The Facade by Judy Corry

9

Cambrielle

After puttingthe first-aid kit back in the closet, I told Regina about Mack’s four-wheeler in the woods and asked her to arrange for someone to take care of it. Then I headed upstairs to change out of my dirty riding clothes and into a cute light-green blouse and jeans that I’d bought on a trip to Paris with my mom this summer.

And since I still had a while before everyone returned from their ride, I decided I might as well fix my hair so I could make the most of the time with Ben before he headed back to the school.

I saw Hunter and Scarlett on their four-wheelers through the balcony doors, and a moment later, Elyse, followed by Nash and Ben, came into view. My heart skipped in my chest at the sight of Ben’s tall form and broad shoulders, but I told myself not to get nervous because being nervous would not do me any good.

I gave myself one more glance in the mirror and then went down the grand staircase that led to the large entryway of my home. I considered sitting on the couch in the living room to wait for everyone, but since I wasn’t sure if they’d be coming in or if Ben would be using the gate at the side of the house to return to his car, I decided to head back down to where everyone was parking their ATVs in the garage.

“How was it?” I asked Elyse when she came out of the garage, running her fingers through her long, brown hair to smooth it out. “Did you have fun?”

“It was so fun.” She grinned. “I’m so jealous that you get to do this anytime you want.”

“Hey, you can totally ride any time you want to,” I said, happy she’d liked the new adventures she was having in Eden Falls.

“Really?” Her golden-brown eyes brightened at the prospect. “Like even tomorrow after school?”

“Even tomorrow after school.” I laughed, loving her enthusiasm. “You can ride them every day up until it snows. And then after that, I’m going to teach you all about snowmobiling.”

“Snowmobiling?” Her eyes brightened even more.

“Yes,” I said. “Basically, if you want to have fun outside any time of year, we’ve got you covered.”

My parents were firm believers in playing just as hard as they worked, and so they had equipped our estate with everything under the sun to keep us busy building memories together.

Elyse headed inside to wash up and Ben came out of the garage next.

He had a little more dirt and mud on his clothes than the last time I’d seen him, but I was happy to see that he had a smile on his face as he approached.

“You missed a fun ride,” he said when he reached me.

“Yeah?” I asked, my chest feeling somewhat heavy with the feeling of missing out. But I tried to push it aside and said, “I’m glad you had fun. And, uh, if you ever want to go out with me again, just let me know.”

“Go out with you?” he asked with what I could only interpret as a flirtatious curve on his lips.

“Um, I didn’t mean like go out with me…like on a date,” I hurried to say, feeling my cheeks flush red hot. “I, um, of course I didn’t mean that. I wasn’t even really there for the first ride and um…”

“I knew what you meant.” He chuckled, seeming to find my flustered ramblings comical. “And that sounds fun. Maybe next time we can even leave Mack behind, so he doesn’t try to pull you away again.”

“You think he crashed on purpose?” I asked. “Just so we could be alone?”

“Not exactly.” Ben shrugged. “But it would kind of go with the theory everyone at school has about you two.”

“There’s a theory about Mack and me?” I pulled my head back, not having any idea what Ben was talking about.

Ben looked behind us to where the rest of the group was just coming out of the garage and heading up to the house.

He waved me closer to him so we could let everyone pass, and my heart throbbed in my chest as I wondered what he was going to say about this theory I’d never heard of.

Once Ava had dragged Carter around the corner with everyone else and onto the terrace above, I asked, “So what is this theory?”

Ben cleared his throat, a hint of unease in his dark-brown eyes. “Everyone thinks you two have a secret relationship going on.”

“What?” I nearly shouted. I quickly glanced around to make sure no one was coming back. Then in a lowered voice, I said, “People think Mack and I are dating?”

“Well…yeah,” Ben said, like it should be obvious. “We all know about how protective Carter is of you, and well, we figured that was why you and Mack never came out with it.”

