“Vida, thank you for having dinner with us tonight,” Mr. Clay said sincerely.
“Thank you for having me. I love coming to visit,” I told him truthfully.
He smiled in return. “You’re always welcome here.” The warm comfort of his words sent happy feelings through me; happy feelings that I didn’t often experience in my own home.
We finished passing around the plates and bowl of entrées, then Mr. Clay said a short grace before we started to eat.
“Girls, what are your plans for tonight? Your dad and I are going out to a night late fundraiser, so please promise me you both will be on your best behavior.”
“I have Vida with me, and she’s the good one, so …” Amber laughed.
“Our only child gets away with too much, honey,” Mr. Clay told his wife with a straight face, but his eyes were filled with love as he glanced at Amber. He had always been the softer parent.
“Amber.” Her mom raised her eyebrows.
“We won’t get into any trouble … promise.”
Once we’d finished dinner, Amber’s parents left to get ready and we went to Amber’s room to get ready for our own night out. Leaving Amber to rampage her closet for clothes, I grabbed my phone out of my bag and took a seat on the carpet by the side of her bed, resting my back against the frame. There was a text from my dad letting me know he’d be gone for the weekend. As if I hadn’t already figured that out. He was gone every weekend.
“Here.” Amber tossed a pair of dark denim shorts and a light grey top on my lap. “That will be cute on you.”
“What’s wrong with what I’m wearing?” I glanced down at my pink and white flannel and light colored jeans.
“What you’re wearing is not sexy enough. We can’t look like a bunch of high school kids at a frat party.”
I blinked. “Um, frat party? I don’t know if that’s a good idea. Can we just stay in and have a slumber party instead?”
“But I want to go,” she pouted.
I sighed. “Fine, we’ll go, but we’re only staying for a couple of hours. I don’t want to chance anything.”
“Chance what? Your life plan?” She rolled her eyes.
I threw the clothes back at her. “Amber, don’t make me regret telling you. You know how much my plans mean to me.”
“I’m sorry.” She frowned. “I take it back. Please forgive me.”
“You’re forgiven,” I sighed. I could never stay mad at her.
She grinned. “Are you getting dressed now?”
“Yes.”
“Yay!” She fist-pumped the air. “We’re going to have so much fun!”
I sure hope so, I thought as I picked the clothes off the floor. I changed as she continued to look for an outfit to wear. As I walked back to her bed, I noticed her notebooks spread out on the blankets. Her binder was open and in big writing on the section divider was Mr. Tomlinson’s phone number. I gasped.
“Does this look okay?”
I turned around, hoping she hadn’t noticed my intense reaction at seeing Connor’s number.
“Are you okay?”
“Just nervous about the party,” I lied. The lie wasn’t far from the truth.
“First and last party we’re going to. I won’t drag you to another, okay?”
“Amber, it’s okay. I’ll be fine. And parties are great, just with people are own age.”
“But, if Mr. Tomlinson were there …”
I laughed to ease the weird, unknown feeling growing in me. Jealously? Protectiveness? Wanting? “Are your parents gone?” I asked, changing the subject.
“Let’s wait another thirty minutes. Makeup?”
I nodded and climbed on the bed, pressing my back against the headboard. My eyes remained cast on Connor’s number as I rubbed my finger along his name.
“Did you write down his number?” Amber asked, climbing on the bed with her makeup bag.
“No, I forgot,” I said sadly.
Amber reached for a pen and scribbled down Connor’s number on a blank paper and handed it to me. “Problem solved.”
I took the paper with shaky hands and gingerly slipped it into my back pocket. “Thank you.”
“What did you talk to him in private about?” she asked, applying powder to her face.
“My grades,” I lied again, instantly feeling bad. I wish I could share this secret with you, I thought. I reached for the mascara, carefully applying it to my lashes.
She smiled. “How was it being alone with him?”
“It was like nothing.” Lies again.
“Oh my God, I would have been falling all over myself with lust.”