easy, and Greek Myth as well. Fourth period, Kate asks Maddie if she knows whether she made the Patriots yet—but no, no news on that front.
Kate waits for Maddie to show up fifth hour, even though it would mean her friend’s second unexcused absence in one week. She doesn’t show, but Sean does. He approaches Kate the way he might a rabid dog.
“Uh, hey—what’s fun, honeybuns?” he winces. “I’m sorry. For everything that I did wrong.”
“It’s alright.” Kate replies, wanting to say more but not sure how.
“So…“ Sean kicks a rock on the ground. “Do you wanna go to lunch?”
“Yeah.” They head for Sean’s car.
“Hey, wait for me!” Kate looks for the voice. It’s Devon’s brother. “Hey, Sean, is it cool if I tag along with you?”
“Of course, man.” Sean glances at Kate. “If, uh, that’s alright with you.”
“Fine.”
“Thanks.” Dom falls in step with the pair. “Devon’s going to Dad’s, probably gonna come back drunk. He’s a dumbass sometimes.”
All the time... Still, Kate feels a pang of sympathy. Maybe he hasn’t taken the break-up as well as Hannah thought.
Sean pulls onto Larkspur. “So, uh, Kate—“ he glances in the rearview “—I think we need to talk.”
“Now?” She looks pointedly at Dom.
“Don’t worry, Dom’s cool. And this will be quick. I just wanna know why you’re mad at me.”
Kate takes a deep breath. If he was going to ask, why couldn’t he wait until a better time? “I, uh… Do you remember last Friday night?”
Sean shakes his head. “Why? Did I do something dumb?”
Oh yeah. “You, uh, you came over to my house and you told me you were high on ecstasy and drunk and…“ she pretends to be interested in the air conditioning. “And you told me you’d had a crush on me since elementary school.”
Sean’s brow knits. “So? That’s sweet, right?”
“Yeah, well, it would be if we had gone to elementary school together.”
Sean laughs. “Oops, sorry. So you’re mad because I said some stupid line?”
“No. I—“ Kate fiddles with her air vent “—I guess I was mad ‘cause, like, Aude went to elementary school with you. So I thought you maybe thought you were talking to her.”
Sean laughs again—too loudly to be believable. “No, of course not. Have you ever seen what Audrey looked like in elementary school? She had these long skirts, and button-up shirts, and knee-high socks. Like she was always headed for church.”
“Well, how come you remember it?”
“’Cause it was funny. I mean, there’s a reason we called her Odd. By the way, I was thinking Panda Express. Is that cool?”
“Yeah, it’s fine.”
“Panda sounds good,” Dom says.
Sean flicks the radio on. They get through half of a weird techno song Kate’s never heard before. Sean pulls up to the closest spot and pulls the parking brake.
Kate steps out of the car, and pushes the seat forward for Dom. As he crouches through the small exit, his foot kicks a bottle of brown liquid; it rolls just enough that Kate can read the label: Maker’s Mark Whiskey.
“Is that what you were drinking last week?” she asks, pointing to the bottle.
“What? Oh, yeah.” Sean
Kate waits for Maddie to show up fifth hour, even though it would mean her friend’s second unexcused absence in one week. She doesn’t show, but Sean does. He approaches Kate the way he might a rabid dog.
“Uh, hey—what’s fun, honeybuns?” he winces. “I’m sorry. For everything that I did wrong.”
“It’s alright.” Kate replies, wanting to say more but not sure how.
“So…“ Sean kicks a rock on the ground. “Do you wanna go to lunch?”
“Yeah.” They head for Sean’s car.
“Hey, wait for me!” Kate looks for the voice. It’s Devon’s brother. “Hey, Sean, is it cool if I tag along with you?”
“Of course, man.” Sean glances at Kate. “If, uh, that’s alright with you.”
“Fine.”
“Thanks.” Dom falls in step with the pair. “Devon’s going to Dad’s, probably gonna come back drunk. He’s a dumbass sometimes.”
All the time... Still, Kate feels a pang of sympathy. Maybe he hasn’t taken the break-up as well as Hannah thought.
Sean pulls onto Larkspur. “So, uh, Kate—“ he glances in the rearview “—I think we need to talk.”
“Now?” She looks pointedly at Dom.
“Don’t worry, Dom’s cool. And this will be quick. I just wanna know why you’re mad at me.”
Kate takes a deep breath. If he was going to ask, why couldn’t he wait until a better time? “I, uh… Do you remember last Friday night?”
Sean shakes his head. “Why? Did I do something dumb?”
Oh yeah. “You, uh, you came over to my house and you told me you were high on ecstasy and drunk and…“ she pretends to be interested in the air conditioning. “And you told me you’d had a crush on me since elementary school.”
Sean’s brow knits. “So? That’s sweet, right?”
“Yeah, well, it would be if we had gone to elementary school together.”
Sean laughs. “Oops, sorry. So you’re mad because I said some stupid line?”
“No. I—“ Kate fiddles with her air vent “—I guess I was mad ‘cause, like, Aude went to elementary school with you. So I thought you maybe thought you were talking to her.”
Sean laughs again—too loudly to be believable. “No, of course not. Have you ever seen what Audrey looked like in elementary school? She had these long skirts, and button-up shirts, and knee-high socks. Like she was always headed for church.”
“Well, how come you remember it?”
“’Cause it was funny. I mean, there’s a reason we called her Odd. By the way, I was thinking Panda Express. Is that cool?”
“Yeah, it’s fine.”
“Panda sounds good,” Dom says.
Sean flicks the radio on. They get through half of a weird techno song Kate’s never heard before. Sean pulls up to the closest spot and pulls the parking brake.
Kate steps out of the car, and pushes the seat forward for Dom. As he crouches through the small exit, his foot kicks a bottle of brown liquid; it rolls just enough that Kate can read the label: Maker’s Mark Whiskey.
“Is that what you were drinking last week?” she asks, pointing to the bottle.
“What? Oh, yeah.” Sean
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