“But we’re not dating.” I shook my head, feeling shocked by this whole thing. “Like, we’re friends and help each other out and stuff…but we are not and have never been like that.”

Sure…he had slept in my bed last night, but that was so not because we were secretly dating.

Ben narrowed his eyes, as if he thought I was just covering up some huge front Mack and I had been putting on. He said, “Then why did you switch partners with Elyse in class today? You switched papers and ended up with him.”

I let my head fall back as I blinked my eyes closed. Had everyone in the entire class seen that?

I never knew I was interesting enough for anyone—let alone two of the most popular guys in the school to watch.

I looked back at Ben and said, “Believe me, I didn’t want to switch partners today. I just…” I stopped, knowing I couldn’t tell Ben the real reason why I had switched because it would embarrass Elyse. So I said, “I get kind of nervous around people I don’t know well sometimes, and so Mack seemed like a safer choice.”

“A safer choice than me?” Ben furrowed his brow. “Should I be offended or glad that I’m not what you would consider a safe choice?”

“Um, just…” I sighed and tried to think of a way to let him know that I had actually wanted to be partnered with him without coming out and saying I’d had a huge crush on him for months. I twisted the ring on my index finger. “Let’s just say you kind of make me nervous.”

“Because I’m scary?”

“No!” I said. “Of course not.”

I was making a mess of this, wasn’t I?

And since I knew it was unsafe for me to really say anything else, I simply said, “I didn’t switch to be partners with Mack because we have a secret relationship going on. And I didn’t give Elyse your name because I didn’t want to be your partner. I did it for other reasons that I can’t tell you.”

“So you don’t think I’m gross then?”

“Of course not.” I couldn’t help but laugh a little at Ben thinking that I thought he was gross. “Y-you’re the opposite of gross.”

“Well, good,” he said, a half-smile on his full lips. “For the record, I’ve never thought you were gross, either.”

Really?

I knew he hadn’t said he liked me, just that he didn’t think I was gross…but my whole body felt light over the fact that Ben had even thought about me in the first place.

Which meant he’d noticed me.

Our eyes caught, and for a moment, I was weightless, my body floating away from the earth and into orbit among the stars with Ben.

He broke eye contact first. After looking down at his black boots and licking his lips, he met my gaze again somewhat nervously and said, “Uh, my buddies and I were planning to go to this haunted house on Friday night. Maybe you should come.”

Ben was inviting me to hang out with him?

I discreetly pinched the skin just above my ring to make sure I wasn’t still floating off in the universe somewhere.

And yep, from the sting in my finger I knew this was real.

Ben Barnett, the hottest guy on the soccer field, was inviting me to hang out with him this weekend.

“That sounds fun,” I hurried to say before he could think I’d forgotten how to talk.

“Really?” he asked, the look in his eyes telling me he hadn’t fully expected me to accept his invitation.

“Yes,” I said. “Halloween is my favorite holiday, and so I’d love to go to the haunted house.”

“Cool.” Then after a short pause, he added, “We’re planning to meet there around eight.”

“Eight. Got it.” I had to fight to keep my whole face from lighting up with a smile and making me look too eager.

“Y-you can bring your friends too, of course.” He gestured at my house where everyone had disappeared into. “But if you hang out with Mack the whole time, consider your secret out.”

I scrunched up my nose. “Yeah, that won’t be happening.”

Ben laughed, a deep sound that made my insides melt a little. “See you at school tomorrow, Cambrielle.”

Why did my name sound so good on his lips?

I cleared my throat. “See you then.”

And when he walked out the side gate to head toward his car, I could not keep the biggest grin from filling my whole face because Ben freaking Barnett just invited me to spend time with him.

Mack endedup taking dinner in his room, so it was just my parents, my brothers, and me eating together today.

Nash helped Marie put the spaghetti and the steamed veggies on the table, and soon we were all sitting around chatting about our days and what we had coming up.

“Your Halloween dance is this weekend, right?” Mom asked as she twirled some pasta onto her fork, using the spoon to keep it in place. “Are you all ready for that?”

