. I’ve told Chloe more than once I’m simply jealous that she has a mom. Silly maybe, but it’s true.
Scott is harder for me to figure out. He’s the human resources manager at the automotive plant north of town where they make SUVs that get shipped all over the world. When he’s not at work, he spends a lot of time hanging out in the detached garage, building tables and birdhouses and shit or working on his prized Mustang. Sometimes he’s just out there sweeping with a giant broom. As far as I can tell, he seems to be really into sweeping the garage. My dad does nothing mechanical. At all. He usually makes me or Olivia change light bulbs when they burn out, and he calls a plumber if one of our sinks gets backed up. Mom used to fix some of that stuff herself, but not Dad.
At first, I thought Scott didn’t like me because he didn’t talk much and sometimes gave me that look that said, I know what you want to do to my little girl. Chloe told me he was just quiet, an introvert who took a while to warm up to anyone. It turned out to be true. About the fourth time I was at their house, he made a dry joke. Laura asked him if he wanted a little wine with dinner, and Scott responded by making a whining noise.
“There you go,” he said. “A little whine with dinner.”
Turns out he’d been making jokes all the time. I just didn’t know it.