How To Break Up With An Alien (6 page)

I shrugged, staring at my bowl and trying not to give anything away in my face. "If you can create characters in Regency England that fall in love with dukes and commoners alike, then I'm sure you will come up with something."

"Speaking of dukes." She smiled and plopped a big white envelope with Columbia in the return address label on the table in front of me. "This came in the mail yesterday."

I arched an eyebrow. "What does this have to do with dukes?"

"Oh, just open it!"

I picked up the envelope. It was heavier than I expected. Slowly I tore open the top and dumped out the contents. Out plopped the freshman course catalog and a letter with the first word being
Congratulations
.

"Oh! I didn't know you were still interested in Columbia!" mom squealed and picked up the letter, her eyes scanning over each word.

"I, um, well I'm not." I picked up the course catalog. It smelled like lamination and the embossed letters of the Columbia logo stood out like a desert flower.

"You just got into your dream school and you still want to settle for some school in the middle of the desert?" Mom pushed the catalog down and forced me to look at her.

"Well Northern Arizona does have a great Public Relations program…"

She rolled her eyes. "Oh, come on, don't try and pull the wool over my eyes, Alexandra. I know you just want to go there because of that older boyfriend of yours."

"Mom, that isn't the only reason." I stood up, frustrated with my own thoughts. Was it the only reason I was shying away from my dream school? Of course not. I loved Ace, but there were other reasons. At least I thought I had other reasons before I saw the acceptance letter from Columbia.

"I'm just saying that maybe you should look at your other options. Don't settle."

I nodded, unsure of what else to say. Did she think I was settling with Ace?

"I'm not saying that you can't enjoy your high school years." Mom stood up, pulling down her bunched up pajama bottoms."Just keep your options open."

Chapter 10

It was my first Saturday working and it was packed. Several times I gave people the wrong order and dealt with a lot of complaining women who couldn't even bother putting down their cell phones to scream at me.

"It's your first Saturday. Don't worry, you'll get used to it." Simone patted me on the back while I wiped down the espresso machine.

As if this day couldn't get any worse, the bell rang over the front door and in came my mom. "Hello!"

Great, I'd already embarrassed myself enough in front of Simone and now my overly dramatic mother had to be added to the mix.

"Hey, Mom." I mumbled, glancing up from the espresso machine.

"It's good to see that you are hard at work." Mom slid up to the counter, her big black laptop bag slung over her shoulder and her obnoxiously large sunglasses perched on top of her head. This couldn't be good. This meant she was staying for awhile.

"Um, shouldn't you be working or something too?"

Mom scanned the giant menu board behind me. "Alexandra, sometimes I just need a little caffeine and a change of scenery when I'm working on a new book." She looked down at me and smiled. "And what better place to work than a coffee shop?"

I opened my mouth to speak while Simone slid in beside me. "Alex, I'm going to take my break. Do you think you can handle the register by yourself for awhile?"

"Oh! Is this the new friend you were out with last night?" mom gushed like I'd never had a friend before. She should have realized that it was hard to bring anyone around an overly dramatic mother. One time I brought a new friend over in middle school and she asked her if her parents would like free copies of her books. Later that friend told me she wasn't allowed to hang out with me anymore because my mom gave her porn.

Simone turned toward my mom and put on a big smile. "Yes, that would be me. Sorry if I got her in too late."

Mom returned the smile. "Oh, not too late at all! I'm just glad to see Alex get out of the house!"

Simone nodded. "Alright, well since you have this taken care of, I'm heading to Subway. Back in fifteen."

Mom watched Simone saunter out the door and then turned back to me. "Aside from all the makeup, she seems lovely!"

I rolled my eyes, desperate to change the subject off Simone. "Have you picked out what you wanted?"

"Oh! Well I think I'll just have a tall flavored coffee." She handed me her credit card and I swiped it before handing it back to her with a foam cup for the coffee station near the pastry case. At least we called it a coffee station. It was more like just a row of carafes of different coffees and some cream and sugar on the side.

"I'll just be sitting right over here in the corner, writing. You won't even notice me!" She beamed while filling up her cup and then headed to one of the tables by the window.

"Whatever," I muttered. I pretended to be interested in something else, so I wouldn't have to watch my embarrassing mother.

The bell rang over the door.
Crap
. Simone was gone and I wasn't real good at handling things by myself yet.

"Hey, Alex." Brody's wide grin appeared over the pastry case.

"Hey, Brody." I smiled back and noticed my mom watching us over her laptop. As soon as my eyes met hers, she pretended to be diligently typing away at her laptop. Like that really ever worked. I knew she was staring and she knew I caught her.

"Man, you are always working!" He stretched his arms over his head. I tried not to let my eyes wander down to the treasure trail that lingered below his belly button once his shirt was lifted.

I shook the inappropriate thoughts about Brody's treasure trail out of my head and stared back up at him. "Yeah, I've got to pay my tuition for Northern Arizona somehow."

"Northern Arizona? I thought you were going to some school in New York?"

"Well, my dad and boyfriend live out there and they have a good PR program."

He arched an eyebrow. "You are choosing the desert over NYC because of a guy?"

My mom's ears perked up. I saw her blond head bob over the laptop. This was what she had been assuming ever since I came back from Circe. Little did she know how much more Ace actually was than just some guy I met over the summer or how our relationship almost caused the end of existence on Earth.

I shook my head, smiling. "No, there is a lot more to it than that."

"Okay, I guess I'll let you off the hook for now, but you should do something for me then."

