Twice Shy (14 page)

Ani nibbled her bottom lip. "So you just want me to forgive you." She snapped her fingers. "Like that."

His eyes pled his case. "Yeah. Are we cool?"

She punched him in the arm. "No, we're freaks and rejects. But I forgive you. The unexpected vacation was quite nice, what with Christmas being so... eventful." They stood in awkward silence for a moment. "You know you've lost your supplier."

He nodded. "Yeah. I'll figure something out."

"Meantime, what do we do about Fey?"

Jake grinned. "Oh, don't worry about Fey. She'll come around once she realizes nobody else likes her."

Ani wasn't sure.

*  *  *

As she sat next to Fey at lunch, Fey grabbed her tray and started to stand. Ani grabbed her wrist. "Fey, wait. Please."

Fey set the tray down and sank back to her seat. "Why? We’ve got nothing to say to each other."

"I'm sorry. I didn't even mean to say your name. It just popped out. And you didn't do anything wrong except be there." A tray plopped down to Ani's right. She looked up as Jake sat down.
Next to me, not her.

Fey rolled her eyes. "You guys don't understand. I'm eighteen. You guys aren't. You know what that means?"

Ani shook her head.
Trouble?

"It means if they find out about the ox, or even the champagne, I'm screwed."

Ani's eyes widened. "I didn't say anything—"

"Me neith—"

Fey held up a hand. "But both of you let slip I was there. Not for nothing, but you need to watch your mouths. The last thing I need is a rap sheet."

"Won't happen from me, ever again." Jake crossed his heart.

Ani patted Fey's hand. "The liquor cabinet is under lock and key, now. I couldn't do it again if I tried."

Fey stood with her tray. "Yeah, well, keep your damn mouths shut." She stalked out of the cafeteria and was accosted by a hall monitor.
No food outside the cafeteria, Fey.
Scowling, she came back in, badgered an AV kid out of his seat, set down her tray, and ate.

*  *  *

Two days of school, then a three-day weekend for Martin Luther King Day. She got home from school on Friday, having stayed after to catch up on the work she had missed, and saw her mother standing in the bathroom wearing makeup, a long blue dress, and pearls. Her face was haggard and tired—these days it was always haggard and tired—but it held a tension that Ani didn't recognize.

"Is everything okay, Mom?" Ani asked, worried.

"Yes," her mother said. Her hands shook. "No. I...."

Ani grabbed her hands. She searched her eyes and saw panic. "What, Mom? You can tell me."

"I have a date."

Ani blinked. "A what?"

Her mom smiled. "You know, a date. Where a man and a woman go out and have a nice time, perhaps to a movie or the theater, to get to know one another better. A date."

Ani couldn't suppress a bemused grin. "I... You... You've never... With who?"

"None of your business," she snapped, and let go of Ani's hands. Then she smiled. "A man I bumped into in the grocery store. He seems very nice." She paused to put on her heels. "His name is Mike."

That sucks.
"Is he cute?"

"Sure," she said, turning to look at herself in the mirror.

"Mom, you're blushing!"

Her mother whirled around and raised a finger. "I will be gone until midnight or one. You will have no one over, you will go nowhere, and you will be in the bath by eleven. We can't take any chances until we're certain that you are one hundred percent." She grabbed Ani and pulled her in to kiss her forehead. "I love you, my baby girl." She pushed her out to arm's length. "How do I look?"

Tired. Anxious. Nervous.
"You look great."

*  *  *

The phone rang as her mom pulled out of the driveway. The caller ID said "Daniels." She picked up the phone.

"Hey, Fey, what's up?"

"I'm coming over. Stan and Mom have been bitching at each other for hours. I got to get out of here before I kill myself."

Ani watched as the Audi turned the corner toward town. "Mom says nobody comes over when she's not home."

"She just took off dressed like the First Lady. She won't be back for a few hours. She won't know." Fey Said.

Ani took a deep breath, held it, and let it out. "She always knows. With the suspension and everything, I've got to be careful."

There was a pregnant pause. "You owe me."

"I do, I really do, but I can't have you over tonight. My mom's like a CSI. She'll pick up on the tiniest detail, and she'll kill me."

