News Flash

by Liz Botts

  “Edna Eubanks?”

  “That’s me.” Her smile widened.

  “I’m Allison Jones from Channel Eight news. Are you ready to do our interview?” I shook her hand, hoping she wouldn’t notice how young I was.

  “Absolutely. Where would you like to set up?” Edna smoothed her apron, and patted some imaginary stray hairs back into place.

  “Um, how about over on the sofa?” I nodded to Steve and the sound guy, Barry. The two of them both went over, and began moving tables so they could position the camera. I surveyed the surreal scene one more time before turning back to Edna. “I really like the way the light comes in through the windows. Natural light is so important to a good shot.”

  “I’m sure it is,” Edna agreed, not seeming to notice that I was babbling. “I’m just so excited to get the word out about Edna’s Eats. I really appreciate you doing this.”

  Her words humbled me, stopping me in my tracks. I hadn’t thought about the benefit to the person I was doing this for, just for what I got out of it. That must have been the problem with my first batch of ideas. None of them were truly going to make a difference, so how could they be newsworthy? I’d read Edna’s mission statement in the file, and the woman had a vision. She’d seen a problem, and had created a way to fix it. My throat felt dry, and I was having trouble swallowing.

  “Can I have a drink of water?” I croaked.

  “Of course, where are my manners?” Edna clucked. “Ask your camera crew if they’d like anything too.”

  The water washed away the stuck feeling in the back of my throat, but not the slightly sour taste in my mouth that came from my own selfishness. I had a chance to change the world, just like Mr. Fisher was always waxing poetic about in class. I could not screw this up.

  When we were seated Steve handed me the microphone and checked the lighting. Edna looked like the perfect grandmother taking time away from her mountains of baking to talk to a young friend, to impart her wisdom. The audience was going to love her. I had to admit that Marika had chosen well. I’d have to tell her that when we got back to the studio.

  “And we’re rolling in three, two, one.” Steve counted us down.

  “I’m Allison Jones, and I’m sitting here with Edna Eubanks from the new bakery and deli, Edna’s Eats. Edna, could you tell us what makes your bakery special?” I tipped the microphone toward her.

  “Well now. It’s special to me, of course, because it’s my very first business. But more than that it serves a need in community that hasn’t been fulfilled until now.”

  “And what’s that?” I prompted.

  Edna smiled, and glanced around the bakery with fondness. “We feed the hungry in a way that doesn’t take away their dignity.”

  I knew that that would be Channel Eight’s sound bite for the story, maybe even for the whole lead in. Edna sounded convicted but serene. She had authority based out of love. I really liked her. She was totally different from any of the people I had proposed, but she was perfect.

  “Can you tell our viewers how Edna’s Eats operates?” As I angled the microphone back in her direction, I quickly glanced at the notes in my lap.

  “Well, we have a simple menu based on local ingredients. We offer two sandwiches and two soups daily, as well as a full service bakery menu. So when someone comes in who can pay full price, we give them the option of paying for a second meal for someone less fortunate. If someone comes in who can’t pay full price or who can’t pay at all, we have a spot on the order ticket for them to circle what they can pay. It’s all very discreet.” Edna paused, and smoothed her apron again. “The bakery items work the same way. We aren’t here to judge people’s food choices, only to fill up their bellies.”

  Edna and I finished our interview, and while Steve and Barry packed up the equipment I laid out twenty dollars for cupcakes to take back to the office with me. I put another ten down on the counter too. “Use it for whoever needs it.”

  Jake would have devoured everything in sight if I had brought him here. He had such a huge sweet tooth it was a running joke between our two families. When we were really little he’d get into the bags of sugar at either house, and eat it by the fistful. Often he ended up vomiting after he snarfed it down, which had always deterred me from joining him in the practice. Just thinking about my best friend made my heart hurt. Our dance earlier had messed with my head, and I still hadn’t had time to sort it all out. Right before we left, I hurried back to the counter and bought Jake a monster garbage cookie. It might not make everything right between us but it would be a good start.

