fell off the rock and bit my tongue. Blood everywhere. Mrs. Stanhope came out and she was so mad. She asked me if I thought I was smart. Then Mom came out and smacked me so hard. . . .” But Kate felt their blank stares. She couldn’t explain it. She couldn’t boil the whole encounter down to one riveting sentence.
“What’s with you and Peter?” Natalie asked. “Are you two fooling around?”
“No!” Kate cried as she felt a ball of light gather under her breastbone.
The simple fact that Kate was still at St. Bart’s and Nat and Sara were a senior and a sophomore at Gillam High meant that her stories could never be as interesting as theirs. Nothing rated until high school.
Sara leaned over her bowl to get closer to Kate. “Nat’s going out with Damien Reed.”
“Sara!” Natalie said.
“She won’t tell,” Sara said.
“Oh,” Kate said as she felt her own story get shouldered aside. She didn’t know who Damien Reed was.
Sara continued. “She said that if she ever gets pregnant, she’ll rent a car, drive to Texas, get an abortion, and tell Mom and Dad she’s at a track meet.”
“Sara!” Natalie said again, this time with more feeling. “I’ll kill you.”
“Why Texas?” Kate asked.
Nat sighed. “It doesn’t have to be Texas. Somewhere far.”
“Wouldn’t you want someone to go with you?” If they’d expected her to be prudish about it, she hadn’t given them the satisfaction.
“Sara would come,” Natalie said, looking at Sara to confirm this was true. She turned to Kate. “You could come if you wanted to. Not now, but in a couple of years. Not that I expect it to ever happen.”
Kate considered this.
“And if you guys ever need one, you can say you’re visiting me at school,” Nat said, closing the subject. She was heading to Syracuse in the fall.
Their mother came in and began taking everything she’d need out of the fridge and the bread box to make their lunches. “Whisper, whisper, whisper,” she said as she counted out six slices of bread, three black plums, three bottles of Snapple. She opened a tub of tuna salad. “You’d all better be ready for the bus. I don’t feel like driving anyone this morning.”
----
Mrs. O’Connor looked up from her attendance sheet and said his name twice before moving on. At gym Mr. Schiavone announced that it was Peter Stanhope’s turn to be captain and then looked around at everyone before naming another boy instead. Kate felt a hum of fear and joy rush through her every time his absence was noted, as if the shape of him were there beside her. Idly, throughout the day, she’d touch her hand to her jaw where he’d touched her less than twenty-four hours before.
“Where’s Peter?” some of the kids asked on the bus ride home.
“Not feeling well I guess,” Kate said, swallowing back a smile.
When she got off the bus, she was careful not to look too long at Peter’s house in case anyone would catch on. His mother’s car was in the driveway. Their front door was closed. Lena Gleeson was standing on the porch with an armful of mail. She waved to Kate’s bus driver as he drove on.
“Peter didn’t go today?” she said once they were inside.
“Nope.” Kate shrugged.
“Hmm,” her mother said.
Homework, dinner, dishes: Kate did all of it meekly, hoping not to draw attention to herself. “Are you feeling okay? Let me see your tongue,”her mother said when Kate announced she was going upstairs to read before bed. Kate opened wide and stretched out her tongue as far as it would go.
“Looks fine,” Lena said, smoothing Kate’s hair away from her face. She brought her forehead to Kate’s, like she used to do when Kate was small. “Are you upset about your friend?”
“What do you mean?”
“He probably won’t be allowed to play with you anymore, Katie.”
“We don’t play , Mom. God. I’m almost fourteen.”
“Okay, well, whatever it is you do, I’m sure she’ll stop him doing it. But you steer
“What’s with you and Peter?” Natalie asked. “Are you two fooling around?”
“No!” Kate cried as she felt a ball of light gather under her breastbone.
The simple fact that Kate was still at St. Bart’s and Nat and Sara were a senior and a sophomore at Gillam High meant that her stories could never be as interesting as theirs. Nothing rated until high school.
Sara leaned over her bowl to get closer to Kate. “Nat’s going out with Damien Reed.”
“Sara!” Natalie said.
“She won’t tell,” Sara said.
“Oh,” Kate said as she felt her own story get shouldered aside. She didn’t know who Damien Reed was.
Sara continued. “She said that if she ever gets pregnant, she’ll rent a car, drive to Texas, get an abortion, and tell Mom and Dad she’s at a track meet.”
“Sara!” Natalie said again, this time with more feeling. “I’ll kill you.”
“Why Texas?” Kate asked.
Nat sighed. “It doesn’t have to be Texas. Somewhere far.”
“Wouldn’t you want someone to go with you?” If they’d expected her to be prudish about it, she hadn’t given them the satisfaction.
“Sara would come,” Natalie said, looking at Sara to confirm this was true. She turned to Kate. “You could come if you wanted to. Not now, but in a couple of years. Not that I expect it to ever happen.”
Kate considered this.
“And if you guys ever need one, you can say you’re visiting me at school,” Nat said, closing the subject. She was heading to Syracuse in the fall.
Their mother came in and began taking everything she’d need out of the fridge and the bread box to make their lunches. “Whisper, whisper, whisper,” she said as she counted out six slices of bread, three black plums, three bottles of Snapple. She opened a tub of tuna salad. “You’d all better be ready for the bus. I don’t feel like driving anyone this morning.”
----
Mrs. O’Connor looked up from her attendance sheet and said his name twice before moving on. At gym Mr. Schiavone announced that it was Peter Stanhope’s turn to be captain and then looked around at everyone before naming another boy instead. Kate felt a hum of fear and joy rush through her every time his absence was noted, as if the shape of him were there beside her. Idly, throughout the day, she’d touch her hand to her jaw where he’d touched her less than twenty-four hours before.
“Where’s Peter?” some of the kids asked on the bus ride home.
“Not feeling well I guess,” Kate said, swallowing back a smile.
When she got off the bus, she was careful not to look too long at Peter’s house in case anyone would catch on. His mother’s car was in the driveway. Their front door was closed. Lena Gleeson was standing on the porch with an armful of mail. She waved to Kate’s bus driver as he drove on.
“Peter didn’t go today?” she said once they were inside.
“Nope.” Kate shrugged.
“Hmm,” her mother said.
Homework, dinner, dishes: Kate did all of it meekly, hoping not to draw attention to herself. “Are you feeling okay? Let me see your tongue,”her mother said when Kate announced she was going upstairs to read before bed. Kate opened wide and stretched out her tongue as far as it would go.
“Looks fine,” Lena said, smoothing Kate’s hair away from her face. She brought her forehead to Kate’s, like she used to do when Kate was small. “Are you upset about your friend?”
“What do you mean?”
“He probably won’t be allowed to play with you anymore, Katie.”
“We don’t play , Mom. God. I’m almost fourteen.”
“Okay, well, whatever it is you do, I’m sure she’ll stop him doing it. But you steer
Similar Books
