Meadow Perkins, Trusty Sidekick

by A. E. Snow

  “My mom is out there,” I said, still whispering. “We’ll have to be really quiet.”

  Alejandro didn’t say a word as he wound his fingers through my hair.

  Much later, I sat up and pulled my shirt back on and sat next to him.

  It was dark, but I could still see his eyes flash. We kissed for a big longer before I snuck him out.

  After he left, I lay in bed, unable to fall asleep. I got online to see who was being passive aggressive. As soon as I saw Jack, my stomach lurched and I shut my laptop.

  I had never really had a chance to be confused about boys. Especially two boys. This was well outside of my range of experience. I felt shitty, but kind of thrilled too, which made me feel shittier. I like Jack but does he like me? Where does Alejandro fit into any of this?

  Chapter 13

  I had a headache and a guilty conscience when I woke up. I took a shower and enlisted Twist’s help with my hair since she was up early too. I refused to let her draw cat-eyes on my face with heavy, black eyeliner.

  I groaned. “My regular makeup is fine. I’m just going to work.”

  “It would just go so well with your hair,” she said, disappointed. She’d tied my hair up in a scarf. I thought I looked a little like Rosie the Riveter.

  “Mom told me about Jack.” She winked.

  “What about him?” I said too loud and too fast.

  Twist blinked. “Oh, it is like that then.”

  “No. I mean, I don’t know. I have to leave.” I grabbed my stuff and rushed outside. I was in the car waiting for Mom when she came out. She went over my task list for the day while we drove.

  The opening was upon us. Mom, Gabe, Jack, and I spent the morning hanging the paintings. The lighting guys were scheduled to show up after lunch.

  We still had to sweep, mop, set up for the caterers, and then we’d be finished.

  The gallery was beautiful and Twist’s work looked amazing in it. I kept getting goose bumps, partly because her work was scary and partly because I was so stinking proud of her.

  The week had been completely surreal. My days were spent with Jack, my nights with Alejandro. He’d snuck in three times over the week. I felt eaten up with guilt. Isla had been super busy registering for school and helping her mom get set up in a teensy apartment downtown. I was glad that I didn’t have to try to hide it from her. I hadn’t told her, or anyone else, anything.

  Though I tried to push it down, the reality that school would start soon niggled at me. I still felt completely torn. Jack and I worked on opposite sides of the gallery.

  When I finished hanging description tags, I went to find Jack. We’d planned to escape from my mom and her kombucha and go out for a late lunch. I found Jack in the back room where he’d just returned from taking out the trash.

  “Lunch?” he asked.

  “Yep. Finally,” I said. “Wait here while I break the bad news to my mom?”

  “Sure.” He grinned.

  I finally gave up on the idea that I didn’t like Jack. I did like Jack. A lot. I liked him more every day.

  Mom was not hard to find. I could hear her shouting from the back room. As I got closer, I gathered that she was yelling at the florist for not having what she ordered.

  “I just don’t know why you didn’t order enough calla lilies for the wedding and the opening! I don’t know why I have to change my order just because you don’t have enough lilies.” I could practically see steam shooting out of her ears.

  “Whoa,” I whispered.

  “Just find some,” she snapped and ended the call with as much violence as she could muster, considering you can’t exactly hang up with conviction on a cell phone.

  “Uh, Mom?” I preferred not to deal with her when she was screaming at other people. I didn’t want her to remember all the reasons she had to yell at me.

  “Hi, doll.” She didn’t even look upset.

  “Are you okay?” I asked. “That florist thing sounded—”

  “I’m fine, Meadow,” she said. “It’s not personal. I just want what I want, or I want a major discount. Is it time for lunch?”

  “Actually, Jack and I were thinking of grabbing some pizza. Is that okay?” I waited for her to shoot me down.

  “Totally fine! I have a lunch date. Take the whole hour!” Mom kissed my forehead, wiped off the red lipstick she’d left there with her thumb, and breezed by me smelling like Chanel.

  I stood still, shocked for at least a minute when Jack appeared.

  “Ready?” he asked.

  “Yeah.” I must’ve had a funny look.

  “You okay?”

  “Fine. Just confused.” That part was definitely true.

  “Confused about how to eat pizza?”

  “Yes. Should I eat it with a fork?”

  “No. No. That is the wrong way to eat pizza.”

  We exited the gallery and headed down the street. Jack was so easy to be with.

  “Meadow?” Jack asked.

  “Yeah?” I felt my cheeks head as I waited for what he was going to say.

  “You are about to walk by the restaurant.” He pointed. We were right in front of The Pizza Palace.

  “Oh, yeah.”

  We went inside, found an empty booth, then ordered. We were waiting for our pizza when Jack said, “You seem a little distracted.”

  “I am.” I giggled, nervous as a cat. “I think my mom is on a date right now.” I was almost afraid to mention dates. I didn’t want to imply that I thought we were on one, or that we weren’t.

  “Wait, what? Right now?” he asked.

  “Yes. Right now!”

  “With whom?” he asked.

  I swooned over the proper use of grammar. “No idea.”