“I think so,” Carter said after taking a sip of his water. “Ava and I finally decided on our costumes anyway.”

“Yeah?” my mom asked. “And what did you decide on?”

“We’re going to be a fireman and his Dalmatian.” Carter shrugged.

“Oh, that’s a cute idea.” Mom smiled.

“I guess,” Carter said. “I mean, I was really pushing for the sumo wrestling costumes, but apparently, Ava thought I’d look better as a fireman.”

I bet she did. I loved Ava—she was spunky and fun, and we actually got along really well. But she was also a little too good at feeding my brother’s ego over how hot they both thought he was. So it wouldn’t surprise me in the least if Carter’s fireman costume included a very tight T-shirt to show off the muscles he’d grown since last summer…if she had him even wear a shirt at all.

And before I could picture their costumes in too much detail, I pushed the thoughts away. Because even though all my friends growing up had told me how lucky I was to have such hot brothers, I did not have the same kind of feelings as them since, yeah, gross.

“And we already know Cambrielle wants to keep her costume a secret,” Mom said, glancing at me with a twinkle in her eyes since she was the only one who knew what it was. “So I know better than to ask about that. But do you have any other things going on over the next few weeks? Still considering auditioning for the play?”

“I, um…” I looked down and straightened my napkin in my lap. “I’m still thinking about it.”

“You’re auditioning?” Nash furrowed his brow, like he hadn’t heard me mention it before. “For which part? Not Christine, right?”

“And possibly have to kiss you if you get the part of the Phantom?” I laughed. “Yeah, no.”

“Good.” Nash let out a long breath. “Because that part better go to Elyse. She was made to play Christine.”

“Don’t worry,” I said. “I’m not going to ruin your plans.”

Did I think his plan to wait for their romance to blossom on stage instead of just asking her out on a date was a bit ambitious? Yes. Of course. Especially since technically, Christine was supposed to end up with Raoul and not the Phantom.

But Nash seemed to believe that his plan would work, and I knew better than to tell him not to try. Once Nash was set on a path, there was usually no way to convince him to try something else—no matter how unconventional it may be.

And really, I guess it wasn’t that much different from my plan to wait until the Halloween dance to possibly set things in motion with Ben.

But now that he’d invited me to the haunted house, hopefully I wouldn’t need that plan anymore.

“You still considering being one of the dancers, honey?” Dad asked, his bright blue eyes showing a hint of concern, like he was worried I might fall back into old habits if I picked up dancing again.

But I nodded and said, “I think I’m going to try at least. I think I can handle it.”

“Then I wish you the best of luck,” Dad said. “Miss Crawley would be crazy not to cast you.”

“Yes, she would,” Mom added. And when I saw a little sparkle of pride in my mom’s brown eyes, my chest warmed because I liked having my parents’ support.

I knew I’d put them through a lot of stress when the pressure of everything at the ballet academy got the better of me my freshman year—what should have been my first and not my last year at the school. And I knew I needed to be careful and always watchful so that I didn’t fall back into old habits. But I really had missed dancing so much and didn’t want my fears over what might happen keep me from something I loved so much.

After dinner, I finished up an assignment from my AP Biology class. Usually, Mack and I worked on our homework for that class together since we were the only ones in our friend group taking that class and science was more his forte than mine. But Mack still hadn’t come downstairs since this afternoon, so I decided to finish up on my own.

Before heading upstairs for the night, I made myself some chamomile tea. I made Mack a cup as well, knowing that the news from his parents would probably only make sleeping more difficult for him tonight. I carefully carried them up the marble staircase to the second floor.

Carter and Nash were just leaving Mack’s room and shutting the door behind them when I got there.

“How’s he doing?” I asked my brothers in a hushed tone that I hoped Mack wouldn’t overhear.

“He’s trying to put on a good face, but I think he’s really struggling,” Carter said with a solemn look in his eyes.

