Overexposed

by Adrianne James

  “Okay, so bra is out. What about the lunch ladies?”

  “How would that be interesting? Who cares about the lunch ladies?” I asked.

  “Well, what if we caught them doing gross stuff to the food? Or what if the food was just gross products anyway? Or what if a lunch lady was in a torrid affair with the janitor?” I laughed because I was about to show her an affair all right.

  “You mean like two teachers making out in the parking lot before school?” I asked with a grin, moving out of the way for her to look at the pictures. I had captured every moment, including the before, during, and the sweet good-byes. If they hadn’t been old people it would have been cute.

  “Eww. That is disturbing and amazing photojournalism right there! Great job, Vi!”

  The next hour we all came up with ideas and plans on where to be and when to get the best dirt. We would check out the cafeteria before school, behind the rink at the hockey games, even the janitor’s closet. That was just a random guess, but all those teen movies had to have gotten it from somewhere, right?

  The more we talked the more I realized that Macy wasn’t really a shy girl. She wasn’t quiet either. She was outspoken and could stand up for her side of any argument. She just knew when to listen, and that was why she was great for our group. She hears things since people never realize she is around. She doesn’t have to hide like I do to get the gossip, they spill it right in front of her because they think she is shy, quiet Macy. Nope, she is just smart and calculating Macy.

  Before we knew it, Macy had to head home and Dad had told us dinner would be ready any minute. Jason still hadn’t made it home yet. That boy was up to something, and that gave me a feeling, just not a good one.

  THE NEXT MORNING was tense in my house. My brother was in serious trouble for not coming home until after dinner, and he refused to talk to Mom or Dad. They decided the best punishment was to treat him like a small child, since he was apparently acting like one.

  “Remember to brush your teeth!” Mom yelled up the stairs while he was in the bathroom getting ready.

  “Don’t forget to tie your shoes!” Dad said when he came down.

  “Stop talking to me like I’m a preschooler!” Jason screamed back before slamming the door to the closet that held his jacket and backpack.

  “We will when you start acting responsible and respectful of the rules in our house,” Mom said coolly, while getting her own jacket on. “Vivienne, do make sure you actually see your brother home today. If you had done so yesterday maybe we would not have this problem.”

  “What did I do? I made sure he left school grounds then I got a ride with my friends. You said I didn’t have to walk with him.” I couldn’t believe I was getting in trouble for his issues.

  “Well for the next week, make sure he gets home before you do anything else.” Mom was really pushing my buttons. I slammed the cabinet door in the kitchen after grabbing out a bagel.

  “Vi, no need for theatrics. Just do as I ask. You should think of it as being a good big sister and keeping your brother out of trouble.”

  “Dad! Please! Talk to mom. This isn’t fair!” I whined. I was a Daddy’s girl, and if there was one thing I knew, he would be on my side.

  “Vi, go on to school. Your mom and I can talk this out without you all. Jason, straight to school, straight home.” I went up and hugged him, and whispered a quick thank you in his ear.

  As I headed outside to go to Ashley’s house, I saw that she was already out and talking with Macy, who showed up in the truck. “Thought you two might like a ride! We were going to knock, but kinda overheard the blow up in there. What is going on?”

  “Vi’s brother didn’t come home until late last night, after dinner. In that house, that is a serious offense. Then, he wouldn’t even tell them where he was.”

  For a girl that says gossiping is wrong, she sure did pay close attention last night. Ashley left just as the yelling started. Slipped right out the back. I was rather proud.

  “And now apparently, I have to babysit my brother on the walk home every day for a week. At least until Dad talks Mom out of punishing me, too. But, she never said I had to walk him to school. Let’s go!”

  We all climbed up into the cab of the truck. Macy was behind the wheel, Ashley in the middle and me on the passenger side. Ash may claim not to be short, but her legs were the perfect length to not get in the way of the gearshift. Macy turned the key and flipped the heater all the way up. The whirr of the air being warmed in the system was the only sound for the first minute. That didn’t last long because I couldn’t stand silence.

  “You think we might get there in time to sneak into the cafeteria?” I asked, patting my camera bag that was sitting in my lap.

  “Probably. It is Taco Tuesday after all. I wonder what really goes into the ‘secret sauce’ they use.” Ashley had smiled at Macy and me as we discussed the project, and which angles would be best for which shots.

  “Have you ever entered a photography contest?” I asked. With everything going on in my family, I really didn’t want my parents to stress out over money. I wanted to help as much as I could and still save a little to help my “Get the hell out of Willowspring” fund.

  “I haven’t. Maybe we can look up some. Do you have to pay to enter those?”

  “I’m not sure. Maybe. I just know that I have a few images I would love to showcase and if someone thinks they are good enough to give me money for, I would be more than happy to take it.” We laughed together, and I noticed Ashley had been unusually quiet, and when she laughed with us, it didn’t quite feel genuine.

  We pulled into the school parking lot with twenty minutes to spare before the first bell. Plenty of time to sneak into the kitchen. I had overheard someone say at one point that they snuck in through the back door and took a whole box of the cookies that our old lunch lady use to make. They were really good. Like a grandma’s-recipe good. Doesn’t even have to be my grandma, but anyone’s. It seems like everyone has a fond memory of their grandma’s cookies.

