Fiance Next Door

I know all this because Aster grew up right next door, because I can see her room from mine, because Mom and Giselle talk about her all the time, and because I’ve been fascinated with her since the day we moved here. That day, she was wearing purple overalls and a white shirt with a pink collar. She was five and looked like a doll. I was nine, and until then, I didn’t think anything was adorable. I didn’t even find my own little sister adorable.

Now, she’s fourteen. Adorable no longer applies. She no longer wears overalls or anything pink. Green is her new favorite color, I think. I wouldn’t say she turned out bad, though. Just yesterday, I caught a glimpse of her in a chartreuse dress that showed off her slender shoulders and I thought she’d look good in a prom dress, maybe even better than any of the girls in my senior class. I’d invite her if I was going, but I’m not. I’d probably go if I could take her with me, but I won’t even ask. I’m pretty sure she’d say no.

There’s one more thing I know. Aster Higgins worships my brother.

She has since she was five. For a time, she’d actually follow him around. He was her hero, her prince. Somewhere along the way, those wide-eyed stares turned into sideways glances accompanied by blushing cheeks and a twitch of the corner of her mouth. When Leander left for college, Aster cried. Will she cry for me? Not likely.

“How is she?” I can’t resist asking even so.

Giselle closes the door to the fridge. “Aster? She’s fine. Just swamped with schoolwork like every other eighth-grader. I’m helping her with a math project.”

I arch an eyebrow. “I thought you hated math.”

“I do,” she admits. “Want to take my place?”

“No,” I answer quickly.

I could, but no.

Giselle takes the corner off one of the cheese slices and pops it inside her mouth. “Why do you ask?”

Because her mother’s death anniversary was last week.

“No reason.” I glance out the window at the rain, which shows no signs of letting up. “It’s still pouring.”

“I know.” She walks towards the window and looks up at the sky. “What did anyone do to you, huh?”

I say nothing. Giselle’s not talking to me anyway. A moment of silence settles. Then a phone rings.

My mom’s phone. I realize now that she left it charging beside the bread box.

Giselle and I look at each other. I know what she’s wondering about. Should she answer the call? Should she bring it to Mom? I nod because I’m okay with either. Giselle puts the cheese slices down and unplugs the phone. Her face lights up when she sees the screen.

Ah. It’s Leander calling.

“Lee?” Giselle puts the phone to her ear. “It’s Gi. How are you? Mom’s upstairs. She left her phone here in the kitchen. Do you want to talk to her?”

I roll my eyes. Of course he does. Isn’t that why he called her phone?

Giselle doesn’t budge from where she’s standing, though, so maybe the answer is no. She doesn’t say another word, either. Her eyes grow wide as the blood drains from her face. My heart stops for a moment and then begins to race. I don’t want to jump to conclusions, especially because I know Giselle tends to overreact, but right now, she’s not reacting at all. It scares me.

I go to the sink to wash my hands, then stand beside her so I can hear the conversation. I can’t, though, and Giselle won’t pause to tell me what’s going on. I can’t even catch her gaze. She’s… lost.

“Okay,” she finally says feebly. “Bye.”

She puts the phone back where she got it but doesn’t plug it back in. Her hand is shaking.

“Giselle?” I ask her.

She doesn’t answer.

I place my hand over hers. Finally, she looks into my eyes.

“Giselle, what did Leander say?”

Before she can answer, I hear footsteps coming down the stairs. Moments later, my mom enters the kitchen. She sees the mess on the counter and gasps.

“Mason.” She inspects the mess more closely. “You were eating my chicken wings?”

“I was hungry,” I tell her. “I get hungry when I’m not on my computer.”

Her eyebrows go up. “Mason Graham Burke, you – ”

“Mom,” Giselle interrupts.

My mom turns to her. “What are you doing here? Aren’t you supposed to be at – ?”

“Lee called.”

“He did?” She walks towards Giselle. “What did he say? Is he alright?”

Giselle shakes her head.

My mom pauses, realizing that something’s not alright. She throws me a questioning glance, but I shake my head and step back.

She puts both hands on Giselle’s shoulders. “Giselle, tell me what happened to Leander.”

I hear the fear in her voice.

Giselle draws a breath. “He… was in an accident.”

My mom gives another gasp as her hands clasp over her mouth.