"So we'll hang out outside."

"Fey, it's five below zero. You'd be dead in ten minutes."

"So we'll go to Jakes."

"He's grounded."

"Jesus, Ani, if you don't want to hang out with me, just say so."

"I—"

Fey hung up.
Dammit.

Chapter 17

Her mom spilled no details about her date, save that it was nice, and so was the play. They'd gone to see
Over the Tavern
at the city theater, then out for a late bite. Her mom had gotten home around three a.m. She went out again Saturday night, not quite as dressed up. This time Fey didn't call.

Tuesday, Fey got on the bus and passed her the headphone, like nothing was amiss. She took it and put it in her ear. "Sorry about Friday."

"Don't worry about it," Fey said. "I'm a big girl." They sat in silence for a moment, but it was comfortable. "Your mom's a bit of a tyrant, isn't she?"

Ani bit her lip. "Um, you could say that."
You have no idea. None.

"She seems nice at school. No-nonsense, but nice."

"She's like that at home, too, until you break the rules. Then she locks you in the coal cellar and throws away the key."

Fey cranked the iPod by way of a reply, and they rode the rest of the way to school serenaded by Dashboard Confessional.

Ani was reading in study hall—she'd cut the cover off of
New Moon
and glued it on to Stephanie Rowe's
Unbecoming Behavior
—when a shadow loomed over the page.

"
Twilight
again?" Keegan asked, leaning on her desk. "How many times have you read that?"

She snapped the book closed. "Some things are timeless," she said. Then she looked up at him. "Other things get old real fast."

She expected him to walk away. Instead, he leaned closer and whispered. "Ask to go to the bathroom once Mike's out of the room. He wants to talk to you without"—he jerked his head toward Devon—"some people catching on."

Her heart skipped a beat. Or it would have, if it were not for electrical stimulation.
Mike wants to talk to me? What for? He's been avoiding me for weeks.

When Mike left the room, she gave it forty-five seconds and then shot up her hand.

Mr. Betrus raised his eyebrows. "Yes, Miss Romero?"

"Can I go to the bathroom?"

He shook his head and looked back down at his paperwork. "Only two people out at once."

"But...."

He raised his gaze, so she tried to look as nervous as possible.

"It's female issues. It can't wait." She looked at the door, then back at him, chewing furiously on her lip.

He jerked his chin toward the door. "Go."

She hurried out of the room. Mike was at his locker, thirty feet away. She shambled over to him, cursing her dragging foot. "How was your weekend, Mike?"

He shrugged. "Same as usual. Mom was bitchy; Dad was unavailable."

"Speaking of your mom, when is she going to call me for lessons? I haven't heard a peep."

"She sold the keyboard and bought clothes."

"That sucks," Ani said. Even grumpy, his proximity intoxicated her, and she tried not to look in his eyes. "Mom's been riding my ass since I got suspended. She's merciless."

"She was so nice growing up." He looked at her, and she couldn't help it. She raised her eyes to his and drowned in a sea of green. "I guess she kind of changed..." He looked away, and the spell was broken. "When you did."

Ani self-consciously raised her hand to the safety pins in her cheek. They were no longer necessary, but she'd gotten used to them. "I guess so, but I don't think it's me. I think it's this job. She hates it here. More than I do."

Mike looked up and down the hall. "High School's not so bad."
Yeah, if you're popular. Or not a decaying freak.

"So anyway, Keegs said you wanted to talk to me?"

He brought his dazzling attention back on her, and she had to remember to breathe. "Yeah. I was wondering if you could do me a favor. A really big favor."

Anything. Everything.
"You ignore me for a month and then ask for a favor?"

"Yeah, I'm sorry. Devon's under a lot of stress. She's got the Algebra II Regents next week, and she's been a real bitch. And she's jealous that I took a knife for you. Really jealous."

Ani scowled.
Why is it that when a girl gets bitchy she's a bitch, but when a guy's an asshole nobody even comments?
"Well, since you saved my life... Maybe. It depends on the favor."

"I need you to go to the Valentine's Banquet and Dance with Keegan."

She choked. "Excuse me?"

