Select (Select #1)(55)

Alex was a little offended and clamped his mouth shut.

“So…Julia,” John’s mom said, “you’re a senior?”

“Yes. I am.” I hoped I was smiling pleasantly. John’s mom had really good posture that made her look excited and alert, like she was ready to spring out of her seat.

“Are you looking at colleges?” she asked.

“UT. That’s where my whole family goes,” I said, lying.

“That’s a great school.” Then, looking over at John, she said, “Well, my baby wants to go as far away as possible. Speaking of which, Alex, I got a phone call today from UCLA. The tennis coach wants you to visit.”

“Really?” Alex looked at John and seemed hesitant, like he didn’t want to step on John’s toes. “That would be cool if we both went there.”

“I haven’t heard a thing from them this fall, so you’ll probably be there by yourself,” John replied. Whoa. Touchy subject. The entire table tensed up.

“Where do you want to go?” Taro asked, looking over at John.

“Stanford.”

“Well” was all his mom said.

“Trust me, I know. They haven’t reached out since I’ve been back.” John looked his mother in the eye with a You seriously want to talk about this right now? look.

“How was practice today?” she asked instead, changing the subject.

John’s dad stood, as if trying to draw her attention away from John. “Want another glass of wine?”

“Sounds good. So, John honey, how was practice?” She suddenly knew something was up.

“I didn’t go today. It was canceled because of the rain.”

“But Alex was there?” No one said anything. Kathleen looked at me and then back to John. After a moment she said, “Got it,” which was worse than if she’d been openly annoyed.

John’s dad sat back down. “Julia, would you like anything else?” he asked politely.

“No, I’m fine. Thank you, though.” I noticed John had stopped eating also. Taro took a sip of his wine and surveyed his family. He was so calm and collected, yet he had a strong presence. It was quiet. He didn’t demand power like my dad, who came into every room with an energetic burst and an expectation of being the center of attention.

“Let me help,” I said when Alex stood up to start clearing the table. I thought that’s what a normal person would do, even though I’d never helped with such a thing in my life.

“No, no. Sit down!” said both parents at once.

“No, really!” I slowly removed plates and handed them to Alex, watching his system for cleaning plates and putting them in the dishwasher. Alex watched me hold a bunch of silverware in my hand and pause while I looked for where the hell to put it.

“It goes in that side basket,” he said, giving me a strange look.

I finished what I could and promptly said, “Unfortunately I need to get going.”

John’s mother said, “Of course. Thanks for joining us.” Both of his parents stood and walked John and me to the door.

John practically dragged me out while I said thank you. When the front door closed behind us, he began apologizing immediately.

“Stop. Don’t worry. Seriously. Your family is very caring,” I said, and I meant it. My existence seemed to drive them crazy, but it was because they cared about John. “And I kind of have a crush on your dad,” I teased.

“Ugh, please. You and every student he has.”

“Really?”

“No, I don’t know. That’s what my mom says.”

“I really better leave,” I said, looking out to the street beyond the house. The sky was starting to darken, the days getting shorter. There was an awkward pause between us, and I looked down at the bright red geraniums, newly planted in pots by the front door. In just about every way, this experience had been the opposite of my home life.

“Call me later?” John said. He matched my sudden distance with his casualness. I didn’t need to read his mind to know he was cursing himself that he’d made me stay for dinner. I wanted to tell him it wasn’t that. It was that all of it was suddenly too real.

When the gate to my house opened, I was met with the sight of three or four cars parked in the driveway. A yellow Lamborghini suddenly came to life, backed out violently, and then drove swiftly past me, taking me by surprise. The windows were dark, but I saw that the driver was Angus’s dad, Lati, my dad’s best friend. I may have been wrong, but I thought I caught a glimpse of Angus in the car. I was surprised Lati hadn’t acknowledged me or even slowed down. He’d stared straight ahead and driven like he was angry.

They’d been caught.

When I entered the house, Victoria, who was standing with Anne, met me.

I had my answer to “Where have you been?” fairly prepared. But, more kindly than usual since Anne was listening, Victoria said, “Julia, will you please go upstairs?” Just then, Dominik and Carlo, who worked closely with my dad, walked by carrying trash bags, and another man followed with a large external hard drive. By way of explanation, Victoria said, “Your father is home and decided to clean house, so to speak. It’s a little crazy down here.” Clean meant confiscation. I could tell Victoria had been caught off guard because she was wearing workout clothes. I glanced at Anne, who seemed preoccupied.