by Pamela Wells
He’d been right, actually. A few days later, the idea didn’t seem so bright.
Now she had no sounding board. She had no Drew. Would she ever get over him? Probably not, but she was trying to move on and her friends had helped her with that, along with The Breakup Code. It was nice to have some guidance, and it helped get her mind off Drew when she focused on following The Code.
Sydney turned into Scrappe and parked. She was about to get out when she noticed Drew’s truck drive by.
Drew.
Where was he going? What was he doing now on Friday nights if he wasn’t hanging out with her? As far as she knew there were no parties going on. Not that she was in on the party loop or anything.
Sydney jumped in her SUV and left the parking lot of Scrappe going the same direction Drew was. Curiosity was probably going to drive her mad or get her into a whole load of trouble, but rationality was not with her at the moment.
Drew was two cars ahead of her by the time she got onto the street, which was probably a good thing. He wouldn’t be able to see her as easily.
He turned up ahead onto Hilldale, and Sydney slowed, turning behind him. His brake lights glowed red in the early evening dusk as he pulled up to the curb and parked. Sydney grimaced, hoping he didn’t notice her driving by as he got out of his truck. Thankfully, his back was to the road.
He was at Kelly’s house, probably hanging out with Todd. Todd was all right but could get obnoxious.
Maybe she should drop in to visit Kelly.
No. That would be too obvious. Besides, it wasn’t right to use her friend like that. Not that she didn’t want to see Kelly or hang out with her. Sydney picked up her cell from the passenger seat and dialed Kelly’s number
Mrs. Waters answered the phone. “Hello?”
“Hi, Mrs. W, it’s Sydney.”
“Hi, are you calling for Kelly?”
“Yeah.”
“Hold on a minute.” A few muffles sounded as Mrs. Waters shifted the phone from her ear and yelled through the house for Kelly.
Kelly picked up on another extension. “Hello?”
“It’s me.”
“Oh…Syd, hey.”
“What are you doing tonight?” Sydney slowed for a stop sign. “You want to hang out?”
“Actually…I’m doing something with my brother tonight. He asked me to come to a party for the basketball team.”
“Oh.” So that’s what Drew was doing. “Is it a huge party?”
“Nah. It’s at Matt’s house. I guess his parents are going to be there and everything, so…”
“Drew will probably be there.”
“Yeah. He’s here now, with Todd.”
Sydney bit her bottom lip. “Hey, can I ask you a huge favor?”
“Sure.”
“Will you…uh, keep an eye on him for me. I mean, you know, just…” Oh, what was she saying? She was starting to sound pathetic. And obsessed. Like a crazy ex-girlfriend who couldn’t get over her ex-boyfriend. Which she totally was, but now Kelly knew…
“I understand, Syd. Sure. I’ll keep an eye on him, but I doubt he’ll do anything.”
“I know. And it’s not like I have any claim over him now. I just don’t want him hooking up with random girls. You know? He deserves someone great.”
Kelly laughed lightly. “I know.”
Taking in a breath, Sydney said, “Well, I should go. Have fun.”
“Yeah. I doubt it. When do I ever have fun with my brother?”
“Then why are you going?”
There was a long pause before Kelly answered. “I don’t know. Just to get out, I guess. But, hey, we should do something tomorrow. Want to go get coffee or something?”
Would she? Hell, yes. “Yeah. I’ll invite Alexia, too. We’re supposed to hang out. What time?”
“How about two? Meet me at Scrappe.”
“K. See you then.”
Sydney flipped her cell closed and realized she was still sitting at the same stop sign. Before hitting the gas, she dialed Raven’s number. Maybe she was available.
I sure hope so because I do not want to go home to another night of silence.
Raven grabbed her cell out of her bag and left Horace’s garage, the sound of drums and guitars fading out as she shut the door behind her. “Hey, Syd,” she said after seeing Sydney’s name on the caller ID.
“Hi. What are you doing?”
Raven kicked at a rock with the toe of her boot. “Oh, nothing.”
