by N. L. Greene
Too bad we didn’t account for Mel’s parents deciding to get a divorce.
Chapter 14
I didn’t spend as much time with Mel at the beginning of summer as I had hoped. Lately things had been getting pretty bad between her parents, and if they weren’t drunk, they were fighting. Mel tried to hide that it bothered her, but every now and then I could see her smile faltering. She was way more bitchy than usual (if that was even possible!), and there were dark circles under her eyes from lack of sleep. But of course if I asked her about it she would just blow me off or say something sarcastic. So I stopped asking and tried to pretend nothing was going on, just like she did.
She spent more time at my house than usual. My parents knew the basics of what was going on and welcomed Mel over with open arms every time I asked. I think they also liked that I was home more, but they didn’t come out and say it. I don’t think they wanted Mel to think they were taking advantage of her bad situation. So we spent the first few weeks of summer swimming, going to the mall, and to the movies. We snuck cigarettes when we could, and even a joint every now and then when we would ride around with Ash. But we had to lay off the drinking because there wasn’t ever a time or place that we could do it and not get caught. And although we didn’t think too much of Ash driving around high, we all agreed that drinking and driving was a big no-no.
Mel didn’t seem to mind it that much; she even sucked up to my parents even more than usual and basked in their attention. I thought it totally sucked. It was boring as hell, I spent way too much time at home with my sister (who I still didn’t get along with), and had to listen to my parents tell me over and over again how responsible and polite Melanie was, and how I should be more like her. It took everything in me not to roll my eyes. If they only knew.
My torturous summer finally came to an end when Mel came over one day and announced that her dad had finally moved out, and that her parents were officially getting a divorce.
“I thought we already knew they were getting a divorce?” I said in confusion.
Mel rolled her eyes. “Well yeah, but now it’s official. Dad moved out. It’s over.”
I immediately hugged her and told her how sorry I was, but when we pulled apart there was a shrewd smile on her face. “Why aren’t you sad about this?” I asked in disbelief. “Aren’t kids supposed to be devastated when their parents split up?”
“Yeah, maybe if they’re any other kid with normal parents, but this is me and my crazy fucked-up life so it’s different.”
“How?”
She smirked. “Well, since my dad moved out Friday night, my mom’s bought me two packs of cigarettes and we even got high together last night.”
My mouth fell open in shock. “Are you serious?”
“Yep.” She nodded, looking smug as she plopped down on my bed. “And I spent the day with my dad Saturday - at his girlfriend’s by the way - and he let me drink and smoke.”
“No way!” I glanced over my shoulder to make sure my sister wasn’t eaves-dropping, and then shut the door.
Mel continued to tell me how amazing things were for her now. “Uh, yes way! This whole divorce-thing is going to be awesome! I can’t wait for you to meet my dad’s girlfriend either. She is fuckin’ cool as hell! You’re gonna love her!”
“But isn’t it weird? I mean, obviously your dad was cheating on your mom if he already has a girlfriend and he’s already moved in with her. How can you like his girlfriend after that?”
She shrugged. “What does it matter to me? He wasn’t cheating on me.”
“But what about your mom and how she feels?”
Mel looked at me with another one of her condescending looks. “Come on Nat, really? We both know, especially you, that all guys cheat. Apparently my mom wasn’t doing the right stuff to keep my dad happy.” She shrugged as if it were no big deal. “That’s her fault. It has nothing to do with me or how I feel about my dad. Besides, they are both way cooler now. I don’t really care why they split, just as long as they keep letting me do whatever the fuck I want, I’m happy.”
Knowing that there was really nothing I could say to make Mel see that her mentality toward this whole situation was completely screwed up, I didn’t even try. Mel and I had been besties for a really long time now and I really did love her, but sometimes I questioned the way she looked at things and rationalized them. They were seriously messed up sometimes. But who was I to tell her that?
“Okay, so when do I get to meet your dad’s new girlfriend? This weekend?” I asked, while wiggling my eyebrows suggestively at her. I was so ready to get out of my house for a change.
