7. I caught him checking me out in mathletes after he finished the competition problems ten minutes before everyone else. He was probably just bored.
8. Then I overheard him tell Sidh that he hasn’t asked anyone to the prom yet. He must be holding out for the best woman.
9. I know he’s the best man. So I’m holding out for him. Even though I haven’t had any offers besides Dumbchuck.
10. Good karma surrounds me. Jana said the moon’s over Jupiter, which is a positive sign in her world. It’s got to happen. Soon, I hope.
Chapter Twenty-Two
After making progress with Andy, I decide the time has come to confront my mother. To soften her up, I whip up her favorite dinner–egg white omelets. I spend a full hour chopping vegetables and shredding a block of yellow cheddar cheese, after slicing off the moldy corners.
“What smells so good?” Mom asks when she pushes in the door after work.
“My culinary masterpiece,” I reply, mimicking Mrs. Rodriguez’s French accent.
“Did you get detention again?” Mom drops her suitcase-sized purse on the sofa and stands, hands on hips, eyes narrowed.
“No, nothing like that.”
“Do you need money?”
“No, Mom. I wanted to have a nice dinner. Just the two of us, like it’s always been. As a family.” Emphasis on family. And potential ex-Army Rangers who may join our family dynamic at some point in the future. In particular, ex-Army Rangers who also teach at Harmony High School.
Mom kicks off her platforms with a sigh and pads her way into the dining area. I set a plate of eggs and veggies in front of her and then detour into the coat closet. When I return, the leather jacket is draped over my shoulders.
“Does this belong to you?”
A sliver of egg white slides from her fork. “Where did you find that?”
“In the coat closet.”
Mom takes a long sip of orange juice.
“Grandpop’s not the bomber jacket type,” I continue.
“Not unless it matches his polyester pants,” she says, with a snort. “Put it away.”
The toaster dings and two slices of bread launch skyward before falling onto the counter. Mom shoves her chair back and disappears into the kitchen to retrieve them.
“It’s Mr. Drum’s jacket, isn’t it?” I follow her, relentless now.
She takes a bite of toast and chokes on the dry bread. After a round of coughing, she says, “That’s pulling a name out of thin air. Mr. Drum, your Driver’s Ed teacher?”
“Yeah. The one who’s ripped and has awesome thick, dark hair. Why didn’t you tell me?”
She heaves a sigh and finally, finally turns to face me. “What was I supposed to say? Oh, by the way, Sadie, I’ve been dating your Driver’s Ed instructor for the last five months.”
“Five months!” I scream.
She laughs nervously. “About that.”
“Did you even think he might say something to me?”
“He didn’t know—not at first, anyway.”
“Didn’t know what? That you stole his jacket?”
“I didn’t steal his jacket. He left it here the night you slept over Jana’s.”
“The night before my DRIVER’S ED EXAM?” I shriek. “The night before I made a complete ass of myself in front of him?”
“What did you do now?” Fear flickers in Mom’s eyes.
“Uh, nothing. Never mind. What didn’t he know?”
She casts her eyes away from me, and takes another, smaller bite of toast. “When we first met, he didn’t know I had a kid. Then he got his class roster and saw your last name.”
“Aha. He caught you in a lie.”
She uses a knife to cut off a burnt crust, then sinks back into her seat at the table, as if a calm, quiet dinner is still possible. Meanwhile, I’m catching flies with my gaping mouth. “So, what, you’re not serious? This is just a casual … thing?”
Mom snickers. “I might be serious. But I don’t know what Scott is.”
“And Scott,” I struggle to release the name from my mouth, “doesn’t want to get to know your daughter?”
“I don’t know. Honestly, I don’t know. At first there was just this burning physical attraction …”
“MOM!” I cover my ears with my hands. “Stop. Skip ahead.”
“Okay, you’re right. Inappropriate. But he has such nice hair. And good teeth. And his biceps … and the cleft chin.”
“All fabulous. Go on.”
“At first I didn’t know how to tell him. But one day he asked me, point blank. I couldn’t really deny you.”
