away from the wall.
“All right, I think you have enough information,” he said. “Can we go hang out now?”
“Of course,” Meredith said. “I was just getting to know her, is all.” She looked at Amy. “Sorry if I made you uncomfortable.”
“Not at all,” Amy said, chipper as always. “It was nice to meet you.”
“You’re such a nice girl, so sweet,” Meredith said. “You two have fun.” She went over to the sink to wash the dishes, cueing the two of them that they were dismissed.
Cole led Amy to his small bedroom, wincing as he opened the door and remembered the mess that covered his floor, obscuring the dirty rug underneath. Amy seemed not to notice.
“So, what do you wanna do?” she said.
“I don’t know. I usually just read books,” Cole said, uncomfortable again.
“You can’t do that with two people,” Amy said. “You have any board games? You have Monopoly? I love Monopoly.”
“I…only have one game,” Cole said. “It’s called ‘Risk’.”
“Oooo, I love that game,” Amy said. “Oh, but I don’t think we can finish it before my mom gets here. It’s really long.”
“Is there something else you wanna do?”
“No, no, get it out. I haven’t played it in forever. We can finish it some other time.”
Cole reached under his bed and pulled out the game, still in its original plastic wrapping.
“You’ve never played it before?” Amy asked incredulously. Cole averted his eyes and said nothing but Amy was too excited to notice. “Oh man, you are missing out. I can’t wait to teach you how to play.” Amy, bubbling with excitement, ripped off the wrapping and cover and arranged the board to begin playing. “I think the last time I played this was with my parents like a year ago.”
“I never…” Cole began, but caught himself, thinking it best to leave his thought unsaid. However, this time Amy noticed.
“What was that?” she said. She was looking at him oddly, perceiving a pain in his eyes.
“No, it’s nothing,” Cole said. “Really.”
“You can’t just start to say something and then say it’s nothing. Come on. I thought we were buds. I can tell something is wrong.”
“It’s just, I don’t know. This is stupid. It’s just, sometimes... I mean, you have the perfect life. You have all these awesome things and an awesome car and two awesome parents.” His eyes remained glued to the floor while he spoke and, when he had finished, he regretted every word. “I told you, it’s stupid. I shouldn’t have said anything.”
Cole raised his eyes to see Amy frozen, staring down at her hand, which was holding a game piece on the board. She sat in silence for several moments, scarcely appearing to breathe, while Cole watched, too afraid to say anything. At last, he opened his mouth to ask if she was all right, but before he had uttered a syllable, she whispered, her lips barely moving, “You think I have it so great?”
She looked up, slowly, until her eyes were level with Cole’s. He had never seen her face so grave and it sent a chill down his back.
“I’m sorry, I -,” Cole began but Amy cut him off.
“You’re not sorry,” Amy said, her voice deathly serious. “I can’t believe you don’t appreciate it. I’m envious of you.”
“Really?” Cole said. “What’s so great about my life compared to yours?”
“Why do you think I always come to your house?” Amy said, her voice rising and her eyes narrowing into slits. “Why do you think my mom is always so eager to drop me off all the time? My parents can’t stand me. Or each other. All they care about is their stupid jobs and what everyone else thinks of them. That’s why they have that stupid act whenever they pick me up. As soon as we drive away they’re completely different. And they make me play along or…” She lifted the back of her shirt and twisted to reveal a large deep purple bruise on her back. “They do it whenever they’re angry but less if I’m good. It got
“All right, I think you have enough information,” he said. “Can we go hang out now?”
“Of course,” Meredith said. “I was just getting to know her, is all.” She looked at Amy. “Sorry if I made you uncomfortable.”
“Not at all,” Amy said, chipper as always. “It was nice to meet you.”
“You’re such a nice girl, so sweet,” Meredith said. “You two have fun.” She went over to the sink to wash the dishes, cueing the two of them that they were dismissed.
Cole led Amy to his small bedroom, wincing as he opened the door and remembered the mess that covered his floor, obscuring the dirty rug underneath. Amy seemed not to notice.
“So, what do you wanna do?” she said.
“I don’t know. I usually just read books,” Cole said, uncomfortable again.
“You can’t do that with two people,” Amy said. “You have any board games? You have Monopoly? I love Monopoly.”
“I…only have one game,” Cole said. “It’s called ‘Risk’.”
“Oooo, I love that game,” Amy said. “Oh, but I don’t think we can finish it before my mom gets here. It’s really long.”
“Is there something else you wanna do?”
“No, no, get it out. I haven’t played it in forever. We can finish it some other time.”
Cole reached under his bed and pulled out the game, still in its original plastic wrapping.
“You’ve never played it before?” Amy asked incredulously. Cole averted his eyes and said nothing but Amy was too excited to notice. “Oh man, you are missing out. I can’t wait to teach you how to play.” Amy, bubbling with excitement, ripped off the wrapping and cover and arranged the board to begin playing. “I think the last time I played this was with my parents like a year ago.”
“I never…” Cole began, but caught himself, thinking it best to leave his thought unsaid. However, this time Amy noticed.
“What was that?” she said. She was looking at him oddly, perceiving a pain in his eyes.
“No, it’s nothing,” Cole said. “Really.”
“You can’t just start to say something and then say it’s nothing. Come on. I thought we were buds. I can tell something is wrong.”
“It’s just, I don’t know. This is stupid. It’s just, sometimes... I mean, you have the perfect life. You have all these awesome things and an awesome car and two awesome parents.” His eyes remained glued to the floor while he spoke and, when he had finished, he regretted every word. “I told you, it’s stupid. I shouldn’t have said anything.”
Cole raised his eyes to see Amy frozen, staring down at her hand, which was holding a game piece on the board. She sat in silence for several moments, scarcely appearing to breathe, while Cole watched, too afraid to say anything. At last, he opened his mouth to ask if she was all right, but before he had uttered a syllable, she whispered, her lips barely moving, “You think I have it so great?”
She looked up, slowly, until her eyes were level with Cole’s. He had never seen her face so grave and it sent a chill down his back.
“I’m sorry, I -,” Cole began but Amy cut him off.
“You’re not sorry,” Amy said, her voice deathly serious. “I can’t believe you don’t appreciate it. I’m envious of you.”
“Really?” Cole said. “What’s so great about my life compared to yours?”
“Why do you think I always come to your house?” Amy said, her voice rising and her eyes narrowing into slits. “Why do you think my mom is always so eager to drop me off all the time? My parents can’t stand me. Or each other. All they care about is their stupid jobs and what everyone else thinks of them. That’s why they have that stupid act whenever they pick me up. As soon as we drive away they’re completely different. And they make me play along or…” She lifted the back of her shirt and twisted to reveal a large deep purple bruise on her back. “They do it whenever they’re angry but less if I’m good. It got
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