Meadow Perkins, Trusty Sidekick (9 page)

Chapter 10

Isla’s dad pulled out of their driveway just before I crossed the street. I hadn’t seen him since the party at our house and I was kind of relieved that I wouldn’t have to make small-talk with him.

I crossed the street and walked up their stone walk. The yard was full of wild, unkempt flowers. The front door opened just as I raised my hand to knock.

“Hi.” Isla smiled but her usually perfect hair was tangled and dark circles rested under her eyes.

Stepping inside, I asked, “Is everything okay?”

“Yeah, fine.” She ducked her head, but I saw her eyes rimmed with red. 

She led the way through their house. Each room had lots of windows and was painted beige. I squeezed past the boxes that still lined the hallway and filled a good portion of the main living areas. None of the rooms looked lived in. No curtains on the windows, no pictures on the walls.

“It’s a mess still. Dad has been too busy to unpack and I don’t know what to do with all his junk.” She shrugged.

“It’s a beautiful house. Junk and all,” I said, just teasing about the junk and looking around at the ironwork colorful Spanish tile. 

I ran my hands on the smooth black Iron as I followed Isla up the stairs and to her room at the end of a long hall.

Inside, I was immediately drawn to the windows overlooking the back garden which had a trellis and flowers everywhere.

Isla plopped down on her bed. “So, what’s up?”  

“Nothing much.” I hesitated. “Nice house.”

“Thanks, I just live here,” she said. “Sit. Wanna watch something?”

“Yeah.” I sat at the foot of the bed and noticed a TV in the corner where I’d been standing. It was small and old which surprised me a little. I thought maybe she’d want to talk, but I was a little relieved that she didn’t. Frankly, I had no idea what I could say that might be helpful.

“I know, it sucks. My dad doesn’t watch TV. I bought this at a yard sale.” 

“I have to sneak into my mom’s room to watch TV, which is odd because she doesn’t watch TV either. Or else I watch on my laptop.” 

“Our parents are weird,” Isla said and shook her head.

“Everyone’s parents are weird here.”

“I’m sorry about the other night.” Isla’s lips turned down into a frown.

“That’s what friends are for, right?” I said, sounding like an 80’s song.

“Yeah.” She flipped on an old remote through the TV stations. “We have cable still. Dad doesn’t know, and I’m not telling.”

“Good thinking.”

She stopped on an old movie and sighed.

“What’s this?” I asked.

Isla readjusted so she lay on her stomach. “This is the best movie of all time.
An Affair to Remember
. It’s not the beginning. Sorry.”

Isla caught me up on the action. “See her? Isn’t she beautiful? That’s Deborah Kerr, well, Terry McKay in the movie and Cary Grant. Isn’t he handsome? I heard he did LSD all the time.”

“Really? I didn’t know they had LSD back then.”

“Of course they did, it just wasn’t illegal yet,” she said. “Anyway, they fell in love on a ship but they were both with other people so they decide to break up with their people, get jobs and meet again on Valentine’s Day.”

“That’s romantic.” 

“Yes. It’s desperately romantic. And desperately sad.” Isla put her head back on her pillow.

I rolled over to lay on my stomach next to her. 

It was the kind of movie my mom liked. Good, but slow. I didn’t understand why Terry and Nickie didn’t just break up with their people and get together.

“Where are you going to school?” I asked Isla.

She looked at me without turning her head. “Berkeley High.”

“So it’s for sure then?”

“Yep. I just heard a speech yesterday around my dad’s ideas about public education. I went to public school in Santa Fe. It’s not so bad.”

“I don’t want to go to HSA next year,” I blurted out. It felt good to say that out loud.

“What?” Isla asked. “Why? Did something happen?” 

I hadn’t told her any of the drama with Emilia, other than to agree with her that Emilia was, in fact, a raging bitch. I hadn’t told her about Mr. Egan either. I’d only ever talked vaguely about HSA before.

