The Princess and The Jester - A.D. McCammon Page 0,39
happy. I’m not sure he’ll ever let himself care about me that way again, though.
I scoff and shake my head. “I don’t understand. Why would you let him move in down the hall if you think he’s in love with me?”
“Like it matters,” she snickers. “You two started sneaking around this house stealing kisses when you were thirteen.”
My eyes widen on my heated face. “You knew about us the entire time?”
She smacks her lips. “You didn’t hide it as well as you thought. Though your father was and remains completely clueless. We should probably keep it that way. At least until the end of the summer.”
My pulse races at the thought of my father finding out about the things I’ve been doing with Cole. “Uh…yeah…”
“I trust you to be smart and responsible. If you two wanted to have sex—”
“Oh my god,” I squeal. “Can we not?”
Talking about sex with Mia makes me uncomfortable. There’s no way I’d survive having that kind of conversation with my prim and proper mother.
She bats away my comment with a quick roll of her eyes. “I was only going to say that if you wanted to do the deed, you would find a way no matter what.”
My hands cover my face. “I would like to be excluded from this narrative.”
“Fine.” She pulls my hands from my face, forcing me to meet her gaze. “One more thing, then I’ll drop it. If you decide you need to go see the doctor, I hope you know you can come to me.”
After the little slip-up with Cole the other night, it probably wouldn’t be a bad idea to get on the pill. Though, as it stands now, I’m not sure we’ll ever have sex again.
“Thank you,” I choke out, my face on fire. “Can I get back to you on that?”
She nods, standing. “I’m always here for you.” She leans down to give me a quick kiss on the top of my head, then floats back out of the room.
I sit, puzzled, staring at the door once she’s closed me inside.
Maybe I’ve been too harsh on my mother.
Chapter Nineteen
13 years old
GWEN
My bedroom dims as daylight slowly drifts into nightfall. I’ve been hiding in here all afternoon, too upset to talk to anyone. My parents left early this morning to go on some type of business trip. Who leaves their kid on their birthday? It isn’t the first time. But they didn’t even say goodbye or wish me a happy birthday.
Thirteen.
Isn’t that supposed to be a special birthday?
It should be. I’m officially a teenager today.
The knock on my door startles me, and I sit up. It’s probably Lydia telling me to come down for dinner. I can smell it from here. Not that I need to eat.
My weight has always been an issue for me. I’m bigger than all the other girls my age. My mom pretty much told me that’s why I didn’t get into her ballet school, and I heard her talking to Lydia about a healthier menu. It certainly wasn’t because she was worried about her own figure. She’s always been thin and perfect in every way—unlike her daughter.
“Come in,” I call, drying my face with the sleeve of my shirt.
The door opens slowly and Cole walks in. My stomach flips at the sight of him.
It’s pathetic. I’ve been falling for this boy since we met, over six years ago, and he just keeps getting cuter. His blond hair has grown long, and he’s so tall now. When he’s standing close, I have to tilt my head back to see his beautiful green eyes.
Every time he smiles at me or puts his arm around my shoulders, I forget how to breathe. Meanwhile, he looks at me like I’m his adorably annoying kid sister. It’s torture.
I’m so busy drooling over him that I don’t even notice the cupcake with the lit candle in his hand until he starts singing Happy Birthday to me.
“Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you, happy birthday, Princess Gwen, happy birthday to you.” He sits down on the edge of the bed, holding the cupcake out to me. It’s red velvet. My favorite.
“What are you doing, crazy?” I sigh.
“You were refusing to come out of your room, so here I am. You didn’t think I was going to let your thirteenth birthday go by without celebrating, did you?” He brings a smile to my face with the tilt of his head then winks. “Now, blow out your candle and make a wish.”