  “We should go around to the back and through the door they use to take the trash out. It is early enough they shouldn’t be heading out that way.”

  Ashley and Macy nodded their approval and after dropping our bags into our lockers, we turned into super stealth spies. Or at least that’s what we wanted to believe.

  We crept along the wall near the wing closest to the cafeteria, heading to the side door that usually only faculty used. It’s not that we weren’t allowed; it’s just that students didn’t typically have a reason to use it. Today, we did.

  Macy opened the door just a crack and peaked through, looking for anyone who could spot us. She looked over her shoulder at us, giving a thumbs-up before slinking out the door with the opening as small as possible to still fit through.

  The dumpster reeked the closer we got. I gagged on the smell while both girls turned, and shushed me. I gave them both the death stare before composing myself and moving on. I just had to remember to breathe in through my mouth and not my nose.

  The door to the kitchen came into site as we rounded the final corner. We all paused a minute to get our cameras out and ready to go. For this mission, Ashley was our ears since she wasn’t able to take the camera home yesterday.

  She snuck up even closer to the door and put her hand up in a cone around her ear for a minute before motioning us forward with her hand.

  Macy and I managed to get against the wall next to Ashley without being spotted. We felt very confident in our sneaky spy abilities. Too bad, they weren’t as good as we thought they were.

  Ashley opened the door to let us sneak in ahead of her, but the minute she did, another hand from inside the kitchen landed on top of hers. We were busted.

  A large woman with a messy red-and-orange stained apron stood in the doorway, staring us down. It would have been funny had it been anyone besides us. I mean, there is this stereotypical lunch lady, hair net and all, glowering at a group of teenagers. But it wa
s far from funny. I slowly lifted my camera and snapped a picture. Might as well document our failures along with our achievements. She didn’t seem to appreciate the gesture.

  It was even less funny when she marched us down to Mr. Bennett’s classroom after we tried telling her we were only doing our homework. Then she told us that if she ever caught us around there again she would take us to the principal and no one wanted that.

  The three of us sat in the front three seats, silently looking down at the blank desks as if words would magically appear telling us exactly what to say to get ourselves out of trouble.

  “Girls, I like your initiative. I like that you are thinking outside the box. But, you have to realize, if you have to sneak to get your shot, it might not be the best thing to do. Especially when you try to trespass in an area that is forbidden to you. Ashley, I hate to say it, but I still cannot let you take a camera home. I am sorry. Maybe next week. I don’t want to hear any more about you three attempting to sneak in anywhere. Just sit there until class starts.” Mr. Bennett gave us all ‘the look.’ The look that all teachers give to their students when they are disappointed in them. I hated that look.

  ***

  The day dragged on. I mean, dragged on and on and on. I fell asleep in history and I swear the clocked stopped during math. I just wanted to get to sculpture class. I never thought I would say it, but I was excited.

  Our assignment was to create a sculpture, using any materials, to show who we were. I had a bag full of photos, coal, and some fake leaves that matched the ones from the trees outside my house. I didn’t want Ashley to see what I was bringing ahead of time. I wanted to surprise her. She was sure I was just going to throw something together without putting any thought into it. Honestly, she had reason to think that with my history of doing as little as possible to get the highest grade possible in any class that doesn’t keep my interest one hundred percent. I knew she was trying in photo class, so I wanted her to see I was doing my best to learn her stuff, too.

  “Hey!” I shouted as I saw her coming down the hallway. She looked up and just nodded to me. I knew she was still a little irritated about this morning. She had the grades to get into the big name colleges, and any kind of infraction on her record would not help her. “Are you still mad at me? It wasn’t just me. You could have said no.”

  Maybe I shouldn’t have said that, but I wasn’t alone in this. She could have said no at any time. I was just reminding her of that. No need to be irritated with me.

  “I know that. And no, I am not mad at you. I am irritated with the whole damn situation. Mr. Bennett was right. No more sneaking around where we are not allowed to go. If my mom found out, I would be toast.”

  “I know. No more. I swear.” I used my hand to cross over my heart before linking my arm through hers and heading into class.

  “Did you bring stuff to work on the project? I got all kinds of stuff. I have so many ideas in my head it is going to be hard to pick just one.” Then she seriously pulled out at least three bags of unidentifiable items.

  “I did. And you would be proud to know that I actually planned out something I am really excited to make.” Then I pulled out my stuff. Ashley looked through my bag quickly before sighing and going back to her stuff. “What? Don’t you even want to know what I am building?”

  “Something using photographs. Everything you do is about photography. You couldn’t even put it aside to try to get into what I do.” I had no idea where this was coming from. The whole reason I brought the stuff was to try to get into what she does. If I didn’t care, I could have just grabbed some random crap from around the house.

  “The whole assignment is to show who we are. I am a photographer but if you looked at the photos, you would see they are of my family. Most I didn’t even take. You know what? Just forget it. Build whatever you want, and I will do mine.”