“Don’t do that, it makes you look weird,” she teased, but I stopped; knowing she was telling me the truth too. “Yes, this weekend. Ask your mom if you can sleep over. I’ll give you the address so you can give it to your overprotective parents. It’s just a few blocks away anyway, so hopefully they won’t freak out and insist on meeting her or something. Cindy’s cool, but I don’t think your parents would like her.”
I hated it when she acted like my parents were total losers. I could think that, but she didn’t have to say it! “Well, we can’t all be as lucky as you,” I said with a smile, and I pushed the thought away.
I was excited about sleeping at Mel’s and hopefully getting our summer plans kicked off. James wouldn’t be there to get us alcohol and pot, but it seemed like we didn’t need him anymore. Mel’s dad and his new girlfriend would help us out. Strange, but convenient.
It took a lot of begging and pleading, even by Mel, but my parents finally relented and allowed me to sleep over at her dad’s new house. My dad insisted on driving me so that he knew exactly where it was, but he said Cindy could drive me home the next day. He didn’t go in and meet her, thankfully. He said he just needed to know where I was.
Mel answered the door when I knocked, we both waved goodbye to my dad, and then I followed her into the house. It felt even more peculiar now that I was there. I had been going to Mel’s house for years, and had always felt welcome and at home with her family. Now I felt like I was a guest in the home of people I didn’t know. Even though Mel’s dad lived there and Mel had her own room with stuff that was familiar, nothing was familiar to me and it was kinda creepy.
After throwing my bag on Mel’s bed, we walked out to the living room. I could hear the TV on before we got there, and that was odd too. No one was ever at home watching TV at Mel’s old house. We usually only saw her parents for about an hour or two when they got home from work and before they went out, or early in the morning on the weekends before I went home. They were never there when we got home from school. James was the only one ever there and he didn’t watch TV, he was usually too busy getting stoned. Mel and I were the only ones that did. It was so bizarre to think about her dad being there, relaxing and watching TV. It seemed like such a normal thing to do, but he’d never done that.
We turned the corner and I realized that it wasn’t Mel’s dad after all, but his girlfriend that was home. I walked in behind Mel, feeling intimidated and shy. I knew Mel was cool with all the new changes in her family, but it still felt abnormal to me. How was I possibly going to face Mel’s mom the next time I was over there after having been here? I felt kind of like a traitor or something.
“Hey Cindy! This is Natalie. Nat, this is Cindy.”
Mel motioned between the two of us as she made the introductions. “Hey Cindy,” I said quietly as I cautiously sat on the edge of the couch and glanced around the room. It was a pretty normal looking living room, but I couldn’t help noticing that this house was a lot nicer than Mel’s mom’s house. Probably another reason Mel liked it so much better here.
“Hey Natalie! It’s so nice to finally meet you. Melanie’s told me so much about you!” She stood up from her seat across the room and started to walk toward us. I didn’t realize what she was doing until she tugged my hand up to make me stand. As soon as I did, she wrapped me up in a tight hug as if she had known me forever.
I felt awkward at first, but then hugged her back. I didn’t want to be rude, after all. When she pulled back she was beaming at me, and some of my awkwardness faded. She had a friendly smile and looked genuinely happy to meet me.
I sat back down and Mel leaned over to whisper in my ear. “Told you she’s totally nice and cool too. Check it out.” She motioned with her head toward Cindy, who was sitting again. She leaned over and pulled something out of the drawer of the side table next to her.
As soon as the dish hit her lap, I knew what it was. Her stash. I glanced at Mel with wide, questioning eyes, she nodded her head in confirmation, and then I looked back at Cindy. She was totally pulling her pot out of the canister and rolling a joint, right there in front of us! She glanced up and smiled before turning her attention back to the items in her lap. “You girls don’t have to be so quiet. What did you two do last week?” she asked conversationally, as if she wasn’t sitting there rolling up a joint right in front of two teenage girls.
