At dinner that night, Daddy asked me about practice and then about Lee Ann. He smiled and hugged me and told me what everyone else was telling me, that Lee Ann would get over it. I hoped he was right.
As we cleared plates from the table, I took a deep breath and said, “So, Matt Carmichael asked if I want to go to a movie on Saturday.”
Daddy grinned at me. “What did you say?”
“I said yes.” I bent my head down so he couldn’t see my reddening cheeks. “If it’s okay with you.”
“Sure, it’s okay,” he said, still grinning. “I mean, I need the details. What movie are you going to see? Who’s driving? When will you be home? But ... it’s okay with me.”
“Thanks, Dad.”
“You said his mom is a teacher?” he asked.
“Yeah, she just started teaching at 57.”
“Where is his dad?”
“He’s in Florida. He’s got a new family.”
“Ah.” Daddy nodded. “Well, he seems like a nice kid.”
I nodded.
The front door opened and Treva breezed into the kitchen.
“Hey,” she said, kissing Daddy on the cheek. “I hope I’m not late.”
“You’re right on time,” Daddy said. It was five till seven.
“I’m gonna go change.” I went to my room to put on shorts and a T-shirt for practice.
When I came back into the kitchen, Treva smiled at me.
“So,” she said, “you have a date!”
I glared at Daddy. He grinned and Treva laughed.
“That’s great,” she said. “I can’t wait to meet him.”
Sarah arrived and we went to the backyard to practice our dance. After an hour, we were finished rehearsing and drinking Cokes on the front porch.
“Is Heather mad at you?” I asked her.
“No,” she said, looking puzzled. “Why?”
“Lee Ann is really mad at me,” I said. “She doesn’t want me to be on the drill team.”
“Well, too bad for her,” Sarah said. “She’s supposed to be your best friend. She should be happy for you.”
“Yeah.” I nodded unhappily. “I guess so.”
“Heather was upset at first,” she continued. “But she didn’t ever get mad at me because I made it.”
“That’s good.”
Treva walked out carrying a plate of chocolate chip cookies.
“Fresh from the oven,” she proclaimed.
“When did you have time to make those?” Sarah asked, clearly impressed.
“She buys refrigerated dough,” I said.
“Beats baking from scratch!” Treva set the plate down between us. “So, have you told Sarah about your big date?”
Sarah’s eyes widened. “You have a date? With who?”
I wanted to kill Treva.
“Matt Carmichael,” I mumbled.
“The new guy in Mr. Lawson’s class?”
I nodded.
“He’s cute,” she said.
Sarah had collected a string of boyfriends since junior high.
“Where are you going?” she asked.
“To the movies.”
She nodded. “That’s a good first date. You don’t have to talk too much.”
I hadn’t thought about that.
“What are you gonna wear?” she asked.
“I don’t know.” I hadn’t thought about that, either.
“Well,” she said, “if you want, I can come over and do your hair for you. And your makeup.” She smiled at me.
“That sounds like fun!” Treva trilled. “I’ll bring the camera!”
“Um,” I said. “I wasn’t going to wear any makeup.”
“Oh, you have to wear makeup,” Sarah insisted. “Just a little mascara, maybe? You have really pretty eyes.”
“That’s a good idea,” Treva agreed. “And if you want, we can go to Broad Ripple Saturday morning and get you a new outfit, something fun and a little bit flirty.”
“I love Broad Ripple!” Sarah said.
“Well, you should come with us,” Treva said. “We’ll make a day of it.”
“Okay,” Sarah said. “Thanks.”
And so it was settled, without my ever agreeing to any of it—a day with Treva and Sarah, lunch and shopping in Broad Ripple, and a makeover. I felt like I might throw up.
What I really wanted to do was call Lee Ann. But, of course, I couldn’t.
By the time I got to school the next day, it seemed like everyone knew about my date with Matt. Three people stopped me to talk about it before first period had even begun. Sarah was nice, but she definitely didn’t keep things to herself.
