“Who are you going with, Maria?” Cheryl asked.
“Just a friend.” For her part, Maria glanced at the woman who was now removing the toenail polish for her. “He didn’t have anyone to go with, so he asked if I’d help him out.”
Ouch.
She shot me a sideways look. “Do you know who Jake is taking?”
Me. But I didn’t say that. “Technically, he doesn’t have a date. He didn’t ask anyone.”
He hadn’t asked me, so not a lie.
Not sure Maria bought that though, but before she could pursue it further, Rachel changed the subject. They talked about music, the decorations, the theme, and the fact that the parade was in a few hours. It would travel the length of our main street, not that it was very long. But it was an important part of the whole effort.
I had no intentions of attending, even if I was proud of the guys for winning the game the night before.
“What do you mean you’re not going?” Cheryl said. “Mitch and the guys will be there. We have to show up.”
“I’m not big on parades, and I have plans, so they know I was at the game last night.”
“You went to a game?” Maria asked. “I thought you hated football.”
“Hate is a strong word. I don’t get it, and no matter how many times Jake or Ian try to explain it to me, it still doesn’t compute. But I went because it was a big game for them.” And the first one they both got to play since Jake got benched. They never complained that I didn’t want to go, but they always seemed pleased when I did.
Besides, Archie and Coop were hilarious with their cowboys versus aliens comparisons on the plays and cracked me up.
“It’s not that hard,” Maria said.
“Maybe not, but it’s like a whole other language to me. French is easier,” I said with a shrug. They were putting my feet in hot wax; it was really warm and very soothing.
“Besides,” Rachel drawled. “Football isn’t for everyone. Me, I like hockey. It’s nice and vicious, and there’s body slams galore.”
I snorted.
“I like figure skating,” Cheryl admitted then held up a finger to her lips. “Shhh. Football might be the life’s blood here, but it’s godawful boring.”
Maria laughed. “It wouldn’t be so bad if ten minutes on the play actually meant ten minutes.”
“More like an hour.” Though an exaggeration, it wasn’t far from the truth.
By the time my nails were painted and my feet had been scrubbed, waxed, and finally massaged before she painted the toes, I was kind of a pile of goo in the chair. This might not have been the best idea if I had to get ready to go out later.
I kind of wanted to go and take a nap, even if I’d been able to sleep in a little that morning. Rachel and I were done first, though Rachel had been done ahead of everyone. She put her barefoot next to mine and snapped a picture of them. Her toenails were done in a rich blue with a little pattern on them but her fingernails were half blue and half black with a little glitter stripe dividing the colors.
“That looks really good,” I told her. She’d also gone the tips route.
“Yeah?” Rachel examined them critically. “I wasn’t sure, but then I thought why the hell not.”
I laughed. “You think that a lot.”
“Gets me through the day,” she said as we waited to pay. “I like yours, too. Though you could have done the tips if you wanted a longer nail effect.”
“Nah,” I said, looking at mine. “They’re about the right length that I don’t break them on everything.”
“Fair.”
I made sure to add a tip for the lady who did my hands and one for the lady who did my feet. Maria and Cheryl were almost done, but Rachel and I headed outside.
The parade goers were going to be in luck. It was one of those rare, perfect days. Sunny, but not hot. The air was cooler, and the breeze comfortable. The humidity wasn’t an issue either.
Maybe whatever Carol did to my hair would last the evening. That would be fun.
“You doing all right, still?” Rachel asked as she leaned against her car. The sun hit her darker brown hair and revealed red highlights.
“I’m good,” I said after a long moment. “I thought today would feel weird, you know…”
“Because of the breaking up thing?” She cut a glance toward the front of the nail place, but we were outside.
I nodded. “And it is weird, but not because of that. I mean…I’m nervous, and I’m not.”
“Well, glad you have that nailed down.” Her chuckle had me shaking my head.
“I mean, we’re going all together, so—it’ll just be us, the group.”
“And Bubba is riding with y’all, too?” She raised some skeptical eyebrows.
