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“Have a good time, Dad,” I said.
My mother heaved a sigh and walked away. My father straightened his tie as he entered my room. “Jake, I’ve had just about enough of this behavior.”
“Yeah, well, I’ve had just about enough of hers.”
“That’s it!” my father shouted. My heart stopped. He never shouted. Ever. “I want you to go downstairs and apologize to your mother right now.”
I stood up from the floor and faced him. I felt shaky inside but wasn’t about to cave. “Is she going to apologize for what she did?”
“And what offense, exactly, do you imagine your mother has committed?” my dad asked.
“You were there. You saw what she did to Ally Ryan’s mom.”
“And why do we care so much about Ally Ryan or her mother?” he asked.
“What does it even matter? She was awful to her and she doesn’t even know her,” I shot back. “I’m supposed to be okay with that?”
My father sighed and looked at the floor. “Son, these women . . . these di
“I know.” It had taken just over a year of ass-kissing and designer-clothes hoarding for my mother to get us our invite into the Sunday di
“So, you have to understand, son, this Melanie Ryan woman . . . she’s known your mother’s new friends for years,” my father said. “They grew up together, went to school together, vacationed together. And now that she’s back—”
The truth hit me like a lacrosse stick to the head. “She’s scared. She thinks they’re go
“Well, yes,” my father said matter-of-factly.
Unbelievable. My mother had the exact same mentality as my friends. When in doubt, be a bitch. What little respect I had left for her started to crumble.
“Try not to be so hard on her, Jake,” my dad said, putting his hand on my shoulder. “Everyone makes mistakes.”
“Yeah,” I said, looking at the floor. I wanted out of this conversation. “Okay.”
He patted my cheek twice and walked out, off to di
Not the ideal mode of transportation, but unlike Sha
“Hello?” I said.
“Jake! Where are you!? The Idiot Twins brought this mini Ping-Pong table, and we’re playing beer Pong! Chloe’s already losing, and guess what? She finally cracked and told us where Ally’s dad is.”
Shit. My mouth went dry. “She did?”
“Yeah. He’s working at one of Mr. Appleby’s delis in the city. He’s not even a waiter. He’s a counter dude, like, slicing bologna for a living!”
I heard Faith crack up in the background and Chloe begging Sha
“No way,” I said flatly. Because I had to say something.
“It’s so hilarious, you know? Ally was always showing off about how perfect her father was, and now it turns out he’s a cheat, an abandoner, and a minimum-wage earner.”
I had to bite my tongue to keep from snapping. I guess the fact that they were talking about this meant Ally wasn’t there yet.
“Anyway, get your butt over here,” Sha
“I’ll be there in two minutes.”
“Oooh! Are you taking the Jag? You have to give me a ride when you get here.”
“No. I’m taking my bike.”
I was about to hang up when she cackled, “You can’t ride your bike all the way to the club!”
I froze, my fingers curled around the handlebar. “I thought we were going to the pool a
The cackling got louder. “No! That’s just what we told Ally! We’re at the boathouse.”
“What?” I said through my teeth.
“Yeah. We already called the cops to tell them someone was breaking in at school,” Sha
More laughter. WTF was wrong with them? Ally could get in serious trouble. She could get arrested. Why the hell would they do this to her?
“Sorry. I thought you knew. Now get your ass in the Jag and get over here!” Sha
I wanted to tell her off. Tell her what a total bitch she was being. Ask her how she could possibly be so cool one second and such a psycho the next. But I bit down on my tongue and said nothing. It wouldn’t have mattered anyway. And I was losing time. I turned my phone off and tore out of the driveway as fast as I could pedal.
ally
I told my mother I was going to visit David at Dunkin’ Donuts, where he worked a few nights a week. After the Sunday di
Tugging my coat close to my body against the frigid December air, I jogged over to the school parking lot and walked up the hill to the new a
Maybe, after the party, I actually should go visit David.
There were no cars in the parking lot, but I wasn’t surprised. Chloe was the only one with a license and a car, and they’d probably parked on a side street to avoid suspicion. I walked up to the double metal doors and pulled on the handles. Nothing. They must have found another way in. All the top windows of the a
I paused, my pulse skipping around in trepidation. Chloe and Faith had scaled a Dumpster and climbed through a window two inches from the ceiling? Somehow, I didn’t see it. But then, Hammond had probably let Chloe climb up his back and step on his head to get through.
I laughed at the visual. Well, it was either go up or go home. I’d never been one to back down from a dare, so I decided to risk it. I grabbed the hinge on the lid of the Dumpster and scrambled on top. The noise reverberated for miles, scaring the crap out of me. I caught my breath, looked up at the window over my head, said a quick prayer, and jumped. My hands grasped the cold, sharp and unforgiving window ledge. I gritted my teeth and pulled myself up. My blood rushed in my ears, and I strained with all my strength.
Worth it. This was all going to be totally worth it.
I hoisted myself up and twisted sideways to get through the window. On the other side were the bleachers. I eased myself onto the top row and lay there for a moment, breathing in the thick scent of chlorine. I’d made it. I was okay. When my breathing finally started to slow, though, I realized something was very wrong. The place was dead silent.
I sat up. The pool was open but dark, its clear water so still I could read the depth measurements painted on the wall on the far side. The only light in the place came from the glowing, red emergency exit signs over the doors, and through the windows from the parking lot lights. It was freezing. Even colder than it was outside.