“She’s having a party right now. I guess everyone is there. She never said anything to me. She didn’t even answer when I called.” I looked at Laura’s face, her lower jaw slightly to the side as she squinted.
“That bitch,” she murmured.
“She’s not a bitch, Laura. Stop.”
“Well she’s not a friend. True friends don’t leave you out.” She puffed what was left of the bud, grabbed her drink, then got up.
“Look, boo. Your mom and I have had our share of fights over the years. But the one thing we don’t do—the one thing we’ve never done—is let jealousy and secrets tear us apart.”
I should probably tell Dana how I really feel about Thad then,I thought as Laura entered the house.Maybe she’d understand once she knew why I liked him, and the tension between us would fade away. But I couldn’t. I couldn’t tell her what was really going on without outing Thad. And I knew he was not ready for that. Hell, I wasn’t ready for it either. Should I have risked losing a friend to protect finally finding someone who was interested in me?
SATURDAY 14 JUNE 2008
17
TRICKED
“Hey love.” Rhonda waved as she got out of her car and headed toward me on the porch.
Being that I didn’t see her at work, Rhonda called me Saturday morning to find out more about my night with Thad. But since everyone was home, I didn’t feel comfortable talking about it for fear of prying ears. I said I’d tell her about it during our next shift. She wasn’t having any of that, so we planned to get something to eat since my plans with Dana obviously fell through.
“Hey. I’m ready to go. Where are we going, by the way?” I awkwardly hugged her from the first step.
“Go pack a bag for the night.”
“Um. I think I have to ask my mom. I told her we were going to get something to eat. I can’t just pack a bag and leave.” I bared my teeth, unsure why I’d need an overnight bag when we’d only planned on going to a restaurant.
“Go. Don’t worry about her.” She waved me out of the way and headed into the kitchen where my mom was unpacking groceries.
“Rhonda! Hi.” My mom opened her arms.
Rhonda was the only reason my mom occasionally liked coming into the jewelry store before the end of my shift; they both loved to chit chat. If Rhonda were closer in age to her, they would have become the best of friends. Which I think might be the reason my mom never questioned why she would want to spend time with me, a teenage boy.
I ran to my room and grabbed my swim bag from under the bed.What should I pack?I had no idea what she had planned. I knew to pack clothes for sleeping and my toiletry bag, but what about real clothes? I stuffed my bag with enough to last me a few days, just in case. And when I say “just in case,” I don’t mean there was a possibility of me spending more than one night away from home. I packed enough clothes so I could better pick an outfit once I’d learned what she had planned. Though I knew I probably wouldn’t use any of it.
I threw my bag down by the front door, then passed my mom and Rhonda in the kitchen to grab Frankie and take him out. I knew my mom would let him out again before going to bed, but I wanted to make sure he got some exercise. I opened the back door, called his name and he came running from his bed in the rear living room. I loved the way his collar jingled with his waddle.
I greeted my brothers and their two friends who lived down the street. The four of them were kicking around a soccer ball behind the garage.
“Étienne. Come be the goalie.” Callum pointed to the far side behind the garage where two large twigs were stuck into the lawn to imitate goal posts.
“I’m going out. Sorry guys,” I said, apologizing for not being able to play since I was leaving for the night. “But can you do me a favor and keep an eye on Frankie?” I knew my mom would. A little responsibility couldn’t hurt them, though.
“Fine,” said Niall. “Now get out of the way so we can play.”
“Be careful you two.” My mom waved from the door as we entered Rhonda’s black Zephyr.
I never knew how Rhonda convinced my mom to let me stay out that night. My mom was the kind of parent who’d let any of our friends stay for a sleepover. We, on the other hand, were seldomly allowed to stay a night away from the house unless we were with a relative. My mom was somewhat picky about the way we ate and who fed us if we weren’t home. She labored in the kitchen every day after work to make us dinner and looked down on parents who fed their kids junk or frozen food. Which is why we would eat later in the evening than most families.
“Okay. So. Where are we going that I need an overnight bag?” I asked as she pulled out of the driveway.
“Girls’ night. Duhh.” She laughed, exposing her unnaturally straight teeth, then turned up the stereo playing her Tiësto CD.
She finally got her way. The several times I brushed off an invitation to her girls’ night had pushed her over the edge, so she tricked me. It’s not that I never wanted to go. I did. The fear of being the youngest person there stopped me. Also, up until my drunken night with Thad at his cousin’s party, I was afraid of my reaction to drinking alcohol. You know how some people become angry or mean after drinking, and other people become talkative and let out all sorts of secrets they would have never revealed if sober? Yeah, that’s what scared me. Fortunately, my night with Thad helped me overcome that fear. I’d learned that I was a silly drunk who sat in the corner outside and fell asleep. That seemed pretty safe.
Rhonda turned down the music. “I want you to make that hummus you bring to work sometimes. The girls would love it.” She winked.
“Sure. But you’ll have to go to this market that’s out of the way. And do you have a food processor?” I said. It isn’t easy if you’re going to make it yourself. Not only do you need the ingredients, but you also need the right tools.