Blank Confession by Pete Hautman Page B

screaming at me. Her room was a disaster area, as usual. Clothes everywhere, utter chaos. The exact opposite of my room.
    I sat down on the only chair, the one in front of her vanity.
    Marie said, talking really fast, “Jon’s brother has a really cool place. This old apartment building that they made into like condos and he has roof access so he’s got it set up like for parties with a big grill and tables and chairs and stuff like a huge patio in the sky. Tracy and Maura were there and a couple of Wart’s friends—sort of creepy—and Wart’s girlfriend, Greta. She was cool. We were on the roof. Did I say that already?”
    â€œWho’s Wart?” I couldn’t get over the fact that my sister was talking to me, but it was weird how fast she was talking. I wondered which drug—or drugs—she’d been taking.
    â€œJon’s brother. Stepbrother. It’s short for Stewart. Wart is. He’s like a biker. He has a Harley in his living room. So cool.”
    â€œWhat’s Wart like?” I pictured a guy with an incredibly ugly lump for a head.
    â€œHe’s okay.” She began picking at a small scab on the back of her hand. “A little scary. Not like he
did
anything, but he seemed kind of tense. He wasn’t mean to me, but he treated Jon like his slave. You know: ‘Grab me a beer. Do this. Don’t do that. Clean that up.’ I think he’s pissed that Jon had to come and live with him—probably why he made us all leave so early—but he likes having somebody to order around. He ordered Jon around a lot.” She managed to lift off the scab; a bead of blood formed. She stared at it, fascinated.
    â€œAre you
sure
you’re okay?” I asked her.
    Her eyes flicked to me, then back to the bead of blood. “’Course I am. I’m just, I’m just a little wound up because of Mom being such a bitch and all. And school tomorrow, I don’t have my Psychology paper done, all my jeans are in the wash, did you know Tracy got a kitten? It’s so-o-o-o-o cute.”
    I was sure she was high on something, but I knew if I said so she’d deny it, so I just let her go on about Tracy’s kitten for a while, then circled back to Jon and his brother.
    â€œIs it permanent? Is Jon going to stay with his brother from now on?”
    â€œHe’s working for Wart now. I mean, I guess he always was but now it’s like full time on account of Wart is spending most of his time at BG’s and since Jon’s done with school now he has more time—”
    â€œWait—Jon’s officially dropped out?”
    â€œThe only reason he was going at all was because his dad made him and now he’s kicked out so …”
    â€œDid you see Shayne?” I asked.
    She pushed her hair back. She had forgotten about the drop of blood on her hand; it left a red streak across her cheek. “He gave me a ride home,” she said.
    â€œHe did?
Shayne
was
there?
”
    â€œTracy and I were leaving, and he just happened to be driving by.”
    â€œHe followed you and Kyle when you left school,” I said.
    â€œHe did?” She leaned forward. “Really?”
    â€œMaybe he just happened to be going in the same direction.”
    â€œHe’s a total prick, anyway. I tried to talk to him this morning and he blew me off, like he’s too cool or something. And when he gave me a ride home I thought he’d say he was sorry or something but he just dropped me off and he was like,
later
. Do you think I’m fat?”
    â€œI …huh? No, you’re not fat at all.”
    She stuck out her foot. “I think I have fat ankles.”
    I didn’t want to get into a discussion of her ankles, so I said, “Shayne blew me off too. I think he just doesn’t want to make problems with Jon. You know, because Jon’s mad at him and he doesn’t want it to rub off on us.”
    â€œJon could