“He asked, and Coop and Jake mentioned he wanted to. He also offered to make his own way if I wasn’t comfortable with it.”
“Aww, so sweet.” Her tone suggested anything but… “How much groveling has he done to get back into your good graces?”
“Rach—we’re friends. That’s what I’m focusing on.”
She shook her head. “That boy doesn’t want to just be friends with you.”
“Well, that was what he said,” I reminded her. Before I broke up with him, he was already backing off.
“Well, he’s an idiot.”
I grinned. “You know, they aren’t all bad.”
“Nope, I don’t know that,” she countered. “I don’t think any of them are good enough for you, but I’m biased.”
“You do realize that by the nature of this conversation, I’m going to have to give your date the stink-eye all evening, especially if I don’t think she’s good enough.”
It was Rachel’s turn to laugh. “I’d pay to see you give someone the stink-eye, but that said, you are entitled to your opinion. Just like I’m entitled to mine.”
“Good deal.”
Cheryl and Maria exited together, though Cheryl remained glued to her phone.
“Cheryl,” Rachel said easily, pulling the other girl’s attention. “We’ve discussed walking and texting. You need to see where you’re going.”
“Ha,” Cheryl countered. “I’m just letting Mitch know I’m heading downtown to grab a parade spot, then hair and make-up. He wants me ready early so we can go out to eat first. Especially since Mom is going to want a thousand pictures, especially with the mum she was making me. Not that I plan to eat anything.”
“Food might be a good idea. They never serve anything at the dance but drinks.” Even then it was bottled water or canned soda.
“If I eat anything, it will give me food baby belly and ruin the lines of my dress. I’d rather starve.” Cheryl shot me a grin, then gave me a hug. Okay, I was getting used to Ms. Spontaneity. “Thanks for coming this morning, I can’t wait until everyone sees the gorgeous dress you picked out.”
“Me too,” Rachel said. “I bet you look even better than you did in that picture. Meow.”
Eyes rolling, I shook my head. “We’ll see. I still haven’t seen your dress.”
Cheryl’s phone buzzed. “Mitch is getting irritated. I gotta go.” She gave Rachel a quick hug. Then Maria. “Be good, girls, see you later.”
“Why would I want to be good?” Rachel called after her.
With a wave, Cheryl slid into her car, and then she was pulling out.
“What does she see in Mitch?” Maria asked abruptly, and I glanced at her.
I had no idea. Cheryl didn’t talk about him much, except that he’d asked her to Homecoming. ‘Course, she also said he’d forgiven her for something from the summer.
“Does it matter?” Rachel asked, eyeing Maria.
“Just…” Maria hesitated. “He’s not that nice a guy.”
“Nope,” Rachel said. “Most guys are douche bags. She likes him. I just keep an eye on her to make sure she isn’t giving up too much to make him happy. Hopefully, he’ll move along again in a few weeks.”
“What is wrong with him?” I glanced
from one girl to the other. “She seems crazy about him.”
“Like Maria said,” Rachel pushed off her car. “He’s not a nice guy. He’s got jealousy issues, for one. Wants stuff he can’t have. Anyway, I need to go…I’ll keep an eye on Cheryl.” Rachel pointed at me. “Don’t skip out on tonight. I want to see that dress.”
“I won’t.”
She slid into her car and pulled away, leaving me with Maria.
Rachel didn’t want to talk about Mitch and Cheryl. Whether it was out of protectiveness or because she just didn’t want to talk about them, I wasn’t sure. I checked my phone for the time, I had another half hour before I had to head over to Carol’s to do the hair and makeup. I’d thought about going later in the day, but I wasn’t planning on doing anything crazy after.
“Frankie?”
Facing Maria, I considered her. A frown tightened her brow, and she’d folded her arms. The color she’d chosen for her nails was the palest pink—it was so pale, it was almost not a color at all.
“Did you talk to Jake?”
Ahh. Had I asked him why they’d broken up? I had asked him. “Yes.”
