Stalk Me

“Hmm. Weird.”

“Oh, honey, was it bad? Is that why you’re calling? That’s not unusual, you know. First times aren’t always that great.”

“I was drunk at a party my first time,” Kym says loudly from somewhere in the room. “It literally lasted six seconds. I counted. I mean most guys could ride a bull longer.”

I hear a whole bunch of people laughing.

“Ohmigawd, Mom, do you have me on speaker?”

She doesn’t reply. Instead, James says, “Well, my first time . . .”

“Stop! Please! My ears are bleeding! And it wasn’t my first time anyway. It’s all good.”

“What?!” Mom shrills. “What do you mean? Did you have sex with Sander and not tell me?”

Shit. Why can’t my brain ever edit my mouth?

“Take me off speaker, please.”

Tommy says, “Baby, it’s okay. You don’t need to be embarrassed. All of us have had sex.”

Kym laughs. “Some of us more recently than others.”

James starts coughing and laughing.

Kym says, “What? I’m in a slump. So, Miss Keatyn, did you and Sander do the deed or what?”

“No, we did not.”

I hear Mom suck in her breath. “Who then?!”

“It was Cush, okay.”

Kym whistles. “Good choice. That boy is a hottie.”

“Don’t say that,” Mom chimes in. “She dated him for like two days.”

“It was longer than that, Mom.”

“I’m still shocked. I thought we agreed you’d wait until you were in love.”

“Trust me, it wasn’t really my plan. Nothing like what I’d scripted. What can I say; my life hasn’t been following my scripts lately.” Well, that’s not exactly true. That night with Cush at the hotel was very much the way I had scripted it, but Mom doesn’t need to hear those details. She just wants to think I was in love. “He told me he loved me, doesn’t that count?”

“You were mad at Brook, weren’t you?” Tommy says.

“Well, yeah. It was after that party we came to.”

“Did you love him?”

“No, but I was tired of waiting for B. And when he ditched me and told me he was hanging with girls, I was just done. And it didn't suck. It was a little awkward, but it didn’t suck. And I'm kinda glad. It's not like B had been waiting for me.”

“Well, what matters now is that you're together. You sound happy,” Kym gushes.

“I am happy. He brought me to this beautiful vineyard outside Bordeaux, and we got this like private cabin thing, and it was perfect. Not the beach, but perfect.”

“Did he tell you he loved you last night, too?” Mom asks dreamily. I can tell she and Kym are getting all gooey over a love story.

“No, he told me a few days ago. I was dumb though. I cried.”

“Why did you cry?” Kym wants to know.

“I don't know. I accidentally said I love you. So I was embarrassed. But he was happy, and he told me too. So it was nice.”

“You’re being safe, right?” Mom asks.

“Yes, Mom, of course. We haven’t been in any big cities. I’m fluent in French, and I know how to not look like a tourist.”

Everyone bursts out laughing.

“What?”

Mom tries to stop giggling.

Finally Tommy says, “Safe. As in condom usage.”

“Oh, ick!”

“Ick?” Mom says. “Does that mean you’re not? Oh, honey, I know you think you’re in love, but you don't want a baby at your . . . ”

Oh, please make this conversation stop, or I may never be able to go home and face my family.

“Mom, and the rest of you, I’m going to say this once. We are being safe in all ways.”

“Good to hear, but when you get back, you need to go on the pill. Just to be extra cautious.”

“Fine.”

“So, wait,” Mom says. “Did you say you’re in Bordeaux? Keatyn Elizabeth, you can’t just go gallivanting all over Europe without telling me!”

“Yeah, well about that. It just sort of all fell together. Brooklyn and I decided to stay in Europe all summer. We have it all pla

“All summer? Don’t you think you should have asked me first?”

“Um, yeah, of course. But I figured you’d be fine with it. I know my way around, and like I said, we have it all pla

“When did you decide this?”

“We just decided. We’re young, and how often are we going to get to take off a whole summer? Plus, honestly, I need some time away from my friends. Things have been crazy since Sander and I broke up.”

“Well, yes,” James says. “When you bring your boyfriend home drugged, it does seem so.”

I roll my eyes, but know they can’t see me, so I let out a big dramatic sigh to get my point across.

“So we’re going to surf a bunch of places, then in three weeks we’re go

I hear a bunch of quiet discussion, but can’t make out what they’re saying.

Finally, Tommy speaks. “We’re really not comfortable with that. You’re only sixteen.”

“I’ve traveled a ton. You know that. And I’ll email you all our travel plans if you want, and I’ll check in as often as you want. Please. Please.”

“Never beg, baby,” Tommy says. “You always want to at least pretend to have the upper hand when you’re negotiating.”

“How about if we send James to accompany you?” Mom says. “That would make me feel better.”

“Mom, you need James. What about the creeper? Aren’t you still scared about that? Have you heard from him since I’ve been gone? You’d tell me, wouldn’t you?”

“We did actually get another note from him. It said something again about me being a whore and how he is making plans. We don’t know what that means, but yes, I’d prefer to have James here with the girls. We’re keeping them pretty much under lock and key.”

“Mom! I have seen that guy from the picture before. I just realized it. The day I was at the mall and locked my keys in the car. While I was waiting for Na

James says, “You’re right, he has been there. And around Malibu. The people who work at the yogurt shop recognized him too. We matched that photo to his driver’s license, and Garrett has had some people tail him off and on. So far, we haven’t been able to co

“Mom! James!! Why didn’t you tell me all this?”

“We didn’t want to worry you, honey. We’ll tell you if you need to worry.”

“Okay, so what about this summer? About our plans?”

“I just don’t know, Keatyn,” Mom says.

“Mom, I don’t want to face my friends. And I might as well tell you now. I’ve been thinking about not going back to school. Like I might decide to be tutored again. Or do online classes or something.”

“Why wouldn’t you want to go back to school?”

“Just everything that’s happened. It’s not just what happened with Cush. It’s Vanessa and RiA

“I don’t think you should run away from your problems. You need to be tough and work through them,” Tommy says.

Jeez, he sounds like Brooklyn.

Mom makes a hmmm sound, and I hear everyone whispering in the background. I hear something about the creeper and not having to worry about me. Mom finally says, “If it weren’t for what happened with Brandon, I’d probably make you come home. I miss you. But I think I might agree that putting a little distance between you and your friends isn’t a bad idea. So, if you promise to check in twice a day and email us an itinerary, and always answer your phone when I call you, I guess the answer is yes.”