“What the...” she said out loud looking at the thing. It was about the size of a remote control but a lot thinner. It had no buttons or numbers and it was wrapped in bright pink plastic glitter. She turned it over and over in her hands, trying to work out what the strange object might be. There was a button on the front, a circle with a little square inside it. It felt like it could be pushed but Lacey was scared. She had no idea what it was, was it a bomb detonator?! She freaked out and put it on the table in front of her.
* * *
“Oh,” said Peggy as she watched Lacey put her phone on the coffee table.
“Peggy?” Lacey asked, confusion and a little fear all over her pretty face.
Peggy, now clean and made-up and dressed in jeans and a blue checked shirt stood dumb.
“Peg?” Lacey asked again. “What is this?”
Peggy sat down next to her on the couch and, taking the phone in her hands turned it on.
Lacey gasped.
“It’s my phone,” Peggy said knowing she should have lied and made something up. What could she possibly make up though? And she was so over pretending to be from Canada all the time.
“A phone?” asked Lacey, her face all scrunched up.
“It has everything on it. Music, photos, it’s a camera too...” she probably should have deleted the photos of the present. Or like Janet said, she shouldn’t even have it here at all.
“But what is it?”
“It's a phone, like I said.” Peggy turned it on and the light from the screen made Lacey jump backwards.
“A phone with photos and music? Don't you mean it's a camera? Or a Walkman?” asked Lacey.
“It's a phone, camera, Walkman, computer, it does lots of stuff.”
Lacey watched dumbfounded as Peggy flipped through the apps. She opened up her music app and clicked on her retro rock playlist. Music came from the speaker at the bottom and Lacey squealed.
“Peggy, how do you have this?”
“I'm not really supposed to tell anyone,” Peggy said.
“Are you in like, in the FBI or something? I thought you were just witness protection.”
“No,” Peggy laughed.
There was a sound at the front door and both the girls jumped. Peggy shoved the phone in her pocket.
“Quick, get your shoes on, we need to go before she realizes how messed up you are,” Lacey ordered.
Peggy grabbed her purse and slipped her feet into her black ballet flats, the ones with the silver studs.
“Morning Peggy, oh hi Lacey,” Janet called out as she struggled with two large brown bags full of vegetables and fruit.
“Let me help you Miss Bates.” Lacey jumped up and carried one of the bags into the kitchen.
“I'm taking Peggy out for breakfast, is that OK?” Lacey asked her teacher.
“Oh sure, I'm going to get started on a new sewing project,” Janet said excitedly.
“You sew?” Lacey asked politely.
“I made this dress.” Miss Bates put her hands on her hips to model the red striped knee length dress she was wearing. It was cute enough, cinched in at the waist with a chunky black and silver belt.
“That's really cool Miss B. You should totally make our prom dresses,” Lacey said.
“Thanks Lacey. Isn’t it a bit early to start thinking about Prom though?”
“It’s never too early to start thinking about prom,” Peggy said giving Lacey a look.
“You girls have a good time, I might be out again later though, I think Ray wants to take me out tonight,” Janet giggled.
“Ray?” asked Lacey.
“Ray’s records,” Peggy said.
“O.M.G!” squealed Lacey, “you’re dating Ray Wiley?”
“Not dating, just hanging out as you kids say,” Janet said, putting the bananas in the fruit bowl.
“Mrs. Wiley,” Lacey said. “It’s got a ring to it… kinda.”
Janet and Peggy exchanged looks.
“I wouldn’t change my name anyway, I never liked the idea of doing that,” Janet said shaking her head.
“Can I just use your bathroom real quick?” asked Lacey. “That coffee’s gone straight through me.” She bounded up the stairs without waiting for directions.
“Not even to Willis?” asked Peggy softly.
“I don’t know anyone called Willis,” Janet replied with a shrug. “I can’t sit around here waiting for a Willis to show up. I might not get married for years and years. I can’t put my life on hold because I know how it ends.”
“You don’t know how it ends.”