  ****

  Marika was talking to Chloe when I got back. The look on Chloe’s face reminded me of the way I always felt when the internship coordinator cornered me. With a grimace, Chloe nodded and headed back toward the file room. My jaw went slack as I realized she’d been given my old job. I’d never wanted Chloe to get a demotion. She’d been my only friend around the station for months. A bite of guilt pinched my stomach, and I almost turned around.

  Instead I stepped into Marika’s cubicle, and cleared my throat. She glanced at me with one eyebrow raised but didn’t say anything. “So, thanks for sending me to meet Edna Eubanks. She’s an amazing woman.”

  The ghost of a smile flitted across Marika’s face. “I know. She’s my grandmother.”

  “She’s your grandmother? Wow, you must be so proud of her. I can’t believe how much…joie de vivre she’s got. I mean, she kind of reminds me of my grandma in a lot of ways. I’m just so impressed with the work she’s doing.” I knew I was babbling, but I couldn’t stop myself.

  “She’s an amazing woman, and her business deserves to be highlighted.” Marika paused to glance up at me from her laptop. “Those are the kinds of stories you should be doing.”

  I nodded. “You are absolutely right. There have to be dozens of people just down the street who deserve to be showcased for the work they are doing. Thank you for sending me to Edna. It was perfect.”

  The surprise on Marika’s face couldn’t be masked fast enough. Her eyebrows nearly shot off her forehead. We stood staring at each other for a few moments before Marika regained control of her features, and the mask slammed back down.

  “You should start your editing. Rory will help you out today, but in the future you’ll be expected to do it on your own, so pay attention.” With that Marika dismissed me.

  After Rory showed me how to cut down the raw footage and edit together a cohesive program, he leaned in to kiss me gently on the lips. He tasted faintly of beer again, and I wondered if he’d had one with lunch. It was sort of gross. Still, it was nice to have a boyfriend that wanted to kiss me, and to come to stupid fake proms with me.

  “I’ll call you later,” he said, as I packed up my stuff for the weekend.

  ****

  “Allison!”

  “Jake? What are you doing here? Is something wrong at home?” Panic gripped me as all the worst case scenarios swam through my head.

  “Calm down. Nothing’s wrong. I was on my way to the river court so I thought I’d wait for you; see if you wanted to go with me.” He shrugged his massive shoulders in a move that looked almost graceful. Then he ran a hand through those barely there curls, and looked sort of embarrassed that he was there.

  I dug the cookie out of my bag, and handed it to him. “I got you this earlier. There’s an amazing new bakery that we’ll need to try soon. I’d love to go to the river court.”

  Jake unwrapped the cookie, and took a big bite. “This is so good.” He groaned in appreciation as we started to walk. The afternoon had turned chilly, and the sidewalks were thick with people heading home from work. Jake kept his basketball snug under one arm, while he used his other to guide me through the throng. My backpack started to feel heavy with each block we walked, and just as we got to the bridge Jake reached over and took it for me. He slung it over his shoulder.

  We paused mid-way across the bridge to make a wish like we’d been doing for years. These small
moments felt good, safe, right. They were being whisked away into the past all too quickly. As excited as I was to meet my future, I wasn’t ready to give up all of this just yet. I wished there was a way to put those feelings into words.

  I glanced up at Jake and just watched him as he stared out at the tumbling blue-gray river rushing beneath us. He looked so serious that I had to wonder again what had been going on with him these past few months. I knew it made me a lousy friend for not asking, but there was that word block again.

  “What’d you wish for?” I bumped him with my shoulder.

  “If I tell you then it won’t come true,” Jake said with a wink. He gave me a crooked half smile that reminded me a lot more of my old buddy, than this new, serious, hulking guy in his place. “Now, come on, let’s go. I have to be home by ten tonight.”

  “First of all, you expect me to watch you play ball until ten? And second, why such an early curfew?” We started walking again.

