Double Time (28 page)

“
Hey, Megan.” Mrs. Flores startles me. “Why are you so jumpy?”

“
You scared me.” The air gets cold all of a sudden and I start to question why I’m here. It seemed like the only possible solution, but now I’m not so convinced.

“
Take a seat,” she says. She scoots around to the sit down at her desk, stacking some papers to one side, placing some folders on the other.

“
Do you mind if I close the door?” I ask.

Her eyes widen. “One of those days, huh? Sure. Please do.”

I close the door softly, then turn around to sit in one of the chairs in front of her desk. “I really need someone to talk to.”

“
Well, you came to the right place. You know I’m always here for you.”

Her eyes soften, and I know I made the right decision. “Good. But I need to make sure this stays between you and me. I know teenagers have some rights. Ones that you can’t tell our parents what we talk about without our permission.”

She studies me for a second or two before saying, “Well, that depends on the situation.”

“
I know. This isn’t like getting into a fight. Like when you told my parents when you said you weren’t. This is different. It has to be confidential. And if it isn’t, I’ll sue you and win. I know the laws. I read a pamphlet.”

“
Megan, are you trying to tell me you’re pregnant?” she asks, leaning forward in her seat.

“
No, I’m not pregnant. Are you crazy?”

“
What then? You got an STD?”

“
No,” I answer, disgusted.

“
What could it be then?” Her face drains of color. “You haven’t been hurt or assaulted, have you? If you have, I’m here for you. I can help you.”

“
No, Mrs. Flores. I’m fine,” I assure her.

“
Then what’s wrong?”

“
Calm down, will you? I’ll tell you as soon as you’re not freaking out.” The lady looks nuts.

“
I’m sorry. You just scared me a little. Took me by surprise.”

“
I’d say you need to work on your bedside manner. Some kids would’ve bolted already when you started getting all spooked.” I know I was about to.

“
I know. I have to stop myself from responding like a mother. I’m only human. I do the best I can.” She takes a deep breath. “I’m completely aware of the laws, and I do everything I can to uphold them. So, please, tell me how I can help.”

“
My friend.” I stop suddenly. “I mean, this girl I know got pregnant. She had an abortion. She didn’t tell anyone but me. I wish she wouldn’t have because now it’s all I can think about. Plus, she’s doing bad in school now and can’t participate in any activities. People are worried about her and she’s all alone. She told me, I went with her, but she won’t talk to me now. I think it might help if you were to talk to her. You know, since you can’t tell her parents. She might be okay with it.”

“
Does she know you’re here?” she asks, after a long silence.

“
No. She won’t talk to me. I’ve sent her a few text messages to see if she’s okay, but that’s it.”

“
Does she respond to your texts?”

I nod. “Just a word or two to say she’s fine.”

Mrs. Flores comes around her desk and sits next to me. “Do you think your friend is in any danger?”

“
What do you mean? Like, is someone gonna hurt her?”

“
No. That’s not what I meant, but is that what you’re thinking?”

“
I don’t think anyone would hurt her. Not physically or anything. Her parents would kill her with words though. It wouldn’t be pretty.”

“
How about Amy? Would she harm herself?”

My eyes just about shoot out of my head like a cannon. “What? Who said anything about Amy? I didn’t say it was her.”

“
Megan, I catch on quickly. Would she harm herself?”

I shake my head. “No, she wouldn’t.”

She places her hand on my arm. “This is important, Meg. Especially since we’re going into a weekend. You don’t think we should be concerned she might hurt herself?”

“
No, not at all. I’m completely sure. That’s not her style. She’d just rather be bitchy and make it miserable for everyone around her.”

Mrs. Flores stands. “Okay. This is what I’m thinking. On Monday, I’m going to call her in and chat with her. If she doesn’t want to talk, would you be interested in coming in with her?”

“
I’ll do whatever it takes. We may not be friends, but I’d never want this pain for her. It’s not fair.”

Thirty

Now that state testing is over and AP exams are long gone, it seems like the year is crawling to an end. Our teachers have spent the last five months preparing us for tests that seem meaningless to us, but mean so much to them. It feels like there’s a sense of relief and they have the freedom to teach us things they’ve been dying to share all year. Andi’s English teacher has them pouring out their hearts into a class anthology filled with their own poetry, lyrics, and free writes. It’s so cool. Makes me want to transfer.

In math, we’re working on creating our own art. It’s connected to math, of course. We’re using ratios, angles, and all kinds of other measuring crap. Some of my classmates are working on cool stuff. I’m so not creative when it comes to something like this. What’s supposed to be a picture of my house looks more like a TV entertainment center.

A tap on my shoulder rips me from my daydreaming. “Hey, your phone is buzzing. You forgot to turn it off,” Eric whispers.

I dig in my bag, look around for my teacher, and use my desk to shield my illegal activity. I swipe my finger across the screen, tap in my password, and read my messages.

They’re from Amy. She wants me to meet her outside.

I raise my hand. “Can I use the restroom?”

“
Yes, take the pass.” My teacher moves on, circulating around the room.

When I swing the door open, I’m surprised to see Amy standing right outside our classroom. “What are you doing out here? You’re supposed to be in class.”

“
Just relax, Meg. Like I give a shit about math.” She stares me down, nostrils flared, heavy breaths. “Why is Mrs. Flores trying to get me to talk about something?” I try to look innocent. “You told her, didn’t you?”

“
Okay, you need to relax and listen to me.” I grab her arm and lead her around the corner of the building, outside of earshot from open classrooms and out of view from our own classmates. “You need to talk to someone. And you won’t talk to me. Mrs. Flores can’t tell anyone. It’s the law.”