“Good, I’m coming over.”
“Wait. I’m not there.”
“Then where are you? And how can you be doing nothing if you’re not even home?”
Raven groaned with indifference. “I’m at a friend’s house.”
“What friend?”
“A friend friend.”
“That doesn’t make any sense.”
“Yes, it does.”
Sydney gasped. “You’re at a boy’s house, aren’t you?”
“No.”
“Liar! Who is it?”
“It’s not like that.” Raven shifted, hugging her free arm around her waist. The night was still and the rainbow thermometer on Horace’s garage door said it was forty-eight degrees, but Raven was only in a thin T-shirt and her flesh popped with goose bumps.
“It’s Horace,” she finally said, “and we’re just friends.”
“Horace McKay?”
“Yeah.”
“Oh. Well, that’s cool. What are you guys doing?”
The entrance to the garage opened and Horace poked his head out. “We’re ready when you are.”
“Okay,” she said to him, then turned back to the phone. “I’m helping him with his band. I’m…uh, singing.”
“Wow. Seriously?”
“Seriously.”
“You always did have a great voice, Ray. You’re having fun?”
Was she ever. Singing with the band was a huge rush. Like jumping off a cliff. Not that she’d ever jumped off a cliff. But if she had, she imagined it’d be as exciting as singing with live music thumping all around her.
“Yeah.” She smiled to herself. “I’m having tons of fun.”
“You sound like you’re glowing.” Envy edged her tone.
“I’ve always loved music.”
“It’s more than that.”
Raven leaned her back against the garage wall. “I guess it’s because I’m doing something for myself, instead of for a guy.”
“Or maybe it’s because you’ve found a guy you really like.”
Raven’s cheeks burned with guilt. It was a good thing she was on the phone. Sydney wouldn’t have missed the blushing. “We’re friends, Syd,” she repeated, though she didn’t sound very convincing.
“Yeah,” Sydney said. “Just friends. So listen, Kelly, Alexia, and I are going to Scrappe tomorrow at two. You want to meet us there?”
“Sure.”
“Cool. Talk to you later.”
Raven hung up and was heading inside when her cell rang again.
“Now what?” she muttered, thinking it was Sydney again, but no, it was her mother. Raven checked the guys out through the door window. They were still waiting for her.
“Hi, Mom,” she said.
“Hi, sweetie. Where are you?”
“A friend’s house. We’re practicing for band.” She wasn’t exactly lying after all.
“Oh, that’s nice to hear! I’m glad you’re getting serious about band. It’s an important school activity—”
All Raven heard was “Blah. Blah. Blah.”
“I know,” she said vaguely. Usually her mother’s conversations revolved around what she thought was good for Raven. So answering, “I know,” was always a safe bet, even if she wasn’t listening.
“When will you be home?” her mom asked at the same time Horace strummed several chords on his guitar. “What was that?”
“Nothing,” Raven said, moving away from the garage. “It was nothing.”
“Was that a guitar
?”
“No.”
“Raven!” Hobb yelled out the door. “Come sing your little heart out!”
“Sing?” Ms. Valenti said. “Who was that?”
“No one.” Raven waved Hobb away as she went farther down the dirt driveway, past the cars. She was almost to the road now. No way was her mother going to hear the guitar playing.
“Raven Marie. What is going on?”
“Mom.” Raven took in a breath. Should she lie?
“Are you playing in some sort of garage band?”
Raven let the silence answer for her.
“Come home right now.”
“Mom.”
“No. You get home this very minute. I want to talk to you.”
“No.”
“No what?”
“No. I’m not coming home this very minute.” She clenched her jaw, feeling anger rise in her gut. “I’m going to practice with the band first and then I’ll be home.”
“I don’t want you wasting your time in some garage band, Raven! You come home right—”
Raven flipped the phone closed on her mother’s screeching voice then turned it off. She was going to be in a world of trouble when she got home, but she’d figure it out then.
