by J.T. Stoll
Vero leaned against a mailbox planted in the cement of the sidewalk. Overhead, the sky changed to dark blue as the sun painted a few last wispy clouds pink. Streetlights flipped on. Behind her, a happy family enjoyed the clean interior of one of San Luis Obispo’s homes. She sighed.
SLO, about halfway between Los Angeles and San Francisco, was definitely an improvement over Bakersfield and the Central Valley. Here, grassy hills created a matchless scenery surrounding the small town. Parks and trails spread around the city, and the beach was about fifteen minutes down the highway. Everyone joked how Oprah had once named it the happiest town in America. With the flawless weather, friendly population, and safe neighborhoods, Vero missed nothing about her old hometown, except friends.
But last spring had been an awful time to move. Right now, she should be jumping into her senior year with friends she’d had since forever. Instead, she lost her boyfriend and came to a town where she knew no one beyond her family. Meeting Kristin and Carrie had helped. She’d also somehow managed to land the most connected guy in the school, a huge boost to her own status. Still, these white kids in idyllic SLO had grown up in a different world from the heat and dirt of the Central Valley.
A white two-door Toyota with a dent in the bumper and a scrape across the driver’s side pulled around the corner. Pieter had gotten it for his eighteenth birthday. His dad, a physics professor at Cal Poly SLO, tended toward expensive presents. It seemed like his way of competing against Pieter’s mom for his son’s affection.
“Hola, chica,” Pieter called from behind an open window. It was about the extent of his Spanish, despite two years. He smiled that smile that never left his lips.
“Hey.”
“Hop on in the White Lady.”
She opened the door and climbed inside.
“You know, you don’t have to wait out there. Your mom’s not that bad.”
Vero shook her head. “No, it’s fine. I wasn’t waiting long.”
He stared as though wanting to say more, as though he suspected something. Or maybe it was just the length of her skirt.
As they drove, he stayed quiet. Wind whipped through the windows, but Vero smelled a faint aroma of weed.
“You nervous or something?” Vero asked.
“Nah, tonight’ll be great.” His voice faltered. “It’s just that Steve’s in town.”
“Steve…”
“My brother.”
“Oh, right. Steve.”
“He showed up today and tried staying with Mom. She turned him down, for once.”
“And now?”
“He’s somewhere around town.”
His car idled at a red light. She put her hand on his on top of the gear shift and squeezed sympathetically.
“I just wish he’d get his life together,” Pieter said. “Anyways, I’m glad to have plans for tonight. Feels good to get out.”
They parked in front of a hole-in-the-wall shop called Thai This. It shared a strip mall with a guitar shop, liquor store, and Mexican restaurant.
Vero stepped out and glanced around. “You see them?”
Pieter pulled out his phone, then laughed.
“What?”
Pieter showed her the screen. It read, “I can hav grl in car! grl!”
A teal Honda cautiously turned into a nearby spot. Neil climbed out in a light-blue, button-down shirt and black slacks. He almost looked classy, except for the tennis shoes.
Gloria, in jeans and a sweater, with black hair about to her shoulders, stepped out of the passenger’s side. She followed Neil at a distance, her footsteps a little cautious. Vero recognized her, though she wasn’t sure from where.
Vero gave Neil a friendly hug. “It’s good to see you again!”
Neil’s body went rigid. “H-Hi. Good to see you too, Veronica.”
She twitched at the sound of her full name.
“Hi, I’m Gloria,” said Neil’s date.
“Vero,” Vero said with a glare at Neil. She embraced Gloria and remembered, midhug, where she recognized the girl from. “We have sixth period together, don’t we?”
“Um, yeah, we do,” Gloria replied.
Silence hung in the air.
“What took you so long?” Pieter barked at his friend.
“A raid. We had a bad pull, and it took a while to escape.”
The words sounded like a foreign language. Vero made a puzzled sound. “Huh?”
“Oh, sorry, that’s WoW. Uh, World of Warcraft. I’m the raid leader for the Army of Pwn.”
“Hey, let’s get some Thai food, okay?” Pieter said.
Vero tried her best to smile. They always made the best stories, later.
