"Sit down, Evan, honey," she replied, patting the space beside her and Evan sat down while Hadley took his usual place, leaning against the cabinet at the back of the room and watching that awful creature next to the TV.
His mom was waiting, a smile threatening to slip from her, while she tried to contain herself, pausing her typing while she waited for them to notice her new love, her new baby. 
Whistling, Isaac nodded towards the statue or ornament or whatever it was, and said, "Nice decor. When did you guys get that?"
"It's new," she gushed with a smile so proud and eyes so bright that Hadley felt his stomach turning and had to momentarily look away from the vulgar scene that he could feel about to unfold. "Adam and I are absolutely in love with it. Don't you think it's gorgeous?"
Noel hummed and shared a look with Isaac. "Oh, yeah. Real modern, real sleek. It looks pretty expensive."
"Yeah," Evan agreed, giving her another polite smile. "The white really stands out."
"Oh, no," she began, full of glee. "It's not white."
Hadley braced his stomach like he was preparing to get punched.
 "It's angel wing."
"Angel wing?" Isaac echoed, raising his eyebrows and resting his right ankle on his left knee, placing one arm along the back of the sofa. "What's angel wing?"
"Like white but better," she grinned, tucking loose strands of silky chestnut hair behind her ears. "You know, trendier and sleeker and fresher. Not just white— angel wing."
Cocking a brow, Noel glanced slowly towards him and hr met those dark eyes for a second, shook his head and turned away.
"It's a lot better than regular white," she insisted with a firm nod and a knowing glint in her eyes. "I mean, it makes a world of difference. It elevates the space in a way that regular white could never achieve."
"It is white," Hadley interjected flatly, impatience tying a knot in his stomach. There was a tightening feeling in his chest, a straining feeling.
All four of them turned towards him. He stared at her, their eyes meeting, and watched how her expression changed, her taut mouth and warning eyes. He refused to turn away from her, ignoring Evan's deep frown at the edge of his vision, and waited for her to say something.
Relenting, she turned away, plastered another smile on her face and shrugged her shoulders flippantly. "It's alright," she assured his friends, refusing to return his gaze again. "It's just how he is."
"What's the matter with angel wing?" Evan asked, looking between Cecilia and Hadley. "I think it's nice."
His mother sighed and shook her head. "He doesn't understand the adoption of our new artistic style," she and Hadley replied in unison, her cold, disapproving eyes darting towards him and her brow beginning to furrow as he mimicked her. 
"It's a nice sculpture," Noel consoled, eyeing him warily. 
"Very you," Isaac agreed in that effortlessly shallow way he had.
That thrilled her. She pressed her hands to her heart. "Do you really think so?" She asked, her brow furrowed softly. "Hadley has been nothing but negative since he first laid his eyes on it."
"Stop talking about me like I'm not here," he snapped, glaring at the back of her head.
"It's very stylish," Evan offered, pretending he hasn't spoken. 
"I knew you'd all understand," she beamed. "Thank god that the three of you have some good sense."
"I'm going upstairs," Hadley announced, pushing himself away from the cabinet and disappearing into the hallway without waiting. He kicked his shoes off at the bottom of the stairs and began to climb with his backpack, listening to his friends and his mom murmur to each other in the living room, and trying to settle that nagging, gnawing feeling that was coming over him.