said about Jesse and Alexia, I’m not sure I want to see.
“Enough, you two. You’re making me sick. Alexia, get the Doctor some prescriptions and get him out the door. His mere presence isn’t making me any money.”
Alexia pouts at Chuck and rolls her eyes at me. She walks to the counter and Chuck comes up behind me. “A party? With her? If you can’t find out who’s trying to kill themselves, at least you’ll have some eye candy.”
“Chuck, come on! It’s Alexia. We’re friends. Besides . . .”
“ Besides what? Don’t tell me I can’t look. I’m not dead, yet. Like with those kids. It’ll happen, just not today.”
I sigh and shake my head. I can’t fix Chuck. I can’t produce some daredevils for McNeil. I have only a notion of what’s up with Alexia, and my home and dad’s job are on shaky ground. Which, in turn, makes my college plans and the future quite unstable. That and the fact that I’m terrible at school this year.
So how do I make sense of any of this? What would Newton do? From the pictures I’ve seen, probably go curl his hair.
—
I’m sitting in my driveway, afraid to walk through the door. Everything that’s happened today makes me feel as if our secret’s been revealed. Too many people are curious for this to stay underground.
I have this feeling that someone has called my parents, or they bumped into someone while running “errands” or whatever it is they’re doing these days, and they know and I’m dead. All I want to do is take a shower and check in with Ricky, because John’s been blowing up my phone asking if I’ve heard from him. Apparently, he didn’t bother to tell him about Trevor.
But I know I’ll go in and my parents will sit me down at the dining room table, and this time they won’t tell me about moving—which I might welcome over the punishment. Instead, they’ll tell me how disappointed they are. That they’ve seen the dares and they know it’s me and that they expected so much more.
I slide out of the Jeep and stare at my feet as I walk to the door. Their voices carry through the air. I stop and listen. They’re high-pitched and giddy. I turn the handle and step through.
Laughter. Mom’s laughter is echoing off the walls in the dining room, followed by Dad’s. The hell? I turn the corner and hear, “So I told my professor, that he should check the one slide because of the typo, but he didn’t believe me. I insisted. He got all angry, but then he did, and sure enough, it was shit your booklet when finished , not shut .”
Ginny raises her hand in an I-told-you-so shrug and my parents laugh again. They’re all drinking wine, including my sister, who’s not twenty-one, and I focus on this for some reason. “You’re drinking? With Mom and Dad?”
They all turn to me and have the same frown. I can read the message loud and clear: Really, Ben?
“Hi, bro. How are you? Long time, no see. Yes, this year is going well, so nice of you to ask.” Ginny’s face is almost as flushed as the wine she sips, and I feel like cracking her upside the head. Some things never change.
Dad clears his throat. “Ben, Ginny’s home for the weekend. Came home a day early, even. Please, let’s not start off this way. We, uh, have a lot to discuss.” He looks at Mom.
“Your father’s right. We have a lot to talk about, so that’s why we asked Ginny to come home. Okay?”
I wish I had a damn glass. I’d down the contents and ask for a refill. If this means we’re going to have a “family powwow,” as they like to call it, I should be intoxicated. The prospect of moving sucks, but add to it the fact that my annoying sister is going to throw in her opinion on the matter, and I may run myself over with the Jeep to get out of this.
“Okay,” I say. “I just need to go shower.”
“Take your time. We’re getting caught up.” Mom and Dad look back at Ginny. They’re already absorbed by her, and I haven’t even left the room.
—
I return
“Enough, you two. You’re making me sick. Alexia, get the Doctor some prescriptions and get him out the door. His mere presence isn’t making me any money.”
Alexia pouts at Chuck and rolls her eyes at me. She walks to the counter and Chuck comes up behind me. “A party? With her? If you can’t find out who’s trying to kill themselves, at least you’ll have some eye candy.”
“Chuck, come on! It’s Alexia. We’re friends. Besides . . .”
“ Besides what? Don’t tell me I can’t look. I’m not dead, yet. Like with those kids. It’ll happen, just not today.”
I sigh and shake my head. I can’t fix Chuck. I can’t produce some daredevils for McNeil. I have only a notion of what’s up with Alexia, and my home and dad’s job are on shaky ground. Which, in turn, makes my college plans and the future quite unstable. That and the fact that I’m terrible at school this year.
So how do I make sense of any of this? What would Newton do? From the pictures I’ve seen, probably go curl his hair.
—
I’m sitting in my driveway, afraid to walk through the door. Everything that’s happened today makes me feel as if our secret’s been revealed. Too many people are curious for this to stay underground.
I have this feeling that someone has called my parents, or they bumped into someone while running “errands” or whatever it is they’re doing these days, and they know and I’m dead. All I want to do is take a shower and check in with Ricky, because John’s been blowing up my phone asking if I’ve heard from him. Apparently, he didn’t bother to tell him about Trevor.
But I know I’ll go in and my parents will sit me down at the dining room table, and this time they won’t tell me about moving—which I might welcome over the punishment. Instead, they’ll tell me how disappointed they are. That they’ve seen the dares and they know it’s me and that they expected so much more.
I slide out of the Jeep and stare at my feet as I walk to the door. Their voices carry through the air. I stop and listen. They’re high-pitched and giddy. I turn the handle and step through.
Laughter. Mom’s laughter is echoing off the walls in the dining room, followed by Dad’s. The hell? I turn the corner and hear, “So I told my professor, that he should check the one slide because of the typo, but he didn’t believe me. I insisted. He got all angry, but then he did, and sure enough, it was shit your booklet when finished , not shut .”
Ginny raises her hand in an I-told-you-so shrug and my parents laugh again. They’re all drinking wine, including my sister, who’s not twenty-one, and I focus on this for some reason. “You’re drinking? With Mom and Dad?”
They all turn to me and have the same frown. I can read the message loud and clear: Really, Ben?
“Hi, bro. How are you? Long time, no see. Yes, this year is going well, so nice of you to ask.” Ginny’s face is almost as flushed as the wine she sips, and I feel like cracking her upside the head. Some things never change.
Dad clears his throat. “Ben, Ginny’s home for the weekend. Came home a day early, even. Please, let’s not start off this way. We, uh, have a lot to discuss.” He looks at Mom.
“Your father’s right. We have a lot to talk about, so that’s why we asked Ginny to come home. Okay?”
I wish I had a damn glass. I’d down the contents and ask for a refill. If this means we’re going to have a “family powwow,” as they like to call it, I should be intoxicated. The prospect of moving sucks, but add to it the fact that my annoying sister is going to throw in her opinion on the matter, and I may run myself over with the Jeep to get out of this.
“Okay,” I say. “I just need to go shower.”
“Take your time. We’re getting caught up.” Mom and Dad look back at Ginny. They’re already absorbed by her, and I haven’t even left the room.
—
I return
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