TWENTY-SIX
Rule 28: Do not lie to your girl about The Ex, even if it breaks a rule.
“You ride with Drew,” Todd said as he rushed around his bedroom digging through the piles of dirty clothes on his floor.
“Todd,” Kelly said, glancing quickly at Drew as he leaned against the dresser, which, if Kelly had to guess, was empty since it appeared all of Todd’s clothes were on the floor. “Why don’t we take my car and we can pick Emily up on the way?”
Last weekend, while Drew helped Kelly with her geometry, he’d asked her to come to the basketball team’s annual party. She’d been adamant about not going since he was Sydney’s ex-boyfriend and that just seemed wrong. But really, she’d be going with her brother, and Drew would just be riding along. That is until Todd decided to change the plan.
Todd stopped digging through clothes long enough to send his sister a disgruntled look. “No freakin’ way. It won’t be a date if my little sister is driving.”
“I don’t think it’s a date anyway. Who would want to date you?”
“Ha-ha.” He pulled a navy blue T-shirt out of a pile and inspected it. “Emily wouldn’t have called me specifically to see what I was doing tonight if she didn’t want me.”
Kelly snorted and stole a glance at Drew. Drew smirked, shaking his head. Kelly had been close to turning down this invitation, but now she couldn’t wait to go. She hadn’t been out to a party in months. It wasn’t Will’s scene. Kelly liked going just to dance. She didn’t need to drink or gossip or anything like that, she just needed to work to the music in order to have a good time.
Todd pulled his T-shirt off and threw on the blue one. “Just ride with Drew. What’s the big deal?”
She wasn’t exactly sure what the big deal was. Something told her showing up at a party with her best friend’s Ex wasn’t a good idea. Not that there was anything to be guilty of—they weren’t going on a date—but what would it look like to everyone else? People talked in Birch Falls.
“I don’t mind you riding with me,” Drew said, stuffing his hands in his jeans pockets.
“See?” Todd straightened, running a hand through his messy hair. “Besides, this crap shot was the one that invited you in the first place.”
“That is true,” Drew said, smiling.
Kelly sighed. “Fine. Let me go get my coat.”
Todd raised his arms in the air. “Hallelujah! She’s finally listening to me.”
“Shut up, Todd!” she hollered as she headed down the hallway.
The thump of music could be heard out in the driveway as Kelly got out of Drew’s truck. There were already several cars parked in the driveway and along the side of the road. Lights lit all the downstairs windows of the Victorian-style house and some of the smaller basement windows.
Drew got out and came around the front of the truck to meet Kelly. “Ready?”
“Yeah.”
They walked up together, passing a few girls who were leaving. The girls looked at Drew, smiling flirtatiously until they noticed Kelly with him. Then their faces fell and whispers started between them.
Drew and I are just friends, she thought. I have nothing to feel guilty for.
Mr. Turner, a fifty-something man with thinning hair, opened the door after Drew knocked.
“Come on in, Drew,” Mr. Turner said, pulling the door back. “Everyone is downstairs.”
“Thanks.”
They passed Mr. Turner, and Kelly fell behind Drew, letting him lead the way. They went into the living room, down a hallway, and then rounded a corner to the basement steps.
The taupe carpet was plush beneath Kelly’s flats. Music filled the stairwell and got louder the farther they went down. When they were past the overhang of the wall, the temperature rose a good five degrees. It was hot and muggy from so many bodies. Kelly looked out over the basement and was surprised to see a moving mass of people. She didn’t think it’d be so packed.
When they reached the floor, Kelly pressed into Drew as a couple tried to get past her up the stairs. Drew leaned over. “You want to get something to drink?” he shouted.
“Yeah.”
Drew took her hand and pulled her through the dancing crowd. They emerged on the other side of the basement where cool air spilled in several open windows. There was an L-shaped sectional couch in the corner, a huge entertainment center directly across from it.
Music played through the surround sound while the LCD TV hanging on the wall displayed a moving image of an ocean complete with palm trees and a hammock. It was like one of those living screen savers.
