“We’ve been all the way to third. You know what’s going to happen now, don’t you?”
“Enlighten me, my know-it-all.”
“Audrey’s going to inspect her bed and then tell everyone you weren’t a virgin.”
“I’ll take my chances,” I said.
He laughed and lay back again, this time putting his arm around my shoulders. I turned and rested my head against his chest. “I’ve decided to do whatever I can to help you,” he said.
“With what?”
“Your situation at home. Whatever you need me to do, I’ll do it.”
“There’s nothing to do. Except wait.”
“For what?”
“For him to remember who he is and where he came from.”
“And if he doesn’t?”
“Then there will be something to do.”
“What?”
“Help him remember,” I said.
12
Aaron brought me home well before midnight. We were among the first to leave Audrey’s party. As we started out, I saw Steve Marks poke Aaron playfully in the ribs and overheard him say, “Leaving early? I guess you got what you wanted tonight.”
“Worry about yourself,” Aaron told him.
It was actually Aaron more than I who was concerned with the time.
“I’m not risking your getting grounded,” he told me, half joking. “I’d end up moaning like a dog in heat under your bedroom window.”
I was glad Aaron had drunk very little vodka. I’d had more but stopped before I would get sick. Lila didn’t look too well when I saw her after Aaron and I had come out of Audrey’s bedroom. She was holding her stomach and lying in a corner with her eyes closed. That was all I’d need to do, and I wouldn’t just be grounded, I’d be incarcerated. I wasn’t exactly winning sympathy at home these days.
“You’d better make sure no one goes home plastered,” Aaron told Tommy Koch. “They’ll trace it to you, and Audrey will get into big trouble, too.”
Tommy laughed but looked a little worried.
“What are your plans for tomorrow?” Aaron asked when we drove away from Audrey’s house.
I told him I was riding my bike to the cemetery in the morning, and he offered to take me. “Thanks, Aaron, but it’s my private time with Willie,” I said.
“No problem. I’ll wait for you in the car,” he said. “What’s the difference how you get there as long as you get there?”
“Okay. I’d like to go about nine.”
“I’ll be here.” He leaned over to kiss me good-night. “I had a great time,” he said. “I’ve got the hottest girl in the school. And besides, you’re now the big topic of conversation for sure.”
“In my house, too, I bet,” I said.
He got out and came around to open the car door for me. I wondered if he had treated every girl he dated the way he was treating me. He reached for my hand to help me get out. “Your grandfather isn’t watching us from some window, is he?” he asked, his back to the house.
“No,” I said, smiling. “He’s hiding in the bushes.”