High School Hangover

by Stephanie Hale

  Jack gets on the bus and sits down next to me. He’s careful not to touch me and doesn’t say a word. Before long I can’t stand it and I lean into him. He brushes my hair off my face and rubs circles on my back consolingly. It reminds me of a time last year when I had the stomach flu and Mom came into the bathroom and held my hair back while I puked. She didn’t tell me it was going to be okay because we both knew it wouldn’t be until I stopped throwing up. The last thing I want to hear today is that it’s going to be okay because my entire existence got turned upside down. It might never be okay again.

  A few minutes later, Dom knocks on the partially opened bus door.

  “You’s okay, kid?” he asks.

  “I’m fine. I want to leave and never come back here,” I say. Jack releases my shoulders and climbs back into the driver’s seat. I almost laugh when I realize an hour ago my biggest problem was that I had humiliated myself trying to kiss someone who clearly didn’t want to kiss me back. Even though Jack’s touch still has a noticeable effect on me, I’ve got much bigger problems now.

  “I wasn’t gonna hurt him,” Dom assures me. “I’m done wit that. That’s why I moved inta Primrose.”

  “I understand. You wanted your money. I don’t blame you,” I tell him, and I mean it. Dom isn’t the bad guy in my eyes. If my dad wouldn’t have borrowed the money to gamble with in the first place, he wouldn’t have ever met Dom. I believe Dom. He may have been Tony Soprano in a past life but now he seems more Chef Boyardee.

  “Please don’t tell Ginger,” he pleads breathlessly, wiping his sweaty palms on his green track suit pants. “I wan er ta think I’m er Prince Charming,” he tells me. As miserable as I am right now, I still get a small buzz of excitement for Ginger. The guy she is pining for is crazy about her. Okay, so he’s a former Mob boss who wears hideous track suits, speaks only in questions, and probably only has about twenty percent of his lung function, but he loves her. Good for her.

  I wonder why Jack hasn’t started the bus yet. I look up to see him standing outside talking on a cell phone. He was ready to defend me against Dom. The realization of this makes me want to kiss him again. Even though he was obviously just protecting me in a friendly way. I really wish he would hurry up because I don’t want to face my dad again. I wonder who he’s talking to?

  Wait a minute. The memory of standing in Josie’s kitchen overhearing Jack talking to his mom comes back to me. He had a phone the entire time. Technically it wasn’t a lie since I never asked him if he had a phone. But if he was deceptive about the phone, I can’t help but wonder what else he’s tried to trick me about. Maybe he is the one who put me in the truck.

  He snaps the phone shut, looking pathetically guilty, and walks back to the bus. Dom, sensing tension, eases himself into a seat without another word. I plop down across the aisle from Dom, not making eye contact with Jack. Jack slips into the driver’s seat and starts the engine. He pulls slowly away from Orange Grove Estates and I hope I never have to see this place again.

  “Ya goin the wrong ways,” Dom yells when Jack turns the opposite way of how we came in.

  “No, I’m not. That was Laney’s mom on the phone. She wants me to take Laney to the airport because there’s a ticket waiting for her there,” Jack says solemnly.

  Holy crap. There are so many questions I want to ask Jack. Like how did Mom find out that I was here? Is she mad? Am I grounded for life? But I don’t give Jack the satisfaction.

  It takes just a few minutes to get to the airport terminal. Jack pulls the bus to the side of the curb. My stomach is a mess and even though I want nothing more than to get home, I’m kind of sad that I don’t get to say goodbye to everyone, especially Bernie.

  “Just show them your I.D. at the ticket counter,” Jack says, not turning around. He opens the folding doors of the bus.

  “No hard feelins I hope, kiddo, huh?” Dom says, sticking out his giant bear paw for me to shake. I nod slightly and shake his hand.

  “Good luck with Ginger,” I tell him, meaning it.

  I stand up and move past Jack and down the stairs to the curb. I straighten my shoulders and walk briskly toward the terminal.

  “I’m so sorry, Dimples,” I hear Jack shout, nearly causing my knees to buckle. I sprint to the terminal without looking back.