“
So you thought I’d like to spill my guts to her? Are you crazy?” She waves her hands wildly at me.

“
Look, I’m sorry. But you brought me into this. I didn’t ask for it. Things are getting bad for you, and I don’t know what to do. I needed help and so do you. You can’t deal with this by yourself and you know it.”

She glares at me for a few seconds before storming off with a growl.

Whenever I imagine prom, I still think about classic high school movies. Prom, for me, hasn’t been all that great. Freshman year, I found out Amy was screwing Eric. Then, last year, I didn’t go. This year, I’m going with Josh. And so is Keesha. I want the romantic movie.
She’s All That
.
Never Been Kissed
.
10 Things I Hate About You
.

Wait. Never mind. Those proms were kinda shitty too. The happily ever afters didn’t come until the end of the movie. I’m ready for the end of my movie. I want to get the guy.

My phone chimes.

Have fun tonight. Send me a pic. I wanna c how gorgeous u look.

Oh stop

Alex can make me blush from four hundred miles away. He kills me.

Im serious

I know. Will send in a few min

“
Are you ready, honey?” Dad asks. “I want to get a few shots of you and your mom before Josh gets here.”

“
Sure am,” I tell him, opening the door.

“
Oh.” The color drains from his face. “I’m not so sure you should go out in that. You look like you’re ready for some music awards show. Shouldn’t there be more material?” He waves his hand in front of his chest.

I scoot past him and walk down the hallway. “Mom, Dad’s freaking out over my dress. He needs oxygen.”

“
Megan Miller, you look fabulous,” Mom tells me, holding out her arms. I allow her to hug me lightly. “I’m so glad you picked this dress. It was made for you.” She’s talking about my floor length, backless, tight black halter dress.

“
Thanks, Mom.” I hand her my phone. “Can you take a picture of me with my cell?”

“
You’re gonna make that boy wanna jump in the car and drive home.” She holds up my phone. I stand with a hand on my hip and smile. “Great pose. One. Two. Three. Here. Send it. I wanna see what he says.”

I love how my mom knows exactly what I was doing. I didn’t have to explain it to her. She knew I wanted a picture for Alex.

I tap on my phone for a second and the photo is off.

“
Now that you got that taken care of, let’s go outside and take a few pictures,” Dad says.

As we head outside, a text comes in from Alex.

Stunning! Wish I was in Josh’s shoes tonight.

Haha. Next year. Maybe.

Something to look forward to. Ok. No more from me. Have fun. Take lots of pictures. Miss you.

Miss u 2

I tell my mom what he said. She smiles with a sigh. Sometimes I think she wishes she could do high school all over again. She still gets all gooey talking about teenage love.

Keesh and Josh show up right on time. If I had to smile for one more picture, my cheeks would have got stuck in a grinning position. I wiggle my jaws and stretch my mouth open, trying to regain some feeling.

“
I’m ready for some pictures with my ladies,” Josh says, holding out his arms. “Come on now. Move in close.” The smirk on his face makes me laugh. He’s enjoying this way too much.

“
Hold on a second. I’ve already taken a hundred pictures. My mouth hurts,” I tell him.

He pops back with, “That’s what she said.” My dad raises a brow. “Oh, just kidding, Mr. Miller. Sorry.” We all bust up laughing as Keesh and I cuddle up to Josh. “I can’t wait to see these pics. I’m gonna post them all over the place. I’m gonna look pimp with my hot … women.”

It’s a good thing he filtered himself with that one. The last time he said that, he called us his hot bitches. I thought Keesh was gonna knock him out. Only this time, he’d have to deal with my parents and Keesh. Not a good combination.

Several thousand pictures later, The Pimp has his bitches in the car and we’re on our way to our junior prom.

We arrive to Cinderella’s ball (cheesy theme, I know) before the rest of the crew. We all decided to come separate, which is weird. We’re so used to doing everything together. While we said we were going to enjoy a single ladies year, it has yet to happen. Staying at arm’s length from the boys is nearly impossible. I think we all just got sick of fighting it. I know I did. Not to mention, our plan was failing. Our dates were disasters.

Finding a table is easy with so few peeps here. I take a minute to soak it all in. It’s exactly how I remembered it. Beautiful ballroom. White linens, fancy table settings, and lots of twinkly lights. Tiny little finger foods are being served by guys dressed in white long-sleeved dress shirts and black vests, bow ties, and slacks.

Josh disappears to find us some drinks. Surprisingly, Keesh and I take more photos. This time, we use our cells, holding them out in front of us to snap a shot. Of course, they’re major close-ups.

Stephanie and Dominic are the next to arrive. Steph and Keesh are wearing identical dresses, but in different colors. Don’t freak. They planned it. Steph saw the cotton candy pink satin dress first. Strapless, fitted down to the waist until it poofs out like a ball gown to the floor. Sparkling rhinestones sprinkle the top of the dress, while shimmery chiffon layers the bottom. Keesh bought the same thing in Tiffany blue. Even though they’re wearing the same dress, they look completely different. Steph’s hair is down. Keesh has a crazy updo. Steph has simple jewelry. Keesh has long dangling earrings and a giant choker. But they both look gorgeous.

We take more pictures with the five of us. I shoot off a few to Alex, Ben, and Jonathan. I know we’re gonna have a good time tonight, but it would be a thousand times better if the rest of the boys were here. I’m sure I’m not the only one missing the three of them.