In the cafeteria, Lee Ann appeared behind me in the lunch line.
“So,” she said, “you’re going out with him?”
“Yeah,” I said.
“Good!” she said, smiling. “I told you he’d ask you.”
A huge wave of relief flooded through me.
“Yeah,” I agreed. “You did.”
We inched forward in the line, choosing grilled cheese sandwiches and chocolate milk.
“So,” she said as we sat at our usual table. “Do you want me to come do your hair?”
“Oh,” I stammered. “Um, well, actually Sarah is coming.”
Her smile faltered. “Oh,” she said. “Okay.”
“But you should come, too,” I said. “I didn’t even ask her to come. Treva did.”
“Whatever,” she said, her voice flat.
“Please come,” I begged. “They’ve set up this whole day and I ... I really wish you’d come.”
She chewed her sandwich, her eyes on the table.
“Hey!” Sarah set her tray down beside mine. “Did you tell Lee Ann about the big date?”
“We were just ...” I started.
“No, actually,” Lee Ann snapped. “She did not tell me about it. I had to hear about it from Luce Watkins.”
“Oh,” Sarah said. “Well, maybe if you’d been acting like a friend instead of a jealous bitch, Judy would have told you herself.”
Lee Ann’s eyes widened; her cheeks grew red. She rose, picked up her tray, and stalked away from the table.
“Geesh,” Sarah said. “What is wrong with her?”
“I don’t know,” I mumbled. But I did know. I knew just how she felt. She felt the way I did every time Mama let me down.
After school, we had one final practice before the next day’s tryouts. I fumbled through the steps, turning at the wrong time and nearly knocking over the girl beside me.
“What’s wrong?” Sarah whispered.
I shrugged, missing another step.
“Judy?” It was Miss Harrison. She waved to me. I left the line and walked to where she sat with a senior named Becky Wright.
“Are you okay?” Miss Harrison asked. “You seem ... distracted.”
I shrugged my shoulders.
“Look,” she said, patting the chair beside her. I sat down. “I heard about your friend, Lee Ann, is that her name?”
I stared at her. How on earth did Miss Harrison know about Lee Ann?
Becky leaned forward and smiled at me.
“My sister is in Lee Ann’s algebra class.”
Ah, that explained that.
“I know it’s upsetting when your friend is mad at you,” Miss Harrison said. “But you are doing really well, Judy. You have a definite shot at making the squad.”
“Really?” I looked up then.
“Really,” she said, smiling. “So, rule number one of the Hornet Honeys is, no matter what else is happening, when you’re on the field you’re on. Put everything else out of your mind, and just dance. Okay?”
“Okay,” I said.
“Good.” She smiled again. “Now get back out there and show us what you can do.”
I concentrated hard on the dance, feeling a rush of adrenaline when I completed the trickiest sequence without faltering. I could see Becky Wright and Miss Harrison watching me. I smiled until I thought my c
heeks would crack.
The next day, Sarah and I made the squad. We were both officially Hornet Honeys.
36
On Saturday, Treva arrived at ten, Sarah just behind her. Both of them were more excited about the day, it seemed, than I was. We drove to Broad Ripple.
“Grateful Threads?” Treva asked as she parked the car.
“What’s that?” Sarah asked.
“It’s a great store,” Treva said. “Judy likes it, don’t you?”
“Sure,” I said. Honestly, I just wanted to go home.
“Wow.” Sarah sighed when we entered the shop. “This is too cool.”
I tried on several outfits—hip-hugger jeans with a baby-doll top, skin-tight red pants with a colorful oversized blouse, a short skirt with a midriff-baring top. I looked ridiculous.
Then, Treva spotted a pair of acid-washed jeans. I tried them on and they fit like a glove.
“Good,” she said, nodding. “Now we need a top to go with it.”
“How about this?” Sarah held up a black-and-white striped tank-top with a scooped neckline and a short-cropped denim jacket.
I had to admit, the outfit looked good.
