Every Other Weekend

by Abigail Johnson

  “How about not hide out in the bushes like a complete psycho? Why are you here? I mean, how else will you two lovebirds keep the spark alive if you’re not in the apartment during the five minutes a week my dad’s there?”

  Shelly’s face went expressionless. “You really are a self-righteous little bitch, you know that?” She let out an audible exhalation and made like her knees were giving out on her. “You have no idea how good it feels to say that. I don’t even feel bad. I used to, but that was before I got to see what a conniving and entitled—” Her lips pursed. “No. Forget it. I’m done trying to cater to your emotions. Did you get a bum deal? Yeah, you did. Are you the only person on the planet whose life didn’t turn out the way you wanted? No. So it’s time for you to suck it up. This is not the fairy tale I dreamed of either.”

  I was almost impressed that Shelly was calling me out. Not that she wasn’t a total hypocrite, but that was easy enough to point out. “And yet you did all the right things. You found a guy twice your age, had an affair, broke up a marriage. I mean life is super unfair sometimes, huh?”

  “There.” Shelly pointed a shaking finger at me. “This is why I want to slap your smug face every second of every day.”

  “But then you risk giving up precious moments like this.” My voice had risen slightly, but I dropped it back down. However unpleasant this conversation was, adding Mom into the mix meant risking more than just Shelly’s life.

  Which she knew. Mom had legitimately tried to electrocute her using a stun gun and a well-timed sprinkler once. It made no sense that Shelly was there, ostensibly waiting for me.

  “You could have just called me, you know. I’d have told you I was exactly where I wanted to be.” Alone in a movie theater.

  “Except I can’t. Because you blocked my number. So I had to come here and skulk around your house trying to find out if you were inside, and then when you didn’t respond to the rocks I threw at your window, I had to wait out here for you while I froze my tits off because I couldn’t risk the queen b—your mom seeing my car.” And then Shelly burst into tears. It was horrifying. I took a step back and watched her convulse and leak all over the place.

  I hated crying. I’d have rather she vomited on me than break down like this. With Mom, crying was a regular occurrence, one I knew I could wait out if I stayed completely still and silent. But Shelly didn’t look like she was going to stop on her own.

  “I just hate you so much sometimes.”

  “Okay,” I said, glad that she was controlling herself enough to speak. “I’m fine with that, just stop crying.” I grabbed her a tissue from my bag. “You look gross.”

  Shelly half laughed, then scowled at me. “You’re just awful all the time, aren’t you?”

  “You’ve seen my gene pool. What’d you expect?”

  That comment sobered her up. “I’m not waiting up for you again. Stay out all night for all I care.”

  “I don’t remember asking you to, and we both know my dad didn’t.” Heat suffused my face at the mention of my father. Wow, did it gall that she knew exactly how low I ranked in his estimation.

  I stared at her.

  She stared at me. “Here.” She twisted her purse in front of her and dug around inside before pulling out several folded bills and slapping them into my hand. “This is to buy your dress.”

  IN BETWEEN

  Adam:

  Bad news.

  Jolene:

  The other girl you asked to the dance said yes, too, and now you’re in a sitcom situation trying to figure out how to juggle two dates?

  Adam:

  Jeremy is driving us to the dance tonight.

  Jolene:

  So the other girl said no?

  Adam:

  Funny. Jeremy got a date to the dance and it didn’t make sense to take two cars.

  Jolene:

  I’m sorry I won’t get to meet your mom.

  Adam:

  Me, too. Her, too.

  Jolene:

  I’m also morbidly curious about the girl who agreed to go out with Jeremy.

  Adam:

  I think she’s someone he met working on the play. He’s got the tiniest part ever but he never misses a rehearsal.

  Jolene:

  That’d be sweet if I hadn’t witnessed his turd act firsthand. Though I’m guessing he’s sweeter with her than he is with me.

  Adam:

  Whoever she is, we’re sharing a car with her tonight. You can go, right? We don’t have to sneak you out of your bedroom window or anything?

  Jolene:

  Sneak me out of my third-story window?

  Adam:

  I’d catch you Princess Bride–style.

  Jolene:

  !!!!

  Adam:

  Is that a yes?

  Jolene:

  That’s a yes but I kind of want to do the window thing now anyway.

  Adam:

  I vote for the front door.

  Jolene:

  I’d probably ruin my new dress going out the window.

  Adam:

  You got a new dress for me?

  Jolene:

  I got a new dress for me.

  Adam:

  I got a new suit for you.

  Jolene:

  What time are you picking me up?

  Adam:

  6

  Jolene:

  I need to prepare you for my mom.

  Adam:

  She’s letting you go. How bad can it be?

  Jolene:

  You sweet, naive boy.

  Adam:

  So prepare me.

  Jolene:

  She hasn’t spoken to me in four days. That’s a new record.

  Adam:

  Why the silent treatment?

  Jolene:

  Because I called her bluff.

  Adam:

  ?

  Jolene:

  She told me to ask my dad for money for a dress and I did.

  Adam:

  You didn’t need a new dress.

  Jolene:

  You sweet, naive boy.

