Everything (41 page)

“—a pharmacy in town?”

Shit, I forgot about the doctor on the phone. I gave her the pharmacy number so that she could call in the needed prescription, then I hung up and just stared at Aria for a minute.

“AHHHHHH!” she screamed and jumped out of bed.

“Where are you going?”

“You know what this means, right?” she said, as she headed for her radio.

“A, it’s nine in the morning. Don’t you think it’s a little too early for a dance party?”

“One, it’s
never
too early for a dance party, and two, we haven’t had one since before Mom and Dad, and I’d say this calls for one, don’t you think?” She found a song on her iPod that talked about being young and setting the world on fire, and as I let the good mood wash over me about Opal, I thought maybe life had decided to stop throwing everything at us for a change. I let a small kindle of hope spark inside of me and I danced-partied my ass off.

Chapter 20

After our morning dance party, we showered and Aria went to school early, no doubt to go to the bookstore and spend her morning with Riley. I went over to Opal’s to share the news with her and, hopefully, Mr. Eugene. I noticed his car in the driveway, so I knocked on the kitchen door instead of using my key and waited.

“Good morning, Dacey, my dear,” Mr. Eugene greeted me as he opened the door wide enough for me to pass.

“It’s not your morning. What brings your by?” He went over to the stove to turn over the pancake he was making.

Since my absence, he had taken to coming by every morning, or maybe he had he taken to just staying over certain nights? I closed my mind to those thoughts because I did
not
want to think of that, ever.

“The doctor called this morning,” I said simply.

“I see,” he said, flipping his pancake and calling out to Aunt Opal in the process.
 

She came around the corner in a silk robe I had never seen before and paused before going to the cabinet to get out three plates.

“Oh, chile, whatcha doin’ here? It’s not your day.” She placed the plates next to Mr. Eugene so that he could dish out the pancakes.

“Your doctor called me this morning, Auntie, about your results, and I’m not staying for breakfast. I have class.” I nodded at the third plate of pancakes and eggs.

“Well, what am I s’pose to do with the third plate of food now? It’s already on the plate,” she said, ignoring the more important issue at hand.

“Give it to Rufus.” I leaned down to pet him. The dog had come into the kitchen to beg when he smelled the food.

“Auntie, about what your doctor said, she said you have this condition called hypocalcemia and that it’s treatable with these pills,” I started excitedly but stopped when I saw she didn’t share my excitement.

“Well, where are they, chile?” She held out her hand expectantly.

“Where are what?” I asked, confused.

“The pills to make me better.”

“They just called this morning, Auntie. The pharmacy hasn’t gotten them ready yet. I can pick them up this afternoon on my way home from school.”
 

She cut her eyes at me and withdrew her hand but seemed satisfied with my compromise.

I explained to Mr. Eugene everything that Dr. Pfeiffer had told me and Aria and that Opal would be back to being Opal very soon.

“Well, this is wonderful news,” Mr. Eugene beamed over his pancakes.

“What do you mean I can go back to being me?” Opal asked. “What’s that s’pose to mean?”

“Not a thing, Auntie.” I chuckled as I leaned down to kiss her good-bye. “Not a thing.”

“How about I take you girls out to eat after Aria’s play to celebrate this wonderful news?” Mr. Eugene called out before I made it out the door.

“Sure, we have one more though,” I said, remembering Justin.

“The more the merrier. This family needs a night of laughter. I’ll see you then.”

I’ll say, I thought, as I headed out the door and to my car. My phone buzzed right before I was about to pull off with a text from Tina asking me if I’d had any luck with the MTD problem. After texting her no, I switched gears, asking her about tomorrow.

What time u coming 2morrow?

Daddy has surgery; mami and I will B there @630

I’ll save u seats then, we’ll be there B4 that

“We’ll”?

Shit.

Justin and I

Aww shit I knew it!

It’s not like that

Sure

We r friends

W/benefits

Platonic

Pla-what?

Never mind, C U 2morrow

Manana

I put my phone away and drove off to school, praying that she wouldn’t embarrass me on Saturday with Justin. Who was I kidding? She was going to totally embarrass me. Great.