“Umm…” I stuttered; unable to form words. I was excited, but also unquestionably nervous. I felt like we were doing something horribly wrong. Well, I knew we were because drugs were illegal and all that, but it was different when a grown-up was involved. It seemed even more wrong, for some reason. Teenagers are supposed to do bad things, break the rules, that sort of thing. But it was like an adult was giving us permission to break the law. I had never met an adult who would do that, ever.
Mel once again saved me from making a complete fool of myself by speaking over me. “It was cool, I guess. We swam in Nat’s pool and went to the movies one night.” She shrugged. “Just normal stuff."
“Oh, that sounds nice. Did you tell Nat that we had a pool? You girls can use it whenever you want.” She looked up and smiled serenely at me before returning to her task again, rolling a joint.
“Thanks,” I mumbled, still amazed at what was happening in front of me.
“No problem.” She waved her hand as if to brush away my thanks. “Anytime, honey. So are you girls looking forward to your next school year? Juniors right? Almost done!”
“Ugh! Don’t remind us. I hate school. It’s such bullshit!” Mel groaned.
“God I know! I hated high school! I was so happy when my parents let me quit. It was a total waste of time.” Cindy shuddered in mock horror.
I felt my mouth gape open at how easily Mel talked to her, and also at what Cindy had just said. My parents would kick my ass if I cursed in front of them, and they would also never say something like that to me. My dad did drop out of high school, but he also joined the Navy where he got his GED later, and although neither of my parents went to college, those were not options for me. I was expected to not only finish high school, but go to college as well. I knew right then that my parents could never meet Cindy. If they did, I wouldn’t be allowed to go over there ever again.
I was pulled from my state of shock when Mel jabbed me in the ribs with her elbow, much harder than was necessary.
“Ow!” I yelled at her while rubbing the now tender skin. “That hurt!”
“Well pay attention!” she yelled back and pointed toward Cindy.
I looked over at her again to see that Cindy was passing me a lit joint. “Here you go Natalie. This will make you girls feel better and help you forget about how rough school can be,” she said sympathetically.
I took the joint hesitantly and looked at her like I was waiting for her to yell Gotcha! or something, but she just smiled and started to put her stuff away. I glanced over at Mel, who just rolled her eyes. “Jesus, Nat! You’re such a ditz sometimes!” she scolded me, before snatching the joint and taking a hit. She held it in for as long as she could, then let out the smoke smoothly. “Are you going to hit this or not?” she asked as she took her second hit.
“Yes, I am. I…” I trailed off, feeling a little embarrassed about how Mel was talking to me in front of Cindy. I didn’t want Cindy to think badly of me, but it was still so bizarre and it was hard to wrap my head around all of it. Mel getting mad at me wasn’t really helping.
Mel rolled her eyes again. “Just do it,” she commanded harshly and handed me the joint.
I glanced again at Cindy out of the corner of my eye, but she wasn’t even paying attention to us. She was texting someone with a cheesy grin on her face; probably Mel’s dad. I shook my head and took a hit. The smoke still burned a little when it glided down my throat, but I didn’t cough and hack anymore like I had the first few times. I held the smoke in as long as I could before letting it out to take another hit. Puff – Puff – Pass. I handed Mel the joint.
We went back and forth like that until it was gone. At some point I loosened up and Cindy started talking. She asked us questions about school, my parents, boys, and other nonsense shit that didn’t require too much thinking, which I was grateful for. The pot in that joint was stronger than any I’d ever had before. One joint usually got me high, but I had never been that high before.
I slumped back on the couch, head resting comfortably and my eyes half shut, when my stomach grumbled at the same time Mel’s did. I slowly turned my head toward her and grinned, and she did the same. We both got up and headed toward the kitchen. I may have even stumbled a few times.
“There are snacks in the pantry that I picked up for you girls today!” Cindy yelled from behind us. “Nat, make yourself at home and get whatever you want, honey!”
“’Kay!” Mel and I both yelled back at her. Then I said, “Thanks Cindy!” I was feeling much more comfortable around her and in her house. I knew it wouldn’t take me long to feel at home.
