book to be read and loved by teens??? which is pretty hurtful?? as a teen?
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Abby In Wonderland abbyinwonderland 2hr
So much for seeing FIREFLIES & YOU. Also … so much for OneTruePastry being a teen advocate?!
For the first time in the history of One True Pastry, I don’t know what to say.
I don’t want to isolate my followers who are hurt by Alanna’s words.
But every time I think about signing a Fireflies and You film boycott, I think of Grams.
I know Alanna wrote it, but it’s Grams’s too. She was so excited for the movie. Even when her health was deteriorating and she was hospitalized more than she was home, she believed she’d be around long enough to attend the red carpet premiere. And—I can’t boycott it. I just can’t.
At this point, my big hope is that Alanna comes to her senses and apologizes and this whole thing blows over. At least the cover reveal video is dropping in a few weeks—which will, hopefully, be enough get the Alanna drama out of my mentions.
“Hal?”
I look up from the book as the door swings open and Gramps comes in, Ollie trailing behind. He pulls out Aunt Liz’s desk chair and takes a seat. Ollie sits at the end of the bed and Scout jumps onto my lap. I don’t know how or when Aunt Liz’s room became the family meeting spot—sometime between the cupcake incident and Gramps and me being on speaking terms again—but at least I don’t have to move.
“The Jacobsons invited us over for dinner tonight,” Gramps says.
I put Read Between the Lies facedown on the bed so I don’t lose my page. Okay, Gramps. You have my attention.
“Why?” I ask.
“It’s Rosh.” Ollie says this like duh, even though he knows as well as I do that we’ve never celebrated Rosh, at least in the proper way—never mind called it that.
“Well, almost,” Gramps says. “It technically starts tomorrow night. But every year, the Jacobsons host a big dinner party the night before. A New Year’s Eve Eve party, I suppose, for everyone to celebrate, together.”
“Why the day before?” Ollie asks, his nose wrinkled in confusion.
“Because,” Gramps explains, “tomorrow night, the Jacobsons will be at services. They keep the high holy days like Shabbat—no electricity, no technology.”
Ollie and I nod, sort of understanding. Wow, we have so much to learn. Then I swallow because it’s Molly’s party, which means Nash is going to be there.
“I have homework,” I say.
He eyes my blood-spattered book. “Clearly, nothing urgent.”
“We’re on vacation, basically,” Ollie says.
He’s right. Rosh Hashanah is a two-day holiday and because of how it falls this year, we have Monday and Tuesday off.
“We’re leaving at seven-fifteen. L’shanah tovah.”
Scout follows Gramps out the door. Ollie makes a face at me before he leaves too.
Goodbye relaxing evening reading Read Between the Lies.
It’s not the dinner part I’m worried about, it’s the party. Food. Talking. Ollie will ditch me for his friends. I’ll be stuck attempting small talk with Le Crew but actually trying to find a place to disappear. Maybe I can hang by Gramps. Can that be an option? Yes.
Ollie will be social and I’ll hang with the old people and everything will be fine.
* * *
Small group dynamics make me uncomfortable, but crowded spaces are my kryptonite.
Everything about hanging out in Molly’s decked-out basement is too much, and I regret following Ollie down here instead of sticking to my original plan. There are too many voices, too many faces, too many bodies in one space. It’s so hot in here I instantly regret wearing a long-sleeve blouse. The music is so loud, I can’t think. Everything, everyone is staring at me. Except Nash. Nash is helping set up karaoke and it’s so weird because the thing I want to do most right now is text him. And for a moment, I hate that I’m a secret. I want to yell at him, Why can’t you see that it’s me and I need you?
As expected, Ollie has ditched me for Sawyer’s sister Talia, his friend Trevor, and normal social interaction. He’s concentrating on an intense game of air hockey with Talia. A bunch of nameless faces surround my brother, rooting and cheering and clapping him on the back whenever he scores.
How does he do this?
I’m sitting at the bar with Sawyer, far enough away from the music that we can speak without screaming over each other. Sawyer is the easiest to talk to of everyone in Le Crew because we can go into