“I know who I marry, but I also know that right now, Ray is the one I want to be with, so I’m just going to be with him.”
Peggy nodded. She got it. Janet was clever and independent. She knew what she wanted, and she acted on it. Peggy wasn’t like that, she would have gotten it into her head she was marrying a Willis and searched the entire country for one, or like Janet suggested, sit in her house until one turned up.
* * *
“How do you look so good today?” Peggy asked when they were comfortably seated in a booth table at Dee's.
“I don't know what you mean,” Lacey said slurping at the disgusting bottomless coffee.
“We must've had about the same amount to drink last night.”
Lacey shrugged.
“I actually hate you,” Peggy said as the waitress refilled their coffee cups.
For a moment Peggy forgot where she was. Dee's hadn’t changed a single bit. The windows were grubby, the tables were the same laminate grey although they were a little cleaner. The booth seats were still bright red and the walls a pale turquoise blue. It was All-American and hideously garish, and Peggy loved it.
“Tell me what that thing is Peg,” Lacey demanded. “Before the others get here.”
“What others?”
“Ben, Nick and Tricia are meeting us.”
“Oh, I thought it was just going to be us. I really don’t feel like seeing people today.” Peggy tried to ignore the nauseous feeling in her stomach, washing it down with the awful coffee.
“Those guys aren’t people. I was going to invite Sammy, but I thought I’d check with you first, but then, he doesn’t usually do weekends. What the hell is going on with you two anyway? I know he seems tough and all, but I’ve never seen him hit anybody like that. Sammy’s usually a total pacifist.”
The memories of last night came rushing back to her. Seeing Jonas’ bloody face on the floor and his tooth and then Sammy grabbing her to get the hell out of there. She flinched. “I don’t know,” she said.
“Like I never saw him do anything like that for Rochelle, although they were never officially together if you know what I mean.”
“No, I really don't know what you mean,” said Peggy.
“She acts all like she’s his girlfriend, but she’s totally not. Never has been. She was always just his bit on the side, and she knows damn well he never like, loved her or anything like that.”
Peggy nearly spat out her coffee. “Bit on the side of what?” she asked, although she was pretty sure she didn’t want the answer.
“The rest of his life, I guess. Cars, his family. They come first to Sammy.”
Peggy looked into her coffee.
“I’m sure they wouldn’t come first to him after you though, if you were like, together. So, are you together?”
Peggy shrugged. “I don't think so.”
Lacey made a sad face.
“Is it true that none of you guys are going to college?” Peggy asked quickly, thinking of something else to talk about.
“Most of us in this town don’t. I’ll probably just get a job selling jeans at the Mini Mall while I save some cash, so I can run away and become famous or something. Leigh and Rochelle are talking about moving to Salt Valley and going to dental school. I guess Ben’s our only hope, he’s still waiting to hear about possible scholarships but after the way he’s been playing lately I doubt that’s going to happen.”
“What about Tricia? She seems pretty smart.”
“She's got good grades, sure, but her family can't afford to send her anywhere.”
“And Sammy?” Peggy asked casually.
“I should’ve known you were just asking about Sammy,” Lacey said, rolling her eyes. “He’s just gonna do what he does, fix cars with his dad. No one around here has any grand plans Peg. You either start dressing like a cowgirl and end up on a ranch, work at the diner or sell jeans at the Mini Mall, and I don’t so much like smelling of bacon grease or horse crap, so I know where I’m headed.”
“You should leave Santolsa,” Peggy said. “Imagine LA or New York, or San Francisco!” What she really meant was - imagine LA, New York or San Francisco in the 1980’s.
Lacey shrugged. “Some people have dreams, some people have responsibilities… or burdens.”
“What are yours?”
“My Mom,” Lacey rolled her eyes. “She’s a pain in my ass but she has no one else. Unless she marries Roger soon, I'm stuck here.”
Peggy nodded. “Who's Roger?”
“Her dumb boyfriend. But he's better than most of them have been.”
Peggy nodded again.
