The Girlfriend Shield

by S. A. Hunter

  “I’m assuming he’s getting the undiluted attention of his mother.”

  “If you’d rather go,” I began.

  Angela shook her head and snapped the tablecloth to smooth it. “Nope. I’d rather be here. He’s being a wuss anyway. His mother isn’t bad. She loves him and he should appreciate that.”

  I heard the undertones in Angela’s comment. She’d told me a little about her mother, how she put her husband above everyone else and only had Angela because it was her duty to her husband. I didn’t know what to say to her about that except offer a hug. There wasn’t much anyone could say in response to something like that. It just sucked. We worked quietly for about ten more tables. It made the text alerts sound louder every time they happened. “It sounds like he’s getting desperate,” I finally said.

  Angela nodded in exasperation. She pulled out her phone. I smoothed out the tablecloth while keeping an eye on her. Her eyes widened, and she quickly tapped a reply. I wondered what he had told her. I also had to admit to being a teeny, tiny, minuscule bit jealous. Seeing Angela get all of his attention was a bit difficult. I knew that even though they weren’t actually a couple, they were good friends. They had to be to fake being a couple.

  I caught Angela looking at me guiltily. “What?” I asked.

  She worried her bottom lip. “Your family has been so kind to me,” she started.

  I waited for the other shoe to drop. “But he really needs me. You know he doesn’t do well on his own.”

  “He has his parents and all of the staff at the estate to keep him company.”

  “They aren’t the same.”

  I wasn’t upset that Angela had decided to go to the West Estate for Christmas, but I knew Damien’s well-being wasn’t why she was going. “What did he offer you?”

  Angela faked surprise at my question. “Why would you think he offered me something?”

  I crossed my arms and waited.

  Her shoulders slumped. “A dolphin,” she said.

  I don’t know if any other answer would have surprised me more. “What are you going to do with a dolphin? How would you keep it? Do you have an aquarium?”

  Angela covered her mouth to hold back her laughter. “No, I don’t mean as a pet, though I could’ve probably gotten him to agree to that...” She trailed off as she thought about it.

  “Ang?” I said to pull her back.

  “A dolphin ride. He’ll set up a trip for me to meet some dolphins and maybe ride one while we’re in Hawaii. It’s going to be so cool. I love dolphins.”

  Her cheeks had brightened and eyes shined as she talked. I’d never seen her this happy and excited.

  “If all it takes is a dolphin to get you to cave, I guess I never really knew you,” I said, pretending disappointment.

  Angela’s jaw dropped, but she quickly caught on. “If you have a better offer, I’m all ears.”

  “What tops a dolphin?”

  She thought a moment. “Lemurs, sloths, and capybaras.”

  “So I just need to get one of those?”

  “No, you need to get all three.”

  I stroked my chin. “You strike a hard bargain. Can I substitute a pygmy goat for a capybara?”

  “A pygmy goat and a pot-bellied pig,” she said.

  I wrinkled my nose. “I’ve never understood the love for pot-bellied pigs.”

  “They’re so sweet! They’re very smart and loyal. And they’re so ugly that they swing back around to cute.”

  “If you say so. I guess I should help you pack up.”

  We went back to the apartment and packed up Angela’s things. Mom was busy in the kitchen making Christmas goodies. Angela haltingly told her that she was leaving. She was close to tears by the time she was done. Mom pulled her into a hug and whispered something in her ear that I couldn’t hear, but when Angela stepped back, she had to wipe her eyes.

  We went out to the front of the school to wait for the car. When the limousine pulled up, Damien leaped out before it was fully stopped. He grabbed Angela’s suitcase and hustled it to the trunk. The chauffeur rushed to take over, but Damien shook him off and impatiently told him to open the trunk. Once Angela’s things were stowed, he tried to hurry Angela into the car, but she balked.

  She pulled me into a hug and squeezed me tightly. “Maybe I made the wrong choice,” she said.

  “Just remember the dolphins,” I said.

  She took a deep breath and nodded to herself. She got into the limo with a final wave to me. Damien didn’t immediately leap into the vehicle. He seemed unsure about something.