 
I had done a pretty good job at avoiding Kelly since the whole you’re-dating-the-ex-love-of-my-life thing by arriving to class seconds before the professor started and then hauling ass seconds after he dismissed it. Today, however, she was waiting outside the class before it started, nervously looking around until her eyes landed on me.

“Dacey, I know I’m the last person you want to talk to, like ever, but can I please explain to you that I never meant to come—”

“Stop,” I said, cutting off whatever pathetic explanation she was about to give me. “Whatever he is telling you or will tell you about being ‘the one’ or whatever or about how he feels something different with you, just know that he said those same things to me a year and a half ago, and look at where I’m at now. You’re a smart girl, Kelly, so you can make up your own mind about who you let in your heart and who you don’t. Just don’t end up like me,” I said firmly, and I went inside and took my seat, not looking back.

 
I didn’t have any ill feelings toward her. I realized I never did. I mean, I should, but she was never really someone I called a friend, so she didn’t back-stab me or anything. Whatever he had said to her to make her go out with him, I’m sure it was smooth. Trevor was smooth. He got me to fall in love with him.
 

As I sat in class listening to the professor talk about the final, I came to the realization that Justin was right: I was in the grieving process over Trevor, and although they weren’t in order, I sped through denial and bargaining and spent an unhealthy amount of time in depression, and now I think I was coming to the angry part. Now, I was angry because how dare he take my love for him for granted and just throw it away like it was nothing? I knew Kelly would tell him what I said, she was
that
type of girlfriend, and it would only be a matter of time before he came to me pissed. And I was ready.

After class was dismissed, I was ready to do my haul-ass thing when Professor Harris stopped me before I got to the door.

“Miss Harper, a word please.”

Waiting for everyone else to leave, I leaned against the nearest table to the door.

“How have things been?” he asked once we had privacy.

“Okay, considering,” I said, not knowing where this was leading.

“You’ve been absent quite a lot this semester and missed a lot of work. Even with your makeup work, you’re still cutting it close. You’re going to have to not slack off on your final paper if you expect to pass this class.” He looked at me gravely.

Way to encourage, professor. “I know, Professor Harris. I’ve actually been working on my final paper since the beginning of the semester. I don’t think you can see how you have changed unless you know what you were like to begin with,” I said, not sure if that was a good direction I had started in.

He looked at me proudly. “Not bad. Interesting take, Miss Harper, and I can’t wait to read the finished product.”

“Thank you,” I said, and he nodded, indicating the conversation was over.

The rest of my professors either didn’t care that I had missed so much class and was hanging on by a limb, or they were still letting me slide on the whole “lost both my parents this year” card because no one else said anything to me about my finals.
 

I went to the pharmacy on my way home and picked up Opal’s prescription. I dropped the medication off, along with the instructions to take them in the morning—every morning, no exceptions. Once she told me she had it and she wasn’t an invalid, she shooed me away and I went home to work some more on my final for creative writing.

Looking back to where I started writing at the beginning of the semester, I had changed. Everything that I thought I knew about my world had changed, and in turn, that changed
me
. I no longer looked at life the same. I didn’t have some miraculous spiritual revelation about how life is precious and to not take it for granted like normal people who experience death do. But I did know that life was like those pudding cups Opal liked so much—messy but oh so good, and sometimes you needed a break from it. And, like Opal, I learned that you have to “always carry a spoon,” to dig in and enjoy it. As I finished my paper with these words, I was thinking I was going to be like Opal after all, just not in the way everyone was thinking.

Since Aria’s play was so close, she had rehearsal every night until the play, so I was home alone until then, which was fine. It left me with being able to catch up on my other work and studying for the rest of my finals. I put the finishing touches on my creative writing paper before getting hungry and fixing a quick sandwich. Going back to my room, I took a giant bite and walked in right as my phone started ringing.

“Hwoo?” I said around a mouthful of sandwich.

“Dacey?” asked Justin on the other end.
 

I swallowed loudly. “Sorry. Hey, Justin.”

He chuckled for what must be the millionth time. “Sounds like I interrupted your dinner?”

