The Ordinary Life of Emily P. Bates (15 page)

“But… she’s–no. Wait.” He looked confused. “What are you getting at?”

“You know? I really don’t know. I think that you and Margo still weird me out a little.”

“Well this was all your idea in the first place,” he said. “You and my stupid sister.”

“Don’t lump me in with her. I was just going along for the ride. I never thought that it would be this strange. That it would go this far.”

“In the grand scheme of things, it’s not gone very far at all, though,” he said. “I haven’t even gotten to third base yet.”

“Finnegan! I did not need that particular mental picture!” I shuddered involuntarily.

He grinned. “Sorry.” He watched my face for a few seconds, though I wasn’t paying much attention to him. “If it makes you feel any better, I think it’s just as weird that you and Cavanaugh are together.”

“We’re not really together,” I said brusquely, then looked up. “I, unlike you, have not committed to anything.” I remembered again the look on Ethan’s face when he’d tried to convince me to let him drive on Saturday. When he’d first arrived at St. John High, that penetrating stare had undone me, but now I was starting to get the idea that this was a regular practice for Ethan. How many other girls had he gone through to perfect that stare?

“But it’s still there. You’ve got a thing, you and him.”

I shrugged and went back to the book. It was actually kind of interesting. “I guess.”

“And it’s weird.”

“That’s the second time in all the time I’ve known you to use the word ‘weird.’” I laughed. “Odd that they would both happen in the same conversation.”

“Gimme back my book,” he said.

“Fine.” I handed it over, but he sat it down on the counter.

“So tell me something,” he said. “Why is it that on your first day of freedom, in what I assume to be your first moments, you decided to come here?”

I shrugged. “I can’t go see Shannon at your house, and you’re here–away from the prying eyes of your
jailer
. It just seemed logical.”

“And what about Cavanaugh?”

There it was. He’d hit the tender spot. “I dunno. You’re more my friend than he is, right?”

He studied my face. “I guess.” I squirmed under his scrutiny.

“Stop staring at me,” I said. “Let’s play scrabble or something.”

“Bill’s cat ate about a quarter of the tiles.”

“Poor cat.”

“Yeah. Bill tried to salvage them from the litter box, but I just made him buy a whole new set.”

“So what’s the problem?”

“Who said there was a problem?”

After thinking about that a moment, I said, “I guess no one did. I’ll keep score.”

“Yeah right. The last time you kept score you won by two thousand points.”

“Shut up. It was an accident and you know it.”

“Yes, an accident. You are
prone
to accidents, and I’d rather avoid as many as possible please. I’ll keep score.”

I shrugged. “Whatever. Just don’t let me catch you feeling the tiles before you draw them.”

“Me? Never!”

“So are we gonna resume our homework sessions after school today?” I asked Ethan at breakfast the next day, doing my best at nonchalance. I didn’t want him to think I was avoiding him. “I have some serious catching up to do.”

“Oh, sorry,” he said around his French toast sticks. “I thought I told you I joined an intramural basketball team a few weeks ago.”

“You did, but what does that have to do with anything?”

“Practice is right after school.” He took a massive gulp of milk and flashed the usual grin at me. “But afterwards maybe. You could come by my house.”

“No. I promised Mom we’d have a family dinner tonight.” I’d promised no such thing, but I didn’t want to bother with going all the way to Ethan’s house tonight.

“Too bad.” He shrugged and got up to dump his trash.

              I looked back to the group and found everyone’s eyes on me. “What?” I asked.

              “Nothing,” Shannon said. They all kept right on staring. Finn even put down hi
s book
to make his staring a little easier. Margo’s eyes had gone all big, like she was watching one of those charity commercials about homeless kids in Africa.

              I jammed the rest of my doughnut into my mouth, chewed quickly, and then opened my mouth wide for all to see.

              “Gross!” Margo exclaimed. Shannon glowered at me and went back to her notebook.

