this?!”
“Not me,” Riley insisted.
“Lizzie!”
“God, I have more important people to tell,” she said while blowing kisses at the sun visor vanity mirror.
“And I’m the mental one?” I exclaimed, before answering my cell.
“Hi Mom,” I said, speaking in an overly chipper tone for someone who had just woken up to an embarrassingly detailed article intended to smear her character.
“Where are you?” my mom asked.
“Where am I?” I asked rhetorically so Riley could hear.
“Virginia Beach.”
And I repeated without thinking, “Virginia Beach, Mom.” Grimacing as soon as I said it, anything with beach connected to it sounded like I was goofing off and not figuring out what I was going to do with my life.
“I don’t understand,” my mom said with an edge. “How do you get college credit for going to Virginia Beach?”
“It’s like studying abroad without the abroad part.” I winced.
“Smooth.” Riley’s shoulders shook with laughter.
“Sounds like a load of shit, Josephine, what are you really doing?”
Rubbing my face with my hand I said, “The truth is, Mom.”
“The truth is…” I was grasping for straws when I just happened to look down at the magazine. “The truth is that I got a summer job.”
“YES!” Lizzie shouted from up front.
“What?” My mom asked.
I could tell that my mom believed this even less than the abroad class.
“No, it’s true. I’m writing for a website.”
“A website for what?” I looked down at the cover of Hawkins who was surrounded by girls.
“A political party for the upcoming election in the fall.”
“When have you ever cared about politics?”
As of two seconds ago.
“Wow, Mom, I thought that you would be happy to hear the news. That I’m doing something with my life.”
“I am,” she said earnestly. “It’s just so unexpected. Whose campaign are you working for anyway?”
“Whose campaign?” I emphasized, looking at Riley for help. “Well, the democrat of course.”
“Which democrat?” My mom was starting to smell the fear in me from over two hundred miles away. I could tell that my story was hanging in the balance with the answer to this question.
“Johnson,” Riley whispered.
Oh, thank god.
“Johnson,” I said.
“ The Nicholas Johnson.” She was awe struck.
“ The one,” I said.
“How did you hear about this job?”
“Through a friend,” I said vaguely. “I heard that they were hiring so I filled out an application on the website and then they contacted me. It sounded like a great way to see the country as well.”
“I don’t agree with his health care policy.” She found the only negative thing to comment on.
“Ah, huh.”
“His wife is—” my mom began to say, but I knew this was only going to lead to more questions that I didn’t have answers for.
“Mom, umm, I have to go,” I interrupted her. “We’re on the move.” Saying it like they do in the movies, I noticed Riley was shaking from laughter again.
“Well, take care of yourself,” she said. “You’re not going to any protest rallies, are you?”
“No, Mom.”
“Good,” she said. “I would hate to see you splattered across the front page of the newspaper while making an embarrassing spectacle of yourself. That kind of stuff follows people for years!”
“That would be bad,” I said, flipping over the cover of the magazine with Hawkins on it. “Love you.”
“Love you too, honey.”
I felt horrible for lying to my mom as the call ended, but she was absolutely not going to like hearing the truth. Dropping the cell phone on the floor, I rolled over and pulled the sheet up over my head once more.
“We’re on the move?” Riley snickered.
“Virginia Beach?” I quoted before pushing the sheet off me again. “I need to know everything there is to know about this Johnson guy, like yesterday.”
“You’re in luck; The Grimm Brothers Band is promoting him on their tour,” Riley said the first happy
“Not me,” Riley insisted.
“Lizzie!”
“God, I have more important people to tell,” she said while blowing kisses at the sun visor vanity mirror.
“And I’m the mental one?” I exclaimed, before answering my cell.
“Hi Mom,” I said, speaking in an overly chipper tone for someone who had just woken up to an embarrassingly detailed article intended to smear her character.
“Where are you?” my mom asked.
“Where am I?” I asked rhetorically so Riley could hear.
“Virginia Beach.”
And I repeated without thinking, “Virginia Beach, Mom.” Grimacing as soon as I said it, anything with beach connected to it sounded like I was goofing off and not figuring out what I was going to do with my life.
“I don’t understand,” my mom said with an edge. “How do you get college credit for going to Virginia Beach?”
“It’s like studying abroad without the abroad part.” I winced.
“Smooth.” Riley’s shoulders shook with laughter.
“Sounds like a load of shit, Josephine, what are you really doing?”
Rubbing my face with my hand I said, “The truth is, Mom.”
“The truth is…” I was grasping for straws when I just happened to look down at the magazine. “The truth is that I got a summer job.”
“YES!” Lizzie shouted from up front.
“What?” My mom asked.
I could tell that my mom believed this even less than the abroad class.
“No, it’s true. I’m writing for a website.”
“A website for what?” I looked down at the cover of Hawkins who was surrounded by girls.
“A political party for the upcoming election in the fall.”
“When have you ever cared about politics?”
As of two seconds ago.
“Wow, Mom, I thought that you would be happy to hear the news. That I’m doing something with my life.”
“I am,” she said earnestly. “It’s just so unexpected. Whose campaign are you working for anyway?”
“Whose campaign?” I emphasized, looking at Riley for help. “Well, the democrat of course.”
“Which democrat?” My mom was starting to smell the fear in me from over two hundred miles away. I could tell that my story was hanging in the balance with the answer to this question.
“Johnson,” Riley whispered.
Oh, thank god.
“Johnson,” I said.
“ The Nicholas Johnson.” She was awe struck.
“ The one,” I said.
“How did you hear about this job?”
“Through a friend,” I said vaguely. “I heard that they were hiring so I filled out an application on the website and then they contacted me. It sounded like a great way to see the country as well.”
“I don’t agree with his health care policy.” She found the only negative thing to comment on.
“Ah, huh.”
“His wife is—” my mom began to say, but I knew this was only going to lead to more questions that I didn’t have answers for.
“Mom, umm, I have to go,” I interrupted her. “We’re on the move.” Saying it like they do in the movies, I noticed Riley was shaking from laughter again.
“Well, take care of yourself,” she said. “You’re not going to any protest rallies, are you?”
“No, Mom.”
“Good,” she said. “I would hate to see you splattered across the front page of the newspaper while making an embarrassing spectacle of yourself. That kind of stuff follows people for years!”
“That would be bad,” I said, flipping over the cover of the magazine with Hawkins on it. “Love you.”
“Love you too, honey.”
I felt horrible for lying to my mom as the call ended, but she was absolutely not going to like hearing the truth. Dropping the cell phone on the floor, I rolled over and pulled the sheet up over my head once more.
“We’re on the move?” Riley snickered.
“Virginia Beach?” I quoted before pushing the sheet off me again. “I need to know everything there is to know about this Johnson guy, like yesterday.”
“You’re in luck; The Grimm Brothers Band is promoting him on their tour,” Riley said the first happy
Similar Books