“So, tell me about that thing, how do you have that? Is it like war technology or something? I heard people talking about a World War Three.” Lacey looked at her suspiciously.
“It’s classified I guess, but it's not for war. And there isn't going to be a World War Three so calm down.”
“How could you possibly know that?”
“I just know, trust me.”
Lacey gave her a look and then glanced over to the door before quickly dipping her head. “O.M.G, don’t look,” she instructed, which of course made Peggy look. In walked June-Belle dressed in a puffy blue dress and a nerd dressed like a hipster. He was kind of cute Peggy decided, in that Jack/brother/best friend/hipster kind of way.
“That’s Horace with June-Belle,” Lacey whispered. “I can’t believe they are in here together, like everyone comes here, it’s hardly secret.”
June-Belle looked around the diner anxiously and pulled Horace into a booth up the back. Lacey giggled. “I told you! Didn’t I tell you?”
“You told us what?” asked Tricia, sitting down next to Lacey and flicking some ash into the ashtray on the table. Peggy was slowly getting used to everyone smoking all the time but smoking near food was still gross to her and being hungover made it even grosser. It made her want to puke so bad.
“Peggy doesn’t smoke, Trish,” said Lacey rudely.
“No, it’s fine,” Peggy said, not wanting to be rude.
“Whatever, I should quit anyway, it’s making me jittery.” Tricia put the cigarette out and took the ashtray in her dark polished fingers, sliding it onto the next table full of giggling preppy freshman that kind of looked familiar but no one cared who they were.
“Hey, hey, hey!” called Ben, walking into the diner with way more vigor than was necessary. Nick followed behind him and looked a little worse for wear.
“Did you guys order cos I’m starving for those little pancakes they do here,” Ben said, looking around for the waitress as he slid in next to Peggy.
“Little?” asked Nick. “The pancakes here are huge.”
“Little to me Nick, I like my pancakes man size, not squirt size.”
“Is that June-Belle and Horace over there?” Nick asked squinting.
Tricia’s eyes nearly popped out of her head. “Horace and June-Belle?”
“I told you guys, didn’t I tell you guys?” Lacey gloated.
“I guess you told us,” shrugged Nick.
“That's so messed up,” said Tricia, shaking her head.
“What'll it be kids?” asked the waitress, blinking her blue eye-shadowed eyes blankly.
“Your number baby,” said Ben, looking her up and down.
“Hun, I’m fifty-five. What can I get you to eat?” the waitress replied.
“Ben, seriously,” said Tricia, “you don’t have to do that.”
“Do what?” he asked after he ordered his pancakes and vanilla shake.
“You know what,” Tricia said.
“So, what happened last night?” Ben asked ignoring her.
“I don’t even know how I got home so if someone could fill me in that’d be nice,” Peggy said.
“What do you remember?” asked Nick.
“I remember being on the dance floor and feeling really sick, so I went to sit down...” The memory of Jonas' tongue down her throat almost brought up the coffee she'd just drunk.
“You remember Jonas kissing you?” Lacey asked.
“It's the only thing I do remember, unfortunately.”
“Yeah, he was all over you, kissing you and everything. That’s what Sammy said,” Nick told her.
“I was dancing, but when I saw Sammy jump him, I ran straight over,” Lacey said.
“Sammy... jumped him?” Peggy's hands began to shake, spilling a little coffee onto her saucer.
Lacey laughed. “He’s got the hots for you Peg.”
“I don’t think so,” Peggy said.
“He put you to bed and everything,” said Lacey.
Peggy's face lost some color. “He did what?”
“How do you think you got home? And how do you think you got into bed?” Lacey asked. “I sure didn’t carry you in there.”
“I don't know...” Peggy tried as hard as she could to remember.
She remembered falling to the ground and looking up as Sammy hit Jonas in the face. Sammy's face void of rage or aggression, but full of something. She saw Jonas' face on the floor next to her, his yellow tooth rolling towards her on the floor. Sammy and Lacey helping her to the car. That was it.