              Finn just rolled his eyes and picked up his book again. “Since you have no plans after school you should drop me off at work,” he said without looking up.

“All right, whatever,” I mumbled around the mass of food in my mouth. With a considerable effort I was able to finally swallow, and I grinned toothily at Shannon, who still looked quite disgusted.

Twelve

I had nothing to do that Saturday before our planned outing at the bowling alley, so I invited myself over to Shannon’s that morning, just me and her. It had been a very long time since she and I had had some alone time
,
and I figured now was just as good a time as any.

“What do you want to do?” Shannon asked. She was sprawled out on her bed, her head in her hands.

“I dunno, just hang out, I guess.” I pulled the bowl of potpourri from her desk into my lap and started sorting out all of the leaves and other vegetable matter into separate piles on the floor. She watched me do it, ignoring the bits and pieces that were getting all over her otherwise spotless carpet. The stuff was ancient, but it still smelled great. Maybe it would make my cast a little less stinky.

“So what’s the deal with you and Ethan?” she asked.

“Why is everybody so hung up on that?”

“Because he’s practically your boyfriend.”

“He’s no such thing.”

“Yes he is.”

“No! He is not.” I exclaimed. “So we’ve gone out on a couple of dates. So we kissed a little. In case you haven’t noticed, he and I haven’t been
alone
together in over a month. He doesn’t even act like he wants to get me on my own at school, and now I’m not sure that I want that either.”

Her forehead crinkled with worry. “Really?”

“Really.” I held up a red petal to examine it more closely, and then dropped it into the appropriate pile on my right. “He used to be really fun, you know? Now all he does is sit and wait for the bell to ring. Or he up and goes to sit with his friends. He doesn’t care about me, not really. It’s getting uncomfortable.”

“Hm.”

I glared up at her. “What do you think I should do? I think he’s still trying to get together with me, however half-heartedly, and I don’t think I want him to.”

“So don’t get together with him.”

“But what if he asks?”

“I thought you said he didn’t even act like he wanted to.”

“He doesn’t, but what if he does?”

“Then say no.”

“But what if he gets mad because I’ve led him on?”

“Emily, watch it! You’re crushing those into the carpet with your gargantuan cast! That potpourri was my mom’s, man!”

“Sorry.” I lifted my left arm just in time to avoid catastrophe. “I’m so glad this thing is coming off next week. I can’t wait to have my arm back.”

“Seriously.” She studied her perpetually ruined nails with the vain hope of finding one long enough to bite off. Evidently she didn’t succeed because she let her hands fall back to the bed. “Too bad it wasn’t this week. I can’t imagine you bowling with that thing.”

“I’ll manage.”

“If you say so,” she shrugged. “And if Ethan puts up a fuss, just tell him to deal with it.”

I grinned at her. “Good you have you back.”

“What?” she asked, looking annoyed.

“You’ve just been so ominously silent for a long time now. Glad to hear you butting in again.”

“I’m not butting in,” she grumbled, picking at her nails. “And you shouldn’t draw this out with that boy. He’s got feelings, too. Don’t tell him tonight, though. We’ve all got to get along. Maybe he’ll fall for Maggie Hanson afterwards; they’d be good together. I should give her a call. I’m pretty sure I saw her eyeing him in
Spanish
class the other day.”

I was laughing at her now, and she even had the grace to smile a little, too. “Go for it. And I won’t tell him anything tonight, you’re right about that. It’s a celebration!”

“Oh yeah! Party time!”

“No! Please no parties.”

She laughed and drew an X across her heart. “Cross my heart, no parties.”

“Thank you.”

“Until college.” 

Around four-thirty, we made our way downstairs. I ran down the hall and banged on Finn’s door. “Let’s go! We’ve got some celebrating to do!”

“Yeah, yeah!” he called through the door, and then wrenched it open from the inside. He had a bag slung over one shoulder, and I knew good and well there was at least one book hidden away in there somewhere. “Where’s the fire?”

