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Before she could say anything, Mrs. Romali cleared her throat and shouted, “Silencio! Buenos días, amigos. Today we’re going to get started on the present progressive tense, and I’ll warn you now that it’s pretty darn difficult.”
And it was. Mrs. Romali passed out a worksheet that kept us all busy until the end of the block. By the time the bell rang, I was really starting to question my affection for Spanish class, and I wasn’t alone.
“Is it too late to switch classes for the semester?” Angela asked Jessica and me when we walked out of the classroom.
“About a month too late,” I told her.
“Damn it.”
“Bye, Bianca!” Jessica called as they ran toward their chemistry class. “See you at lunch!”
I waved and started walking down the other hallway. Today, though, I was actually looking forward to AP government. Toby Tucker had asked me to sit near him. I wouldn’t be the lonely girl in the back of the room anymore. I’d never thought that would change or that I would be so happy when it did. What can I say? The self-imposed isolation was finally begi
But Toby wasn’t there. His seat was completely, one hundred percent empty when I walked into the classroom (for once I was way early, the way Mr. Chaucer liked), and my heart kind of sank a little bit… or, you know, a lot. At least I didn’t have to sit alone. Jeanine practically dragged me to the front of the room, apparently lost without Toby to keep her entertained. She must have been disappointed that I wasn’t nearly as clever with political quips as her usual companion. All I could offer were a few sarcastic statements about the usefulness of the judicial system. God, I missed Toby.
So did Mr. Chaucer. He seemed to get bored with his own uninterrupted lecture, and he dismissed the class only halfheartedly when the bell rang, his lower lip sticking out like a toddler’s.
And they say teachers don’t play favorites.
I was relieved to be out of that classroom, which seemed cold without Toby’s enlightening commentaries, until I got into the cafeteria.
The lunch table wasn’t exactly a warm, loving environment that afternoon. Casey glared at me all through lunch, obviously pissed that I’d hung up on her the night before. But apparently not pissed enough to skip out on meeting Jessica and me after school to hear my excuses.
I’d promised to explain things after class. Of course, that meant the second the last bell sounded, they dragged me into an empty bathroom and started making demands like “Spill!” and “Out with it!” before I could take a single freaking breath.
I groaned and slid down the cold concrete wall to land in a sitting position on the floor. I hugged my knees loosely and said, “Okay, okay. So Mom showed up here yesterday afternoon.”
“Is she back from her trip?” Jessica asked.
“Not exactly. She just came to talk to me. She and Dad are getting a divorce.”
Jessica clapped a hand over her mouth in shock, and Casey knelt down beside me, taking my hand. “You okay, B?” she asked, abandoning her anger toward me.
“I’m fine,” I said. I knew they’d be more upset about it than I was. Casey, whose parents had gone through a long, bitter divorce, and Jessica, who could never imagine something so upsetting and unhappy.
“Is that why you skipped out on Valentine’s Day last night?” Jessica asked.
“Yeah,” I said. “Sorry. I just… didn’t really feel like celebrating.”
“You should have called,” Casey said. “Or said something to me on the phone last night. I would have listened, you know.”
“I know. But really, I’m fine. It was just a matter of time. I’ve been expecting it for a while now.” I shrugged. “And, honestly, it doesn’t really bother me. I mean, you know Mom hasn’t been around much in the past few years, so it really won’t change that much. But she’s only in town a few days, which is why I need to be going right now.” I stood up.
“Where are you going?” Casey asked.
“I told Mom we’d see a movie together this afternoon.” I grabbed my backpack and glanced at my reflection in the mirror. “Sorry. I know you guys want to talk about it or whatever, but Mom’s leaving at the end of the week, so…”
“You sure you’re okay?” Casey asked skeptically.
I hesitated, my hand raised to brush some auburn waves from my face. I could have told them then. I could have told them about Dad and the beer bottles and how confused I was. They were my best friends, after all. They cared about me.
But if I ratted Dad out, what would happen? What if word spread? What would people think of him then? I couldn’t handle that. Even the thought of my best friends judging him made me uncomfortable. He was my dad, after all. And this was a small thing. He was just going through a rough patch. Nothing to worry about.
“Positive,” I said, turning away from the mirror with a forced smile. “But I should get going. I don’t want Mom to wait.”
“Have fun,” Jessica murmured, her eyes still wide with i
I was almost out the bathroom door when Casey called after me. “Hey, B, wait a sec.”
“Yeah?”
“Let’s go out this weekend,” she said. “To make up for not hanging out on Valentine’s Day. We could all go to the Nest. A Girls’ Night Out. It’ll be fun. We’ll even buy you ice cream.”
“Sure. I’ll call you later, but I really have to go.”
With a wave, I ran out of the bathroom. Yeah, I did want to see a movie with Mom, but that wasn’t the reason for my hurry. There was something else I had to do first.
Once I made it to my car, I wasted no time in pulling out my cell phone. I dialed the familiar number and waited for the professional male voice to answer.
“You’ve reached Tech Plus. This is Ricky. How may I assist you?”
I wanted to talk to Dad. To make sure he was okay and let him know we’d get through this. Just, you know, be supportive. I knew he needed it. After the night he’d had, I knew he must be having a horrible day at work. Besides, if I was dealing with the news so well, I could at least help pull him through it. “Good afternoon, Ricky,” I said. “Is Mike Piper available?”
“I’m afraid not. Mr. Piper didn’t come in today.”
I sat there, stu
I hoped.
“Thank you, anyway,” I said. “Have a nice day.”
I hung up the phone and started to dial another number. This time a woman with a clear, chirpy voice answered.
“Hello?”
“Hey, Mom.” I forced myself to sound at least semi-upbeat. If I was too happy, she’d know something was up. After all, I just wasn’t the peppy type. “Still want to go see a movie tonight?”
“Oh, hi, Bianca!” Mom exclaimed. “Yeah, that sounds great. Listen, honey, have you talked to your dad today? Is he okay? He just got so upset last night, and he was crying when I left.” By the way she spoke, I could tell she had no idea he’d relapsed, that he’d touched a bottle. If she did, her voice would have been much more strained, full of concern. Maybe even on the verge of panic. But she sounded calm. Only slightly worried. The fact that she was so blind really bothered me. I mean, he’d quit drinking almost eighteen years ago, but still. The thought should have crossed her mind.
But I didn’t want to be the one to break the news to her.
“He’s fine. I just got off the phone with him a second ago. He’s going to be at work late tonight, so a movie works great for me.”
“Oh, okay. I’m glad to hear that,” Mom said. “What do you want to see? I don’t even know what’s in theaters right now.”
“Me neither, but I was thinking a comedy would be good.”