Lipstick Apology by Jennifer Jabaley

Author:Jennifer Jabaley
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Penguin Young Readers Group

WHEN JOLIE WALKED IN THE DOOR late Friday night, I flung myself toward her. All the attention I’d been getting at school must have given me confidence. I held up the picture of Mom with the handsome gentleman and the cards signed by “D.” The items I’d been obsessing over since I’d found them two nights before.

“What’s this?!” I demanded while she was still unwinding her long black scarf.

Jolie took the photo and looked at it for a long time. Her light hair was static from the cold. “Where did you get this?”

“It was tucked into one of Mom’s old art books.” I tried to read her expression. “Did you know this guy?”

Jolie shook her head. “Maybe it was just some old boyfriend.” She kicked off her gold-flecked flats as she edged past me into the living room and sat down on the leather recliner, tucking her feet up under her.

“But look,” I said, pointing at the photo in my hand. “Look at the date.”

I stood there in the entryway while Jolie tapped on her laptop and started checking her e-mails. Was she blatantly ignoring me?

“Who is D?” I asked.

Jolie shrugged and didn’t look at me.

“Well, did you know any of Mom’s friends who may have lived in the city around that time?”

“I don’t know,” Jolie said shaking her head.

“It’s suspicious,” I said, my voice wavering. “Isn’t it? Or am I being crazy? Do you not think this is weird?”

“I don’t know, Emily.”

“Jolie,” I said, my voice practically a whisper now. “Did Mom cheat on Dad?” Just saying it seemed ridiculous, but what else was I to think?

Jolie didn’t answer. She just turned and looked out the window at the Hudson.

A new kind of dread took over. For the first time in a long time, I felt truly awake, like all my nerve endings were on fire. It wasn’t a good feeling.

I took the photo and stormed down the hall. I buried it back inside the cardboard box and shoved it deep into my closet. Then I slammed the closet door and sat down on the bed, staring hard at the back of the closet door, breathing slowly, and letting the fire inside me burn.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.