The Friendship List(29)

“Were you interested?”

“What? No. How could I be? I’m not kidding. I don’t even remember what he looks like.” She thought about that evening. “He’s got dark hair, maybe. I don’t know.” She looked at Ellen. “I’m so embarrassed by my behavior. It’s one thing to not want to let go of Stuart but I should be able to survive in a normal social situation. I completely overreacted. I don’t want to date or anything, but I hate feeling like this. I’ll accept being stuck, but I don’t want to be broken.”

“This isn’t your fault. You can’t be expected to just meet some guy. That’s too much, too fast. Dagmar shouldn’t have done that to you. I’m not dealing with the Stuart stuff and I’d have trouble meeting some random guy without knowing what was happening.”

Unity managed a slow smile. “Yes, but you’re socially awkward, too.”

Ellen laughed. “Gee, thanks. So you’re saying we’re both a mess?”

“Apparently. Although look at you, wearing the fancy clothes.”

Ellen tugged on the short sleeve of her T-shirt. “Twelve dollars, baby. I’m living in style.” Her smile faded. “Maybe it’s time to get out of your life rut. Just a little.”

“I know. Someone’s sending me a message.” She pressed a hand to her stomach. “I need to listen.”

One corner of Ellen’s mouth turned up. “You could get the guy’s number and ask for a do-over.”

Unity shuddered. “Not happening.” But she knew she had to do something. She’d never felt the need to change before now, but being uncomfortable with herself and her actions wasn’t good, either.

“So you didn’t like him at all?”

“I didn’t register him. I was so freaked out, I couldn’t focus on anything. It was really bad.”

“So he could be gorgeous.”

“Yes, or he could have been wearing a superhero costume.”

“I doubt that. If he’d been dressed up like a superhero, you would have remembered that. A cape is hard to forget.”

Cooper wandered into the kitchen. He waved at them both before heading to the refrigerator and pulling open the door.

“Morning,” Ellen said.

Coop nodded.

Ellen smiled at Unity. “It’s nine thirty, so a predawn morning for him.”

Cooper sighed. “Mom, it’s summer vacation. This is my only week off. After the bus trip, I’m going to be working until school starts. I need my sleep.”

Despite being a couple of inches taller than her, with his mussed hair and T-shirt and pajama bottoms, he looked more like the little boy he’d been a few years ago than the man he was becoming.

“Excited about the college trip?” Unity asked.

Cooper set a frozen breakfast burrito on the counter next to the gallon of milk. He yawned and stretched before answering Unity.

“I guess. I’m glad I get to see some things, but I’m not thinking about going away to college. UW is a good choice for me.”

Unity met Ellen’s worried gaze.

“What about UCLA?” Unity asked. “Or Stanford? They’re both great schools. I thought you were interested in them.”

“Maybe. I don’t know. It’s a long way to go. I won’t be able to get home very much.”

“True, but I’m here and I’m way better at fixing things than you. Let us all remember the great flood last year when you tried to fix a leaky faucet.”

Coop’s expression turned sheepish. “Okay, yeah. That didn’t go well.”

Unity waved her hand. “Fly, be free, little grasshopper. I’ll hold down the fort while you’re off dealing with higher learning.”

Coop glanced from her to his mom and back. “I’m still thinking UW.”

With that, he put the breakfast burrito in the microwave and poured himself a giant glass of milk.

Ellen rose. Unity followed her into the living room.

“See?” Ellen sounded worried. “I have to do something.”

“You are. Look, you’re going to show him you’re fine on your own. By the time you’re back from your trip, he’ll be convinced.”

“I hope so. He can’t stay here because of me.”

“He won’t.” Unity hugged her. “We’ll make sure of it.”

An easy promise, mostly because Unity would do whatever she had to in order to make her friend’s life right. As for herself, she was just beginning to think there might be the tiniest of problems. Now she just had to figure out what to do next.



eight


Traditional school buses used to transport schoolchildren on bus routes were required, by law, to be yellow. Activity buses, used for purposes other than transporting children on bus routes, didn’t have the same restrictions. As Keith stared at the white bus he would be driving for the next two-plus weeks, he tried to find some comfort in that fact.

When he’d moved to Birchly High School, he quickly realized that coordinating a bus driver for different games and meets could be a challenge so he’d required all coaches, including himself, to have a valid school bus driver’s licenses. Every August the coaching staff took a refresher course. The district, grateful not to have to find drivers and pay them, had given the department two new-to-them activity buses. The larger one could handle the bigger events like track meets and football games. The smaller bus—with ten rows and lots of storage—was the one Keith would be taking on the college road trip.