I shifted so I could see him better. “What?”
“They had us go get our toothbrushes and scrub the entire floor.”
“Ew.” I made a face, and the others who hadn’t already heard the story let out similar expressions.
Michele asked, “What did you do with your toothbrushes?”
“You get one toothbrush,” he said. “After a few days, you get pretty desperate and clean it out.”
“Any hot girls there?” Frank yelled from the front.
Roberto acted like he was about to throw up. “But ten weeks was too long for some people.”
My brows came together. “What do you mean?”
He shook his head. “I was walking by this dumpster, and I heard something in there. Thought it was a rat or something.”
Macy’s eyes widened. “No.”
“Yep.” He nodded. “Puts a whole new meaning to the phrase ‘getting nasty.’”
“Ew,” I said. “Stop.”
“What?” He smirked. “You have a problem with me talking about someone getting down and dirty?”
“Stooop!” I cried. “New subject. Anyone?”
“Speaking of getting nasty,” Stormy said.
“Not you too,” I said.
She laughed. “What about you and Jon?”
I wiped my face of all expression. “What about me and Jon?”
Roberto leaned over. “You pound?”
I turned to him, incredulous. “Pound?”
“You don’t know what that means?”
Flustered, I said, “Yes, I know what it means. Why would you call it that?”
He quirked an eyebrow. “Is that a yes?”
“Let’s talk about Evan and Michele,” I said. “What about them? Have they ‘pounded’?”
Roberto burst out laughing, Michele covered her face with her hair, and Evan gave me a dirty stare.
“Gee, thanks, Abi,” he droned.
I lifted my hands. “A girl’s gotta do what a girl’s gotta do.”
“You mean who,” Roberto corrected.
“I hate you.”
Evan leaned forward to the front seat. “Are we there yet?”
Frank turned into a pasture. “Just in time. Grab the gate.”
Evan popped his door open and said a relieved, “Thank you,” shutting the door behind him.
Michele yelled after him, “Don’t leave me here!”
Roberto steepled his fingers like an evil mastermind. “So, Michele. You take our boy’s v-card? We all know Abi didn’t.”
Macy shoved him. “It’s already awkward enough, dude.”
Roberto sat back, laughing, but I didn’t miss the glare Michele sent my way.
Chapter Forty-Six
Frank parked alongside a big pond in the middle of a pasture. As we got out of the car and stepped into the tall prairie grass, grasshoppers flew through the air, trying to get away from us.
A light wind swished the plains, adding a sweet rustling sound to that of my friends getting ready for the day. Frank and Evan went to the trunk, taking out the cooler. Stormy organized food in the tailgate like a table, and Macy started huffing into a pool float.
The others began shimmying out of their clothes, undressing down to their swimsuits.
The last time we’d undressed, we were under totally different circumstances.
“I think I’ve only seen you guys half-naked at the cemetery,” I said, laughing.
Stormy waggled her eyebrows at me. “We should change that, chica.”
I rolled my eyes and went to the tailgate to help Macy with one of the floats. As I emptied my lungs, a giant rainbow unicorn came to life. Just as I finished hooking the plug shut, Roberto grabbed it and crashed into the pond, spraying water everywhere. Frank did the same with Macy’s float, and we laughed at the two. They were so ridiculous, romping in the water like little kids going to the pool for the first time all summer.
Evan and Michele held hands and started toward the water.
Stormy came to stand beside me. “Tell me you don’t like her,” she whispered.
I shrugged and turned back to the tailgate, reaching for another float. “I don’t really know her. Other than the fact that she apparently hates me.”
She leaned back against the bumper, arms folded over her chest. “She’s just jealous.”
With my teeth bitten down on the hole, I asked, “Why would she be?”
“Oh, come on,” Stormy said. “Here’s Evan’s ex-girlfriend, who’s a super-hot track star with legs for days, and she’s just a short little junior in high school. It’s a little intimidating.”
