True Colors (19 page)

****

Dad left on Sunday afternoon. I wouldn't get to see him again until Mom and I went to Chicago for Christmas. He said he'd put up a tree in his apartment because last year he forgot to get one and it was a big letdown opening presents around the heating vent.

****

On Monday, Devon asked me to spend the night at her house this weekend. I told her I had already promised Tori I would sleep over, and she got an attitude.

“You said you would when you walked me home,” she said.

“I told you I didn't think I could,” I said.

“So Tori's your best friend again?”

“Devon, I already promised her, but maybe—”

“She dumped your butt when you got picked for the modeling thing, and she didn't even come to your party,” she said as she walked away.

On Thursday, I found out Devon had asked India to spend the night instead. I was hurt and wanted to tell Tori I couldn't sleep over, but I didn't want her to get mad at me again, so I tried to act like it didn't bother me. I couldn't even get excited about going over to Tori's. I used to love spending the night at her house. I always felt comfortable there because her parents left us alone. Now all I could think about was if Devon would be speaking to me on Monday and if she and India would be best friends when the weekend was over.

On Friday, Devon walked down to the cafeteria without me. She didn't ignore me when I sat down, but she spent the whole lunch hour joking around with Hana. We didn't even go outside to walk around because they were having so much fun together. Later, when I was at my locker, Devon yelled to India to hurry up because her mom was waiting for them. I felt like crap until Hana came over and gave me a birthday card with a movie gift card in it.

“I forgot to give this to you at lunch,” she said. “Sorry I missed your party, but maybe we could get together next weekend or something.”

Tori was excited about having me over, and her dad dropped us off to pick out movies while he went to get the pizza. We were looking at the new releases when I heard Devon's laugh. She and India were in the comedy section with their heads bent down together. I should have known better than to go to the movie store around the corner. Tori looked over and asked if we were fighting. I shook my head and hoped she couldn't see how sick I felt. I tried to lead Tori over to the horror movie section, but she walked over to the action side and bumped into India.

“Hey,” India said. “What are you guys renting?”

Devon came over and said they had to go and told us to “have fun.” They walked up to the counter with their arms linked.

We went back to Tori's house, and she and her mom had baked brownies for my birthday. They were good and even Matthew ate a brownie with us. He got up from the table to get a glass of soy milk.

“Landry, you want some?” he asked holding up the carton.

I hated soy milk, but I was not about to turn him down. We went into the living room to watch the movie, and Tori gave me my presents. I got a long sleeved pink T-shirt with glittery strawberries on it and a book called
Murder at the Chocolate Shop
because we had been into mysteries last summer.

“Is Devon mad at you because you're spending the night here?” she asked.

I shrugged. “She just wanted me to come over this weekend.”

“It's like you can't have any other friends,” she said. “Ericka said she got all possessive of you at your party.”

I said it was no big deal and we went back to watching the movie. It was sort of like old times except I kept wondering what Devon and India were doing and if she was having more fun with India. After all, Devon had been right. Tori had dumped my butt when Ericka got mad at me.

****

When I got home the next morning, Mom told me Devon had called twice. I called her back, and she said she and India were meeting Peyton at the movies. I was super tired, but I said I'd go. Mom told me to ask if I could get a ride with them since Devon lived up the street. I felt stupid asking since she didn't offer, but Devon said they could pick me up. Devon and India came up to the door together, and India was wearing Devon's red sweater and her favorite jeans. I had to sit in the front with Mrs. Abrams because the two of them were in the back. Devon reached over the seat to turn up the radio.

“I love this song,” she said as she and India sang along.

Mrs. Abrams dropped us off, and India jokingly said, “Thanks, Mom” to her. I tried to smile as I followed them into the theater. Peyton was already there, and I ended up sitting on the end next to Devon. It wouldn't have been so bad if Devon hadn't kept turning away from me to talk to India. Just as the previews started, these two guys starting throwing popcorn at Devon. She pretended to be annoyed, but you could tell she liked it.

