If I Fall by Kelseyleigh Reber Page B

air. “Oh, very well, but I expect you both to smell like a dozen roses when I return!” she laughs before slipping through the door.
    Gertrude sneaks out from the bathroom in silence. “The bath is ready now, Miss Hamilton. Who shall go first?”
    “I want to go first!” Dela says, running past the older woman into the bathroom. The door slams shut behind her and I stop myself from scolding my sister for her evident lack of propriety. A groan wells up inside of me; I am becoming my mother.
    Gertrude looks to me for confirmation. I shrug. “She is dirtier than I.”
    As I say this, Dela’s blonde head pokes out from behind the door. “Am not!”
    Beside me, Mr. Laurence shakes his head in disbelief. I look to him questioningly.
    “Splendid,” he mumbles, a playful seriousness glinting in his eyes. “Just what the world needs. Two Vi’s.”

12 TELLING
    I wait in the bedroom as Dela bathes. Pulling back the white bedspread, I slip under and haul it up to my chin. I close my eyes, playing through all of the events that had brought me to this moment.
    I try to picture Mr. Laurence’s face when he found out I would be staying with him and his mother. Did he seem pleased? Was he angry? I can’t be sure and asking him would be unbearable. I roll over onto my stomach, wanting to block him from my mind—a task that has become increasingly difficult.
    At the thought of not wanting to think about him, my mind naturally fills with images and memories of Mr. Laurence. With a groan, I turn back onto my side and open my eyes. Bright green irises and a blinding white grin stare back at me. I scream. Shocked, I jump back, falling over the edge of the bed and tumbling onto the floor. In an attempt to stand, I grab hold of the bedside; it teeters with the pull of my weight.
    I hold a hand to my heart, waiting until my breathing slows. I look back to the bed; he still lies there, not perturbed by my outburst in the least. His smile stretches as I glower at him. Shifting onto his side, he props himself up on one elbow. His hand cradles his ego-filled head.
    “Adam!” I shriek.
    A chuckle vibrates deep in his throat, and a glint in his eyes puts me on edge.
    “What?” I ask cautiously.
    His smile turns into a smug smirk. “You called me Adam.”
    I open my mouth to argue when I realize he is right. I did call him Adam. I called him Adam! Never before has using one’s Christian name seemed to carry so many implicit insinuations. Still, not wanting to admit it was an accident, I feign indifference. With a roll of my eyes, I say, “That is your name, is it not?”
    He shakes his head. I should have known he would see right through me. “You called me Adam,” he taunts.
    Slowly, I move towards the bed as I cross my arms over my chest. “Mr. Laurence, if you would please—”
    He does not let me finish. “Oh, come on, Vi. Have we not passed the formal name stage of our relationship? Are we not friends?”
    The question catches me off guard. I take a step back, tucking my hair behind my ears. I look to him, wanting to study his expression, to see if he is only playing with me, but his face is perfectly composed.
    “I—I don’t know. Are we?”
    The corner of his mouth lifts in a crooked smirk. “I asked you first.”
    I turn around, unable to look him in the eye as I say, “I wouldn’t be able to say. Dela and I grew up in a small village on the outskirts of Liverpool. There weren’t a lot of children there.”
    The bed squeaks as Adam moves to stand. I feel the heat of his body, suddenly very close to mine. His breath warms the back of my neck, and at the same time, sends chills running down my spine. I refuse to turn around, to get caught in the hypnosis of his gaze.
    “Are you trying to tell me you never had any friends?” he breathes. His voice is like a deep purr, coaxing the answer out of me. I want to answer. I want to tell him everything, before he adds, “Because that is truly pathetic.”
    I spin around on