  “Is something wrong?” I asked.

  “Are you mad at me?”

  I blinked. “No. Why would I be mad at you?”

  “Because I’m stealing Angela.”

  I rolled my eyes. “First, stop referring to Angela as a thing. She isn’t a doll we pass back and forth. She’s her own person and second, it’s her choice to go with you.”

  He relaxed and gave me a shy smile. I had to look away because I could feel my face starting to redden. “And you better give her a whole pod of dolphins to play with.”

  “I will. Do you want to play with dolphins?” I hadn’t considered that I might be able to swim with dolphins too.

  My heart sped up. “If it’s okay, I mean I don’t want to mess up Angela’s chance.”

  He frowned in confusion. “What does that mean? It’s as easy to arrange for two of you as for one of you.”

  I still didn’t know what to say. “If it’s no trouble,” I said. Going to Hawaii still seemed like a dream to me and now with the possibility of swimming with dolphins, I felt like I was in a full-fledged fantasy novel.

  He darted toward me and kissed me on the cheek. He was in the limo and it was pulling away before I could react. As it drove away, I realized I felt a little hollow now that they were gone. I wandered back into the school. I didn’t feel like going back to the cafeteria to continue helping with the party preparations. Instead, I went back to the apartment. Mom was still hard at work on Christmas goodies.

  Every year, Mom went into a full frenzy for the holidays. The kitchen was practically off limits the days leading up to Christmas. She made her own candy to hand out. She made peppermint bark, chocolate covered peanut butter balls, peanut brittle, rice crispy bars, sugar cookies, and cinnamon hard candy. I leaned on the doorway and watched her take cookies out of the oven.

  “Can I help?” I asked.

  She turned to me in surprise. In previous years, I’d only helped under duress. Cooking held little interest for me. While I enjoyed everything that Mom made, I had no desire to learn how to make it. “You want to?”

  I glanced down in embarrassment. “I was hoping I could give some to Damien and Angela.”

  She indicated a counter. “Punch out more sugar cookies and decorate them with the sprinkles.”

  For the next hour, we worked together. Mom was in constant motion, mixing one thing, pouring something else, checking the oven, finding someplace to leave goodies to cool. I think she gave me only the tasks that she thought I would find fun. Along with making the sugar cookies, she had me dip the peanut butter balls in the chocolate.

  Cora came to the kitchen doorway yawning. She’d been napping. “Smells good in here.”

  Mom was washing pots. “It’s coming along nicely now that I have an assistant.”

  I ducked my head, feeling a small stab of guilt for not regularly helping Mom in the kitchen.

  Cora smirked. “Making goodies for your boyfriend? Baking them with love?”

  Surprisingly, Damien wasn’t who instantly came to mind at Cora’s words. Noah’s face flashed in my head. Did I need to give him something for Christmas? It would seem weird to anyone who found out that I’d given Angela and Damien Christmas gifts but not “my boyfriend.”

  “I guess Noah is on my Christmas list as well.”

  “Is he still on campus?” Mom asked.

  I shrugged. I honestly didn’t know.

&nb
sp; “Such a fine young man spending his holidays all by his lonesome. Doesn’t seem right,” Cora said.

  She overplayed her sympathy to the point that it sounded fake, but her words were basically true.

  “He’s choosing to spend Christmas alone. Both his parents would have him. But he’s played them off each other to be alone.”

  “But still, he’s not a bad boy,” Cora said.

  Her words were having an effect on Mom. She’d stopped what she was doing to stare out the window over the sink.

  “I’m not inviting him over just so you can pinch his butt,” I said.

  Cora’s mouth dropped open in faux outrage. “I would never—He’s young enough to be my grandson.”

  “You pinch David’s butt,” Mom said.

  “The day a mother can’t pinch her son’s butt, is the day families are ruined forever,” she declared.

  Even with Cora’s true reason for inviting Noah revealed, Mom still looked conflicted.

  “He wants to be alone,” I said.

