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Authors: Juli Alexander
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I’d have loved to help her out, but I didn’t have any ideas. The only teenage boy I knew well enough to ask was Jake. And she could forget that.
“We can’t just use any place. It has to be a clean house of the right size. It has to be local. The homeowners have to be willing to put up with a lot of chaos for a week.” She started chewing on the other hand.
“Can’t you do our living room or something?”
“No. I have extensive plans for a teenage boy. I’ve got nothing for a living room.”
“What were you planning for next week?” I asked. She usually planned two weeks of shooting at a time.
“A bathroom. And we can’t get the contractors until next week.” The way she was going after those nails, she could break a tooth.
“Okay. Well, there has to be a solution.” Surely, she’d think of something.
“I’m not missing a production date. I’m not giving the network any excuses for giving Mack my Saturday night slot.”
Why am I so nice? “What about Jake?” I said, wincing as I did.
“Jake’s room!” She jumped up, excited. “Perfect.”
“His mom seems to be neat, and his house is bigger than ours. I don’t know if he’ll go for it though.”
“I’ll call his mom right now,” she said, heading for the phone.
Mom always had the homeowner do the room with her. “Mom,” I called. “What about the part about working with Dad’s girlfriend?”
“I’ll live.” She turned and gave me a half-smile. “I’ve got no choice.”
An hour of animated phone calls later, Mom handed me the phone and said it was Jake.
“So, you’re doing this?” I asked him.
“Apparently. My mom seems really into it.”
This wasn’t how I pictured our first real phone conversation going. “Well, it will help my mom out. And you’ll get a cool new room.”
“I guess.”
Mom handed me a sheet of paper. I grimaced as I read it. “Umm. Jake, Mom wanted me to tell you to be sure and remove any personal items before they start tomorrow.” I shook my head in Mom’s direction.
She nodded yes.
“Okay,” he said. “Like what?”
“Well, she, um. Gave me a list. It’s for your sake you know. Okay, here goes. Anything you wouldn’t want viewers nationwide to see including but not limited to: magazines, posters, videos, screensavers, underwear, contraceptives,” I hurried through the list faster as I grew more embarrassed, “feminine hygiene products, bras, lingerie.” My cheeks were seriously burning. “This is the list Mom gives everyone, of course. Items of a private nature. And anything that may have fallen under your bed without you noticing.”
He was silent for a beat. Then, he coughed. “I can’t believe you just said those things.”
“Me either.” I thought I would die of humiliation.
“See you at school,” he said. “And I’ll be sure to hide my bras and stuff.”
Laughing helped.
After school on Monday, we rode the bus to Jake’s. This time we sat together. Several girls were whispering about us, and one of Jake’s buds kept giving him funny looks. I couldn’t wait to escape from the big yellow fishbowl.
Jake was dying to see what they were doing to his room, and I wanted to see how Mom was getting along with Sheree.
“I hope it doesn’t get around school that your mother’s been in my bedroom all day,” he joked.
“Gross.” I punched him. “You wish. My mom is hot.”
“Yeah, right. I’ve seen your dad remember.”
“So, just because he’s no hottie doesn’t mean Mom isn’t. That would mean your mom isn’t hot cuz she’s dating him.”
“My mom isn’t hot,” he said with a shudder. “She’s my mom.”
“Whatever.” We stopped to pet Indiana who greeted us with slobbery kisses.
We dodged some lighting guys, and managed to get upstairs.
“Zoe,” Mom greeted me as we walked through the wet paint smell into his room.
“Hey,” I said. “How’s it going?” I looked around. They’d cleared
I’d have loved to help her out, but I didn’t have any ideas. The only teenage boy I knew well enough to ask was Jake. And she could forget that.
“We can’t just use any place. It has to be a clean house of the right size. It has to be local. The homeowners have to be willing to put up with a lot of chaos for a week.” She started chewing on the other hand.
“Can’t you do our living room or something?”
“No. I have extensive plans for a teenage boy. I’ve got nothing for a living room.”
“What were you planning for next week?” I asked. She usually planned two weeks of shooting at a time.
“A bathroom. And we can’t get the contractors until next week.” The way she was going after those nails, she could break a tooth.
“Okay. Well, there has to be a solution.” Surely, she’d think of something.
“I’m not missing a production date. I’m not giving the network any excuses for giving Mack my Saturday night slot.”
Why am I so nice? “What about Jake?” I said, wincing as I did.
“Jake’s room!” She jumped up, excited. “Perfect.”
“His mom seems to be neat, and his house is bigger than ours. I don’t know if he’ll go for it though.”
“I’ll call his mom right now,” she said, heading for the phone.
Mom always had the homeowner do the room with her. “Mom,” I called. “What about the part about working with Dad’s girlfriend?”
“I’ll live.” She turned and gave me a half-smile. “I’ve got no choice.”
An hour of animated phone calls later, Mom handed me the phone and said it was Jake.
“So, you’re doing this?” I asked him.
“Apparently. My mom seems really into it.”
This wasn’t how I pictured our first real phone conversation going. “Well, it will help my mom out. And you’ll get a cool new room.”
“I guess.”
Mom handed me a sheet of paper. I grimaced as I read it. “Umm. Jake, Mom wanted me to tell you to be sure and remove any personal items before they start tomorrow.” I shook my head in Mom’s direction.
She nodded yes.
“Okay,” he said. “Like what?”
“Well, she, um. Gave me a list. It’s for your sake you know. Okay, here goes. Anything you wouldn’t want viewers nationwide to see including but not limited to: magazines, posters, videos, screensavers, underwear, contraceptives,” I hurried through the list faster as I grew more embarrassed, “feminine hygiene products, bras, lingerie.” My cheeks were seriously burning. “This is the list Mom gives everyone, of course. Items of a private nature. And anything that may have fallen under your bed without you noticing.”
He was silent for a beat. Then, he coughed. “I can’t believe you just said those things.”
“Me either.” I thought I would die of humiliation.
“See you at school,” he said. “And I’ll be sure to hide my bras and stuff.”
Laughing helped.
After school on Monday, we rode the bus to Jake’s. This time we sat together. Several girls were whispering about us, and one of Jake’s buds kept giving him funny looks. I couldn’t wait to escape from the big yellow fishbowl.
Jake was dying to see what they were doing to his room, and I wanted to see how Mom was getting along with Sheree.
“I hope it doesn’t get around school that your mother’s been in my bedroom all day,” he joked.
“Gross.” I punched him. “You wish. My mom is hot.”
“Yeah, right. I’ve seen your dad remember.”
“So, just because he’s no hottie doesn’t mean Mom isn’t. That would mean your mom isn’t hot cuz she’s dating him.”
“My mom isn’t hot,” he said with a shudder. “She’s my mom.”
“Whatever.” We stopped to pet Indiana who greeted us with slobbery kisses.
We dodged some lighting guys, and managed to get upstairs.
“Zoe,” Mom greeted me as we walked through the wet paint smell into his room.
“Hey,” I said. “How’s it going?” I looked around. They’d cleared
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