Page 143 of Next to Everything We Wanted

I snorted before pulling my pink mug closer to me. “I don’t know what to expect.”

Mom had an afternoon flight, so she promised to call me before eleven. It was nine. After my gig at What Do You Bean, I’d tossed and turned all night. A weird feeling sat in the pit of my stomach at the thought of talking to Mom.

Sure, I could’ve done internet digging to figure out her business relationship with Charm Street, but I wanted to see things from her perspective. To try to understand her, just once. After we called, the weight would be lifted from my shoulders.

Dad rubbed my arm. “You can do this. Text me if you need anything.”

“Okay.” I squeezed his hand, hoping it’d give me strength.

After nibbling through breakfast, I brought my coffee into my room and sat at my desk. I tried to sketch a new outfit since my shopping trip with Celia—Celeste—had given me inspiration.

In the middle of my sketch, my phone buzzed. Mom’s FaceTime request popped up on the screen, and I accepted the call with trembling hands.You can do this. You’re prepared.

Mom’s grinning face appeared. She didn’t have any makeup on, but her hair was neatly brushed, her bangs falling into her eyes. “Sienna!” Mom said, her cheery voice loud enough to wake Bailey up from my bed. “Oh, my goodness, your father and I have some strong genetics.” She sounded exactly the same, a hint of her Mexican accent still there. Looking at her was a little terrifying, like I had a long-lost sister.

A wave of emotion crashed over me, tears pricking my eyes. “Hey, Mom.”

“You look just like all the pictures your dad sent me.” She sniffled and wiped her glassy eyes. “Crap, I’m already getting emotional. I’m just so happy to finally talk to you. This is years overdue, and I’m so sorry I haven’t reached out sooner.”

Seeing her in this state made me want to believe she was truly sorry. I drew in a sharp breath and held onto my bitterness, remembering my real motivation behind talking to her. “It would’ve been nice if you didn’t wait so long to say anything.”And if you at least bothered to say goodbye.

“I know, and I can go on about how horrible I feel for not being there for you. But I know only time will have you forgive me.”

“Yeah.” I propped my phone on my phone holder. “How have you been?”

“I’m doing fantastic.” She moved her phone to show me some luggage at the other side of the white room. “Just making sure I have everything packed for my trip. I’m heading to Arizona.”

“That’s cool. I hope you have fun.”

“Thank you.” She smiled. “How have you been? I’ve heard you’re in a band now with some of your friends.”

“Yeah, we’ve been performing at the local café. We won Battle of the Bands back in March.”

“I’m so proud of you. I always knew you had that musician spark in you.” She winked. “Are these the same friends from elementary school, or did you make new ones?”

“They’re all new ones. I met them in middle school.” I had a few friends in elementary school who came with me to my old middle school, but I fell out of touch with them after transferring to April Springs Middle. “They’re the best.”

“That’s nice. What are they like?”

I gave her a run-down of my friend group. She seemed invested, nodding and smiling while I talked about them. She took a lot of interest when I talked about how Caleb was leaving for New York City in less than a month, and she talked about her favorite places in New York. I wrote a few things down to send to Caleb and Gracelynn.

“They sound like awesome people,” Mom said once I finished. “Okay, now we’ve got that out of the way . . . I heard you have a boyfriend who’s also in a band.”

I sighed. “Did Dad tell you everything about me?”

She gave me a playful smile. “He left some room for you to explain.”

“Well, I’m dating the lead singer of my favorite band. He’s the most talented guy out there and has made my life so much better.”

“Good. I also heard he’s a great kisser.”

I gasped, blood rushing to my cheeks. “Daddidtell you everything!”

She giggled, covering her mouth with her hand. She had the same habit I did. “So, what are the questions you had for me?”

“What is your job like? I found your Wikipedia page, and what you do seems interesting.”

“I’ll be happy to explain.”