of stuff that Dad might have overheard that he really wasn’t supposed to know. Well, the best thing for that was just not to think about it and just assume that the only thing he’d ever heard was her talking to Melissa about how Stephanie got was when she was drunk.
After dinner, Ashley called. And Briana had to admit to herself that she was pleased. Ashley was the only person besides Keith Who Is In a Wheelchair who could understand why she was upset about the assembly. And Keith Who Is In a Wheelchair was a big stoner, so conversations with him tended not to be that interesting.
She thought about telling Ashley about seeing Mr. Eccles on the beach and pondering the infinite, but Ashley was so young and so positive that Brianna didn’t want to drag Ashley into her own mess of fear and sadness.
Instead Brianna asked, “So how was the audition?”
“Whoa? How did you know I auditioned for the play today?”
“Your mom told me.”
“That’s weird. She didn’t mention seeing you. But anyway, yeah, it was cool, I think my reading was really good, and I—I don’t know– I coughed a little bit. I hope they don’t hold that against me.”
“I don’t think they will.”
“I mean, you’d hate to have your Juliet hack up a lung on stage. Not very romantic.”
Brianna laughed. “Hey,” she said, “do you want to like, I don’t know, go to the mall or something on Saturday?”
“Yeah!” Ashley sounded like she’d just won the lottery.
“Cool. I’ll pick you up at ten-thirty?”
“Great!”
Ashley thanked Brianna, and Brianna said she had a lot of homework to do, so she had to go.
She was halfway through the most boring History chapter ever in the history of boring history textbooks when Dad came in. He looked embarrassed.
“Hey, sweetie, I’m sorry to interrupt you while you’re working.”
“It’s okay,” Brianna said, but she didn’t lift her head up, just so he would know to keep it quick.
“Well, you’re busy, we can do this later.”
Brianna felt guilty almost immediately, and she wondered if that had been Dad’s intention.
“I’m sorry, Dad, I just had to finish a paragraph. What is it?”
Dad had a notebook and a pencil in his hand, which was not something he usually carried. He also looked really uncomfortable. For a second she really thought he was going to say something about how he and Cindy had been having a hot and heavy affair, and Cindy was leaving Bill.
“So this guy came into the store today …” Dad paused, and Brianna wondered if he he’d promised the guy a date with his beautiful stick figure of a daughter.
“And … he asked about my bike, and who had customized it, and when I told him I did, he asked if I would do one for him.”
“Whoa, Dad, that’s great! Congratulations!” Brianna was surprised he didn’t look happier.
“Well, I kind of need some help figuring out what I should charge.”
“Oh! Okay,” Brianna said. She closed her history book, relieved to have some math to do, even if it was pretty easy stuff. She made all the numbers really simple to make it easy for Dad to do the math himself if she didn’t make it until he finished the bike.
Not that she had any real reason to think that she wouldn’t make it that long. It was just that Ashley was just so much like Brianna had been in the ninth grade, and that felt like another lifetime, like that person she was in the ninth grade was dead already.
She didn’t know if regular people ever felt like that or not. But she figured that if she did feel like that already, like something that happened three years ago was like the whole other end of her life, maybe she was steadily approaching her limit.
They kept telling her that people were living longer and longer, but she remembered lying in that hospital bed with Dad sitting there next to her and just feeling like her lungs, and all the cells in her whole body were telling her, “one
After dinner, Ashley called. And Briana had to admit to herself that she was pleased. Ashley was the only person besides Keith Who Is In a Wheelchair who could understand why she was upset about the assembly. And Keith Who Is In a Wheelchair was a big stoner, so conversations with him tended not to be that interesting.
She thought about telling Ashley about seeing Mr. Eccles on the beach and pondering the infinite, but Ashley was so young and so positive that Brianna didn’t want to drag Ashley into her own mess of fear and sadness.
Instead Brianna asked, “So how was the audition?”
“Whoa? How did you know I auditioned for the play today?”
“Your mom told me.”
“That’s weird. She didn’t mention seeing you. But anyway, yeah, it was cool, I think my reading was really good, and I—I don’t know– I coughed a little bit. I hope they don’t hold that against me.”
“I don’t think they will.”
“I mean, you’d hate to have your Juliet hack up a lung on stage. Not very romantic.”
Brianna laughed. “Hey,” she said, “do you want to like, I don’t know, go to the mall or something on Saturday?”
“Yeah!” Ashley sounded like she’d just won the lottery.
“Cool. I’ll pick you up at ten-thirty?”
“Great!”
Ashley thanked Brianna, and Brianna said she had a lot of homework to do, so she had to go.
She was halfway through the most boring History chapter ever in the history of boring history textbooks when Dad came in. He looked embarrassed.
“Hey, sweetie, I’m sorry to interrupt you while you’re working.”
“It’s okay,” Brianna said, but she didn’t lift her head up, just so he would know to keep it quick.
“Well, you’re busy, we can do this later.”
Brianna felt guilty almost immediately, and she wondered if that had been Dad’s intention.
“I’m sorry, Dad, I just had to finish a paragraph. What is it?”
Dad had a notebook and a pencil in his hand, which was not something he usually carried. He also looked really uncomfortable. For a second she really thought he was going to say something about how he and Cindy had been having a hot and heavy affair, and Cindy was leaving Bill.
“So this guy came into the store today …” Dad paused, and Brianna wondered if he he’d promised the guy a date with his beautiful stick figure of a daughter.
“And … he asked about my bike, and who had customized it, and when I told him I did, he asked if I would do one for him.”
“Whoa, Dad, that’s great! Congratulations!” Brianna was surprised he didn’t look happier.
“Well, I kind of need some help figuring out what I should charge.”
“Oh! Okay,” Brianna said. She closed her history book, relieved to have some math to do, even if it was pretty easy stuff. She made all the numbers really simple to make it easy for Dad to do the math himself if she didn’t make it until he finished the bike.
Not that she had any real reason to think that she wouldn’t make it that long. It was just that Ashley was just so much like Brianna had been in the ninth grade, and that felt like another lifetime, like that person she was in the ninth grade was dead already.
She didn’t know if regular people ever felt like that or not. But she figured that if she did feel like that already, like something that happened three years ago was like the whole other end of her life, maybe she was steadily approaching her limit.
They kept telling her that people were living longer and longer, but she remembered lying in that hospital bed with Dad sitting there next to her and just feeling like her lungs, and all the cells in her whole body were telling her, “one
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