Liars and Losers Like Us(31)

“Um, yes and no.” I take a deep breath and begin pacing my bedroom. “What’re you doing right now? Wanna come over? I bet I can get my mom to make us pancakes?”

“I can’t. I gotta work. I swear every kid and their cousin has a birthday party this weekend. I need to get in early and help set up.”

“Okay, well …”

“Dude,” she says. “Just tell me.”

“Okay, first thing, you’d tell me if your mom was sick right?”

“Omigod, of course. I’m not like you, Bree. If shit’s going down, you’ll hear about it. My mom’s fine. What does that have to do with anything?”

“I know. Here’s the thing, I didn’t have anything to drink at the party, just so you know. But, I heard Todd tell, okay, well, Todd and Jane were talking and … Okay, not so much as talking but—”

“Wait. You mean Todd and Molly, right?”

“No. I mean Jane. Jane f*cking Hulmes. So, I overheard them and apparently they have a thing going on.”

“Wait,” Kallie’s voice cuts through the phone. “Todd and Jane would never have a thing. He can’t stand her. He’s always talking about how crazy and bitchy she is. He actually avoids hanging out anywhere she’s at. Plus, what about Molly? She’s still in love with him. Jane knows that. Best girlfriends don’t f*ck with each other like that. C’mon—I think you’re reaching here,” she says.

“No, I’m not. I heard them. Jane doesn’t care about girl code and I’m pretty sure they had sex and Todd told her that your mom’s dying so he can’t break up with you.”

“Bree, that’s nuts. Todd would never say anything like that about my mom. It’s psycho. Did you actually see them together?”

“Not exactly, but I heard them.”

“Right. There were so many people there and it was someone else. Jane probably sleeps with a lot of guys and I wouldn’t put it past her to be screwing someone else’s boyfriend. But not mine.”

“No, it was def—”

“Listen, I gotta get going. I’ll ask Todd if you want, but I know you’re wrong. I feel like you think the worst about people just because of who they hang out with. Todd actually likes you.”

“Well, why would he be calling me yesterday then?”

“Because of me. You know what? He told me you and Sean Mills were hanging out at that party, and are, like, dating, or something. It was real shitty to hear that kind of news from someone else besides you. Because, since Todd is such an evil person, he said you and I shouldn’t be fighting. And that we should call to see if you guys wanted to double date.”

“I know. I wanted to tell you so bad. Trust me, I’d rather be talking about Sean than having to call you about this.”

“Good. I just want my friend back. So, no hard feelings, man?”

I force a fake laugh through the phone. “Nope. No way man. We’re good.”

“Good. I’m calling you on my break and I wanna talk Prom and most importantly, get all the nasty details on Sean finally growing the ovaries to ask you out.”

When we hang up, I drop my phone, grab a furry orange pillow, and hurl it. It smacks and slides down the wall of old records that Kallie and I spent the whole summer collecting and hanging before our junior year. We did the same to her room, but her mom freaked and had all the nail holes filled and the whole wall repainted within the week. I snatch the pillow, lean up and slide down the wall, too. Sigh. At least I have my friend back. Best friends again, but with limits.

Sean calls before I’m about to go to bed and I tell him about the convo with Kallie. Not that I expect him to, but he doesn’t really get it.

“Hey at least you laid it out there. They’ll figure it out. Just be glad to have your friend again.”

We talk a little more and he says he’ll see me in class tomorrow.

Maybe he’s right about Kallie and the others, I think. Guess I’ll just let them all work it out.

****

I drop my Howl free-writing assignment on Mr. Norderick’s desk.

“Looks like you had some stuff you needed to get off your chest, Ms. Hughes.” I look down at my paper and nod. I can see how my sharp, heavy strokes and a handful of all-caps f*ck-bombs jumping off the page might have tipped him off.

I shrug. “Maybe a little.”

“Hey,” I say to Sean as I slide into my chair. I’m really talking to Sean in class and making eye contact. I don’t drown, but my heart definitely kicks up a notch.

“Hey.” He smiles. Glad you two are cool again.” Sean turns to Kallie and asks where she was Friday. “You missed out on our sober taxi. Maybe next time.”

When we leave class and run into Todd, he punches Sean in the shoulder and says “Hi” to me like Friday never happened. I raise my eyebrow but say hi back. The four of us walk out to the parking lot and part ways to go to our cars. When I get in my car, my phone rings. Sean Mills.

“Hey,” he says, ”I know I just saw you a minute ago but wanted to tell you that you look nice today and … I want to ask you something but I’m not sure if it’s too soon. So maybe we could hang out again on Friday and we’ll talk about it then.”

“Sure,” I say. Please God let him be talking about Prom. “And thanks.”