  Chapter Ten

  I’m a nervous flier. I usually spend the entire flight waiting for the plane to split open and be hurled to my death. Today I barely feel like I’ve had time to blink when I hear the landing gear come out. I’ve spent the entire flight making a detailed mental list of all the stupid things I’ve done lately.

  The worst thing on my list is how I’ve treated Mom. I’ve been so mad at her for the divorce when it clearly wasn’t her fault. She could have told me everything and swayed my feelings for Dad, but she never did. I just hope she can forgive me for everything.

  I shuffle down the jetway with the rest of the passengers. I’m disappointed when I realize Mom hasn’t bought a one-way ticket to nowhere so that she can pass security and meet me right at the gate. This is not a good sign.

  I get swept up in the masses and spit out in baggage claim.

  I look up to see Mom a few feet ahead of me. Her eyes look wild, and her normally-perfect makeup is ruined from crying. Her blouse is buttoned wrong and she’s wearing sweatpants with heels. It would almost be funny if I didn’t feel so guilty about being the one responsible for her condition.

  She finally spots me and I brace myself for unforgiving daggers to pop out of her eye sockets. She yells my name and starts shoving through the crowd to get to me. When we finally fight our way together, she throws her arms around me and squeezes me so tight I can barely breathe.

  “I love you, Mommy,” I whimper into her shoulder, digging my fingers into her back.

  “Everything is going to be all right,” she promises, smoothing down my hair.

  She is the only one who could say those words to me right now and make me actually believe them. She’s the only one who’s never lied to me. She pulls out of our embrace and checks me over from head to toe, like a first-time mother seeing her newborn for the first time.

  “Let’s get out of here,” she says, satisfied I’m in one piece.

  *****

  I let Mom navigate out of the busy interstates of Saint Louis before I grill her about how she knew I was with Jack.

  “How did you find out?” I ask, as we drive along a fairly deserted two lane highway.

  “I knew something was wrong when you didn’t come home yesterday.”

  “You told me to stay gone all weekend.”

  “Since when have you ever done anything I told you to?” she reminds me, taking her eyes off the road briefly to wink at me. “I called Erika and she caved within thirty seconds. She told me some crazy story about how you ended up in the back of a moving van and wound up in Texas with Jack McAllister. I called Jack’s parents and got his number. The rest you know. You don’t know how guilty I feel pushing you to go to that party. If anything would have happened to you, I don’t know what I would have done,” she says, sighing loudly.

  She looks absolutely exhausted. I don’t think I’ve ever seen her look so incredibly tired. She must have been worried sick about me. I can’t believe I got myself into this situation. What a mess.

  “You were just trying to get me to live a little. This was my fault. I’m so sorry for everything.”

  She moves her right hand to the console where my left hand is resting and laces her fingers through mine. “Things are going to be very different from now on,” she says softly.

  “Why didn’t you ever tell me about Dad?”

  She tightens her grip on my hand and carefully considers her answer. “I was hoping he would change before you found out,” she admits. “I thought maybe the man I fell in love with would find his way back to his daughter. But I guess he hasn’t hit rock bottom yet.”

  I think about the tenement Dad was living in and his nasty girlfriend, not to
mention how bad the situation with Dom could have been, and it’s hard to imagine Dad having much further to fall.

  “Has he always gambled?” I ask, looking out the window. The bustling city has quickly turned into rolling hills and woods and it feels good being home.

  “Not always,” she clarifies. “At first it was office pools and scratch-off lotto tickets, but then he got it in his head that he was going to win big and never have to work again. A few years later, I found out he had quit his job and was spending the entire day at the gambling boat. By the time you were thirteen, he had spun completely out of control. I begged him to get counseling but he couldn’t see that he had a problem. I was tired of looking over my shoulder all the time and worrying that something was going to happen to you.”

  “Wow, so you’ve been supporting us all along?”

  “I’ve never cared about the money. It was when gambling started being more important to him than your choral concerts or your science fairs, that’s when I started realizing how invested he was. I gave him an ultimatum, never dreaming in a million years he wouldn’t choose us. Your father is a good person. Don’t ever forget that. He has a disease. It’s like cancer, only he has to be the one to cure himself,” Mom explains.

