Read Online 34 Pieces of You by Carmen Rodrigues - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Carmen Rodrigues
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remembered the day Sarah threw me over in favor of Ellie, but I told myself that this wasn’t like that. That I was sending Meg home to protect her from whatever Lola was dragging me into.
“Go on, Meg,” I said.
Meg looked from Lola to me, her chin shaking. Then she turned on her heel, her awkward ankles slowly carrying her home.
Lola grabbed my arm, but I yanked it away from her. “Just wait,” I said, keeping my eyes on Meg until our front door shut behind her. Then I turned to Lola and said, “Okay, let’s go.”
10.
What d o y o u tell me? What d o I tell y o u? I feel like there are s o many things I can’t tell y o u. Are there things y o u can’t tell me? D o y o u kn o w wh o y o ur father is? D o y o u want t o kn o w?
I kn o w wh o my father is, b ut I d o n’t kn o w him at all.
Sarah
FIVE YEARS BEFORE.
“Aren’t you happy we came?” Ellie asked me the night of my party. Everyone else had gone home, but Ellie stayed behind to help me clean up. Afterward, we sat on the concrete floor in the middle of my basement, the disco ball spinning fluorescent colors above us. “They worship Jake, you know. It’s ridiculous,” she said. She rolled up her jeans so that her ankle was exposed, and pulled off a Band-Aid, picking at the scab beneath.
“Doesn’t that hurt?” I asked.
She nodded.
“Then why pick at it?”
She shrugged and ripped off a big chunk of the scab, exposing a round patch of puckered pink flesh. A surprising amountof blood started to seep out. She watched for a second, almost fascinated, and then asked for a tissue.
I returned quickly from the bathroom with a wad of toilet paper, which she pressed over the wound. “We should do something for your birthday tomorrow, even if you can’t have a party,” I said.
She laughed. “We just did.”
“What do you mean?”
“Your party,” she said. “It was my party too. Why do you think so many people showed up? And did you check out all the gifts I got?”
I stared at Ellie, wondering if she might be a little crazy. The evidence was stacked against her: She picked at scabs until they bled, kicked or nudged you whenever she felt like it, and apparently made up impossible stories. “I invited everyone that came tonight,” I said slowly, before it clicked in that a good number of people I hadn’t invited had also shown up. I stood up and crossed to the gift table. I picked up several gifts and flipped open the gift tabs. All but one were addressed to Ellie. “But how did you know who I invited?”
Ellie looked from the disco ball to me. “Tori and Vanessa told me. We’re kind of best friends . . . except lately, I think they’re totally boring.” She smiled. “Nobody was coming to your party until I said we were having a joint party—”
“But you didn’t even know I was having a party . . .” I felt a knot twist in my stomach.
“Vanessa told me weeks ago. I never said I didn’t know about your party—”
“But you asked if I was having one—”
“But I never said I didn’t know what your answer would be.”
“It’s the same thing,” I protested.
“No, it’s not. Anyway . . .” She smiled triumphantly. “I fixed it. So it’s no big deal.”
I was silent. I couldn’t decide how I felt: embarrassed that nobody had wanted to come to my party; mad that Ellie had tricked me into believing she was some poor girl just like me, desperate to be included; or—this somehow felt like the worst possibility—grateful that her deception had prevented my total humiliation.
“Hey,” Ellie said. “I was just trying to help out. You’re not mad or anything, right?” Her droopy eyes were slightly watery again.
The truth was, I wanted to be friends with her. She was unpredictable, popular, Jake’s sister. All very good things. But I still felt like I needed some loophole to act okay with what she had done. “Were you really just trying to help me?” I asked.
“Yeah,” Ellie
“Go on, Meg,” I said.
Meg looked from Lola to me, her chin shaking. Then she turned on her heel, her awkward ankles slowly carrying her home.
Lola grabbed my arm, but I yanked it away from her. “Just wait,” I said, keeping my eyes on Meg until our front door shut behind her. Then I turned to Lola and said, “Okay, let’s go.”
10.
What d o y o u tell me? What d o I tell y o u? I feel like there are s o many things I can’t tell y o u. Are there things y o u can’t tell me? D o y o u kn o w wh o y o ur father is? D o y o u want t o kn o w?
I kn o w wh o my father is, b ut I d o n’t kn o w him at all.
Sarah
FIVE YEARS BEFORE.
“Aren’t you happy we came?” Ellie asked me the night of my party. Everyone else had gone home, but Ellie stayed behind to help me clean up. Afterward, we sat on the concrete floor in the middle of my basement, the disco ball spinning fluorescent colors above us. “They worship Jake, you know. It’s ridiculous,” she said. She rolled up her jeans so that her ankle was exposed, and pulled off a Band-Aid, picking at the scab beneath.
“Doesn’t that hurt?” I asked.
She nodded.
“Then why pick at it?”
She shrugged and ripped off a big chunk of the scab, exposing a round patch of puckered pink flesh. A surprising amountof blood started to seep out. She watched for a second, almost fascinated, and then asked for a tissue.
I returned quickly from the bathroom with a wad of toilet paper, which she pressed over the wound. “We should do something for your birthday tomorrow, even if you can’t have a party,” I said.
She laughed. “We just did.”
“What do you mean?”
“Your party,” she said. “It was my party too. Why do you think so many people showed up? And did you check out all the gifts I got?”
I stared at Ellie, wondering if she might be a little crazy. The evidence was stacked against her: She picked at scabs until they bled, kicked or nudged you whenever she felt like it, and apparently made up impossible stories. “I invited everyone that came tonight,” I said slowly, before it clicked in that a good number of people I hadn’t invited had also shown up. I stood up and crossed to the gift table. I picked up several gifts and flipped open the gift tabs. All but one were addressed to Ellie. “But how did you know who I invited?”
Ellie looked from the disco ball to me. “Tori and Vanessa told me. We’re kind of best friends . . . except lately, I think they’re totally boring.” She smiled. “Nobody was coming to your party until I said we were having a joint party—”
“But you didn’t even know I was having a party . . .” I felt a knot twist in my stomach.
“Vanessa told me weeks ago. I never said I didn’t know about your party—”
“But you asked if I was having one—”
“But I never said I didn’t know what your answer would be.”
“It’s the same thing,” I protested.
“No, it’s not. Anyway . . .” She smiled triumphantly. “I fixed it. So it’s no big deal.”
I was silent. I couldn’t decide how I felt: embarrassed that nobody had wanted to come to my party; mad that Ellie had tricked me into believing she was some poor girl just like me, desperate to be included; or—this somehow felt like the worst possibility—grateful that her deception had prevented my total humiliation.
“Hey,” Ellie said. “I was just trying to help out. You’re not mad or anything, right?” Her droopy eyes were slightly watery again.
The truth was, I wanted to be friends with her. She was unpredictable, popular, Jake’s sister. All very good things. But I still felt like I needed some loophole to act okay with what she had done. “Were you really just trying to help me?” I asked.
“Yeah,” Ellie
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