  My words seemed to push her to a decision. “If he wants to be alone, then he can refuse, but you tell him that he can come here for dinner every day during the break.”

  “Every day?” I said bleakly.

  Mom nodded emphatically. She shooed me out. “Go tell him. I can finish up on my own.”

  “I can just text him.”

  “No, that’s not something you offer by text. Go tell him in person and make sure he knows that he is more than welcome here.”

  “But he’s not my real boyfriend,” I said.

  “No, your real boyfriend is spending Christmas with his fake girlfriend. Does she have a secret girlfriend? Oh, does your fake boyfriend?” Cora asked.

  “No, neither of them have girlfriends. Noah wouldn’t need me if he had a real girlfriend.”

  “Go tell him,” Mom said.

  I left the apartment dejected. I didn’t want to invite Noah to the dinner table. I distrusted him. He was too sly, and I felt like he was always silently laughing at me.

  But I couldn’t go against a direct order from Mom. I went to the West Dorm and pressed the call button for his suite. “Who is it?” he asked. He sounded half-asleep.

  “It’s Sarah. Is it a bad time?”

  “No, come on up.”

  I got in the elevator a little unsure. It was almost noon. I would never have pegged Noah as an oversleeper.

  When the elevator opened, I stepped out tentatively. “Noah?” I called. He wasn’t in the main room.

  I didn’t get a reply. I walked into the room nervously. Was he in his bedroom? I had no desire to check, but if he didn’t show up in a minute, I might have to.

  I went up to the bedroom door and pressed my ear to the door. “Noah, are you in here?”

  I lost my balance when the door swung inward without warning. To keep me from falling, Noah stiff-armed my forehead with one hand like he wanted to touch me as little as possible. I appreciated that.

  I straightened and stepped back. He was in jeans and a hoodie similar to the clothes he’d worn to see his mother. His hair was a little dull like he hadn’t washed it recently. During school, he always looked his best. Seeing him now was a little startling. I realized that he may have wanted to be alone, but that may not have been what was best for him.

  He flopped onto the sofa.

  “What’s up?” he asked.

  “You’re invited to dinner.”

  He frowned “Isn’t the staff party tonight?”

  The fact that he knew about that surprised me some. “Yeah, but every other night during the break, you’re invited, including Christmas.”

  “I don’t need a pity invite. I can feed myself.”

  “Mom insists, and if you think she’s going to let you spend Christmas alone, you’re in for a big surprise.”

  “Don’t you have your hands full already with Angela? No need to take in another stray.”

  “Angela is spending Christmas with Damien.”

  “Really? What’d he offer her to get her to agree?”

  “Swimming with dolphins.”

  “She should’ve held out for more.”

  “I think she did. She really likes dolphins.”

  He sighed and stared into space. Maybe the reason he hadn’t wanted to come over was that he wanted to limit the time he spent with Angela. I really didn’t care. It was time to go. “I did what I was told. You’re invited.”

  I went to the elevator. Leaving him alone in the quiet apartment seemed kind of depressing, but I wasn’t sure what else to do. Inviting him over to the apartment to hang out seemed silly, but he really did seem lonely.

  I got on the elevator and called out, “We usually eat at five.”

  “See you at the party,” he answered.

  Before I could question him on that, the elevator doors closed. Did he really think he could go to the staff party? That was ridiculous. He couldn’t think that he was that privileged.

  Chapter 6

  I tugged at the hem of my red velour shirt. I may have gotten a little too big for it. It barely fell past my belly button and the sleeves seemed a bit short. I pushed up the sleeves so the shortness would stop bothering me, but I couldn’t do anything about the hem. I wished I’d picked something else to wear. I hadn’t thought to check the shirt before leaving. It was the shirt I’d worn for the past two years for the holiday party. It was my only Christmas shirt. It was too late to go back and change. I was just glad I was going to the staff party and not a formal Noble function. No one would care if the shirt was a little small on me.

  Mom had made turkey stuffing for the potluck. I carried one of the casserole dishes while Dad carried the other. The cafeteria twinkled as we approached it. Thousands of Christmas lights flashed at different intervals. It was very pleasing to watch.