  Adam:

  I don’t care what you wear as long as you come. Return the dress. And stop calling me naive.

  Jolene:

  I had to take money from Shelly for that dress. I can’t go back from that.

  Adam:

  I’m serious. Return it.

  Jolene:

  I look really good in the dress.

  Adam:

  You look good in anything. Think your mom will stay silent through me picking you up?

  Jolene:

  Here’s hoping. So tonight we’ll be an awesome teen dance movie, right?

  Adam:

  Tonight we’ll be us, so the awesome is a given.

  Jolene:

  How do you always say the right thing?

  Adam:

  I’m learning.

  Jolene:

  Oh, I’ll get to meet the famous Erica!

  Adam:

  We’ll probably want to give her some space, but she’ll be there. This guy John pulled off an elaborate ask involving the entire marching band.

  Jolene:

  Wow, seriously?

  Adam:

  Yeah. Wait, should I have done something like that?

  Jolene:

  What could possibly have been better than asking me while I lay on the couch with a heating pad on my stomach so I wouldn’t die from cramps?

  Adam:

  I suck.

  Jolene:

  I’m messing with you. Besides we don’t go to the same school.

  Adam:

  I could have done something.

 
Jolene:

  The point of the big ask is to get a yes. You got that just from saying the words. No pomp and circumstance needed.

  Adam:

  And you say I’m the one who always says the right thing.

  Jolene:

  G2G. It takes a zillion hours to do my hair.

  Adam:

  Is it weird that I’ve been dreaming about seeing you with your hair down?

  Jolene:

  Totally. See you at 6. Don’t be late!

  Adam:

  For you? Never.

  Jolene

  “Would you believe they were all out of shark dresses?”

  Adam acted like he hadn’t heard me. The second I’d opened my front door, his face had gone blank and I couldn’t tell if he was struck dumb by my overwhelming hotness or didn’t recognize me. “Well, you look nice.” I stepped forward to straighten his tie, but Adam caught my hands.

  “You’re so beautiful.”

  I stilled at the reverence in his voice and it was like the sun was rising inside me, all bright and warm.

  Okay. That felt good. I’d wanted a sort of La La Land thing, specifically the blue cocktail dress Emma Stone wore. My dress was full-length instead of knee-length, but the royal color was spot-on. I was going to freeze to death for sure, but Adam’s rather awestruck expression made it worth it.

  I twirled, because it is impossible not to when wearing a flowy skirt. My hair—which had taken two full hours to dry and curl and make look shiny and soft—swished around me like a chocolate cape. Adam swallowed.

  Worth it.

  Just then a prolonged horn blared from the driveway.

  Adam’s mouth thinned. “I need to talk to you about my brother and his date.”

  I waved him off. “We need to get a quick pic for your mom.” I sized up his jacket and then grinned when I correctly guessed which pocket held his phone. I squeezed against his side and he smiled without any prompting from me as I took the photo. “Tell her we’ll keep sending them until we get too drunk to work the phone.”

  “Jolene says hi,” Adam intoned as he typed out a quick message and sent the photo.

  I laughed. “Already editing me? Aren’t you worried I’ll do irrevocable damage to your reputation by the end of the night?”

  “You’re definitely going to do something to my reputation.”

  The sun inside me went supernova. I almost glanced down at my skin to make sure it wasn’t glowing. I grabbed my coat. “Adam, are you trying to say you like my dress?”

  “I’m actually afraid to touch you right now.”

  “Okay, now I am the one blushing.” I could feel my face heating and it was nothing compared to what I felt inside. He was way too smooth with the compliments, and he wasn’t even trying to be smooth.

  “But seriously, about Jer—”

  “Jolene! I found them!” Mom came running down the stairs, breathless but triumphant, with her fist held in the air. She brushed past Adam and, taking me by the shoulders, spun me to face the hall mirror. A second later she draped a delicate string of pearls across my collarbone and fastened the necklace. “There. You’re perfect.”

  My fingers rose to caress the pearls. They were lovely and made me look too sweet, but I said thank you because she was smiling, something she hadn’t done since I’d mentioned Adam and the winter formal.

  She’d kept up the silent treatment until about an hour earlier when Tom had shown up, and then she’d thrown herself into the role of fretful mother sending her daughter off to her first dance.

  I had to keep reminding myself that it wasn’t real, because it felt nice to have her fussing over my hair, invisible wrinkles in my dress, and her last-minute quest to find the necklace she’d worn to her prom.

  She’d gone into a panic over locating it for me, like it was some symbol of mother-daughter bonding for us both to wear the necklace. Or that was what I’d thought until I realized it was Tom’s reaction she was looking for instead of mine. It was the first time that he’d been by in a week, and she wasn’t going to waste it.

  She’d angled her body as she stood behind me so that he could see her face as she lifted it to catch the light. It was all so Stepford Wives, and not the original one either, the crummy remake that Nicole Kidman was wasted in. If I’d had more time, I’d have looked for a control panel to switch her off.

  “Lovely,” Tom said, joining us in the foyer and sliding an arm around Mom’s waist. “I can’t decide who’s prettier.”

