“No, I’m fine,” Quill lied. She wasn’t fine. She just wanted Julius. She ignored her mother and unbiasedly removed the towel, pulled on clean panties and a t-shirt.
Liz sat on the other bed and watched as she crawled into her twin size bed.
“We really should get you a bigger bed,” Liz spoke, trying to break the barrier. Quill only smiled, wanting her to leave. She didn’t want to be sociable with her. She didn’t even want her to be her mother. Why couldn’t she just leave her alone?
“Quill, what can I do to make this easier for you?” Liz quietly spoke. It broke her heart to see her going through this. She would do anything to take it away from her.
“I’ve already told you what I want. Nobody can get that for me. I’m fine,” Aquilla replied and rolled away from her mother.
Liz stood to leave her. “Goodnight, baby,” she said, kissing her head and brushing her wet hair from her face. Liz grabbed the wet towel on the floor and left without a word from Quill.
As soon as she was gone, Quill covered head and let the tears fall. She wasn’t even sure why she was crying. It wasn’t going to help anything. If only her tears could magically reach Julius. He wouldn’t let he cry. He would come for her. Her Patch distraction sure as hell didn’t work. Now what? She fought the urge to text Seri. She didn’t need her either.
Chapter 18
Aquilla went the rest of the summer without talking to Seri. She ignored her texts or just replied with one simple word. She wasn’t really mad at her any more. She just felt like she lied to her, kept things from her, and wasn’t who she had presumed her to be. They evidently weren’t as close as Aquilla had thought they were.
Aquilla stopped going to the track and ignored Patch’s calls and texts. He finally took the hint and deleted her from his contacts. She did the same. She spent hours in front of the TV, watching episode after episode of Law and Order. Once she was caught up to the present, she moved on to CSI Miami.
She did her best to get along with her mother and her immature sister, which really consisted of staying away from them both. She did finally go shopping with her mother and picked out a new bedroom suit. She did get fairly excited about that. She couldn’t believe the money that her mother had spent on her. Seri had warned her when she first got there about her mother not having the money that she was used to, and not to expect her to be able to spend like her father had.
She still missed Julius something fierce, but it did get easier day by day. She thought of him often, mostly when she was alone in her bed. She spent a whole quiet day, helping her mother move out the old furniture and getting it ready for the painters, who would transform it over the two days they had planned to spend at the lake.
She liked the lake and spent more alone time walking around it or just sitting on the dock, watching the boats. She was a little excited to get back to her room and see how the new light gray walls with black trim turned out. She was even excited to get rid of the ugly green carpet and walk across the new black, tan, and gray shag that she had picked out.
Reese, of course, had to drag her friend Lil along, but at least she had figured out how to fill her phone with lots of loud music to drown them out during the ride, which she did.
“Wow! I love it,” Liz exclaimed as they entered the empty bedroom.
Quill smiled. She loved it too, although she was going to have to sleep in the downstairs bedroom next to her mother’s for the night. Her new furniture wouldn’t arrive until the following day. They could have stayed at the lake for another day, but Reese and Lil had practice.
Quill hated that room. She tossed and turned all night, not to mention she had to listen to her mother trying to stifle moans after Connor snuck in.
“You look tired,” Liz said, placing a plate full of warm bagels on the table.
“I am. I didn’t sleep very well downstairs.”
“Really? I always slept well in that bed.”
“It wasn’t the bed as much as you and Connor.”
Liz’s face instantly turned red. Aquilla laughed. “I’m just messing with you, but you are kind of noisy. I still don’t understand why he comes late at night and leaves before daylight. You are allowed to date and have sex.”
“Shhh,” Liz warned when Reese entered the kitchen.
“What?” she instantly wanted to know.
“Nothing, are we school shopping today or not?” Liz asked, winking at Quill. Quill smiled.
“Can Lil come?”
Quill bit her tongue. Did she have to drag that girl with them everywhere they went?
“No, not today, I’m spending the day with my two girls, without Lil.”
“But, I need her to help me pick out clothes. How am I supposed to know what she got, if she doesn’t come with me?”
“No, Reese, now drop it. Your dad is coming tomorrow to pick you girls up and take you for a week before school starts, we have to get this done…today. No Lil.”
“I don’t want to go there,” Quill assured her. She didn’t want to see Seri, and knew she would. It was bad enough having to listen to Monica talk about her, at least that too was only every other week now. All she had to do was behave herself, tell Monica what she wanted to hear, and appear happy. She would only have to listen to her through the phone once school started.
Ugh, school. She still couldn’t believe that they were making her do this, but had quit putting up a fight weeks ago. She was fighting a losing battle.
Liz kissed Quill on top of the head. “You’re going to your dad’s. I’m going away for a week before I too start school. I’m going to get a shower,” she said, disappearing before she had to discuss it anymore.
“It’s actually kind of fun there. I’ll show you around if dad lets us run around by ourselves. He lets me when Lil comes.”
Quill smiled. Great, that was just what she wanted to do; run the streets of New York with Reese.
“I’ll go to the symphony with you if you want,” Reese offered. That piqued her interest.
Quill didn’t have to worry about asking for too much while they went from store to store at the mall. Reese was a crazy spender. She never once looked at prices, and Liz never said anything to her, well except once. She wanted a $125.00 belt. Liz refused. Quill actually had a good time and was excited about her new clothes, and couldn’t wait to get home and see the new furniture and put her new attire away. Connor was at the house waiting for the delivery team to arrive while they shopped.
Quill was exhausted and hungry by the time they left the mall. Liz informed them of one more stop and Quill whined. “I can’t go anymore. I’m tired and I need food.”
“Me too,” Reese joined in on the complaining from the backseat.
“Quill, you have no bed clothes. You have to pick out bedding or you’re going to be sleeping downstairs again,” Liz explained, pulling into the parking lot of a bedding store.
“No way, I would sleep on the floor first,” she joked, getting a little excited about her new décor. She’d never gotten to shop like that. She had to sit at the table with her father and order from online stores or catalogues.
Connor met them in the drive to help carry the many packages inside the house.
“Hope you ladies are hungry. I’ve got Chines coming for you,” he said, kissing Liz’s cheek. “Pizza for you, and pasta and salad for you,” he announced, looking at Quill.
“Yes!” both girls yelled at the same time and then smiled at their simultaneous expressions.
Aquilla had a full belly, a hot bath, new pajamas, and she absolutely loved her new room. The bedding that she had picked out was all white with one black Quill in a large print in the center of the bed. Her mom hung the curtains while she bathed and helped her hang two black mirrors with tiny white feathers in the corners. She couldn’t wait to crawl into her bed. She didn’t ever remember being so tired.