“It’s gonna be under your butt in a minute. Let’s go!” I stopped short and stared up at him for a couple of seconds before adding, “I thought you were gonna get a haircut.”

He grinned crookedly and shook the hair out of his face. “I did, a month ago.”

“Well it’s time for another one.”

“So you say.”

“I’m dying of old age down here!” Shannon called from downstairs, and Finn pulled his door shut behind him. He pushed me along in front of him and I didn’t argue. At least we were leaving now.

It took us a good half an hour just to get all the way to Margo’s house and even longer to get back to town for Ethan. It was almost six before we finally pulled up to the Pine Bowl and piled out of my wheezing old Taurus into the cool night air. I’d forgotten my jacket and must have been shivering because Ethan put his arm around my shoulders. I looked to Shannon for help, but she just shrugged and went on ahead with Margo. I resolved to remember to make her pay for this later, but for now I just went along with Ethan’s sudden physical proximity.

We were hit with a blast of hot air and a wave of noise like a brick wall when we pushed inside the squat little building. I used the sudden heat as an excuse to shrug Ethan’s arm off of my shoulders. Our ears were assailed with the crashing and thunderous rolling of the balls on the polished lanes, not to mention the cheering and the disappointed “Aww’s!!” coming from the almost booked solid bowling alley. In a large alcove on our right, three pool tables stood, and off to the left, just on the other side of the little diner, was an entire wall lined with pinball machines, arcade games, and various little entertainments for the dozens of screaming kids running around.

It was heaven.

“I’m starved,” Shannon said as Finn took off to reserve a lane for us. “Emily, come get something to eat with me.”

“Okay!” She winked at me as I left Ethan’s side to join her at the counter. “Thank you,” I muttered under my breath as soon as we were alone. I glanced over to the far side of the building where Finn was helping Margo pick out a bowling ball from the rack. Ethan was nearby, saying something that was evidently very funny because Margo’s peal of laughter was audible over the general din all the way across the room.

“I’m sorry you’re stuck with him tonight.”

“Not if I can help it.”

A large man behind the counter grunted something that sounded like “Take your order?” at us.

“I’ll have a burger with everything, no onions, and curly fries. And a chocolate shake,” Shannon rattled off.

“Same for me,” I said, and then a thought occurred to me. “Except I want extra onions.”

“Your breath’s gonna stink all night,” Shannon warned.

“Exactly.”

She pursed her mouth and her eyebrows shot up under her bangs. “Ah, so it’s a ruse.”

“No ruse. I just like onions.”

“Sure.”

Finn was suddenly right behind us, his arms around both our waists. “You two are the ones who dragged me out here, so get your lazy butts to the lanes!” He winked at me.

“We’re waiting on our food!” Shannon said, annoyed.

He pushed a pair of shoes into my arms. “Well it’s Emily’s turn, then yours. And oh look! Your food’s done. Let’s go. Your boyfriend is driving me up the wall.” 

“You too?” I asked, and then laughed at my own bad joke as I grabbed the plastic basket containing my burger and fries.

But Finn didn’t laugh. “What?” His eyes raked my face suspiciously.

“Nothing, it’s a joke,” Shannon said. She pushed him towards our lane with her one free hand where Margo and Ethan were hunched over the scoring controls, trying to set up our games. She glared at me behind his back. I supposed she was right. The fewer people who knew I was going to be breaking ties with Ethan in a few days, the easier it would be tonight to pretend that I wasn’t.

Suddenly, Shannon skidded to a stop. “Oh my God.”

“What?” Finn and I looked at Shannon, and then followed her horrified gaze across the bowling alley. There, four lanes down, was Charlie. The blond was with him, and so were a couple of other preppy looking girls. Charlie was laughing and joking around while one of the girls stepped up to the lane.

“Charlie,” Shannon whispered accusingly.

Charlie looked up the instant that she’d said his name. It was as if she’d shouted it across the room, though her whisper was almost too quiet even for Finn and me to hear.

