“What do you mean, ‘Matty’s in charge’? I seriously hope you’re not talking about me!”
“Calm down. Your father and I just don’t want to see you get into any more trouble.” Mom points my phone at me while she speaks. “Your father is contacting a lawyer today. We need to find out what has to be done before this court date and make sure it’s okay for you to leave the state. He’s stressed enough about his business; we can’t have you calling and texting Joey from here to Arizona.”
“So you mean Matty is getting control of my phone?”
“Sweetie, it’s for the best. We love you.”
“So I’m going to be on house arrest, except in a car.” I give Mom my pout face. “Keep my phone. I’ll just borrow Matty’s.”
“You know how much I text you and your brother. I don’t want to run up Matty’s bill. And anyway—” Mom shakes her head.
“What?”
Her shoulders slump in resignation. “There’s a GPS in your phone. Your father will feel better if we track you during this trip.”
“Holy mother of . . . are you kidding me? A GPS? Since when?”
“Since always. From the time we got you your first phone.”
“Eddie better have one too.”
“Watch your tone, young lady. He does. He just doesn’t know about it.”
I’m certainly not going to tell him. Let him find out the hard way. Then I begin inventorying any other lies I may have told over the years regarding my physical location. It’s all too much. My head is spinning.
“I can’t take this. I don’t want to go. Please don’t make me go. Who’s gonna walk Pony? You know he only likes to sleep with me.”
“The dog will be fine, and you don’t have a choice. Look, this isn’t easy for us, either, but it’s clear that you’re not thinking about the consequences of your actions.” Mom massages her temple and I can tell she’s not done talking. “Believe it or not, I know what it’s like to be obsessed with a boy. Sometimes the best cure is distance. It gives you perspective. Besides, you may even have fun. Did you ever consider that?”
Obsessed? I’m not obsessed. All I can do is scowl as I grab for my Hello Kitty mug. Kitty’s polka-dotted purse is fading from too many dishwasher runs, but I still love it. I fix my coffee the way I like it: First, I put in three teaspoons of sugar. Next, a splash of hot coffee to melt the sugar. Then, lots of half-and-half. Finally, I pour the coffee until it’s the exact mocha shade that I like. Light and sweet. I help myself to a big plate of bacon and scrambled eggs before thinking twice about it and sliding some back onto the griddle. I’m a big eater and I’ve been blessed with a metabolism that keeps up, but I’ve been overdoing it lately. There’s a delicate balance between “curvy” and “chubby.”
I slip Pony a bacon strip and he gobbles it without even chewing. I’m just about to take a bite of my eggs when Matty taps on the back door and lets himself in.
“Space, remember?” I say.
“Take it easy. I’m just dropping off the revised itinerary and then I’m gone,” he says. “I printed an extra copy for your parents, too.”
“What a good boy.” Mom gives him a hug. Inside, I’m rolling my eyes.
I’m about to say something snarky, but I just can’t. With his cropped hair and perpetually flushed cheeks, no matter how old Matty gets, he’s still the little boy next door.
“Thanks, Matty,” I say instead.
“You’re welcome,” he says. “It’s going to be an adventure.”
I don’t want an adventure. I want Joey and my old life back. But Mom and Matty are both looking at me, so I give them my best attempt at a sincere smile. I’m tired of letting people down.
• • •
The next day, I’m more shocked than anyone when my parents allow me to go to the mall with Lilliana to buy a few things for my trip. Inside, they’re softies. Not that I’m gonna point this out or anything. I have to call them from the house phone both before I leave and as soon as I return. I have exactly two hours. Mom takes my cell to work with her. She considered letting Lilliana carry it—the GPS would allow her to track me all day—but she decided against it. My parents are softies, not stupid. Anyway, they don’t have anything to worry about. I want to earn back their trust.
“What are you complaining about?” Lilliana asks. We’re at Macy’s and she’s trying on sunglasses. She has an adorable button nose, the kind you’d ask for if you were getting a nose job. All styles of shades look good on her. “Three guys, the open road, Arizona. And time away from that tool. It’s like a country song.”