“It needs something,” Treva said, looking at my reflection in the mirror.
“Here.” Sarah draped a black lacey scarf around my neck.
“Perfect,” Treva said, smiling. “What do you think, Judy?”
I stared at myself in the mirror.
“It’s okay,” I said.
“It’s better than okay.” Sarah laughed, pushing my shoulder lightly. “It’s perfect. Matt won’t know what hit him.”
We bought a pair of dangly silver earrings to complete the outfit, then headed to the Parthenon for lunch.
“This is great,” Sarah said, gazing around the restaurant. “I didn’t even know this place was here.”
We ate falafels while Treva and Sarah chattered away about Broad Ripple and clothes and drill team. Treva’s college drill team had gone to a national competition. She’d even been the caption of the squad her senior year.
I sat listening to them, thinking how surreal it felt to be out with Treva again, and with Sarah. How much had changed since the first time we’d come shopping in Broad Ripple all those years ago. Suddenly, I wondered what Mama would think if she could see me sitting there. She’d probably die if she knew I was going to be a Hornet Honey—glorified Barbie dolls, she’d once called the pom-pom girls dancing during halftime of a football game on television. I smiled, thinking about how much she would hate me being one of them.
At home that afternoon, Sarah moussed my hair so it looked messy and a little bit spiky. Treva snapped pictures with her camera, stopping now and then to give advice. When my hair was done, Sarah brushed blush onto my cheeks and smoky gray eye shadow on my eyelids. Then she twirled my lashes around the mascara brush and ran lipstick across my lips. When she was done, I stared in the mirror at a young woman I barely recognized. Was that me?
I looked older and wilder and ... well, kind of sexy. I hoped Matt would like the new me.
Sarah left before dinner, kissing my cheek and telling me to call her later and tell her all about it.
At seven, I was pacing around the living room, trying hard not to chew off the lipstick she had applied so carefully. Daddy and Treva sat on the couch, watching me.
“You look great,” Treva said. “Doesn’t she look great?” she asked Daddy.
He smiled. “She looks beautiful,” he said. “All grown up.”
The doorbell rang and I started toward the door.
“Oh no,” Treva said, taking my arm and steering me toward the stairs. “Upstairs with you. We’ll call you in a minute, and then you can make a grand entrance.”
She seemed firm on this, so I walked up the stairs and waited in my room.
After what seemed like a very long time, Daddy called me. “Judy, are you ready? Matt’s here.”
I walked down the stairs, trying hard not to think about how stupid I felt. Matt stood with Daddy and Treva in the front hall. He grinned when he saw me.
“Wow,” he said, “you look ... great.”
“Thanks,” I mumbled.
“Okay,” Daddy said, shaking Matt’s hand. “The movie, then pizza, then home, right?”
“Yes, sir,” Matt said.
“And you’ll be back by eleven?”
“Yes, sir,” Matt repeated.
“Have fun!” Treva leaned forward and kissed me quickly on the cheek.
“Yeesh,” I said as we walked to the car Matt had borrowed from his mother. “Sorry about that.”
He laughed. “It’s okay. They’re nice.”
We saw several people we knew at the movie theater, and I felt awkward and very conspicuous in my new clothes and makeup. Matt bought the tickets and then got us Cokes from the concession stand. I was relieved to finally sit down in the darkened theater to watch Back to the Future. As the previews began, Matt reached over and took my hand in his. I sighed happily and relaxed into my seat.
We went to Pizza Hut after the movie. It seemed like half of Howe High School was there.
“Hey, Judy!” Sarah waved from a table in the back. “How was the movie?”
“It was good,” I said. “Funny.”
“Do you guys want to sit with us?” She smiled at Matt.
“Uh, that’s okay,” he said. “I think we’re gonna sit over there.” He pointed to a booth that had just been cleaned.
“Okay,” Sarah said. “Have fun.”
The girls giggled as we walked to the booth.
“Sorry,” I said.
“What for?”
“I don’t know.” And I really wasn’t sure what I was sorry about.
