???? “When did you decide this? He is only three and a half years older. What happened to make him see you as a grown up?”
“Wel… That is hardly going to happen if you sit around at home every weekend!” Mel shifted uncomfortably. “Effie has been hanging around a lot lately.
I think she is spending the summer in New Jersey with him when he goes back to The Herald.”
“Examiner.” Libby corrected absently. “Who’s Effie?”
“You remember I told you about her before the wedding. Cat’s eye glasses, always cold?”
“You said her name was Stephanie. What kind of a name is Effie?” Geez—how many girls was she competing with. Not that she was actualy in the competition, because she was in North Carolina and he—
wel he wasn’t.
“Did I?” Mel didn’t seem overly concerned about that detail. Mel wasn’t realy a detail kind of person.
I must have been mixed up. “It is Effie. I think she’s I must have been mixed up. “It is Effie. I think she’s Greek, or Italian, or something.”
This just got better and better. Exotic, probably had an accent, and she was obviously smart. They would hardly let dummies in at Columbia.
“He didn’t mention it to you? In any of his emails?”
Libby froze. “What do you mean?” Mel didn’t know about the emails. Unless Tony told her. Was Tony talking to Mel about her? Did she want him to?
“Don’t play dumb Lib. He emails you al the time right? And you were texting him al through the movie last weekend. I think we might have to watch something else tonight. It’s possible I am actualy outgrowing The Little Mermaid. Wel maybe we can just fast forward to the songs.”
She had been texting him during the movie.
Maybe she could have been a bit sneakier about it, but who has time for sneaky when Tony Marchetti needed her help in a crisis? Libby smiled at the memory.
Tony: whats the difference in salted or unsalted butter?
Libby: one has salt
Libby: why
Tony: I am baking cookies.
Libby: ???????
Tony: Ive seen you do it 1000 times! I am sure I can handle it. Salted or unsalted?
Libby: unsalted… you know you can buy cookies right? Premade and everything
Tony: I want to smel them baking!
***
Tony: It burned and the inside is stil raw Libby: I am almost afraid to ask … it?
Tony: The cookie
Tony: I made one big cookie
Tony: Are you stil there?
Libby: Sorry I was laughing so hard Mel kicked me out of the room you probably needed a lower temp did you at least enjoy the smel?
Tony: No it was different but I am eating the middle with a spoon now… not bad
Libby: you could get sick eating raw cookies!
Tony: after al that trouble I went to? I am wiling to risk it
The next day Libby had packed up a dozen of his favorite chocolate chip cookies and shipped them off to Tony.
Okay so Mel might have figured out the texts were from her brother. “He told you he emails me?”
“Duh—Lib. I figured it out. He knows more about what’s going on in your life than I do these days. But that isn’t my point. If you, for some reason I wil never comprehend, want to be buddies with Tony then fine. But please stop moping around the house waiting for him! I have al this teen angst and you are making me deal with it alone.” Mel smiled to show she was, mostly, joking.
“So tel me about Effie.” Libby sighed resignedly.
“Not much to tel, but they are moving in together.” There was a long pause while seemed to be waiting for a reaction. She was so not going to get one.
“You understand what I am saying right?”
“Duh, Mel.” Libby smiled halfheartedly.
Maybe she should go to prom. “I think I am going to cal Sam.”
Mel grinned, and turned to saunter out the door.
Happy end of school. I bet you are really looking forward to having the summer off. How does it feel to be a senior?
-t-
Thanks. You too. Except I guess you won’t be having the whole summer off since you are working again. Are you looking forward to New Jersey?
-L-
Libby knew she shouldn’t be fishing. But if Tony was her friend why wouldn’t he want to tel her about his living arrangements.
Yeah I guess I am probably done with summer vacations. Just wait though, when you get a little older you kinda would rather work than lay on the beach.
-T-
A little older my ass! Libby didn’t write him back for three days.
Chapter four
“We missed you at the beach this year big brother.” Mel had a phone wedged between her shoulder and ear as she chose her first day of school outfit. “You would have liked John and Parker. They were staying in the Johnson’s house next door. They are at NYU.”