I rolled my eyes and blew a huge breath into the float. “I’m dating Jon.”
“That doesn’t mean Freckles doesn’t like you.”
My mouth fell off the float. “He doesn’t like me.”
“No, but Michele doesn’t know that.”
I shook my head and sighed. “How does a junior in high school seem so young to me now?”
She tilted her head, examining the two tiptoeing into the water. “She does seem young, doesn’t she?”
I nodded.
We worked together blowing up the last of the floats, and then I changed into the swimsuit Leanne left in the Suburban. It was a little more revealing than I would have liked, but it was that or underwear.
Stormy caught me tugging at the swimsuit and said, “You look great. Come on.”
She stuck her hand out, and I took it, walking into the water with her. It was warm on top from the sun beating down, but the deeper we got, the cooler and more refreshing it felt.
We all lay around on floats, or in Frank and Evan’s case, hung on to them like Jack on the Titanic door. At least Stormy and Michele wouldn’t let them sink to their death.
We drifted between topics as we drifted on the water, never talking about anything serious or hard. Just catching up on where we’d been and what we’d been doing.
Macy and Leanne had joined the improv team at their college. Evan started working at a chain restaurant and had already been promoted to shift leader. Roberto would go to his new assignment in North Carolina in a week. Frank had almost quit his job and got a two-dollar raise instead.
But Stormy threw a curveball. “Guys,” she said, holding on tightly to Frank’s hand. “I have to tell you something.”
I sat up as well as one could on an inflatable popsicle. Something told me this was serious.
Macy furrowed her eyebrows. “Everything okay?”
“Yeah, it’s just…” She looked at Frank, and he gave her an encouraging nod. “I’m pregnant.”
Chapter Forty-Seven
My mouth fell open, frozen, while my mind went on hyperdrive. Pregnant? “With a baby?” I finally asked.
She rolled her eyes like this wasn’t the biggest news of the entire year. “No, with emotion.”
Macy reached over and swatted her. “Seriously? Pregnant?”
My eyes zoned in on her stomach. Was I just imagining a bump?
“Yes,” she said.
“Are you sure?” Evan asked.
Frank nodded. “She peed on, like, four tests.”
“I had to be positive,” Stormy said, a little bashfully. “We have our first sonogram on Tuesday.”
“Wow,” I breathed. “A baby.”
Suddenly, it struck me how different our lives were. Like Stormy and Frank had somehow jumped lightyears ahead of all of us. They were about to become parents, working full-time jobs, paying utility bills, health insurance, food. The sheer idea of all they’d have to take on overwhelmed me.
“Are you okay?” I asked.
Her arms loosely circled her stomach like she was cradling the baby growing there. “I love her…him…it already.”
Frank smiled softly as he put a hand on her stomach. “And I’m here for them always.” He dropped a soft kiss on her forehead, and Stormy closed her eyes.
The moment felt so private, so intimate, I looked down at the water. It rippled
slowly, oblivious to the earth-rocking news we’d just heard.
“Well, in that case,” Roberto said. “Congratulations!” He went over and shook Frank’s shoulder, then wrapped him in a wet bro hug.
We all paddled over and hugged them, telling them congratulations and that we were there to help them however we could.
That was just our group. No matter where we went, how different our lives were, we were there for each other. I wished Jon had been here for this moment. I imagined him wrapping his arm around me and smiling. Then I shoved down thoughts of us celebrating the same thing years in the future.
Which made me feel that much worse for keeping my secret from everyone. They were being brave, sharing something that so many people kept secret and were ashamed of.
I needed to tell the truth about my secrets. But I would wait until later. This moment was Frank and Stormy’s. They deserved to enjoy it.
Chapter Forty-Eight
I got back to Grandma’s around seven. The freshly mowed front yard and waving Upton U flag nearly brought me to tears. I couldn’t wait to get inside. I missed her so much.