I tilted my head, feeling the heat rise to my face. Surely he wouldn't ask me for a sexual favor in front of my mom? Not that I would oblige or anything. "Uh, I did just say I have a boyfriend, didn't I?"

He laughed. "Get your mind out of the gutter! I was just going to say that I am having a bonfire at my place tonight, so you and that redheaded chick that works here with you should come. I guess Brad Gage wants to bang her or something and wanted me to invite you all."

"Uh, okay." I blinked. "I don't know what Simone's plans are, but I can ask."

"Okay, cool." He nodded and then headed out just as Simone stepped in, sipping a drink from a Subway cup.

Simone shook her head and came in behind the counter. "I swear that guy wants to jump your bones. He could be a little less obvious about it."

"Well he actually came by to invite us to a party."

"Really?" She set down her drink and put her apron back on.

"Yes, and I think you two should both go!" my mom yelled from her table. Of course she heard every word of our conversation.

"Well if your mom thinks we should go..." Simone shot me a wink and I glared at her.

"You can even take my car!" mom added, peering over her laptop.

My mom barely ever offered to let me take her car. What the heck was going on?

"If your mom is giving us the keys we really can't refuse."

I let out a deep breath. I had already ditched Ace once and we were supposed to see each other again tonight. He had texted me earlier and said he had something special planned, but last time he said that he showed up five hours late carrying a box of cereal.

"Come on Alex." Mom stood up and walked over to the counter. "It is your senior year. You can't spend every night cooped up in your room on the phone with your boyfriend."

I looked from my mom's pleading eyes to Simone's attempt at hiding a smile.

"Fine." I huffed. "We will go."

I suddenly wondered what was more dangerous, a high school party or ditching an alien for the second time in a row.

Chapter 11

"You owe me big for this," I grumbled.

I glanced over at Simone as she tried to hide her smirk.

As promised, my mom let us take her car after grilling us and eavesdropping on our conversation. She gave me the keys to her car and took mine home from Cuppa Java. When seven o'clock rolled around, Simone tossed off her apron and locked the door to the shop behind us.

"You know you want to go." She winked.

"Whatever." I rolled my eyes and unlocked the doors to my mom's car. I drove around in a POS and she got a brand new car with remote start. Unfair.

Simone and I both slunk into the seats, overwhelmed with the scent of my mom's lavender air freshener.

"Come on, it could be fun."

I started up the car and pulled my seatbelt around me. "Yeah, so could a lobotomy."

Brody's parents' farm was off Cunningham, like just about everything else in Winnebago. The sun hadn't fully set, so streaks of purple and orange dashed across the sky, skimming along the tops of the corn fields. The long gravel driveway continued on for at least half a mile before we reached the white farmhouse with its big wraparound porch and lace curtains in the bay window. Smoke billowed from behind one of the large red barns and wafted in the warm summer night air. I parked behind one of the many cars lining the grass turnabout and sat staring in the rear view mirror.

"If you really don't want to go, we can just turn around and head back." Simone leaned forward.

I pulled my phone out of my pocket. Ace had texted me a few times, but I didn't answer. What was I supposed to say?
Sorry I ditched you because my mom is forcing me to hang out with other people?

"Hello? Alex?" Simone waved her hand in front of my face.

"I'm good." I slid my seat belt off and hopped out of the car. Simone followed closely. She looked around the farm, her eyes landing on each barn like she had never seen one before.

"Who the hell invited you?"

Without even walking a full ten feet, Gemma was already barreling at us.

"It is your boyfriend's house, so obviously he did." Simone smirked, looping her arm through mine and walking around Gemma. "Maybe you two should work on your communication skills."

I glanced back and saw Gemma's hands ball into fists before she stomped in front of us and headed toward the rest of the group at the bonfire.

"Hey, you made it!" Brody stood up from his tree stump, ignoring Gemma and walking over to us.

"I couldn't let Alex miss all of this." Simone smiled and waved her hand in a circle. I couldn't tell if she was being serious or just really good at sarcasm.

"Well good, glad you came." He smiled, dusting off his hands on his faded blue jeans before putting one hand out to Simone. "I'm Brody, by the way."

"Simone." She shook his hand limply before releasing it. I do kind of see you every day when you come in to flirt with Alex."

I sucked in a deep breath. She did NOT just say that?

"Ha, yeah I like keeping her on her toes." He didn't miss a beat, grinning from ear to ear. He then clasped his hands together. "Come on and join the party. We were just about to start Never Have I Ever."

Simone and I followed Brody and sat down on one of the fallen logs around the fire. The summer heat was starting to dissolve as the night progressed, but the fire felt like it was lapping right at my legs.

Brody's crowd wasn't exactly the popular crowd, but maybe just one rung below, like the vice presidential populars or something. Gemma and Rachel Johnson sat on the other side of the fire, both of their hands pulled tight around their giant orange Rugby sweatshirts. Brad Gage flanked Rachel's left side, spitting some chew into an empty peanut can.

The group was rounded out with their usual cronies: Carson Jones, Matt Lane, and Ryan Brown. All of them had gone to school together since preschool, all of them played some kind of percussion instrument in the school band, and all of them thought they were better than most people.

"Did we miss anything good?" Ryan's girlfriend, Tiffany, stepped up to the fire with her best friend, Lacey, in tow. They were inseparable and most people had just called the girls Tiffacey since they were practically attached at the hip. Both had short brown hair, bright green eyes, and knew every piece of gossip in school. Ugh, what was I doing? These weren't the people I wanted to hang out with. I scoured my brain for a way out, any way.