Chapter 10
It was Friday night and my parents sat in the kitchen bickering about what movie we should watch while Hazel skipped around the living room.
We’d struggled lately with trying to find something that was family friendly enough for Hazel to participate but still interesting enough that the rest of us didn’t want to claw our eyes out.
The weeks before the high school’s graduation had left me bored and restless.
Exams at the end of middle school were practically open-book tests.
There had been nothing to review. Will was inundated with social plans, leaving no time to hang with me, and Tommy had been spending hours upon hours working on a machine for his robotics class.
He’d always loved to build things, so much so that Mom and Dad had let him convert part of the garage into a workspace.
Hazel often sat in there with him, playing with her plastic horses.
Tonight, he’d finally agreed to take a break to spend some time with the rest of us.
Will and Alex were joining a big group of their friends for a line-dancing party at a restaurant near the beach, so they’d be out late.
Tommy came in from the garage, wiping his hands on a hand towel and plopping down next to me on the couch.
“Man, it’s really raining out there, huh?” he asked, kicking his feet onto the ottoman. “Are we still watching a movie?”
Mom nodded, walking into the living room and ruffling Tommy’s hair from behind where it was still damp from the rain. “Yes, but we’re struggling to pick. Any suggestions?”
“We could rent Avatar again?” he suggested.
“You’ve seen it like five times,” I complained. “How are you not sick of it yet?”
“Because the editing is amazing,” Tommy said. “Obviously.”
“He likes it, Rosie. Leave him alone,” Mom said softly, wrapping her arms around Tommy. He leaned his head back against hers. “How many times have you made us rent New Moon this year?” She gave me a knowing smile, and I acquiesced.
“Fine. I get your point.”
“Come on, Avatar’s great,” Dad agreed.
“Avatar!” Hazel cried happily from the floor, trying to wrestle one of her stuffed animals out of the dog’s mouth. Davis quickly gave in, resigned. The beagle was getting too old to fight.
Just then, the front door opened, the rain creeping in. We were surprised when Will ducked inside. He shook his wet hair, letting the droplets spray the wood floors.
“Hey, stranger,” our mother said, turning to face him. “What are you doing here? I thought you and Alex were going out?”
Will dropped his umbrella in the iron basket by the door. “Line dancing isn’t really my thing. I told her to go without me. Her friend Casey is going too.”
I watched my parents exchange a curious look. Will rarely, if ever, bailed on Alex, and never in favor of family time.
“I think hell just froze over,” Tommy whispered to me.
“Alert the media,” I deadpanned.
“Did you two get into a fight?” My father asked. It seemed like the most logical explanation for Will’s sudden cancelation of plans.
Will shrugged. “Just a little thing. Nothing major. Alex’ll probably have more fun with Casey anyway.”
“Well, I’m certainly not complaining,” Mom said. “Keith, come in and help me make the popcorn. Kids, get the movie queued up.” She left the room, my father behind her.
“So, what did you guys fight about?” Tommy asked Will as he pointed the remote at the television.
Will shrugged. “She was completely in her phone tonight. Glued to it, like texting even when I was talking to her. It’s annoying. All her friends were already out so I don’t know who she was talking to.” I could still see traces of the annoyance in his face.
I don’t know who she was talking to. His words soured in my gut.
I swallowed hard, my throat feeling dry as my thoughts raced.
Could she be texting Nick, the boy from the mall?
I had been desperately trying to forget about that since it happened, and I hated the idea that it could be true. I chewed on my nail.
My parents reemerged from the kitchen. “You really went for it on the butter, honey,” my mom muttered to my dad. “Your cardiologist will love that.” She shook her head as she bent down to pick up Hazel. Dad had two bowls of popcorn in hand.
“No one’s meant to live forever. I’m here for a good time.”
We headed for our usual spots on the sectional and sank into the movie.
Hazel conked out three-quarters of the way through, and Dad got up to put her to bed.
When it finished, our parents changed the channel to a late-night show, sending me, Will, and Tommy to hang out in the kitchen.
We had just poured ourselves some sodas into plastic cups when we heard a light tap on the back door.
I looked over and saw a mess of blonde hair. Will moved to answer the door.
“Hey, Alex,” I said as she darted inside, soaking wet.
“It’s freaking cold out there right now.” She gave herself a good shake, like a dog, and rubbed at her arms.
Will looked conflicted. There was a trace of worry on his features, but it kept twisting into something angrier. I wasn’t used to seeing him like this. The texting situation was clearly really getting to him. “How was line dancing?” he asked reluctantly.
She blinked. “Good. It was a little mind-numbing to listen to that much country. So I left early. I figured you might want to hang out and make up. You know, after …” Alex’s eyebrows waggled up and down to reference whatever had happened between them earlier.
Will’s expression twisted slightly. I watch his annoyance linger for a moment more and then disappear, replaced by his usual lighthearted smile, as if he had simply decided to get over whatever was bothering him.
“Yeah, you’re right. I don’t like how we left it.
” He grabbed her a cup and poured her a soda.
“I love that your mom has Solo cups in the house all the time. So chill of her,” Alex said, chugging her Sprite Zero. “My mom never lets us get them. She thinks they’re tacky.”
Tommy and I caught each other’s eye. Alex was the queen of backhanded compliments. Most of the time it went right under Will’s nose because she said it in her sweet, unassuming voice. I didn’t blame her either. It was the way her parents spoke, and she probably didn’t even realize.
“It’s fun,” Will said, smoothing over the dig. “Like we’re at a party.” He tapped his cup to Alex’s.