“If you consider a sandwich dinner, then yes, yes you did.”

“Oh, come on, SB. You can do better than that for dinner.”

I took another bite and chewed before I spoke. “I’m sure I could, but I don’t really feel like making something more,” I said nonchalantly, ignoring to myself how I was liking the nickname more and more.

“I see. Listen, I wanted to bring Aria flowers for her performance. What kind should I bring?” he asked.

“You really are a nice guy, huh?”

“Shhh, don’t tell anyone. I try and cover it up with my bad boy at night, cop by day persona.”

“Yeah, what’s up with that anyway? You don’t look like a cop.” I shoved the last bit of my sandwich in my mouth, waiting for him to explain. This had been something I had been wondering about since I had seen him in plain clothes.

“What is a cop supposed to look like?” His voice sounded amused.

“I don’t know. Cookie-cutter, straightlaced type. Not like you.”

“And how do I look?” He seemed to be enjoying this way too much.

“Not the cookie-cutter, straightlaced type. You have this whole reformed bad boy thing going on.”

“I wouldn’t say I’m reformed.”

“So what’s your story?” I asked, intrigued now.

“No, no, Dacey, this is your story now.”
 

I could tell he was shaking his head. “If we are going to be friends, JP, I should know more about you. You practically know my life story already, and I don’t even know if you have a middle name,” I said hotly.

“Easy, SB, my story is long and boring. And it’s all about you now, not me,” he said, his voice hard all of a sudden.

“But there is a story, right?” I asked, not wanting to be too nosy.

“Yeah, there is a story,” he sighed.

“Will you tell it to me one day? Please?” I asked tentatively.

“Sure, I’ll tell you,” he conceded, then added, “It’s Dylan, by the way.”

“Dylan?” I asked, confused.

“My middle name,” he said simply and left it at that.

 
Tucking that piece of information away in my brain for later use, I wanted to take the seriousness out of the conversation, so I told him about Opal’s diagnosis and also what happened at school today with Kelly.

“Wow, that was a big step for you. How do you feel?”

“Good, actually. I’m not mad at her. I know I’m supposed to hate her or something because she’s his next, but I don’t. I pity her because I feel she may be the next me. That’s why I said what I said, because no one should have to feel what I felt,” I said with conviction.

“How do you think he will react?”

“Oh, he’ll be pissed.” I laughed humorlessly.

“Do you need me there?” he asked darkly.

“No, Trevor wouldn’t hurt me. He’ll just yell.”

“I’ve seen yelling turn into more.”

“Even in our most heated arguments, the most he has done was bang his fists into a wall. Besides, he wouldn’t come here. He probably thinks Tina is still here with throwing stars or something.” I laughed.

Justin didn’t seem to think it was a joking matter. “I’m serious, Dacey. If you need me, just call. I don’t care what time it is. I’ll come.”

“JP, you’re forty-five minutes away,” I pointed out. Even if I were in trouble, the boys at the Shaddy Groves Police Department would have to do.

“I’m a cop. I could get there in twenty minutes,” he promised.

“Good to know, but I’ll be fine. Really.”

After swearing ten more oaths that I would call if I needed anything and triple-checking the locks with him on the phone—
really?
—he finally let me hang up, saying he would see me Saturday.

Lying back on my bed, I thought it was sweet that he was so concerned for my safety, but I was intrigued and a little apprehensive. I had already let him in my life so much, he knew so many personal things about me, and I knew nothing about him except his middle name was Dylan and that he had trusting, autumn-colored eyes.

My phone awakened me early the next day, alerting me of a text from Trevor saying we needed to talk.

Rolling over, I rubbed my eyes to make sure I read the message correctly. He must have spoken with Kelly about our little chat. To be honest, I had thought he would have just let it go, knowing how much it would hurt me to see him, but I guess either he was that pissed or he just didn’t care. Deleting the text message, I looked at the screen on my phone and saw that it was going on eight fifteen. Shit! I was going to be late for the last day of class. Throwing myself out of bed, I ran to the bathroom and rushed through my morning routine, threw on some clothes, and was out the door in fifteen minutes flat on my way to the last creative writing class.