  I remembered last night and how weird she’d been acting, and then I immediately thought of Alejandro. I was really glad when our pizza showed up before I had time to act weird.

  “Then how do you know?” Jack asked.

  “She’s wearing Chanel. She only wears Chanel when she goes on dates. Otherwise she smells like all the essential oils,” I said, a little bewildered.

  “She’s on a date then. But a lunch date? That can’t be a first date.” Jack raised an eyebrow. He was probably right, of course.

  “But she always makes such a big deal out of making us feel informed and comfortable about her dates.”

  “Yeah, when you were seven. You’re all grown up. You’re old enough to go on lunch dates of your own,” Jack teased.

  I managed a laugh. I realized that I should maybe stop hijacking what could potentially be a lunch date. I immediately panicked and knocked over my water. Jack swooped it up before much had spilled. I wasn’t usually the clumsy type, but I appreciate how cute his stealth made him since I am sometimes the knocking-over-the-water type.

  “Your mom invited me to the show,” Jack said and then took a huge bite of pizza.

  “She did?” I asked, surprised.

  “Yeah, she told me she invited some of your friends too,” he said around a mouthful.

  He managed to talk with his mouth full in a non-disgusting way. The boy was talented.

  “Um, she did?” I asked. What? What did she do? “Did she say who?”

  “I think Alejandro and Isla,” he said. “She seems to think those are your friends. Hey, are you okay?”

  I was choking on water. “Fine,” I croaked.

  “I can give you the Heimlich, but it might ruin the mood,” he teased.

  “I’m okay. It was just water. I don’t think the Heimlich works with just water.” I wiped my mouth with a napkin. Things had gone all-to-hell, and quickly. I took a deep breath. “Thank you, though. It’s good to know that you could have saved my life if I were choking o
n food, but could you save me from drowning?”

  We managed to talk about other things and I managed to stop having calamities long enough to have a conversation.

  “I like working at the gallery,” Jack said. “It beats the heck out bagging groceries. It’s fun. And interesting.”

  “I guess so.” I shrugged. “It’s old hat for me.”

  “Twist’s art is . . . weird,” he said. “Is she like really goth or something?”

  I laughed a lot. “No, she isn’t goth at all. Not even a little. I’m not going to tell you what she’s like because I can’t wait for you to meet her and see for yourself.”

  “I’m looking forward to it.”

  When the hour was up, we walked slowly back to the gallery. Mom wasn’t back yet. No one was there and the doors were locked. We sat on a bench out front and talked some more.

  Mom finally showed up looking flushed and happy. I guess it was fine for her to date without telling me. It was just different. And why all the mystery?

  We worked late. At some point, things got too silly for us to really be effective. All that was left to do was steam mop the entire place and make sure the furniture was arranged the way Mom wanted it.

  “Meadow? Let’s go!” Mom chirped.

  I was exhausted and I knew my hairdo was suffering, but Mom was still perky and enthusiastic.

  “Yes, Mom.” I giggled. Exhaustion had gotten to me. It was getting to Jack too and he laughed as well. We laughed until we were both doubled over.

  “What are we laughing about?” he asked.

  The question made me snort. “I don’t even know.”

  I grabbed my things and followed him to the back door.

  Jack ran his hands through his hair until it stood up. “Want to walk together?”

  “Yeah.” I told Mom what I was doing and she gave me a knowing smile. It was really annoying. I didn’t know that it was anything more than just a walk. I pushed away some anxiety that was creeping in to remind me about Alejandro, and that this situation was possibly getting a little bit more complicated than I could handle. I’ll worry about that tomorrow.

  We strolled past all of the now closed shops on Fourth Avenue, where my mom’s gallery was situated between a stationary shop and an ice-cream parlor.

  “So tomorrow’s the big day,” Jack said finally.

  I shivered. “I’m nervous for her.”

  “I kind of am too. I feel invested.”

  It made my heart beat faster to hear that he cared about my sister and her show. He’d never even met her.

  “It’s gonna be amazing.” I was sure of that. “I’m glad you’re coming.”

  “I wouldn’t miss it.” He reached out and grabbed my hand. I was so surprised I almost stopped walked. Be cool, I told myself.

  “I’ve had an amazing week with you,” Jack said when we got to my street.

  “Me, too,” I squeaked. It was all I could manage.

  He stopped under a tree that hung over the sidewalk. Streetlights filtered down through the leaves. It was there in that perfect setting that Jack leaned forward and kissed me.

  He pulled away wearing a goofy grin.

  I know I had one to match.

  “Go out with me Sunday?” he asked.

  “Okay.”

  He dropped me off at my front door, and I watched him walk down the street from the front stoop. When he was gone, I turned and went inside.

  Later, Alejandro texted and I let him in.

  Morning brought great confusion. I felt like I had a hangover even though I couldn’t possibly have one. I was guilty and confused and had chewed my fingernails down to the quick. “I’m a kissing slut,” I told Hank.

  I wandered into the kitchen where Twist had her hair in rollers. She was going for a bubble flip for the opening.

  I gave myself a pep talk or the opposite of one. Today is her day. Don’t be an asshole. Act natural.

  “Good morning, Twist.” I plastered on a smile. “Are you excited?”