“Did you want to?”
“No. Of course not. Never.”
“So now he knows.”
“Yes, but I made him swear not to tell anyone that we were together. I didn’t want people to think you took advantage of my personal relationship to pass his class.”
“Oh, really? You’ve been sneaking around to protect me?”
“He only comes over when you’re at Jana’s.” She catches my look of horror and her face crumples. “I wanted to tell you. But, he’s so …”
“Good looking?”
“Okay, yes. And …”
“Totally out of your league?”
“Enough, Sadie.” But she lifts her shoulder as if she agrees with my statement. “I didn’t want to just drop this on you. Not until you had the opportunity to get to know him better.”
“So that’s the reason you subjected me to his class?”
“Well, I also hoped you would develop some level of confidence in your driving ability. Scott discovering how wonderful you are was a side benefit.”
I throw my head back and laugh. “Total backfire, Mom. He thinks I’m an idiot.”
“Why would he think that? Didn’t he give you an A?”
“The A was for a written exam. But I tend to give off a strange vibe whenever I’m near mechanical objects. He might have witnessed an incident or two during the practical training portion of Driver’s Ed.”
Mom smiles and reaches out to tuck a stray lock of hair behind my ear. “Like mother, like daughter. Why do you think I walk to work?”
“You’re not going to tell him that I know the truth, are you?”
“Do you want me to?”
“I really, really, really don’t want you to tell him. At least not until some day, far in the future. When I can look him in the eye without remembering all the bizarre things I said because I thought in-class Driver’s Ed was worthless.”
Mom gasps. “You told Scott his class was worthless?”
“I never actually said worthless, but my attitude may have indicated something to that effect.”
Mom sinks her head into her open hand. I can’t tell if she’s ready to laugh or cry.
“Hey, Mom,” I whisper, and she lifts her eyes to mine, “He’s not out of your league. Mr. Drum was lucky to find someone as great as you.”
“Thank you, Sadie,” she whispers back. I hug her tight, laying my head against her chest. When she pulls away, I see her wipe away a tear. And I know it’s not going to be just the two of us for much longer.
***
After Mom and I spend the night talking about “Scott”, I oversleep the next morning. I rush into homeroom just as the bell rings. With a stern look, Mrs. Warren hands me a folded sheet of paper.
Senior Superlative Digital Yearbook Photos Today. Bring Your Best Smile.
Geezus. I just started talking to Andy again, and now we’re sitting for engagement pictures.
“Mrs. Downey is waiting for you, Sadie,” Mrs. Warren says. “She’s called twice.”
I muss my hair with my hands as I run to the photo shoot, wishing I’d carried a tube of lipstick in my purse. By the time I arrive, Andy’s already waiting for me. He looks so nervous, you’d think we were actually about to get married. For some reason, seeing his absolute terror makes me feel calmer. I smile brightly
at him and touch his arm.
“Hey, Andy.”
“S-S-Sadie,” he stammers.
I rise onto my tiptoes and whisper in his ear. “Let’s just have fun with this, okay?”
He nods stiffly and wraps his arm around my shoulder, drawing me closer, like I’m his security blanket. At Mrs. Downey’s command, we pose in front of a big mural of pink hearts she keeps in her room for the Homecoming and Valentine’s Day dances.
“Andy, lift her up, like you’re carrying her over the threshold,” Mrs. Downey suggests while half the A.V. club surrounds us, shooting video and snapping about a million photos. Could this experience be more painful? I’m about ready to puke up my breakfast. The rapid fire of camera flashes blinds me and now I’m freaking out as much as Andy. But he sweeps me into his arms, and suddenly his smile offers the encouragement I need. Like we both know this is all too ridiculous for words. I wrap my arms around his neck and gaze into his blue eyes, which are doing that happy twinkling thing I love, even as his sweaty palms drench the back of my shirt.
“You guys look so cute,” says a squeaky voice. I startle and Andy grips me tighter.
“One more pose,” Mrs. Downey says as Colette pops out from behind the cameraman. After Andy sets me down, she runs over to give us both hugs.