Mel and I were raiding the kitchen when we heard the front door open. I didn’t even look up. Thinking it was her dad home from work, and being way too focused on opening the bag of Oreo cookies in my hand, I focused on my task. I was stuffing one in my mouth when I heard someone clearing their throat from behind us. I turned around, prepared to smile at Mel’s dad with my chocolate-covered toothy grin, but started to choke instead when I realized there were three guys standing in the kitchen with us, not Mel’s dad.
I whirled back around to keep from spitting cookie bits all over the floor. Mel started laughing and slapping me on the back at the same time, which did not help in the least, all while I tried to swallow the cookie in my mouth.
I finally swallowed enough to speak. “Milk,” I commanded as I thrust my hand toward Mel. She didn’t stop laughing, but she did stop beating my back in order to get me a glass of milk. I heard shuffling behind me but couldn’t bear to look until I was sure my teeth weren’t rimmed with black cookie crumbs. I didn’t get a good enough look to actually see if I knew any of the guys, but I did see that they were definitely guys and at least my age if not older. Mel didn’t tell me about any guys coming over. I was so going to kill her!
She handed me the glass of milk and I shot her a glare, letting her know how mad I was by their surprise visit. She just shrugged and turned her attention back to our new guests.
“What’s up, J.T.?” Ugh, she did know these people and knew they would be here! How could she not have warned me?
“’Sup Mel.” I didn’t know who J.T. was but his voice was deep, telling me he was most likely older than us.
“Hey honey!” Cindy yelled from the other room. “How was your day? Are the boys with you?” Just more proof that these guys were not unexpected. I ran my tongue over my teeth to make sure any cookie evidence was gone before I turned around. I still didn’t look at the guys, though. Instead, I glared at Mel.
“Really?” I hissed at her; low enough for only her to hear. “You couldn’t have at least prepared me?”
She just shrugged again but there was a smirk on her face. She was fully aware of what she was doing. God, I really hated her sometimes.
“Yeah mom, we’re all here. We’ll be there in a minute,” he, J.T. I guessed, yelled back to Cindy, who I was also guessing was his mom, before his voice got softer. I don’t know why but I knew he was looking right at me when he
said, “After Mel introduces us to her friend.”
Knowing that I was being spoken to, I looked away from Mel and up at Cindy’s son, who was really cute and tall! “Umm…hi.” I gave a small wave of my hand before introducing myself, as I glanced at the other two guys flanking him. “I’m…” my voice trailed off again when my eyes meet the deep blue ones of J.T.’s friend.
Chapter 15
“Natalie,” Miguel finished for me with a deep, sexy smile.
I gulped. That was all I could do, besides stare blankly into Miguel’s beautiful eyes as they stared right back into mine.
Someone finally cleared their throat, and I forced myself to tear my gaze from his.
“So this is the infamous Natalie?” J.T. asked with a knowing smile.
“Huh?” I questioned lamely.
“Never mind him,” Miguel said before his friend could answer my confusion. “Nat, this is J.T. and this is Eric.” He motioned to his two friends but still kept his eyes on me.
“Hi,” I said, again.
“Of course you remember Miguel, right Nat?” Mel asked with a smirk. “Or do you? I know you don’t really remember much from that night, and it was a while ago.”
Why was she torturing me like this? I didn’t want Miguel to think I didn’t remember him! He was one of the only things I did remember from that night! And I really didn’t want him to be reminded of everything else that had happened that night, either. “Yeah! Of course I remember Miguel. Nice to see you again!” I said, with probably a little bit too much punchy enthusiasm.
J.T. chuckled, but Miguel and Eric both remained quiet. I glanced away from Miguel and could see that Eric was checking me out. I don’t know why, but it made me uncomfortable. I didn’t like the idea of Miguel’s friend trying to hit on me when all I wanted was for Miguel to like me. I glanced away quickly to look back at Miguel and noticed that he wasn’t looking at me anymore. He was staring at his friend too, with narrowed eyes. I watched as Eric looked away from me to Miguel, and then they stared at each other in silence for a full minute. I didn’t know what the looks meant, but Eric finally looked away and Miguel looked at me. He smiled softly at me and I thought he was going to say something, but J.T. spoke up before he could.