“He carried you into your house and put you to bed.” Lacey said it like it was something that happened every day. Maybe that kind of thing happened to Lacey every day, but not to Peggy.
Peggy swore, staring into the stack of pancakes covered in bacon and maple syrup the waitress had just put in front of her. “I'm so embarrassed,” she said putting her head into her hands. Sammy was never going to be into someone who was such a mess.
Lacey ignored her and began talking animatedly about Horace and June-Belle. “Why is she so evil anyway?” She took a bite of her lemon and sugar pancake. “I can’t stand her,” she said through the pancakes.
“Why do you hate her so much anyway?” asked Peggy. “Like sure, she’s a preppy and kind of annoying, but she’s doesn’t seem that bad.”
Silence.
“What?” asked Peggy.
Lacey’s face went the same color as her hair, and she looked like she was seconds away from losing it. Peggy had never seen her so mad before.
“Woah, you really went there,” said Tricia.
“Went where?” asked Peggy.
“Can I tell her?” asked Tricia. Lacey’s face stayed angry, but she nodded and took another bite of her food, looking out the window as she chewed and let her friend tell the story.
“In 1981 Lacey won Miss Teen Santolsa,” Tricia said.
“Wow,” said Peggy laughing, “that’s amazing, I’m sitting here with a bona-fide beauty queen and I never even knew it.”
Lacey flickered her eyes towards Peggy and then back out the window.
“And then,” began Nick, “the next year, June-Belle won.”
“So, you hate her because she won your crown?” asked Peggy.
“No,” said Lacey, putting down her fork. “I hate her because she sabotaged me.” Lacey glared in June-Belle’s direction.
“Lacey came out for the finale,” Tricia said. “She was going to perform a twirling routine for her special talent.”
“But when she went to twirl the baton…” Ben said slowly, checking Lacey’s expression to see if it was OK to go on.
“She couldn’t hold onto it,” Nick said.
“Butter,” said Lacey, stabbing another piece of pancake.
“It slipped out of h
er hand and nearly took out the mayor at the judges table,” Tricia said, stifling a giggle.
Peggy laughed, and Lacey threw her a dirty look.
“Where’s Sammy today?” asked Nick breaking the tension.
“Probably visiting his mom,” Tricia said.
“Where does his mom live?” asked Peggy.
“You should probably ask him about that,” said Nick. “He was pretty cut up about last night too, now that the Eights are after him.”
“I hardly even remember him being there, God I hardly remember anything.” Peggy was suffering severe toxic waste remorse.
“It's fine,” said Nick.
“It’s totally fine,” said Ben.
“We’ve all been a hell of a lot worse at the Fire Station than you were last night Peg, don’t worry about it,” Tricia said, hoeing into her own plate of bacon. It could've been the first nice thing Tricia ever said to her.
“It's so not fine, I’ve really embarrassed myself in front of him, I mean… everybody,” Peggy said, tapping the mound of untouched pancakes in front of her with her fork.
“Finally, you admit it to the world, you love Sammy Ruthven!” Lacey accused, pointing her fork.
Peggy shrugged. Trying to deny it was getting too hard anyway.
“Looks like Ro is finally out of the picture so just go for it,” said Tricia.
“You are so much cuter than her too Peg,” said Ben giving her a nudge. “But just remember what I said, huh?”
“Yeah,” said Lacey. “Ro’s all make-up and hair. No heart.”
“She’s actually really great, if you’d take some time to get to know her,” said Nick, jumping to her defense.
“Nick don’t tell me you are still holding a torch for that girl?” Tricia said, smacking her mug on the table.
“She used to be cool, but she’s changed,” said Lacey, “everyone can see it.”
“She was always a pain in the ass,” said Tricia.
“She used to be my best friend, like years ago,” Lacey told Peggy.
“She’s still really cool, she’s just been going through stuff,” said Nick.
“We’ve all been going through stuff,” said Lacey.
Class of 1983: A Young Adult Time Travel Romance Page 17