A game of cards was in play on the square, glass coffee table. Through an arched doorway, Kelly saw a pool table and a guy she recognized from her math class lining up a shot.
“Come on,” Drew said, nodding toward another room of the main basement. There was a bar along one wall where an older woman filled glasses with ice and soda. “Hi, Mrs. Turner,” Drew said.
“Oh, Drew! How are you?” Mrs. Turner brushed hair from her eyes then unscrewed the cap on a two-liter Pepsi.
“I’m fine. Thanks. Can we just have some water?”
“Sure.” Mrs. Turner handed over two bottles.
“Thanks.” Drew handed a water to Kelly. “Want to sit down?”
She nodded and he led her back to the main room to the couch. Drew and the other guys did their handshake thing as Kelly made herself comfortable on the end of the couch. She fidgeted with her jacket, pulling it around herself to hide her stomach. This did not feel like a skinny day for her. What did she have to eat yesterday? Turkey sandwich…a plum…oh yeah, a bowl of ice cream. The latter probably didn’t complement her thighs.
Maybe she needed some exercise.
She leaned over toward Drew. “I’m gonna dance.”
“Okay,” he said as she got up.
Tentatively, she approached the throng of dancers looking for someone she recognized and could sidle up to. There were a few girls she recognized from some classes, but no one she knew well.
Then she heard her name shouted over the din of the music, followed by a shrill finger-in-the-mouth whistle.
Craig Thierot.
“Hey!” he shouted, coming up alongside her. “Dance with me?”
“Yeah.” She started swaying her hips, arms hung in the air. Craig got in close but kept his hands off her, opting instead to hook his index finger around hers. She hung her head back and laughed as he twirled her around.
It’d been a long time since she got out and danced at a party. This was not Will’s sort of thing and “dancing” to him was a formal, slow dance. Something you had to take lessons to learn.
Craig grasped her hand tighter, sliding his other arm around her back as he dipped her. She screeched as she t
ossed her head back, the ceiling suddenly straight above her, and then Drew popped up in her line of sight.
“Mind if I cut in?” he said, giving a sideways grin.
Craig hoisted Kelly back up. “That’s cool, dude.” He let Kelly go and melted into the crowd, finding another dance partner easily.
A fast pop song came on next and instantly the mood in the room shifted as did the pace of dancing. Drew took Kelly’s hand. She started bobbing her head in time to the quick beat, her feet moving beneath her. Drew followed her lead as Kelly swung their hands up in the air along with everyone else.
He laughed as she shouted, “Woo!” and made a circle around him wiggling her hips.
This was so much fun! How long had it been since she’d had this much fun? Like, months! Ever since she started seeing Will. His idea of fun was sitting at home making US history flashcards.
By the time the song was over, sweat beaded on Kelly’s forehead and she swiped it away. Drew grabbed her hand and pulled her off the dance floor, thrusting a bottle of water in her hand.
“That was fun,” he said, grinning at her.
“Totally.” She downed a gulp of water and her stomach growled. “Is there food here? I’m starving.”
“Just chips,” Drew said, looking apologetic. “But we could go get something. If you’re hungry.”
“I’m starving, but I don’t want you to leave the party or anything.”
Drew shook his head. “It’s cool. I came, I made an appearance. Now I’m ready to go. Come on.”
He grabbed her hand and pulled her toward the stairs.
You deserve the best, but I gave you the worst, Sydney wrote in her Breakup Code journal. You were always looking out for me, but I never paid enough attention to realize it.
The ringing cell pierced the silence in Sydney’s bedroom and the whole damn house. She rolled off her bed, grabbing the cell from atop her dresser. The lit screen said Lisa.
“Hey.”
“Hi, Chut,” Lisa said. “What’s up?”
Sydney tried not to cringe at the nickname. “Not much.” She resettled on her bed, uncapping her pen. She drew a star on the open page in her notebook then ran over the bold black lines again and again. “What’s up with you?”
