Truly Madly Royally by Debbie Rigaud

Author:Debbie Rigaud
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Scholastic Inc.

“WE KISSED.”

I’m totally distracted, because I can’t get the right lipstick blend going. I’ve got to head out if I want to meet up with Owen on time. It isn’t until I’m wiping a tissue across my bottom lip that Skye’s words play back in my mind. I look from the colorful tissue to the phone that’s resting on my bathroom sink.

“For the hundredth time, Skye, Owen and I never kissed.”

“Girl, please, I’ve got no time to wait on y’all.” Skye sounds like she’s given up on the idea of a royal lip lock. “I’m talking about me … and Zach.”

I pick up my phone to gape at the video chat screen. Skye’s hand is on her mouth and her eyes are squeezed shut. “Can’t believe I just said that!” she shrieks more to herself than to me.

“Can’t believe I’ve just heard that!”

She drops her hand. “Um, that came out mad salty. Aren’t you happy for me?”

“It’s not that exactly.” I sit on the edge of my tub and try to soften the edge in my voice. “Are you sure about this?”

Zach? With Skye? It’s like the feeling you get running into someone out of context. My worlds are colliding and it’s surprisingly uncomfortable.

“Actually? I guess. I still can’t make sense of it myself,” she says breathlessly. Skye lies back, sinking into a furry couch pillow. “The moment we saw each other at Piedmont Park, there was this connection. It’s hard to explain. It was almost like, why ignore something that feels so easy?”

Listening to the emotion in Skye’s words, imagining the feelings she and my brother are experiencing … I can’t believe it. Is this really Zach she’s talking about? It’s all too much.

Skye’s face settles, and I wonder if she’s frozen. This bathroom doesn’t get the best reception.

“Are—are you okay?” she asks me with concern. I missed my window for reacting like a supportive friend, so anything I say beyond this point may sound forced. I might as well go for honesty.

“I just don’t think Zach deserves you.” There, I said it.

“What do you mean?” Skye sits up.

Um, where do I begin? Zach is the same kid who for years cared nothing about school, or about keeping peace in our house. He would rage out at home at me or my mom, steal if he had to—sometimes right out of Ma’s purse. And the lying. Ugh. That was the worst. He would sometimes lie when it wouldn’t even make sense to lie. But Skye knows a lot of this. I jog her memory.

“He spent most of my life causing my mom all types of grief,” I say. “He’s been disrespectful to her, and I just can’t forget all the hurt he put her through.”

Skye frowns. “He’s turned his life around since those days. Can’t you see that?”

“I do see it, and I’m proud of him for it. But I just don’t think he’s earned a prize like you.”

“Zora, nobody’s perfect.” Skye’s voice softens. “And everything he’s doing now to make better decisions is a daily apology to your mom.

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