Annihilate Me: Holiday Edition by Christina Ross Read Free Book Online Page B

Blahniks?”
    “Maybe
Santa will bring you new shoes.”
    “Sorry.   Right.   I’m supposed to be polite or I’m back on
the plane.”
    It
was at that point that I decided to put my arm on her shoulder.   “Daniella, we don’t know each other from
hell, but I do want to get to know you.   Your mother has told me wonderful things about you, especially about how
hard you’re working at school.”
    She
screwed up her face at me.   “She
has?”
    “She
has.   One year left, right?   I thought so.   I only got out last May with my
MBA.   We’re close in age, and I have
to say that Lisa and I were really happy that you and Alexa were coming for
that reason.   Finally, girls of our
own age that we can talk to.”
    “You
seem so much older than us.   You
even look older than us.”
    I
took that one for the team.   “Not by
much.   Maybe two or three
years.   I hope we can become
friends.”
    Before
she could answer, I heard Alexa’s voice ring out.   “Look, Mom.   Look at the chimneys.   Sustainable energy!”
    “Looks
like smoke to me,” Daniella said.   “What’s that doing to the atmosphere, Alexa?   Terrible things.   Air pollution is air pollution.   Do your goddamned homework.”
    “At
least it’s not from oil,” she said.   “The world is running out of oil.   Trees are sustainable.”
    “If
you’re going to continue to morph into this new flower-child persona of yours,
then at least do your homework.   It’s solar energy that should make your nipples hard, Alexa.   The world will run out of clean air
faster with all that smoke pouring into the sky.   Not that I care much.   Jesus.   If you’re going to wear the flower, be
the flower.   Just don’t be a fraud.”
    “I’m
not a fraud.”
    “You
don’t know anything.   You’re a
poseur.”
    “A
what?”
    “See.   You don’t even know what that word
means.”
    “Siri
will tell me.”
    “Seriously?   Siri?   She can’t even understand you half the
time.”
    “Anyway,”
I said to Daniella before Alexa could respond, “it’s great to have you here.”
    “You
sure about that?”
    “I
am.”
    She
lifted her eyes to me and then she seemed to make a decision.   “Look, I’m sorry if I’m being a total
bitch.   Here’s what no one knows—not
even my mother.   But you’re still
pretty much a stranger, so what the hell?   Sometimes it’s easier talking to a stranger.”
    “What’s
the matter?”
    “My
boyfriend dumped me just before we went on break.   OK?   He up and dumped me after two years of me totes being there for
him.   Fuck him.   And while we’re at it, fuck my
life.   I’m still in love with him.   I shouldn’t be taking this out on
everyone here, especially on Lisa and Tank, but I am.   I’ll pull it together.   I’ll be nice.”   She looked over her shoulder, where Tank
and Alex were gathering bags out of the SUV.   “I should apologize to Lisa and Tank in
person.   It was pretty rotten what I
said to them in New York.”
    “Why
don’t you leave that alone for now?” I suggested, not wanting her to say
something potentially worse even if she didn’t mean to.   “You’ve already apologized.   And I’m sorry what happened to you,
Daniella, especially before the holidays.   Your ex is an idiot.   Look at
you, for God’s sake.   You’re beautiful.   It’s going to be tough for him to replace
you.”
    “I
know.   Like, right?”
    “Totally.”
    “Mom
said you were super nice.   For once,
I guess she was right.   I hope we
can become friends.”
    “We
already are.   Maybe I’ll even make
you the perfect martini later tonight.”
    “I’ve
never had a martini.”
    “You
haven’t?”
    “No.   It’s usually a cosmo for me.”
    “A
martini is even better.   Not so long
ago, a stranger who then became a dear friend of mine once said that she would
make me one as smooth as silk and as cold as January.   And she did, just when I needed it
most.