It took all I had not to run down the sidewalk, but Grandma beat me to it, opening the front door and coming to wrap me in a tight hug.
“Oh, sweetie, it’s good to see you,” she said, not letting go.
I held her close, choking back tears. “I missed you so much.”
All of the stress from that day—seeing my mom, the letters, missing Jon, Frank and Stormy’s announcement—it all came crashing down and pouring through my eyes.
“Honey, honey, honey.” She rubbed my back. “It’s okay. I’m here.”
She comforted me like I was five years old, and I let her, rocking back and forth on the sidewalk, leaning into this woman who had been my rock though she didn’t have to be.
When my tears finally subsided, she took one of my hands with both of hers, patting it, and said, “Come on, let’s get inside.”
I’d grown so used to living at Grandma’s, I’d forgotten it had a smell. But it did. Like green tea and vanilla and old wood. I breathed it in deep. This was the smell of home.
We walked into the living room, and I stalled in the doorway.
“What is this?” I asked, staring at the brand-new sectional.
Grandma’s old rocking recliner was gone, as was the threadbare mustard sofa that had been there before. A new leather sectional with cupholders emitting blue light took up the space instead.
“What do you think?” she asked, going to sit on it. She pushed a button, making the leg rest rise and waggled her eyebrows at me. Her face lit up like she’d just finished the hardest crossword puzzle ever.
Laughing, I went and sat on the other reclining seat. “Fancy, Grandma.” The seat sank underneath me, comfortable, but not like twenty years of butts had softened it up for me.
“Had to spruce up a little before my girl came home,” she said. “Plus, I thought we could watch a movie together to break it in? Your pick.”
The hope in her voice melted my heart. “Of course.”
While she made snacks, I checked my phone. Jon had texted me a few hours ago, but I missed it in all the day’s activities.
Jon: How is it being home?
Abi: Amazing.
Abi: Grandma and I are going to watch a movie, so I probably can’t talk on the phone.
Abi: Oh, and Stormy’s pregnant.
Abi: They’re happy about it.
Abi: They look really good.
Abi: Roberto had this gross story about basic training and dumpsters.
Abi: Macy and Leanne are on an improv team.
Abi: Evan’s crushing it at work.
Abi: His girlfriend hates me.
Jon: Whoa girl, you’re blowing up my phone.
Abi: Did you just call me girl?
Jon: Do you prefer woman?
Abi: Eyeroll emoji.
Jon: I miss you. Send me a picture?
Abi: I don’t have any makeup on. Plus my hair’s a total wreck.
Jon: I don’t care. Just want to see your smile.
Jon: It’s rough here.
My heart went out to him. I snapped a picture of the biggest, cheesiest smile I could muster and sent it to him.
Jon: Perfection.
Abi: I love you.
Jon: I love you. So much.
The microwave went off in the other room and Grandma came back in. “Texting Jon?”
“Yeah,” I said.
“How’s Glen’s cousin?” she asked. “Marta said it wasn’t looking good when I talked to her yesterday.”
“That’s what Jon said this morning. Let me check again.”
She nodded and went about choosing a DVD to put in the player while I texted Jon.
Abi: How are things there? How’s your cousin?
Jon: The doctors can’t get her levels to come down. They say her kidneys are shutting down.
“Oh no,” I breathed, covering my heart with my hand. “He said her kidneys are shutting down.”
Worry covered Grandma’s face. “Tell him I’m praying for her. And his family.”
It seemed like a small comfort to someone who was watching a family member in pain, but it was the best we could do from here.
Abi: Grandma wants you to know she’s praying for your family and your cousin.
Jon: Tell her thank you. I just hope the pain doesn’t last long, whatever happens.
I cringed at the message, eyeing Grandma over my phone as she bent over the DVD rack. I was all she had left, other than the Scollers. I couldn’t imagine watching her suffer.
Abi: Me too.
Jon: Enjoy your night with your grandma. And call me in the morning. I love you.