She beamed at him, reaching up to plant a kiss. Tommy pretended to gag into his cup, and I giggled so hard he kicked me in the shins under the counter.
“Speaking of parties,” Alex said excitedly, turning to Will. “Did you know I am taking your younger sister out with me tomorrow night?” She peered over her shoulder to make sure neither of our parents was nearby before turning back to us.
“You are?” Will asked. I didn’t know that Victoria had already told her we were coming to the high school party.
“Mmm-hmm,” she chirped. “Her first high school party, and you’re going to miss it.” She playfully pointed one of her pink-painted fingernails into his chest.
Will ran his hand down the length of Alex’s arm. “Tommy and I have his robotics thing in Fort Lauderdale.” He looked at Tommy reassuringly.
The “thing” was a robotics expo, where they’d watch giant robots do crash tests on miscellaneous junk.
Mom and Dad had bought them tickets for Tommy’s birthday.
Will and Tommy were driving down together and spending the night at a hotel.
It was all they’d been talking about for weeks.
Will loved science too, though he wasn’t quite as committed as Tommy.
“Well, sucks to be you.” Alex frowned at my brother. “I guess it’s just a girls’ night then.” She arched one of her brows again. “You know, you could come with us too, Tommy. If you and Will skipped the robot thing.”
Tommy shifted uncomfortably, glancing at Will. Alex didn’t understand Tommy very well if she thought that offer would sway him. I felt sorry for him, but also wondered if he felt kind of embarrassed. According to high school rules, Tommy should have wanted to go to this party.
“I need to go to the expo for my college apps. No one gets into MIT without attending something like this. But, uh, thanks for the offer,” Tommy finally said.
Alex sighed. “I don’t know why you’re so worried about college. Will got into the University of Florida easily. You’ll be fine.” Alex waved him off and took another sip of her soda. “That is, as long as they stop letting so many minorities take all the spots.”
Alex rolled her eyes, looking at Will for support. I stared at my older brother, waiting for a reaction. I watched his eyebrows raise in surprise. I waited for him to correct her, but he didn’t. His face paled slightly, a sign he was uncomfortable, but he didn’t respond.
“Like, you heard May Liu got a full ride to Florida State?” Alex continued. “Bet it didn’t hurt that she could put ‘Asian’ on her application.” She took another swig from the cup, looking annoyed. “Meanwhile, they made me retake the SAT. Twice.”
There was silence in the room. I could feel Tommy’s eyes burning a hole into the side of my face.
I took a sip from my cup. May Liu and Tommy had been best friends for years.
They always studied together, and I suspected he had a little crush.
But May was the kind of girl Alex didn’t like: quiet, reserved, distinctly herself without any care about what was popular.
“May’s really smart,” Tommy said. “She’s valedictorian.”
“Whatever.” Alex seemed to sense the change in the air. “I just don’t like her. She’s insufferable. As if skipping parties and homecoming somehow makes you better than the rest of us.” Alex rolled her eyes.
Tommy looked at me again. I could see his already palpable dislike for Alex growing by the second. He’d never been her biggest fan. Like May, Tommy didn’t have much to offer Alex in terms of social standing. And in Loxahatchee, if you didn’t adore Alex, you didn’t mean much to her.
Alex tipped the rest of her soda into her mouth and shrugged. “Ugh, I think I have to go home. My dad is probably staring at the clock waiting for me.” She turned to Will. “Walk me home?”
Will nodded, still looking pale. He laced his fingers through hers. “Sure. See you guys later.”
Tommy waited a couple seconds for the back door to slide closed before he turned to me.
“Well, that was kind of racist, wasn’t it?” he said, looking shocked.
I felt my cheeks burn. “I don’t know if she was being racist, necessarily. I just don’t think she likes May …”
“What else would you call that bit about the FSU applications?”
“Yeah, that was bad,” I said. “But come on, you know her family. The Hopelys are like that. She probably just heard her mom or dad say something like it.” My stomach sank as I said it. I knew Tommy was right.
He looked upset. “Yeah. I know.”
“Do you think it bothered Will?” I asked, chewing on the end of my fingernail.
“Maybe?” Tommy shrugged. “It looked like it did. But who knows if he’ll tell her that.”
I hoped Will would say something, but knew Tommy was right.
We couldn’t be sure. Will sometimes had blinders on when it came to Alex, especially if they were recovering from a fight.
It left me feeling frustrated, like someone had been picking at my skin and examining it.
I adored my brother, but I hated the idea that he let things like that slide.
What did it say about him if he ignored statements like that just because it was Alex who said them?
“Are you really going to go to that party with her?” Tommy continued.
“I’m going with Cass and Victoria. Alex will just be there,” I said. Tommy made a face that bordered on disgust.
“What?” I asked.
He shrugged. “Victoria isn’t nice either.
You know that, right? She and Alex are nice to you because you’re friends with Cassandra, and nice to Will because he’s Alex’s boyfriend, but they’re awful to everyone else.
” He shook his head. “They literally ignore me at school if Will’s not around.
And that’s on a good day. And May? Alex bullies her, makes fun of her acne and everything.
You’ll see when you get to high school. You should be careful about being associated with them. ”
This was news to me. I knew Alex had a mean streak to her. I’d seen it firsthand, but it was usually trained on one of her sisters, and everyone knows that sisters fight. I didn’t think it extended to other people.
“Everything okay?” my dad asked, walking into the kitchen, interrupting our conversation.
“I guess,” Tommy said, just as I also replied, “everything’s fine.”
“Everything’s fine,” I repeated. “Completely fine.”