“Well, it’s a long story, but my painting teacher and advisor pretty much told me I wasn’t good enough on the last day of school.” I blinked back tears. “I don’t see the point in going back.”

Isla sat up on turned her attention to me. “That can’t have been what he meant! I’ve seen your paintings and they’re beautiful.”

It felt great to hear someone say something good for once. 

“I guess, but there’s more.”

“Tell me.” She cocked her head to the side. 

I sat up, too, and folded my legs under me. “Emilia heard what he said and told the whole school. I don’t think everyone heard, but I was totally humiliated.”

“She did what?”

I looked at my feet and didn’t say anything.

“What. A. Jerk.” Isla’s voice shook.  

I shrugged. “I know. I don’t feel like I can show my face there again.”

“Where would you go?” she asked.

“I have no idea,” I said. “I haven’t told my mom any of this.”

“That sucks. I’m really sorry that happened to you.” 

“Do you think I’m being silly?” I focused my attention on the paint peeling off my toenails.

“I don’t know.”

“Maybe I’m tired of HSA anyway. Maybe it would be nice to meet some new people.” I kind of believed that. I would miss seeing Alejandro, but I felt guilty about whatever it was that was happening between us.

I opened my mouth to tell her about Alejandro.

Before I could speak, she said, “Yeah, maybe it would.”

I nodded and closed my mouth. I didn’t want to tell her about Alejandro.

We watched more of the movie. Isla cried at the end, sniffling a little next to me. I chewed on my lip and blinked hard to hold in the tears. To distract myself, I checked my phone and saw that I had two new text messages. One from Alejandro and one from Jack. 

Alejandro:
My band is playing tonight. You should come. 1178 Claremont Ave.
We will play around 9.

Jack:
What’s up?

Brow furrowed, I tried to decide what to do. 

“Hey, Alejandro’s band is playing.”  

“Hmmm,” Isla said and wiped her eyes. 

“Nine tonight. You should come.”
Should she come? I don’t want to go alone.

“I dunno.” Isla played with the edge of her blanket. “I’m not really in the mood.”

“Please? I think we should do something fun.”

Isla blew her bangs out of her face and stared at the blanket she was slowly unraveling. But in a strange case of role reversal, I wanted to go out and maybe even get drunk and Isla wanted to stay in. It was like Freaky Sunday.

“Is it a house party?” she asked.

I texted Alejandro.
Sure. See you there!

“I don’t know. We’ll find out when we get there. But first, let’s go shopping.” I flashed her the credit card that Mom had given me earlier. I was on a strict budget, but it was the first time Mom had trusted me with her credit card and it felt awesome.

Isla glanced at the card, and a smile lit up her face. “Yes to shopping. I will never turn down a shopping trip.” She hauled herself off the bed and stretched.

“Let’s go!” I said.

“You are super outgoing lately.” Twist eyed me suspicion while I picked out accessories. Twist had been moving more of her stuff into the painting studio when I came home from shopping with Isla.

I ignored her. The butterflies in my stomach were having a riot over seeing Alejandro. I hadn’t told Twist about Alejandro either.  

Isla and I had gone to a cute little consignment store and gotten a load of stuff. And it was cheap. Then we’d gone to a boutique and I bought a really cute skirt that almost blew my budget.

“Is there a boy?” Twist asked, holding up a soft blue chambray shirt. “I think there’s a boy.”

“I mean, does it matter?” I asked, sifting through an old tin lunchbox full of rings and bracelets. Another upside to having Twist at home was access to her massive jewelry collection.

She looked at me with narrowed eyes. “Of course it matters.” 

Refusing to make eye contact, I said, “There might be a boy.”

Twist squeaked. “Who?”

She knew Alejandro so if I told her about him, she’d ask about Emilia and either way I’d be lying. “Just some guy. You don’t know him. Jack’s his name.”
Well, there
is
a Jack. Shut up, conscience.

“Jack, hmmm. And how do you know Jack?”

“I don’t have to answer that. You’re my sister, not my mother. And anyway, I know him from school. I only know people from school.”