I tucked my phone in my pocket and settled back in the chair as the opening credits started on the screen. Grandma grabbed a couple of well-worn blankets and threw one over me. I curled into it and leaned on the couch’s center console.
Grandma sat on the other side, holding my hand. “I’m so glad you’re home.”
“Me too.”
We fell asleep watching the movie, and I woke up to my phone ringing at four in the morning. A call from Jon.
My heart immediately leapt to hyper speed as I swiped answer and held the phone to my ear. “Jon?”
“She died, Abi,” he said, and then he broke down in sobs.
Chapter Forty-Nine
“Jon, I’m so sorry. I’m so sorry.” I whispered the words over and over until his sobs died down, feeling completely helpless.
I should have gone with him, should have insisted on it. But now he was suffering by himself on the other end of the phone, and there was nothing I could do about it.
Grandma shifted beside me, coming to with a concerned look in her eyes.
She died, I mouthed.
Grandma covered her mouth.
“It’s okay,” Jon rasped, sniffing.
“It’s not,” I said. “I can’t imagine how you must feel.”
“My dad’s even worse,” he said. “Wouldn’t leave the room. He watched it happen.”
“Oh God,” I breathed.
“I just…needed to hear your voice,” he said.
My heart swelled and shattered. “I’m here. Always.”
“I love you.”
“I love you.”
He sighed into the phone. “I’ll see you Monday night?”
“I’ll be there.”
The call ended. I watched the flashing call time until the screen turned black, then held it to my chest, moisture finding my eyes. “He sounds so sad.”
Grandma rubbed my shoulder. “It’s going to be hard. You just need to be there while he works through it.”
I nodded, blinking. “I just feel completely helpless.”
Her eyes lit up. “Maybe not completely.” She pushed the button on her chair, and the leg rest went down, painfully slowly. “We can go to their house, make sure they have some good meals to come home to.”
M
y lips twitched. “You mean it?”
“Marta didn’t give me a key to their house for nothing.”
Even though it wasn’t yet five in the morning, we went to the store and got plenty of groceries and disposable pans. Grandma knew all of their favorite meals, the ingredients.
It made me jealous of all the years she spent as their neighbor. How she must have watched Jon grow from a nervous child, to a middle schooler, into the man I fell in love with. I wished I had been there to see it all.
But I was here now, and I needed to make the most of it.
We grabbed coffee on the way back from the store and spent the entire morning cooking. Marta kept her house clean, so there wasn’t much I could do to help with that.
As Grandma finished putting lids on the casseroles, I went upstairs to use the bathroom.
Okay, maybe I didn’t need to be up there. I mean, there was a bathroom downstairs. But I wanted to see Jon’s room. This place where we sat on beanbag chairs and plotted revenge on some kid who left a mean note on my back.
Maybe, in a way, I owed that kid a thank you. Nothing bonded friends like a common enemy.
I stood in the doorway to Jon’s room, a time capsule from this summer. Of afternoons spent lying around, listening to music, holding each other, being quiet as we kissed so his parents wouldn’t intrude on our special spot—our special moments.
My eyes landed on something new. A photo of us from this summer on his dresser in a simple black frame. He had his arms wrapped around me. We were laughing. His mom must have snapped it without us knowing.
I stepped in and gently touched the frame, a wonderful memory I didn’t know I had frozen in place.
A shuffling noise sounded behind me, and I turned to see Grandma coming down the hallway, a soft smile on her face. “I’m so glad you two started going steady. Such a cute couple.”
I cringed. “We’re dating, Grandma. We’re not ninety years old.”
She drew herself up and feigned an indignant look. “And neither am I. Seventy-seven years young.”
I laughed. “Practically a spring chicken.”
She came and wrapped her arm around me. “Come on. I want to catch that antique show. I have my sights set on a new old lamp to go with my couch.”
Abi and the Boy Who Lied Page 14