Suffer Love by Ashley Herring Blake

in the room, she says, “Why did you bring her here?”
    â€œWe’re in the same English class. We have a project.”
    She shakes her head, balls her hands in her skirt. “That’s not why you brought her here, Sam. And you know it.”
    â€œLook . . .” I know I should apologize. The words are right there, waiting to come out of my mouth, but I stuff them back in. “I need to get the bread in the oven for dinner. Livy’ll be home soon.”
    I walk into the kitchen, leaving my mother alone. As I adjust the temperature on the oven and listen to Mom as she finally trudges up the stairs, I think about what Hadley said about wanting something you don’t even believe is possible. I wonder now whether she was really talking about a happy ending or whether she was just talking about the kind of life where you don’t have to fight so hard to feel at home with your own family.

Chapter Nine
Hadley
    â€œI’m telling you, it was just weird,” I tell Kat after we slide into a booth at Wasabi’s and order Diet Cokes.
    â€œWeird how? Creepy weird? Uncomfortable weird?”
    â€œI don’t know. Just weird. Like she was scared of me or something. And Sam . . . God. He’s . . . I don’t know.” I huff in frustration, tapping the floppy plastic menu on my forehead. I haven’t really talked to Sam since leaving his house two days ago. During English, we’ve locked eyes about a jillion times, tossed each other little smiles that held the promise of a future conversation, but when the bell rang at the end of class, he bolted out of the classroom.
    Kat grins a little. “I’ve never heard you call an encounter with a guy
weird
before. And you didn’t even kiss this one.”
    I roll my eyes at her. I told her about what happened at Sam’s—the intense looks and the cooking and his mom—and all Kat can focus on is that I didn’t make out with him. I can’t decide if I’m insulted or amused.
    â€œI don’t think he even wanted to hook up. I was pretty much sitting in his lap and he barely blinked.” I can feel my face turn crimson just thinking about it.
    â€œWell, only the truly brave can resist the charms of Hadley St. Clair.”
    â€œThen he’s William Wallace.”
    Kat’s eyes widen. “Did you actually climb into his lap?”
    â€œNo! God, Kat. Seriously?”
    â€œWell, I don’t know. Seems like something you might do.”
    My mouth drops open and she has the decency to look at least moderately embarrassed. I sip on my soda, chewing on the straw until it’s nearly shredded.
    â€œSo, when is your dad getting here?” Kat asks.
    I sigh, relieved to move on from talking about boys. “With any luck, late enough that the kitchen says, ‘Oops. Sorry. We’re closed.’”
    She throws me a weak smile. Dad and I go out for sushi together on Thursday nights. Alone. Kat knows how much I dread it every week. This little tradition was not my idea. It’s yet another part of his therapy homework that’s infringing on my life. Tonight he called from work to tell me he’d be a few minutes late and would meet me at the restaurant. I immediately finagled Kat into coming with me. She loves my dad and was nearly as heartbroken as I was when she found out about his affair, but since she breaks out in hives at the thought of even frowning at an adult, she can chat him up over miso soup a whole lot easier than I can.
    â€œHadley, be nice. The last time I came here with you two, it was so awkward, I hid in the bathroom for half the meal.”
    â€œIt’s not my fault the man can’t stop talking about how
amazing
it will be if I go to Vanderbilt and become a renowned
woman of words.
”
    Before Kat can say anything else, the man himself shows up. I get out and let him into the booth so I can sit on the outside. I can’t stand to be