"He's already agreed, if you'll do it. It's just to get Devon off my back. No romance. She'll calm down if she sees you're interested in someone else."

Are you freaking KIDDING ME?
She throttled the shrieking harridan in her head enough so that she could formulate a reply. "So let me get this straight. Instead of acting like a grownup, you want me to go to a dance with a guy I don't like and who doesn't like me so that your psycho girlfriend stops being irrationally jealous of a social outcast you almost never talk to." She looked him in the eyes, too furious to fall prey to them.

He returned the stare and nodded. "Yeah. That's the favor."

Not in a million years.
"Five hundred dollars."

He rolled not only his eyes but his whole head. "I saved your life."

"True. Okay, three hundred dollars. And if Keegan tries to kiss or grope me it goes back to five hundred."

He opened his mouth and closed it several times. Finally, he forced the words out. "Two hundred. And Keegan won't try to kiss or grope you."

"This isn't a negotiation. Three hundred dollars and I will stoop to this disgusting, filthy level for you, but only because you're my friend and you saved my life. Take it or shove it."

"Deal."
Shit shit shit shit shit shit shit!

*  *  *

It took her over a week to scrape up the courage to tell her mom. It helped that she could soften the blow with a report card of mostly A's and B's. She walked into the nurse's office at lunchtime and sat on the bed nearest the door. It felt like death row.

Her mom was up from her desk and across the room in a flash. Her shirt was a little low cut for a school nurse.
Is that a new bra?
"What's wrong, sweetie?"

Ani waved her off. "No, nothing like that. I just need to tell you something." She cringed.

"This doesn't sound good."

It all rushed out of her mouth at once. "Mike paid me three hundred bucks to go to the banquet and dance with Keegan so Devon won't be jealous anymore."

Her mom sat back with a grunt. "Is this a joke?"
Ha ha, right? He was supposed to say "no" when I asked for money.

She shook her head. "I know I'm supposed to ask first, and I know you said no boys, but Keegan and I don't even like each other. There is zero chance that he'd try anything."

Her mom developed that calculated scowl that almost never meant fun times.

Ani looked at the floor and didn't move.

Finally her mom spoke. "Look, sweetie, you'll be on your own. I can't chaperone either one."

Ani opened her mouth but her mom raised a finger so she closed it.

"I was going to tell you tonight. Mike surprised me with plane tickets." Her shrug was too casual by half. "What was I going to say? We're leaving Friday and won't be back until Tuesday."
What? Where... um... you're abandoning me for a guy? And will you please for the love of all that is holy stop dating a man named Mike?
"But of more concern to me is that you'd be willing to compromise your integrity like this. Going somewhere with a boy for money is just... sleazy." She lowered her finger.

"But I'm not doing it for Keegan. We're both doing Mike a favor."
And you're supposed to be here for me.

"Unless you're wrong. Keegan had a crush on you in middle school, if I remember correctly."

"Middle school was a long time ago, Mom. A lot has happened since then."

She leaned in close, exposing too much cleavage. "True, but boys don't change much from twelve to eighty, and they'll take what they can get when they can get it." She leaned back with a self-satisfied smirk.

"Mom, don't be gross!"
And please, please turn back into my mom. This weepy cougar thing is freaking me out.

She frowned. "You'll learn."

Ani changed the subject. "So where are you going? This sounds exciting!"
Too exciting.

Her mom smiled, but it didn't touch her eyes. "We're going to Key West. Mike rented a villa there, so I took three days off." The smile faded to sadness. "You're going to have to learn to be on your own, take care of yourself."
What the heck is that supposed to mean?

Ani hugged her. "You gave up so much for me, Mom. It's okay. I'll be fine. Go have fun."
What's happening to you? And why now?

She widened her eyes. "I'm planning on it."

Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeew!

*  *  *

The approaching dance filled Ani with certain dread. Keegan stopped to talk to her for the millionth time—in view of Devon, of course—said nothing of consequence and strode away as Fey approached.
The Hearts on Fire banquet is Saturday, and the dance is next Monday. After that, this'll all be over.

"What is up with that kid?" Fey asked. "Every minute he's creeping on you."

"I know," Ani said. "He's like obsessed or something."