“Did he tell you about the latest with his mom then?” I asked, my gaze darting back and forth between my brothers’ faces, which were so similar most people thought they were twins when they found out they were the same age.

“Mack told us they’re probably going to come back tomorrow.” Nash swallowed. “That they’re probably going to be saying goodbye sooner rather than later.”

Tears pricked at my eyes at the confirmation of what Mack had hinted at before. And the helpless feeling that flooded my insides made my heart squeeze so hard in my chest, because I knew there was nothing we could do to protect Mack from the pain of losing his mom this early in his life.

His dad could be the best neurosurgeon and be best friends with the seventh richest man in the world with all the possible options for care at their fingertips. And yet, we couldn’t fix this.

We couldn’t do a single thing to prevent the worst from happening.

Carter’s eyes filled with unshed tears as well, and I knew he felt as helpless as I did with how to protect Mack from the future.

“Is that tea for Mack?” Carter wiped the corner of his eye, probably wanting a change of subject. I knew that as hard as this was for all of us, Carter was the only one who actually understood what Mack was facing since he had actually lost his mother. He’d already had to live without her for most of his life.

I watched the steam rising from the mugs. “I thought it might help him sleep at least.”

Carter patted my shoulder. “That’s very thoughtful of you. I’m sure he’ll appreciate it.”

“You’re not just using it as a cover up to spend more time alone with him, are you?” Nash narrowed his eyes at me. “Because I’m already onto you two, if it is.”

“What?” Carter straightened up, suddenly on high alert. “What are you talking about?”

“Nothing,” I hurried to say before Nash could say something that was closer to the truth than he knew.

But Nash being Nash and being addicted to drama, he said, “I caught them cuddling on Cambrielle’s bed yesterday before dinner.”

“Are you serious?” Anger instantly flashed in Carter’s eyes when he looked at me. “Is that the truth?”

“Nash is exaggerating,” I said quickly before Carter could do something stupid like go and yell at his best friend on the other side of the door. “We were not cuddling. Mack was teasing me, and I was trying to shut him up.”

“Oh, so that’s what we’re calling it these days.” Nash waggled his eyebrows suggestively, a smirk on his lips.

And if I wasn’t holding two mugs with scalding hot tea right now, I would have smacked him.

Instead, I drew in a calming breath and looked up at Carter. “Mack was trying to get me to switch rooms with him because he thought my bed was more comfortable, and Nash just came in at the wrong moment.”

“You were practically on top of him,” Nash said.

“I was not!” I lifted my mug in the air. The crazed feeling I used to get when I was younger whenever I fought with my brothers came over me. “Do you want me to pour this hot tea on your head? Because if you don’t start telling the truth, I might just do it.”

“Fine.” Nash gripped my wrist to protect himself. “So maybe you weren’t cuddling. But I just wanted to make sure your crush wasn’t coming back, and that Carter and I didn’t need to keep a closer eye on you two.”

My cheeks immediately burned at his mention of my old crush on Mack.

I could smack him.

I really could.

I glanced at Mack’s door to make sure it was still closed. Between clenched teeth, I said, “I don’t like him like that anymore. You know I like Ben. Stop saying stupid things.”

Nash just laughed. Carter, seemingly over this conversation, rolled his eyes and said, “I’m going to bed. I’ll see you in the morning.”

“Goodnight,” I said.

Once Carter had disappeared down the hall and into his room, I glared at Nash and said, “Why are you such an idiot sometimes?”

“Just watching out for my little sis.” He patted the top of my head. “In fact, do you need me to help deliver the tea? Perhaps I can act as a chaperone to make sure no monkey business is happening under Mom and Dad’s roof.”

“Can you just drop it?” My cheeks flamed hot. “You know we’re not like that.”

“Okay, fine.” Nash lifted his hands in the air. “But remember, I’m just across the hall and can see everything.”

“Oh my gosh!”

I was considering setting the mugs on the ground so I could duct tape Nash’s mouth shut, but he quickly bent over and planted a brotherly kiss on my cheek. “Love you, sis. Just making sure you know Carter isn’t the only brother who cares about you.”