“You apologize a lot,” he said. “Mostly for stuff that’s not your fault.”
“Do I?” I asked. “Sorry.”
He laughed and so did I. We ordered a pizza and talked about the movie.
“I’d love to have a car like that,” he said, pulling a slice of pizza onto his plate.
“One that could time travel?” I smiled.
“No.” He laughed. “I mean, that would be cool, I guess. But I’d settle for a DeLorean.”
“Me too.” I laughed. “I’d settle for a used Pacer.”
“You look really different tonight,” he said. “Your hair and ... everything.”
“I know,” I said. “Treva and Sarah went a little nuts.”
“It’s nice,” he said. “You look good. Just ... different.”
“I feel kind of stupid.”
“Why?” he asked. “You look really good.”
“Thanks.”
When we had eaten the pizza, we drove toward home. It was ten fifteen.
“We’ve got forty-five minutes,” Matt said. “Do you want to go to the park?”
“Okay.” I wasn’t sure what we would do at the park. But I wasn’t ready to go home.
We parked in a dark lot and sat for a minute.
Oh, God, I thought. He wants to make out.
Lee Ann had told me about making out. One time, we had even practiced kissing. But I hadn’t ever actually kissed a guy.
Matt smiled at me. “Let’s swing,” he said.
He got out of the car and I sat for a second, torn between relief and disappointment. Then I followed him to the swings.
“Here,” he said. “I’ll get you started.”
He pushed me until I was swinging high into the air. Then he took the swing next to mine and started pumping himself.
My hair whipped around my face. I knew that all of Sarah’s careful handiwork would be ruined, but I didn’t care. I felt free.
After a while, we slowed the swings to a stop and sat, just talking. We talked about school and his time in Kentucky and his mom’s new job. He told me about the time he’d visited his father in Florida, and how weird that had been.
And then, I told him about Mama. Not everything, of course. I didn’t tell him about Mr. Jenson or Derrick or an
y of that. But I did tell him how she left, over and over again. When I had finished, he stood and held his hand out to me, pulling me up from the swing.
“I’m sorry,” he said softly. “That really sucks.”
And then he kissed me. Softly at first, and then more firmly, pulling me close to him. I felt my mouth open to his, felt his tongue on mine. It was completely different than when I had practiced with Lee Ann. It felt ... safe and thrilling all at the same time.
He drove me home, humming along to the radio. He parked in the driveway and walked me to the door. Then he kissed me again, lightly this time. I was acutely aware that my dad was on the other side of the door.
“I’ll see you tomorrow, maybe,” he said.
“Okay.”
He walked toward the car.
“Matt,” I called after him. “Thank you.”
“Thank you, too,” he said.
I watched as he backed out of the driveway, then took a deep breath and opened the front door. Dad and Treva sat on the couch, studiously pretending to watch whatever was on the television.
“Oh, hey, peanut!” Daddy said. “How was the movie?”
“It was good,” I said.
“Did you have fun?”
“Yeah.”
“What did he think of your new look?” Treva asked.
“He liked it.”
“Good,” she said, smiling.
“I’m going up,” I said, heading toward my room and privacy and time to think about the night and the kiss and Matt.
37
Every afternoon for the next two weeks I spent on the football field, learning to march in precision step with the other girls and find my mark at just the right beat. We practiced with the band, and my spot was directly in front of the drum line. It was not the most visible spot—the premier places were held by the seniors—but it suited me just fine. I loved feeling the rumble of the drums up my spine. Besides, I wasn’t ready to be front and center yet.
Sarah and I stood side by side, concentrating hard on hitting our marks.
“Smile!” Miss Harrison yelled through her megaphone. “Don’t forget to smile!”
We smiled until our cheeks hurt. By the end of each practice, we were hot, sweaty, and sore. But the routine was looking good, and I was very proud to be part of it.
Sometimes the guys from the football team watched us as we finished up and they prepared to take over the field.
The Sometimes Daughter Page 27