“You never mentioned anything about working on the yearbook committee, Colette,” I say, as my eyes narrow.
“Oh, um, well, it was just something to do. In my free time.” Now she’s the one stammering nervously.
“See you in class, Sadie?” Andy asks, pausing at the door.
I wave to him. “See you later.” As soon as he’s gone, I turn back to Colette. “You fixed the vote, didn’t you?” I hiss. “I just don’t know why. Jealousy, maybe? Why would you want to humiliate me in front of the whole school?”
Tears spring to the corners of Colette’s eyes. “I didn’t do it to embarrass you, Sadie. It’s just that,” she says, wringing her hands, “Andy likes you a lot. He always has.”
I take a step back, hoping her impending meltdown isn’t contagious. “What? How do you know that?”
“I worked with him for a month last semester. We helped the middle school kids research a STEM career project. Anyway, I was totally in love with Andy. But, you’re the only girl he ever talked about.”
I shake my head. “You must have misread him. We barely even looked at each other last semester.” Or the eleven years prior.
“No, you barely acknowledged him. But he tried to talk to you all the time. When he wasn’t watching you. I know. Because I was watching him.”
I want to argue my point, but I need to stop and think. Did I miss Andy’s attention? Did all his annoying jokes and good-natured teasing serve a greater purpose?
“It can’t be true,” I say, more to myself.
“Oh, it’s true,” Colette says. “I fixed the Senior Superlative vote. Because you never saw him, not the way he wanted you to, and you’re graduating soon, and I just think you guys would be so perfect together.” Colette lets out a shaky breath and crosses her arms over her chest, as if prepared to shield herself should I decide to take a swing at her.
“Colette,” I say. “When I saw my name on the bulletin board with Andy, I wanted to die. I mean, who does that? Who votes for a person to marry another person when they’ve never been on one date together? I thought someone was playing a joke on me. And because of that, I was extra mean to Andy, just to prove I didn’t like him.”
Colette blushes. “I know. My plan sorta backfired. But, it seems like you made up. Are you friends, at least?”
I nod. “Yes, we’re friends. But it took us a long time to get there.” The first bell rings and I gather my morning binders. “Tell me something, though. I know each person is only allowed one Senior Superlative Award. Was Andy supposed to be Most Likely to Succeed?”
Colette looks at her black boots. She doesn’t need to tell me the answer. “He really likes you, Sadie. Plus, he got into MIT early admission, so he didn’t need the other award.”
“You need to tell him the truth.”
Her eyes widen in fear. “But he may not take me to the freshman dance.”
“You’ll find another date. He deserves to know. And he should hear it from the person who fixed the vote.”
As I turn to go, Colette calls out one final request. “Sadie? If you two get married, can I be your maid of honor?”
***
“Are you ready for this?” Jana asks. Together, we peek around the curtain on the opening night of Little Shop of Horrors. In the packed auditorium, the buzz of the crowd mixes with the jittery tension backstage, electrifying the atmosphere and setting off a high inside me unlike any I’ve ever experienced. Now I understand why people become addicted to performing.
I smooth my hands over my costume, a skin-tight green bodysuit dyed to blend in with the eight-foot tall plant designed by the robotics club. Thank goodness I’m an above average student, because all the buttons and levers on Audrey II have my head ready to explode.
“Do you know your lines?” I ask Jana. She’d been practicing while I’d changed into my plant outfit. Everyone, even Derek, pretty much knows their stuff at this point, thanks to the last week of nonstop rehearsals. Jana and I secretly believe Mrs. Bitty snuck some of her memory boosting vitamins into the water cooler in the choir room, because all of a sudden our mess of a show just clicked in everyone’s heads. The entire cast bonded in a way I’d never expected, as if we’d survived a long, drawn out war together. Tonight is our victory party.
To encourage audience stragglers to take their seats, Mrs. Bitty launches the fanfare, her fingers plucking away at the piano as if a puppet master is pulling strings tied to her hands from above. The rest of her body remains eerily still, and after weeks of watching her perform, I would swear on my life that she’s capable of simultaneously napping and playing show tunes. After a few discordant bars of the Little Shop theme song, the school orchestra joins in, the curtains swing open, and the first act begins.