I rolled my eyes. “If you really cared about me, you would have shut up about five minutes ago.”

“We all show our love in different ways, don’t we?”

“I guess.”

Nash finally went into his room. After taking a few calming breaths, I knocked on Mack’s door.

He opened it a few seconds later, saying, “I was wondering when you two were going to stop fighting.”

“You heard all that?” I asked.

He chuckled. “I’m not exactly deaf.”

“And you didn’t consider coming out and saving me?”

A half-smile lifted his lips. “I was waiting to hear if your crush had changed from Ben and back to me.” He winked.

“Ugh,” I groaned, blushing for about the thousandth time today. “You boys are the worst sometimes.”

“Can’t help that I think I’m a much better option than your Ben.” Mack smiled widely, showing off his perfect teeth. “But I guess everyone has their thing.”

“Just like you have your thing for Ariana Grande.”

“Too bad she’ll never love me back.” He sighed, putting a hand to his chest dramatically. “Anyway, I’m guessing you wanted to come in?”

“Sure.”

He held his hand out for one of the mugs, and after handing him the one with The Avengers characters on it, I followed him into his temporary room.

“Thanks for the tea, by the way,” Mack said after sitting on the black chair in the corner. “I was thinking about fixing myself a cup, so that was really thoughtful of you.”

I sat on the bench at the end of Ian’s bed, facing him. “I hoped it might help you sleep better.”

I took a sip of my own tea. I didn’t exactly love the flavor of it and always had to add a splash of vanilla creamer to make it palatable, but since sleeping through the night had never come as naturally to me as it did to others, I’d turned it into an evening routine.

“Are you feeling any better?” I asked, studying him. He wore a plain white T-shirt and joggers that could pass for pajamas if I didn’t know from experience that he usually slept in gym shorts and no shirt.

“Physically?” He arched an eyebrow after taking another sip of his tea. “I think I’ll be pretty sore tomorrow.” He lifted his arm. “Probably wear this bandage to get some attention over the next few days.” He winked.

Yeah, like he ever needed a bandaged wrist to get attention from girls.

“And not physically?” I asked.

“About the same.” He set his mug on the nightstand beside him, using one of the coasters from inside the drawer. “I guess you probably know that I told your brothers.”

I nodded. “They said you did.”

He pulled on the thighs of his pants and adjusted his position. “So I guess everyone is all worried about me now.”

“We just care about you,” I said. “We just want you to know that we’ll be here for you and help you in whatever way you need.”

“In whatever way I need?” he asked, something I didn’t understand passing across his face.

“Within reason, at least,” I hurried to say before he could ask for something crazy.

“Well, if you’re offering favors.” He rubbed his freshly shaven jawline. “I was just thinking about how much better I sleep in your room.”

This again?

“Are you trying to sleep in my bed again?” I asked. “Because I don’t know if you heard my brothers out there, but Nash is already suspicious and I’m starting to think that we got very lucky no one caught us this morning.”

“I know,” he said. “You really don’t have to.” He waved the thought away. “I was mostly joking.”

Mostlyjoking.

Which meant part of him was serious.

I remembered the look in his eyes this afternoon when he told me about his parents and the specialists thinking his mom only had a short time left.

He really did seem to sleep better when he was in my room for some reason.

I couldn’t deny him a good night’s rest after the news he’d gotten today, could I?

It wasn’t like he was going to do anything other than sleep.

So I sighed and said, “If you think it’ll help you actually sleep tonight, I can pull out the trundle bed again.”

“Really?” he asked, seeming surprised I was actually offering. “But what about your brothers?”

“We’ll just have to be quiet,” I said. “Which means no more teasing me, okay?”

He sat up straighter and saluted me with his bandaged arm. “Yes, ma’am.”

“Okay.” I sighed again, hoping I wasn’t making a huge mistake. “Just give me a few minutes to get ready and I’ll text you when you can come over.”