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Authors: Tatiana March
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Rick's voice was tired. “We'd better go home.” He turned to Georgina and examined her face. “Will you be okay?"
Georgina gathered every shred of pride and met his scrutiny. “I'll be fine. As soon as you get out of my sight."
Rick stared at her for a few more seconds. Then he gave a brief nod. Without another word, he stalked out of the apartment. Andy scampered after him, casting an anxious glance over her shoulder.
After they were gone, Georgina sank on the living room sofa. She sat there for a long time, completely still. Then she covered her face with her hands and burst into desperate sobs.
Funny , she thought as her body heaved and her throat burned. I don't even know what I'm crying for.
Andy gazed up at her father. She tried to hide her fear, but everything inside her was shaking. She desperately wanted to pee.
"What are you up to?” Rick demanded.
Andy said nothing. She clamped her lips together, so that they wouldn't quiver and betray her feelings.
Rick yanked a chair from the kitchen table, turning it around and shoving her into it. Then he hunkered down in front of her, his hands clasping the arms of the chair, caging her in. It felt to Andy as though his eyes were burning a hole right through her.
On the table behind them, a glass he'd knocked over when moving the chair rolled along the top. The spilled orange juice began to trickle down. Andy could hear the dripping sound. She squeezed her eyes shut and imagined a sticky yellow puddle forming on the floor behind her.
She really had to get to the bathroom, or she'd pee in her pants.
"I asked you a question,” her dad thundered.
Andy's eyes flew open. She swallowed a couple of times. It was a surprise to her that she could speak at all, let alone in a bored tone that sounded as though she didn't care at all. “It's no big deal, Dad. It was just a joke."
"And what exactly was funny about it?"
Andy lowered her gaze and kicked at the chair legs with her bare feet, trying to think of something to say. How could she have miscalculated so badly? All she had wanted was to make Georgina and Dad talk to each other again. Instead, they had ended up trying to tear out each other's throats, like a pair of rabid dogs.
"I thought you were angry at Georgina because she called you a pervert,” Andy said finally, letting her eyes venture upward along his chest.
"So you decided you'd get me to call her a lesbian?"
She peered at him through her lashes. “I didn't tell you to call her anything."
"Don't pull that shit on me. You knew what would happen."
An inspiration hit her, and she latched on to it, without stopping to evaluate its merits. “I thought that if you called her a lesbian, after she called you a pervert, you would be, like, even. Then you could shake hands and be friends again."
"Shake hands, huh?"
"Yes.” She beamed at him, pulling her lips into a crescent that made dimples in her cheeks. “I want Georgina to be my friend, and she can't be my friend if you are fighting with her."
"You want to be her friend, huh?"
"Yes.” Andy squirmed in the chair, trying not to let on that she knew she was out of trouble. When her dad started repeating her words back to her, it meant he was amused. And if he was amused, he could no longer be mad at her.
"Why's that?” Rick asked her.
"Because she makes tea in cups that are made of bones and have piglets and cows on them."
"Is that so?"
"And she told me how her mom and dad both died in a car wreck when she was real small, and she went to live with her grandma."
"She told you that?"
"Only because I asked. She sounded sad when she talked about it, but then she told me that she loved her grandma, although I don't think I would have."
"You wouldn't?
"Uh-oh.” She shook her head resolutely. “Her grandma made her wear dumb clothes, so that the other kids made fun of her."
Rick pursed his lips and looked thoughtful.
Andy glanced at him and judged the crisis over. It always amazed her how
Georgina gathered every shred of pride and met his scrutiny. “I'll be fine. As soon as you get out of my sight."
Rick stared at her for a few more seconds. Then he gave a brief nod. Without another word, he stalked out of the apartment. Andy scampered after him, casting an anxious glance over her shoulder.
After they were gone, Georgina sank on the living room sofa. She sat there for a long time, completely still. Then she covered her face with her hands and burst into desperate sobs.
Funny , she thought as her body heaved and her throat burned. I don't even know what I'm crying for.
Andy gazed up at her father. She tried to hide her fear, but everything inside her was shaking. She desperately wanted to pee.
"What are you up to?” Rick demanded.
Andy said nothing. She clamped her lips together, so that they wouldn't quiver and betray her feelings.
Rick yanked a chair from the kitchen table, turning it around and shoving her into it. Then he hunkered down in front of her, his hands clasping the arms of the chair, caging her in. It felt to Andy as though his eyes were burning a hole right through her.
On the table behind them, a glass he'd knocked over when moving the chair rolled along the top. The spilled orange juice began to trickle down. Andy could hear the dripping sound. She squeezed her eyes shut and imagined a sticky yellow puddle forming on the floor behind her.
She really had to get to the bathroom, or she'd pee in her pants.
"I asked you a question,” her dad thundered.
Andy's eyes flew open. She swallowed a couple of times. It was a surprise to her that she could speak at all, let alone in a bored tone that sounded as though she didn't care at all. “It's no big deal, Dad. It was just a joke."
"And what exactly was funny about it?"
Andy lowered her gaze and kicked at the chair legs with her bare feet, trying to think of something to say. How could she have miscalculated so badly? All she had wanted was to make Georgina and Dad talk to each other again. Instead, they had ended up trying to tear out each other's throats, like a pair of rabid dogs.
"I thought you were angry at Georgina because she called you a pervert,” Andy said finally, letting her eyes venture upward along his chest.
"So you decided you'd get me to call her a lesbian?"
She peered at him through her lashes. “I didn't tell you to call her anything."
"Don't pull that shit on me. You knew what would happen."
An inspiration hit her, and she latched on to it, without stopping to evaluate its merits. “I thought that if you called her a lesbian, after she called you a pervert, you would be, like, even. Then you could shake hands and be friends again."
"Shake hands, huh?"
"Yes.” She beamed at him, pulling her lips into a crescent that made dimples in her cheeks. “I want Georgina to be my friend, and she can't be my friend if you are fighting with her."
"You want to be her friend, huh?"
"Yes.” Andy squirmed in the chair, trying not to let on that she knew she was out of trouble. When her dad started repeating her words back to her, it meant he was amused. And if he was amused, he could no longer be mad at her.
"Why's that?” Rick asked her.
"Because she makes tea in cups that are made of bones and have piglets and cows on them."
"Is that so?"
"And she told me how her mom and dad both died in a car wreck when she was real small, and she went to live with her grandma."
"She told you that?"
"Only because I asked. She sounded sad when she talked about it, but then she told me that she loved her grandma, although I don't think I would have."
"You wouldn't?
"Uh-oh.” She shook her head resolutely. “Her grandma made her wear dumb clothes, so that the other kids made fun of her."
Rick pursed his lips and looked thoughtful.
Andy glanced at him and judged the crisis over. It always amazed her how
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