“Let's move to the top row,” India said. We got up, and Peyton decided to get some popcorn. I went with her, and she asked me if I wanted to share popcorn so we could buy some candy, too. I wasn't hungry, in fact my stomach hurt, but I would have to sit next to her if we shared popcorn, so I agreed. We bought a bag of candy, a large bucket of popcorn, and two sodas. I offered India and Devon some candy, but they never ate when boys were around. Peyton leaned back and put her feet up on the seat in front of her. She stuck the popcorn between us and gave me some napkins.

“I can't watch a movie without snacks,” she said as the previews started. I nodded and started to relax.

After the movie, we stood outside waiting for Peyton's dad to pick her up. Devon hadn't called her mom yet because she and India were still talking to the guys who had been throwing popcorn at her. Mr. Urich pulled up, and Peyton looked over at India and Devon and asked if I wanted to come over. I didn't want to stand around waiting for them, so I nodded and ran over to tell Devon.

“You're going home with her?” she asked.

“I'm tired so her dad's gonna drop me off,” I said.

“Oh, okay. Call me,” she said.

We got to Peyton's house and her mom was curled up on the couch with their dog, Truffles.

“Hi Landry. How was the movie?” she asked. Her mom was always so sweet.

We went up to Peyton's bedroom, which had lots of white furniture and a furry white rug you could sink your feet into. I took off my shoes and dug my toes into the carpet. She had tons of photos up on her memo board, and I noticed she had put my school picture up there, too.

“Do you think your mom would let you spend the night?” she asked.

I didn't know if mom would let me sleep over at someone's house two nights in a row, but her parents said it would be okay, so I called home.

“You're gonna feel awful tomorrow. You couldn't have slept much at Tori's,” Mom said.

“Puh-lease?”

“Do you have a lot of homework, or can you take a nap tomorrow afternoon?” she asked.

“Finished my math in class,” I said. Like I ever took a nap when I stayed up late.

“Do you want me to bring your stuff over?” she said sighing.

I started to say she could just bring the overnight bag I took to Tori's, but Mrs. Urich said I could borrow some of Peyton's sweats and she had an extra toothbrush, too.

“No need to put your mom out,” she said.

We went back to Peyton's room, and she took her stuffed animals off her daybed so I could sleep on it. I don't mind sleeping on the floor when I stay overnight at someone's house, but it was nice to have a soft mattress to sleep on. We started talking, and she told me she had a crush on Stuart, but swore me to secrecy.

“I never tell anyone who I like. And I don't want India to know because she liked him first and she freaked out when I said he was cute the other day. It was like she owned him or something,” she said. “Anyway, he's been kind of a jerk lately.”

My best friend bracelet was bothering me so I took it off. She asked if she could see it.

“Devon, India, and I used to have best friend earrings, and it was so annoying. Devon would get mad at one of us and say she was going to throw hers away or she lost it,” she said.

I didn't know Devon had any best friend jewelry with India and Peyton. It made me feel weird even though I knew they had been best friends before I came along. I asked her what happened to the earring.

“It fell off in my aunt's pool, but I didn't care. They both got, like, super possessive about it. It was a huge thing if one of us forgot to wear it. India kept getting mad at me for not wearing it and then she'd hold a grudge, like, forever,” she said.

We started talking about our families, and I told her I was worried about my parents separating. Ashanti knew it bothered me Dad was still living back in Chicago, but we had never talked about it too much. I told Peyton about the fight I overheard them having, and I was afraid they might get divorced. She didn't say anything, and I was afraid she fell asleep or she felt weird since I had told her something so personal.

Then she propped herself up on her elbow. “It sounds like they're trying to work things out. Have you talked to your mom about it?”

I was surprised she sounded interested at all. I said my mom got weird on me when I tried to bring it up and how I started to cry when I talked to my dad about it.

“I can't believe I'm telling you all of this. You must be so bored,” I said.

“No. I wanna help. You'd help me if I had a problem,” she said.

She told me to talk to my mom when we were in the car so she couldn't walk away or say she was too busy. I had never talked to any of my other friends about my parents because I didn't want them to know I
had
any problems. I know lots of people's parents get divorced, but I felt like it would make me look weird or something, so I just pretended everything was okay with us living apart. Peyton and I ended up talking until three in the morning.