  I realize that she never stopped loving him. How terrible to have to make the decision to divorce someone you still love.

  I’ll never stop loving Dad but I feel like I don’t even really know who he is. If we are ever going to have any kind of a relationship we’re going to have to start over completely. But I’m going to need some time before I even think about that. There have been so many lies that it will take awhile before I’m even ready to think about rebuilding a relationship with him.

  “I don’t want to go to college in Tennessee,” I blurt out.

  Mom bangs her hands against the steering wheel, startling me. “Oh, thank God,” she shouts, making me laugh.

  For the first time in my life I have absolutely no idea what I’m doing next. I don’t have any lists or agendas filled out to guide me down the perfect path. But I also know that no matter what I do, it’s going to be okay.

  *****

  After a sleepless night, I’m sitting on a kitchen barstool eating a bowl of cereal. I can’t help but worry about whether or not Kris navigated the seniors out of Memphis safely. And if Bernie took his meds this morning or if my plan to make Milly fall for Kris worked so that Ginger can have Dom all to herself? Yes, these are my primary concerns now. Not where I will go to college or if I will have a relationship with my father. I can’t help it. Forty-eight hours ago, I didn’t know any of these people, but now I feel like they are family.

  Mom left me a note that she had an early morning closing today and at the bottom of it she jotted down Jack’s cell number. Those ten digits might as well be a pulsing neon sign considering how many times my eyes have strayed back to them. But I would rather eat a plate of my own hair than call Jack McAllister. Besides, I have to find out if he was lying about Leo.

  I shower and primp like I’m going to the prom. I raid Mom’s closet and pick out a frilly pink sundress. I kind of liked dressing girly when I borrowed Milly’s things. I figure it couldn’t hurt if Leo opens the door and sees me in a dress instead of my normal jeans and basic color tee.

  I think about calling Leo first instead of showing up, but I figure I might back out if he sounds weird on the phone. Who knows what rumors are going around about me and Jack? So I think it’s better to show up unannounced. Hopefully this surprise visit will turn out better than the one at Dad’s.

  I grab my keys, a few bucks, and my driver’s license. I haven’t had the time to replace the battery in my phone yet so I’ll have to roll Primrose style. I guess I’ll have to replace my purse after giving dad’s girlfriend back the one he stole from her. It was probably a fake anyway, but I loved it because it was from him. I push away the disgusting thought and bound out to my car.

  I consider calling Erika to see if she has heard anything but I don’t want to lose my nerve. I pass by several businesses on the way to Leo’s neighborhood. I see Mom’s car parked at her realty office. A few blocks down I pass the building where Jack’s family business used to be. Several signs are taped in the window with a phone number for people interested in leasing the building to call.

  I wish things could have turned out differently for Jack’s family. I can remember how terrible Mom felt about selling their house because she knew they didn’t really want to move. But it doesn’t justify Jack and his father starting rumors about Leo’s moving company. I’m starting to wonder what Jack hasn’t lied about.

  I pull up to the curb next to Leo’s parent’s driveway, pushing all thoughts of Jack out of my head. I glance over to Josie’s house. It doesn’t look like it hosted an insane party merely two days ago, but then again, most of the partygoers probably didn’t end up having the crazy night I had. I get out of the car and walk up the driveway, straightening my dress.

  Leo’s SUV is parked in the driveway along with a yellow Volt I don’t recognize. I walk up to the front door and ring the doorbell. I study the door, trying hard to remember something about it. I know I came across the street with Leo, so I must have come inside, but nothing about the door or the Fred bird welcome sign jolts any memories.

  Leo is laughing when he throws open the door, but when he sees me, it’s like someone presses a pause button and he freezes. His eyes glance wildly behind me like he is expecting me to have a SWAT team behind me.

  “Hi,” I say, feeling beyond stupid. It couldn’t be any more crystal clear that I’m the last person on Earth Leo wants to see. It looks like I’m 0-2 in interpreting guy’s feelings lately. Super.