“That’s true. It’s probably good for you to get out anyway.”

“That’s what Mom said.” I laughed.

Twist ignored me. She sorted through my freshly dried clothes.

“You don’t even have to try this on. I can already tell it’s perfect.” Twist laid the chambray shirt on the bed with a very light pink skirt that featured both ruffles and sequins, the same skirt that cost more than all of my thrift store stuff combined. It was super cute, but not something I would have picked out for myself. The thought of actually wearing in a public setting filled me with apprehension.

I studied her with one raised an eyebrow.

She stood back and surveyed the bed. She looked over at me. “No. Trust me. Put your hair up in a loose bun. I can do it if you want. And wear your glasses! The thick frames.”

“Fine,” I said and flopped down next to Hank. He spent 90% of his time on my window seat. I scratched his ears and worried that the skirt was too short.

“Let’s do your makeup,” Twist said.

I sat down across from her. “How’s your work?”

Twist frowned and dabbed concealer under my eyes. “Eh. Not great.”

She was having trouble working. Her show would open in ten days whether she was ready or not. I would normally encourage her to work but I needed her help, so I let her do my makeup on the condition that it looked very natural, and my hair on the condition that it wouldn’t be a bouffant. She refused to let me see anything until she was done.

When came at me with the eyeliner pencil, I flinched and blinked.

“Oh God, Meadow. Stop blinking.”

“I’m trying.” I held my eyes open very wide and pretended not to notice the black pencil poking around in my peripheral vision.

Twist puckered her lips the way she does when doing her own makeup. “Are you excited?”  

“I’m not going to the prom,” I said with great sarcasm to cover the fact that I was totally nervous.

“Okay, teenager.”

“Where’s Mom?” I asked. “I guess I should tell her what I’m doing.”

Twist stuck her tongue out of the side of her mouth in concentration while she finished up my eyes. “She’s gone all day and half the night probably. You have my permission. As long as you don’t do anything stupid, otherwise I’ll say you pulled a Ferris Bueller.”

The mascara wand loomed in front of my eyes. “What are you talking about?”

“Really? You don’t know Ferris Bueller?”

“I guess not.” Flinching, I said, “Of course I won’t. I might spend the night at Isla’s.”

“K.” 

I tapped my feet and wrung my hands. I hadn’t seen or heard from Alejandro in almost a week. I’d texted or chatted with Jack a few times. I decided not to worry about Jack for the moment mainly because my lips had not touched his and they had touched Alejandro’s more than once. And I didn’t think two boys at once was something I could handle.

A little tiny voice somewhere deep inside, one that I was trying really hard to suppress, was telling me that I deserved more than a guy that already had a girlfriend. Maybe something that didn’t have to be a secret.

From there, my thoughts wandered to HSA.
I don’t want to go. I don’t want to deal with any of that and I just want a fresh start. I’m gonna talk to Dad.

“Done. I only teased your hair a little,” Twist said, backing up.

Isla walked in at the same moment. “Damn.”  

“Oh stop.” I turned to look in the mirror. ‘
Damn’ is right. I look
good
.
“Thanks, Twist.”

“Oh please,” she said. “I didn’t do anything.”

“You did everything, dummy.” I felt confident and ready and excited instead of anxious. For once.

“Hang on, I gotta send an email.” I sat on my bed with my laptop while Isla and Twist talked. 

I opened my email and started a new message. I couldn’t imagine ever picking up a paintbrush again, so what else would I do at HSA? I began with the person that I assumed would be my biggest ally.

My fingers hovered over the keys for a moment and then I took the plunge.
Dear Dad
. . .

The small two-story house was filled to the brim. When we arrived, we squeezed through a crowd so thick, it took ten minutes to get through the front door and find a spot by the staircase where we could somewhat see the band.

“Let’s go classy tonight.” Isla snorted and pulled a bottle of pink wine out of her bag. “I’m glad I thought to open it at home.”