  Throughout class, I went to the supplies and got the wood and nails I needed to build my base. This thing was going to be as tall as I was, so the frame took longer than I thought it would. I kept looking over at Ashley, wondering what the hell her issue was. Maybe she was angry with me after all. I had no idea what she was making, but she seemed intent on not letting me see it.

  The bell rang and even though I was done cleaning up my mess, Ash hadn’t been paying attention. I walked up to her to help, but she snatched the bag away from me.

  “You know what, Ashley? I have no idea what your damn problem is, but do not treat me like that. Forget it. I am out of here. I will talk to you later.” I went to leave but felt her hand on my arm. I yanked away and kept moving. If she wanted to be that way, so could I. I stormed out of the room.

  Walking down the hall, I was fuming. The students were all over, trying to get to their lockers and get home. I heard Ashley calling my name. Unsure of whether or not I should turn around, I just stopped. She must have been closer than I thought, or had run to catch me, but either way, she stood beside me.

  “What?” I glared at her. She had the decency to look ashamed so I attempted to calm down and let her say what she had chased me down to say.

  “I’m sorry.”

  “That’s it? You’re sorry? What the hell was that?”

  “I just, I don’t always get that part of you. And now Macy is with us and I like her and all, but she gets that stuff. You two can talk and talk about it, and I am sitting there not knowing what the heck is going on. I just thought that maybe if you learned more about sculpture you and I could talk about it. I really wanted you to get that part of me. Maybe you can teach me how to take photos of my sculptures so I can make a website or something?” I felt my stance soften. I was still upset, but she was trying to apologize. And I did understand. Macy had come in and right away fit in with us as if she had always been there. At least, that’s how it felt to me.

  “Yeah, we can do that. But seriously, don’t talk to me like that again. It’s not cool. And I am trying to get that part of you. That is why I actually paid attention to the assignment.”

  “I know. Can we go?”

  I nodded my head then we walked out together.

  MAKING SURE to walk Jason home each day was a pain in the ass. I mean, the kid was always late coming out of the school. He had been hanging around the jocks even more, and was seriously acting like a bigger jerk than normal. Hanging out with my brother had never been so horrible. I would just have to beg and plead to be let off babysitting duty.

  Friday night was a home game for the hockey team. Ashley and Macy were going to meet me at my house and we were going to the game together. The next step in our project was coming to fruition. There were always rumors about lurid affairs and drinking behind the rink during and after the games. It was time to catch a great picture and secure our A in the class. I just hoped that Ashley didn’t decide that whatever they were doing was going against any of her rules.

  “Do you think Nate will notice I came to watch him? Think he can see the back of the rink?” Ashley had been going on and on about Nate since that morning.

  “Ash, seriously, I don’t know. I haven’t been on the ice so I don’t know how far they can see. Did you tell him you were going?” I was sitting on my bed watching Ashley fix her hair and makeup in the mirror for the tenth time. So much for Ashley not turning into a boy-crazed teenager. Macy had yet to arrive. Lucky girl.

  “I said that I was going to try to come. He said that if I did, just make sure I didn’t make it obvious I was there to see him, and he would come talk to me after the game.” She sighed that happy “girl in love” sigh, and added some lipstick.

  “Have you asked why he still hasn’t told anyone? I mean, it’s been over a week and the dance is tomorrow. He is running out of time.”

  “He will tell them. If nothing else, they will find out tomorrow after all. He is going to pick me up from Macy’s house after we all get ready. I wish you guys could ride with us, but that wouldn’t be much of a date, would it?”

  “No, it wouldn’t. Don’t
worry, I don’t want to intrude on your date. Macy and I will just be there for project purposes. You enjoy your first date with Nate.”

  There was a soft knock on my door and Macy stuck her head in. “Are we talking about Nate again?”

  “What else has the conversation been about in the last few days?” I said with a sly grin. Ash let out a huff and sprayed her hair to make it stick in place. The amount she used could save her hair in the middle of a tornado.

  “All right you guys, I get it. You don’t want to hear about Nate anymore. Got it. Can we just go? I want to get there before the game starts!”

  We all headed out and climbed in Macy’s truck. I may have been a little jealous at first, but not having to walk everywhere was really nice. There had been a fresh layer of salt laid on the road since it had been snowing nonstop for two days. As we pulled out onto the road, we could hear the crunch under the tires.

  The only time there was traffic in Willowspring was when there was a home game. It took twenty minutes to get into the parking lot of the school and another five to park. The parking lot was full of cars but void of people. I hoped that the lure of privacy behind the rink in the cool night air would be a greater pull than the warmth of the rink.

  “Let’s go! The game is starting!” Ashley called as she raced ahead of us.

  “She is really into this guy. Does she normally get like this over boys?” Macy asked, laughing.

  “No. I am worried about her. I mean, the guy she is totally into is asking for her to keep it a secret. She deserves a boy proud to be with her, not worried what his friends will think.”

  “I just hope he doesn’t break her heart. I may have only been with you guys for a week, but you are the closest friends I have ever had.” She looked away all shy. In that moment she reminded me of the shy quiet Macy everyone thought she was.

  “Aww, how sweet. Tear.” I traced a line from my eye down my cheek. She laughed at me and smacked my arm. That was the Macy I had come to know this week.