Big White Lie (Storm's Soldiers MC) by Paige Notaro

room was cracked and stained, but it still glowed warm in my memory, because there were still four of us together and not three.
    “Did you get your grades for summer classes yet?” Mamá asked Elsa.
    My sister looked like she had just rolled out of bed. She deserved the rest. Her vacation was basically two weeks long thanks to summer school.
    “Not yet,” she groaned. “I’ll let you know the second the report card shows up in the mail.”
    “I think I will check the mail myself, actually.”
    “But the mailman comes when you’re at work.”
    “Let him come,” she said. “You leave the mail there, and I will pick it up after work.”
    My sister stabbed extra viciously at a piece of steak. Mamá threw me a look. We both knew the grades weren’t going to be great. But a C was different than an F.
    “I still can’t believe it’s your last year,” I said. “My god, my baby sister is going to be a senior.”
    “ I am going to be a senior this year,” Mamá said. “Elsa I am less sure about.”
    Elsa dropped her fork.
    “Mamá,” I yelled. “Go easy on her. I was awful at her age. Look where I am now.”
    “Then she should learn from your mistakes and get there sooner.” She rapped the table with her knife. “What use is it to pray for good luck, without putting in the work.”
    “I’ll put in work when I find something I like,” Elsa said.
    “I hope you like McDonald’s.”
    My good mood was quickly running out trying to prop up this room.
    “It’s still better than running around with gang bangers,” I said. “You forgot how bad I was in high school. Elsa is neutral at worst.”
    “And now?” Mamá asked through a mouthful of beans.
    “Now what?”
    “Who are you running around with now?”
    “What? We’re not talking about that.” I gulped water way too loudly.
    By the time I realized what a tell I’d given, Elsa had straightened in her seat. Her amber eyes shone right through to the middle of me.
    “Oh my god,” she said. “There is a guy.”
    “What?” Mamá’s utensils clacked down on the table. “Who is it? Is it the doctor?”
    “No! I told you that went awful.”
    “Or maybe you were lying to us, so you would not be embarrassed.”
    “Embarrassed of what?”
    “That you’re dating a responsible doctor instead of some hunk gangster,” Elsa taunted.
    “Ok, I’ve never dated an actual gangster. Only gangster wannabes and only back in high school and I grew out of it.” I glared at the little brat. “ That’s what we were talking about.”
    “So who is this one then?” Mamá asked.
    I flapped my lips, but no lies poured out. I threw up my arms. “Ok, fine. There’s a soldier that I met at the hospital.”
    “A patient?”
    “A former patient,” I said. “And, yeah, he does look like my type. But he’s a great guy. He served in Afghanistan and has an amazing record.”
    “What was he in for?” Elsa asked.
    “A gunshot wound,” I said, mostly to my plate.
    “Gangster,” Mamá said.
    “He’s an active duty soldier, Mamá,” I protested. “It was just an accident.”
    “Active duty? There are no wars here.”
    “There are bases in Georgia.”
    “He shot himself at an army base?” Elsa asked.
    I really needed to get her on the student newspaper or something. Her questions were like scalpels.
    “At home,” I said. “He was off duty.”
    “Gangster.”
    “This isn’t Venezuela, Mamá. You can’t just keep throwing that word around. The police came and checked him out. And the army will too.”
    “And you?” she asked. “Did you ‘check him out’?”
    My ears seemed to burn, but I was able to casually say, “I’m not answering that.”
    Elsa shook with barely contained laughter. I threw her another death stare. She crinkled her eyes and mouthed, ‘Sorry.’
    Sorry wasn’t going to cut it. I truly had the heat now.
    “You are grown up,” Mamá said, “But not completely. Be careful around this man. I don’t trust him.”
    I rolled