  Jake shrugged again. “Naw, I figured I’d play for a bit, and then we could get something to eat. And early curfew because of that prom we have to go to tomorrow night. I kind of had to work out a deal with my mom. If I come home early tonight I can stay out late tomorrow.”

  “Ugh, I’d forgotten about that travesty. It’s not like I even have anything to wear. I didn’t want to attend our prom, so why would I want to attend some lame private school’s instead?” My litany of complaints only made the grin on Jake’s face widen.

  “Speaking of that, though, I was thinking that we should go together.”

  “Like a double date? I don’t know, Jay, I am really not sure I can handle hanging out with Mary Beth that long. You have fun with her. Don’t worry about me, a guy from work is coming as my…date.”

  Jake’s smile fell, and for a moment I worried that I had hurt his feelings. Then he shook his head, and said, “No, we should go together. We aren’t going to have much longer to do stupid stuff like this together. So what do you say? Deal with Mary Beth for me? Just for the night? And I’ll deal with your bozo.”

  “Rory’s not a bozo,” I said, but laughed despite myself. “Fine. But don’t expect me to have fun.”

  “Wouldn’t dream of it,” Jake replied as we walked down the gently sloping hill that led to the river court. He dropped my backpack by one of the picnic tables, and shot a three pointer from the side. The ball hit the rim, and clattered loudly through the metal hoop.

  I hopped up onto the picnic table, and wrapped my thick pea coat tighter. The wind had picked up more now, and the April chill had definitely come back. Jake and I were the only ones at the court, but I knew some of the other guys would show up later. Sophomore and Junior years I had spent hours every day sitting here, and watching the guys practice. This past basketball season, though, I had stayed away, telling myself that it was good for Jake and I to have our separate interests. As Jake went through a series of lay-ups, I wasn’t at all sure that I had made the right choice.

  Something in the way Jake’s feet hammered the pavement, and in the intensity with which he shot the ball, told me that there was some pretty deep, chaotic emotions rolling through him. The thought occurred to me yet again that I should just ask him about it, but the words refused to form, so I did the next best thing.

  I jumped down off the picnic table and ran on to the court. “Let’s play HORSE like we used to.”

  “You sure?” Jake grabbed the ball mid-bounce.

  “Definitely.” As he passed me the ball, the smile that stretched across Jake’s face told me that I’d made exactly the right choice.

  Chapter Ten

  “Brooke, please let me borrow the blue dress.”

  My fifteen-year-old sister stared back at me, her arms crossed over her chest. “Why should I? You never let me borrow anything of yours.”

  “You can have anything in my closet if you give me the blue dress for tonight.”

  She still didn’t look convinced. I let out an exasperated shriek just as my mom walked through the door with a stack of freshly folded laundry.

  “Allison, really, I’d like to have my hearing intact for a few more years, please. Now what’s the problem, girls?” My mom set the stack of shirts down on the end of Brooke’s bed. She sat down next to it, her hands on her knees, waiting. Our mother had enough patience to watch a glacier melt.

  “I need Brooke’s blue dress for a dance tonight. It’s the only thing in the whole house that vaguely resembles a prom dress.” I flung my hand out in a frustrated gesture.

  My mom raised her eyebrow. “Prom dress? You didn’t say anything about going to the prom. Don’t they usually hold that in May?”

  Brooke stomped her foot. “I knew she was lying. Besides she never lets me borrow anything, so why should I?”

  “It’s the Farmingham Academy’s prom. And I have to go. It’s mandatory for that special events class that I’m taking. Please, just let me borrow the dress. I already said you can take anything you want from my closet.” I clenched my hands at my sides.

  “Brookie, just let your sister wear the dress tonight. It’s for school.” Our mom stood and left the room without another glance. That meant the decision was final. I’d get the dress.

  “Fine,” Brooke snapped. She snatched the frothy, floaty light blue dress off its hanger and shoved it into my hands. “But I’m taking your pink sweater for school on Monday.”