  Various staff called out Christmas greetings to us as we made our way to the far end of the cafeteria to place the stuffing. Everyone was in a good mood. A really good mood. Shelly slipped up beside Dad to whisper something in his ear.

  Afterward, Dad said, “Sarah, don’t drink the eggnog.”

  “Why? I like eggnog.”

  “Not this time. Promise me.”

  I rolled my eyes. “You can just tell me it’s spiked. I’m not twelve. I promise not to have any.”

  Dad smiled and put his arm around me. “My little girl is growing up so fast. She knows alcohol is no good for her.”

  I lightly elbowed him in annoyance. “Good try. What is that reverse-reverse psychology?”

  “I don’t know what you mean.”

  “Merry Christmas, Smiths.”

  Dad turned us to face Red. He was dressed in a red and green plaid flannel and a baseball cap with red and green flashing lights on it. His most surprising Christmas accessory though was Noah. “Merry Christmas, Red. Got a date I see,” Dad teased, indicating Noah.

  “Us single men got to stick together or else the women will get us,” Red said.

  I wondered if Red knew Noah and I were a fake couple. I wouldn’t have begrudged Dad telling him about the nonsense I’d gotten myself embroiled in, but it felt awkward to try and explain it right now. People were beginning to line up for food. We four got in line together. I sneaked glances at Noah. He hadn’t said anything since appearing. He didn’t seem sad, but he didn’t seem completely comfortable either. With heavy plates, we found a spot with four chairs to sit. Cora and Mom were still deep in discussion with some friends.

  “You both are coming for Christmas dinner, right?” Dad asked our two dinner partners.

  “Wouldn’t miss it,” Red said.

  Noah silently nodded.

  “Good. The more the merrier.”

  “Watch out for Cora. She’s gunning for you,” I said.

  Noah had been looking at his food and didn’t realize my words were for him. Red nudged him. “She’s talking to you, young stuff. Cora’s not interested in my dusty old behind.”

  He reddened and stuffed foo
d into his mouth. He was acting weird. He usually seemed so comfortable and confident. I did note that it looked like he had taken a shower since I’d seen him, but he hadn’t done anything with his hair. It lay flat and straight. It made him look younger and not as rich. I wondered if it was intentional.

  Dad and Red left to talk to some other staff members, leaving me with Noah. He’d been super quiet the entire meal. He wouldn’t speak without direct prodding.

  “If you don’t want to be here, you can leave,” I said.

  He hunched into himself. “I’m fine.”

  “Then what’s up? You don’t seem to be enjoying yourself.”

  “I am.”

  I gave him a skeptical look. He was sitting hunched with his arms and legs tucked like he wanted to hide.

  “Have either of your parents figured out you lied?”

  “No.”

  The tone of his answer sounded like he was disappointed that they hadn’t. Had he hoped his mother would storm in and drag him home for the holidays? Had he wanted his dad to show up to take him?

  “You really shouldn’t play them off each other.”

  “And they shouldn’t be so easy to play.”

  “Where do you want to spend Christmas?” I asked.

  “In my room here,” he said, but he said it so morosely that it was obviously a lie. I just couldn’t tell if he knew he was lying.

  I sighed and slumped back in my seat. I took a long look at the room. Noah and I were the only teens there. There was no one else my age among the staff families. Growing up, I had no neighbor kids to play with. I'd always had to leave Noble if I wanted to see a friend. They couldn’t visit me at Noble. It wasn’t allowed. Angela was the first friend I had ever had stay over. I'd stayed over at friends’ homes, but I could never return the invite. I didn’t tell anyone that I lived at Noble. I used to let everyone assume that I lived with Cora. I frowned, not liking where my thoughts were going.

  “You wanna get out of here?” I asked.

  He shrugged. “Yeah, sure.”

  Once we were outside, I realized, “This will be the last staff party I attend.”

  “Why’s that?”

  “Because I’m too old for them.”

  “What will you do instead?”