The look on his face was one of absolute shame. Bless him for having the decency to be sorry. Shannon, on the other hand, looked like she was about to cry.

“It’s okay,” I said, taking her arm and turning her toward our own game. We both sat down with our backs to Charlie “It doesn’t matter. You don’t have to talk to
--
hey!” Finn had abruptly dumped his shoes into my arms, nearly knocking my shake out of my hand, and took off.

“Where’s he going?” Margo asked, stepping over to us. All four of us followed Finn with our eyes and saw that Charlie had left his group. He’d already closed half of the distance between hi
s group and ours
by the time Finn had intercepted him.

“Oh no,” Shannon moaned. She started to get up, but Margo and I both held her down.

“It’ll be okay,” I said again. “Let Finn deal with him.”

Ethan had gotten up now so that he could see over our heads and we all watched Charlie and Finn. We couldn’t hear what they were saying, but the tension was obvious in the set of Finn’s shoulders and the fury in Charlie’s blue eyes.

I willed Finn not to hit him. Charlie may be a bore, but he was a bore with very thick arms. There was no way that lanky old Finn could ever win a fight with Charlie Hamilton.

After a couple of very tense moments, Charlie turned and walked back to his group. None of the girls had even noticed he’d left. Finn came back over to us and slipped his arm around Margo’s waist. She smiled up at him.

“What just happened?” I asked.

Finn looked at Shannon. “He won’t bother us tonight.”

Shannon nodded.

“What did you say to him?” I asked again.

“I told him what he needed to hear.” Finn kissed Margo on the side of her head, and then turned to pick out a bowling ball. “Let’s play, shall we?”

His sister sniffed and stood. “Yeah
, o
kay.” She followed him to the ball rack. I turned to glare at Charlie, but he was sitting with his back to us and didn’t see me.

Ethan went back to the controls to finish setting up the game. “Okay, Em, you’re first,” He glanced up at the screen to be sure that my name had appeared there. “Then Shannon, then Finn, Margo, and me.”

“Finn has two N
s,” I said, taking
a long draw on my milkshake before stepping over to the ball rack, glaring at the back of Charlie’s head the whole time. Whatever Finn had said to him, it worked. Charlie was no longer laughing with his little girlfriends. He sat stone still in the chair and stayed there the rest of the night.

I chose my ball quickly and carried it balanced on my cast and pressed against my gut with my one good hand to keep it from rolling off.

“Can you manage?” Finn asked.

              “Sure,” I said. “I can manage anything.”

“Anything but a footstool.”

“Bite me.” I managed to knock down three pins my first try and two the next. When I stepped back to the table to finally eat my dinner, Ethan and Finn were both sni
ck
ering behind their hands.

“Hey! Leave me alone! I said I could manage, not that I was any good.”

“Sorry,” Ethan said, but Finn just rolled his eyes and turned to watch his twin take her turn.

The evening went by in a blur of laughter and terrible scores. By eight o’clock, our table was covered in drink cups and discarded plastic baskets. Finn had long since retired to the table to read his book, and even I had gotten tired of wrestling with my bulky cast. I sat at the table, picking at some cold fries and sipping absentmindedly on a watered down Coke.

Charlie left about an hour after we’d arrived. He didn’t try to talk to Shannon again, but he did cast one final glance at her as he stepped out of the door. Thankfully she wasn’t paying attention and didn’t see him leave.

              I took the opportunity to glare at him again, though. This time he saw me and he winced. I smiled, satisfied, and turned back to our game.

Shannon and Margo were having their own game now. They were trying to see which one of them could come up with the most creative way to get the ball down the lane without getting a gutter ball. Ethan was their judge. He was sitting at the table with us, but he had his back turned and he was completely absorbed in the girls’ antics. He frequently called out something like, “That’s ten points!” or “Nice one, Shannon!” or “No, no, no. That doesn’t count!” making me jump every time.