Audrey II is hidden offstage for the first number, but I climb inside the shiny green metallic stem to hide from the rest of the cast when a sudden attack of stage fright hits me. My hands start to shake and my breathing turns shallow. Through a peep hole in the middle of the huge plant contraption, I glimpse my mother sitting in the front row and instantly feel calmer.
Next to Mom sits Aunt Tina, who left work early, rode the Acela train into Philly from New York, and then hopped on the regional rail line to Harmony. She threw open the door and strolled into our apartment, as if she’d only traveled a few blocks from her office. Aunt Tina was a member of the Harmony High drama club before succumbing to art of leveraged buyouts, so she’s beyond thrilled to watch me star in a musical at her former high school.
Before I’m completely ready, the crew rolls Audrey II on stage for our first scene, halfway through Act I. When the curtains rise, I twist my neck and raise my arm to adjust a branch. Audrey II’s giant stem shifts a bit and through my peep hole I spot the person sitting on the opposite side of my mother.
Mr. Drum.
His tattooed arm rests on top of Mom’s shoulders. At the sight, my knees cave in, and the plant sways precariously, forcing me to redirect my attention before the structure capsizes.
“Shoot!” I hiss, tightening my hold on the interior handles, straining to keep the thing upright.
“Sadie! Control Audrey II!” Mrs. Cutler stage-whispers from behind the curtain. I suck in a huge breath, lock my knees, ignore the ache in my hamstring, and attempt to get back into character.
As they say in the acting business, the show must go on, despite the shocking appearance of my mother’s new love interest, who also happens to be my ex-Driver’s Ed instructor. I manipulate Audrey II like a pro, and my timing even draws several big laughs from the audience. Jana’s growling Audrey II voice wavers a bit for the first scene. After we receive our first round of applaus
e, she suddenly snaps into character. By the end of Act II, I don’t even mind my striking resemblance to a sequined, glittery pea pod.
As we take our formal bows, I step out from behind an immense leaf and wave to the roaring crowd. Ten rows back, Andy’s head pokes up above the masses. When our eyes meet, he brings two fingers to his mouth and whistles long and loud, inciting further applause. Mr. Drum follows suit and a huge grin spreads over my face. I soak up the audience’s thundering appreciation until the curtain drops like a ton of bricks, abruptly ending my big moment.
“Was that who I think it was clapping for you?” Jana asks as she helps unravel me from a gauzy outer layer of glittery leaves.
“Who, Mr. Drum?”
“Mr. Drum was in the audience? I meant Andy. Chica, I think you need to set some relationship parameters before you invite everyone to see you in action.”
“I didn’t invite either of them. They just showed up!” I dig my green-painted fingernails into her arm. “Don’t let me go out there alone.”
“Ha! I wouldn’t miss this for all the sequins on your sparkly, green leotard.”
Together, we walk into the darkened, mostly empty auditorium.
“No Andy in sight,” Jana whispers. “Conflict avoided. Good luck with Mr. D.” Like a coward, she slips out the side door to find Ben, leaving me alone to deal with my family drama.
“You were wonderful,” Mom says, grinning broadly when I join their little group.
“Stunning. I truly believed you were a plant,” Aunt Tina agrees. “Right, Scott?”
“Nice job, kid,” Mr. Drum says, shifting his hulking weight back and forth. Do teachers get nervous in front of students, ever? I guess when they’ve been kissing your mother, they do.
“What a fun night this has been,” Aunt Tina says, with a sly smile. “Scott, I hear you taught our little Sadie here how to drive.”
“Just the classroom portion, Aunt Tina,” I say. “I’m not driving yet.”
“After I finish helping Kathleen brush up on her driving skills, Sadie, maybe we can go out together.” Mr. Drum turns to Mom. “You’re the most beautiful driving student I’ve ever had. But also, the least mechanically inclined.”
My Senior Year of Awesome Page 17