  “Jolene,” Mom-bot said, her computer programing releasing enough fluid to add an alluring shine to her eyes when she looked at me. “She’s a vision.” She kissed both my cheeks, leaving lipsticks smears that I’d have to rub off, before turning to Adam. “Jolene, aren’t you going to introduce us?”

  “Mom, this is Adam Moynihan. Adam, this is my mom and her boyfriend, Tom.”

  I couldn’t tell what Adam was making of my mother. She was on her best behavior. It was a show she was putting on for Tom, but I didn’t care about her motive so long as she stayed that way until we left.

  Adam nodded to Tom before extending his hand to my mom. “It’s nice to meet you, Mrs. Timber. Your home is lovely.”

  “It’s wonderful to meet you, as well. Jolene has told me so much about you. Please call me Helen.”

  I hadn’t told her squat about Adam, but I was too grateful for this moment of normalcy, however artificial, to contradict her. And really, what would be the point?

  They schmoozed for approximately thirty seconds before Jeremy laid on the horn again, this time without any indication that he planned to stop.

  Mom-bot surprised me again by responding with laughter when Adam apologized for his brother. “Must be eager to start dancing with his own date. I won’t keep you, but I do want one quick photo.” She held up a finger and dashed into the other room for her phone.

  Our smiles were strained because Jeremy honked the entire time, but he did give us the excuse to leave the second the photo was taken. Mom-bot’s parting words that Adam take care of her baby followed us out.

  The horn didn’t stop until Adam was opening the back door of the car, by which time he was redder than I’d ever seen him, not from embarrassment either. He didn’t say anything as he closed my door, then walked around to the driver’s side and opened Jeremy’s.

  “If her mom wasn’t watching us right now, I’d knock your teeth out.” Then he slammed the door and slid in next to me. “I’m sorry,” he said.

  “Got us out of the house quicker.”

  “You,” Jeremy said, turning around to face me, “are welcome.”

  “And you,” I replied, “are a tool.” Then I noticed his date in the front seat and apologized.

  “It’s fine,” she said, turning in her seat to look me over. That felt...weird.

  I glanced at Adam, and it was possible that his face was ever redder.

  “Oh, right,” Jeremy said, twisting to grin at his brother. “You two haven’t met. Jolene, this is my date, Erica.”

  ADAM

  The second Jeremy started the car and the music started playing, I leaned toward Jolene and whispered, “I swear I didn’t know until we picked her up.”

  “Oh, I believe you,” Jolene whispered back, her gaze focused on the back of Erica’s head. “You said some guy asked her with a marching band?”

  “He asked but she said no. And Erica is the girl from rehearsal...” I figured Erica would be at the dance and that she and Jolene would see each other, but I’d planned to keep them well apart. I’d tasked my friends, Gideon and Rory, with helping me if necessary, but sharing a car had been beyond anything I could have planned for.

  Jeremy lowered the music. “What are you guys saying?”

  Before Jolene or I could answer, Erica spoke up. “He’s probably trying to convince her
that deep down I’m a nice person who lashes out in violence only when half the school tells me they saw my boyfriend cheating on me in the parking lot.” She turned her head a little, smiling so that we could see both rows of her teeth.

  I was so screwed.

  “No, he was explaining how his giant jerk of a brother failed to mention you were his date.” Jolene leaned forward. “And for the record, I’m fine with you slapping Adam. He never cheated on you, but I get that it looked that way.”

  Erica turned more fully in her seat. “Just because he didn’t kiss you, that doesn’t make what you were doing okay.”

  Jolene didn’t respond, and I swore to myself that I was going to make Jeremy hurt so bad when we got home.

  The drive took forever and the tension in the car grew worse. I’d tried to talk to Erica at school a few times since we’d broken up, but the second I mentioned anything beyond the Beowulf project we’d already committed to doing together, she’d walked away. There had been a ton of rumors going around school—massively exaggerated rumors—but the fact that some of them held a thread of truth were enough to make me feel like I had deserved that slap.

  “You know what, no,” Jolene said, breaking the silence. “Did it suck that people at school were talking about you? Yeah, but all Adam did was hug me. That’s all Adam’s ever done. And I don’t know if him not telling you about his friendship with me is any worse than you showing up on a date with his brother. And you—” she said, turning her attention to Jeremy “—seriously? Isn’t there, like, a code between brothers that you don’t go out with each other’s exes?”

  “I told him he could ask her,” I mumbled, and saw Jolene slowly close her eyes and keep them that way. “He was always talking about her, and when we broke up, he wouldn’t let up about what an idiot I was.” Jolene went stiff. Her stunningly gorgeous hair slid forward over one shoulder, and I swallowed. “I told him he could ask her out if he wanted, just to get him off my back, but I didn’t think he’d do this.”

  Everyone in the car stayed silent. I squeezed my eyes shut, realizing I’d just insulted both Jolene and Erica.

  “Wow,” Erica said from the front seat.

  “No,” I said, glancing at Jolene as I started to sweat. “I didn’t say it because he was right.” Then I looked at Erica. “Or that I didn’t care about you. I do. I just—”