  She surveyed two dress hanging from bar stools. “I’m strangely calm. I just can’t decide what to wear.” She turned to look at me. “What are you wearing?”

  “I went shopping with Isla and got a great dress. Very un-Meadow-like. I hope I can pull it off.” I had been inspired with a fit of confidence when Isla and I had gone shopping. She’d assured me that it was the perfect dress and that I looked amazing. I swallowed and pushed a fit of nerves deep into my stomach when I thought of Jack and Alejandro in the same room. Emilia was still in Spain so that was one less thing to worry about.

  “I can’t wait to see it.” Twist flashed me a serene smile.

  My hands shook when I poured a bowl of cereal. All we had left was hippie cereal, as I liked to call it. It tasted pretty terrible. I poured in the milk and made a face when I took a bite.

  “Where’s Mom?” I asked.

  “Gallery. Which one do you like?”

  The first dress was white with yellow roses. It had a yellow belt at the waist and elbow-length sleeves. It was perfect. The other dress was also amazing, white with white embroidery.

  “I like the one with the yellow roses.”

  Twist nodded. “Me, too. With red heels and red lipstick.”

  “Yes.” I would never have come up with that combination. It would be daring and gorgeous.

  “I’ll drive you to the gallery when you’re ready,” Twist said. “I want to look at everything before tonight.”

  “You nervous?” I abandoned my disgusting cereal on the counter and found a banana.

  “Yes. I’m completely freaking out.” She appeared to be completely calm, stoic even.

  “Oh, me too,” I said.

  “Why are you freaking out?” She slipped on a pink cardigan and put a scarf over her rollers. Only Twist could get away with that in public. She looked like a perfect 60’s housewife going to the supermarket.

  “Just supportive freaking out,” I lied.

  “Be right back,” Twist said and headed out to the studio.

  My phone dinged. Jack. Ur mom said she didn’t need me today but offered me a permanent job! Can’t wait to see you tonight.

  My mom gave him a job?

  I texted him back, I can’t wait to see you too. It was true. I was already smiling, between spasms of guilt. But somewhere deep down behind the guilt, buried in my secret evil heart, I was exhilarated. I was not the type of girl to have a secret like this and it was a doozy. Every time I thought about Alejandro, I got kind of weak in the knees. I abandoned the banana along with the cereal.

  I felt like Twist was getting married. For someone like her, this was a bigger deal than a wedding anyway. There wasn’t really anything left to do except let the caterers and the florist in. I wondered if there would be calla lilies. I pulled on skinny jeans, a T-shirt, and a cardigan. Hair up, face washed, glasses on. Go time.

  Twist fidgeted by the door. It was rare to see her confidence shaken.

  “Come on, toots,” she said and we headed to the gallery.

  Mom handed me the steam mop as soon as we walked in the door. She was focused and serious, the complete opposite of yesterday. Everyone had their game face on.

  “As soon as you’re done, we can set up flowers. The florist has already come and gone,” she said.

  “Yes, ma’am.” I saluted her and plugged in the mop. I hated mopping, but steam mopping made things a little more tolerable. I loved the way the steam made everything just smell a little like an indoor pool. I was sweaty and my arms hurt by the time I finished the entire gallery. The walls were bright white and flawless next to the exposed brick wall. Twist’s paintings really popped. The dark wood floor shone and everything looked sparse and clean.

  Twist stood in
the middle of the middle room with her arms crossed and one hand over her mouth, just looking. I left her alone. She was having her moment and I had no idea what to say, so I went to find Mom. She was in her office going over the guest list with Gabe.

  “Just triple-check that everyone on this list got invited,” she said. “I do not want to piss Moira off again. And I want to see the food list from the caterer. Where is that?”

  Gabe shuffled through papers on the edge of her desk.

  “I’m done,” I said.

  “It’s done properly?”

  I rolled my eyes. “Yes, Mom.”

  “Hi there,” Gabe said while he handed Mom a folder.

  “Hi, Gabe.”

  “That Jack is very cute.” He winked.

  I glared at Mom. She shrugged.

  “Actually, I hired Jack,” Mom announced. “Part time!”

  “Mmm-hmm.” I really didn’t want to talk about Jack with my mom and Gabe.

  “So . . . are you dating Jack?” Gabe asked.

  “Um, I don’t know.” I was going on a date with him but were we dating? I didn’t know. I didn’t know how these things worked.

  “Well, I think you should,” Gabe said.

  I cleared my throat. “Mom, what should I do now?”

  “I think you’re done,” she said.

  “K, bye.” I skipped out before anyone could ask me anymore questions then stood outside the door and shuffled through my bag looking for my ChapStick.

  “Taylor Tsang will be here? From the Tribune?” Mom asked Gabe. They were going back to the guest list.

  “Yes,” Gabe said. “She already confirmed. What about Thomas Saunders?”

  “Yes, he’s coming,” Mom said with a giggle.

  Wait. Thomas Saunders? Isla’s dad? She giggled when she mentioned his name. It hit me suddenly. My mom was dating Isla’s dad! Why else would she giggle? She was most definitely not a giggler. OMG. I had to tell Isla.