  “You’re still alive?” a female voice asks evilly. A petite blonde sticks her head out the door. It’s Amelia, the girl Leo followed into Josie’s house at the party. She jerks her hand toward me and makes a weird buzzing noise. I immediately feel lightheaded. What is wrong with me? Leo chuckles grimly, sounding like a hardcore villain.

  Then it all comes back to me. Amelia was hiding in the basement. Leo was planning to shave my head to humiliate me. How could I have forgotten that? He must have realized how the punch was affecting me. He even urged me to drink another can of energy drink in his basement, which I had forgotten until now. He must have realized that would push me over the edge. Leo really was mad I beat him out for valedictorian.

  Jack was telling the truth.

  “You stole our lab project, didn’t you?” I accuse him.

  “I forgot all about that. Then I tried to make you think I was helping you. God, I’m a genius,” he brags.

  All this time I thought Jack was just irresponsible when it turns out Leo has been trying to sabotage me for years.

  “Why didn’t you shave my head?”

  “We thought you were dead and didn’t want your DNA all over the basement,” Amelia pipes up. Leo shoves her back so she can’t say anymore.

  “I should have known I couldn’t get that lucky,” he says, glaring at me.

  “He’s all yours, Amelia. I’d watch my back if I were you though. By the way, Leo, I found out a few little things about your family business while I was gone,” I bluff.

  It might be my imagination but I could swear that Leo’s pupils dilate a bit. I was so stupid to think that Jack was the one lying. I still don’t know why he got in the truck with me, but I have no doubt if he believes Leo and his dad are up to something, they probably are.

  “Whatever, Wentworth. See you at the twentieth reunion,” Leo says.

  “I doubt it. You’ll probably still be in prison then,” I retort, then stomp back to my car. I don’t have the faintest idea what I’m talking about but I can’t let Leo get away with everything he has done to me and Jack. I have to figure out a way to make him pay.

  *****

  I drive back to Mom’s real estate office and wait patiently in the lobby until her closing is over. Two happy couples walk out into the lobby, shake hands, the
n disappear into their cars. I’m ashamed that I am just now realizing how important Mom’s career is to her. I was such a snob because she didn’t have tons of degrees, but she makes people happy every day, and she loves what she does. I hope I can find a job I love someday.

  Mom rounds the corner, beaming. “I helped the Mortons unload their second home and the Perry’s buy their first,” she cries, pumping her fist in the air. I laugh at her enthusiasm. From now on I vow to show as much excitement toward Mom’s career that she does everything in my life.

  “What’s wrong, Laney?” she asks, escorting me into her office. I hate busting her bubble with my news but I want to start confiding in her.

  “I found out that Leo is the one who put me in the back of the truck. I think I passed out when he and Amelia threatened to shave my head. He did all this because I got valedictorian instead of him.”

  Mom grabs her phone. “I’m calling his father. No, wait, I’m calling the police department. Surely you could press charges against him for something,” she shouts, “and I’ll be damned if I ever use their moving company again.”

  “I think I might know a better way of getting back at them,” I tell her, then proceed to fill her in about Jack and his dad’s suspicions.

  “But I think I would have heard from my clients if things were being stolen. They would have had to file police reports. Somebody would have put it together by now.”

  I nod in agreement, upset that Leo might get away with everything. Something pulls at the back of my mind. “What if they are stealing things that are illegal and that’s why your clients aren’t reporting anything to the police?”

  “Like drugs? I can’t imagine that any of my clients are into anything illegal like that.”

  I remember the moving van being parked outside of the pawn shop. “Not drugs, but things that these people would have that they shouldn’t. Maybe valuable artwork or jewelry.”

  Mom starts digging around in a filing cabinet next to her desk. She pulls out several large binders. “I always keep track of who uses the moving company referrals,” she states, flipping frantically through hundreds of pages. After almost thirty minutes, she has five names written down. She grabs a legal pad and writes the five last names at the top then uses a ruler to divide them into their own separate columns. She starts writing things like how many kids they have, what religion they are, and hobbies she might remember. When she’s done, we try and link the families together in some way, but they couldn’t be more different. In one column, there are beef-loving, Jehovah’s witnesses with dogs, and in the next, there are Jewish vegans with cats. The next column has gluten allergic atheists that love aquariums. The differences are endless.