  “Okay, whatever,” I replied, scooting out of her room as fast as I could. I didn’t want her to change her mind, especially if I let it slip that I didn’t like my pink sweater that much.

  I took the dress into the bathroom that I shared with my other sister, Lauren. Brooke was lucky enough to have her own now that our oldest sister, Jenna, had moved out. I hung the dress on the back of the door, and examined it. It wasn’t the sort of thing I would normally have picked out for myself. Light blue with a deep V-neck in the front, and braided spaghetti straps. Rhinestones covered the bodice, but instead of looking tacky, it was beautiful.

  After a quick shower, I blew my hair dry, and then pulled my blond curls back into a simple half up do with a few braids to secure it in place. When I slipped the dress over my head, I didn’t recognize the girl staring back at me. I looked softer, more romantic. Hopefully Rory would love it. As I spritzed on a tiny amount of perfume, I found myself wondering how Jake would like this look on me. I knew that I still cared about his opinion, but why did it fill me with this feeling that twisted my stomach into knots of anxiety?

  “You look beautiful.” My mom clicked another picture with her phone. I knew they’d all end up on whatever social media website she was into that week.

  “Do you think I look Fifth Avenue?” I tried to catch a glimpse of myself in the front window.

  “Fifth Avenue?” I caught the glance my dad gave my mom.

  I blew out an exasperated breath. I always forgot that my parents did not speak old fogey even though they were getting on in years. “You know, like, elegant?”

  “You look very…Fifth Avenue, honey,” my mom said as she took another picture.

  I began to pace, glancing at my phone every few seconds. My parents watched me, and even as I continued the erratic behavior, I couldn’t make myself stop. Just knowing that Rory would be picking me up in a few minutes was making me jumpy. I hadn’t told them much about him, just that we worked together at the station. Given my mom’s response, I think she assumed that he was another intern.

  The knock at the door startled me, and I jumped. I told myself to stay calm as I went to answer the door. It was just Jake. My body sagged in relief as I opened the door. “Hey, you are early. Rory isn’t here yet. Why don’t we wait on the porch?” After a quick goodbye to my parents, I grabbed my purse and Jake’s hand before dragging him out onto the porch.

  “You look, wow,” Jake said as he settled onto the porch swing.

  “Thanks, you clean up nice too.” I took in his dark gray suit with a light blue tie. “We kind of match.”

&nbs
p; He glanced down at his tie, and gave a strangled sounding chuckle. “I guess we do.”

  The silence that followed was awkward, but familiar somehow. Jake and I had gone through a weird period in our friendship before. Right at the beginning of eighth grade, as we both went through puberty, but we had come through that phase better friends than ever before. I knew I needed to ask him about the new weirdness between us, but not tonight. I just wanted to get through the evening unscathed. As if spending time with Mary Beth wasn’t bad enough, she had sent us all texts informing us that we needed to take notes and video. Apparently despite being a really small school, Farmingham Academy threw really elaborate proms.

  A dark blue SUV pulled up in front of the house, and Rory stepped out. When he saw me on the front porch, he waved. “Come on,” I said, “there’s Rory now. Let’s go. We’re picking Mary Beth up on the way, right?”

  Jake nodded in a vague way, and I wondered if he’d even heard me. His gaze stayed solidly on Rory as we walked down the stairs, his hand on the small of my back. The gesture would have felt possessive from anyone else. And from the way Rory looked at us—his eyes narrowed, his mouth drawn down in a frown—I knew that’s how it must seem to him.

  “Hey Rory,” I said as I stood on tiptoe to kiss him quickly on the cheek. “This is my very best friend, Jake.” The introductions done, I watched with barely concealed amusement as the two guys stared each other down. Jake stuck out his hand first, and after a few grunts the two shook hands.

  “You look really nice,” Rory murmured in my ear as he pulled me close. The warmth of his breath on my neck made me shiver with delight and anticipation. Hanging out at his apartment had been nice, but being together in public made me feel a lot less weird about sneaking around with him at work.