On Monday, I noticed Devon didn't have her bracelet on. I didn't say anything and thought about taking mine off, but I didn't want her to get mad. I asked her about the boys outside the movie theater. She said they had called her house at night, and she and India talked to them until midnight. I wondered if India had slept over two nights in a row, but she didn't ask me what I did at night, so I kept my mouth shut. I asked Peyton not to say anything about me spending the night at her house.

“Devon gets kind of weird about stuff sometimes,” I said, and she nodded.

I waited for Devon at lunchtime, and she came over with Hana. She told Hana about the guys at the movies while we stood in line. I got stuck with the broccoli soup, but it didn't matter because my stomach kind of hurt anyway. She and Hana walked to our usual table, but Ashanti called me over. Devon barely noticed when I walked over to Ashanti's table.

“What's wrong?” Ashanti asked. I looked over at Halle and Maggie who were busy looking at a magazine. I shrugged, and Ashanti told me to sit down. I started to say I had to sit with Devon, but I looked up and realized Devon hadn't saved me a seat. Ashanti looked at my soup and gave me half of her ham sandwich and moved her potato chip bag toward me. I didn't feel like talking, but she understood. Devon got up to go outside, and she raised her eyebrows at me and tilted her head toward the door for me to get up and join her. It reminded me of the look Peyton's mom gave Truffles when she wanted her to go to the bathroom outside. I held up a chip to show her I was still eating, and she shrugged and left without me. Ashanti walked me back to class and asked if I wanted to come over to watch Brad and Colin after school.

I wasn't sure where to sit when I got on the bus. Devon would think I was ignoring her if I sat with Ashanti, but Ashanti might get weird on me if I sat with Devon. I waited until the last minute to get on the bus, and by then, they were both sitting with other people. I ended up having to sit behind the bus driver. I probably would have tossed myself out the window if Ashanti hadn't asked me to come over. Of course, I could never get the bus windows to slide down so I was probably safe.

Ashanti helped me with my math homework after we watched
As the Days Roll On
. I told her my dad would pay her since he had been bugging me to get a tutor, but she said it was no big deal.

“Unless your dad wants to pay me to be friends with you,” she said laughing. She asked me what was going on with Devon, and I lied and said everything was fine.

“Remember how she and India used to fight all the time last year?” she asked.

“I guess,” I said.

“I could have hit her at your party. I mean, come on, ‘If you guys are gonna watch TV all night then we're gonna sleep in the other room,'” Ashanti said in a whiny voice. “It's like, if I don't get my way, I'm gonna take my ball and go home.”

I didn't say anything.

“I know you're friends with her, but she bugs me sometimes,” she said.

Ashanti showed me the new sweaters her mom had bought her for school. School clothes are almost always boring because we have a dress code, but these sweaters were soft and pretty. She had a light blue one, and it was fuzzy and beautiful. I held it in front of me, and she said it looked good.

“Light colors don't look good on me.” I put it back on the bed, but she held it again.

“No, it looks pretty with your hair and eyes,” she said. “See?”

I looked in the mirror, and the color did make my blue eyes stand out. I used to have a baby blue sweater my grandma had bought me, but Ericka told me I looked pale in it, so I never wore it again even though Mom said Grandma had spent a lot of money on it. I wasn't even sure where it was anymore.

“You can borrow it if you want,” she said.

“You should wear it first,” I said.

She shook her head. “Don't worry about it. I was planning on wearing the white one tomorrow. Just don't order the spaghetti.”

“I'll get a sloppy joe instead,” I said, and she stuck her tongue out. “My hair looks so blah today,” I said.

“It looks fine. I have matching hair for it,” she said digging through her drawer. “Want me to put it in your hair?”

I sat on her bed, and she kneeled behind me and pulled the top section of my hair back, while leaving the rest down. It looked cute the way she had styled it, but I wanted my hair to look like hers — with the top part of her hair pulled back.

When I went home, Mom thought my hair looked cute.

“Just like Ashanti's,” she said.

I went to my room and put the sweater in front of me. I liked the way my hair looked, but the barrette kept sliding down because my hair wasn't as thick as Ashanti's. I put it back the way Ashanti had done it the first time, and it did look better.