She exhaled. “So, now you know.”
I nodded slowly. “For what it’s worth, I’m sorry you got hurt.”
Maria shrugged. “He didn’t lie to me. He didn’t make up stories…or lead me on. I could have lived not being a score point, but…” She shrugged. “That wasn’t what got to me in the long run.”
A part of me said walk away. Just get in my car and go. But the rest of me focused on Maria, who despite everything, had once upon a time also been my friend. “I can imagine.”
“No,” she said with a faint shake of her head. “You can’t. But…” Maria paused, then glanced around before narrowing the distance between us. “Not everything that happened was his fault. I know that…up here.” She tapped her head. “But I also know that…the last party, there was something in the drinks. Or maybe just in mine.”
I frowned. “You think they roofied you?”
The guys got a little nuts, but they wouldn’t do that. Period.
Folding her arms, Maria shivered even in the sun. “Someone did. No…I don’t think it was them. But they weren’t the only ones at the party. You saw those pictures.”
“The ones Sharon posted to point out what a slut I am?”
Maria nodded. “Look, I don’t remember a lot of that night. What I do remember was I woke up the next morning with no panties, and I’d definitely had sex.”
Heat crawled up the back of my neck.
“At first, I told myself it had to be Jake. I wanted it to be Jake…even after I found Jake asleep with another girl sprawled on top of him downstairs. We’d already broken up, and I don’t even know why I went to the party other than to rub it in his face that he couldn’t have me anymore. It was stupid.”
“Why are you telling me this?” I didn’t need the visuals.
“Because I don’t think it was Jake. The more I try to piece it together, the more all I see are shadows. I wasn’t the first girl roofied this summer. It happened to some of the others, too. Always at one of the parties. We just assumed we got black out drunk. Jake said he got pretty blasted that night—when I asked him about it.” Maria shook her head. “Look, the point is—I don’t think the guys did it, but they aren’t the only ones who were there, and every girl I know who was roofied was on their score cards.”
“God, Maria. Are you all right?”
“I’ll be fine…I just want to know who. Jake always wore a condom. Always. This guy…he didn’t.”
Shit.
“I got tested,” Maria admitted. “So far so good. That’s something.”
Was this what Sharon wanted Maria to tell Jake?
“Did you tell Jake what happened?”
“No,” she said firmly. “I’d prefer if you didn’t tell him either.”
“Was Sharon…?”
“No,” Maria said with a shake of her head. “She apparently was one of the lucky ones. Cheryl and Patty, not so much.”
Cheryl…
Cheryl was one of the score points.
My stomach bottomed out. “Wait…she said Mitch forgave her for the summer. She had to be forgiven for being roofied?”
“Like I said, not a great guy.” Maria sighed. “I’m sorry I’m dumping this on you now, but you’re seeing one of them. If whoever this dick is wants what they have…you would be next on the list. I want you to be careful.”
Heart slamming against my ribs, I wavered between shock, outrage, nausea, and tears. “I’m so sorry it happened to you.”
Maria gave me a small smile. “I’ll be okay. I told my mom…after I figured it out that it probably wasn’t Jake and that…it wasn’t that I had too much to drink.”
My mother would have slapped me or given me a derogatory remark. The fact the thought popped up unbidden was another reason to swallow back the lump in my throat.
“She’s great about it…really great, and I’m talking to someone. Frankie, I know Sharon was an epic bitch to you, and I tried to warn you off Jake, and I know Patty has. Maybe we’re selfish, I liked things with Jake before. But it would never be the same, you know?”
No, I didn’t, but yeah, I could imagine. “Is there anything I can do?”
“Be careful. Of being around them. And of them.”
They weren’t going to hurt me. Not like that. They would never. “I know they didn’t do it. Maybe I didn’t know about the points thing before, and I know they can be dicks.”
A faint smile touched Maria’s lips. “Yes, they can.”
“But they wouldn’t hurt someone like that.”
“I know you’re right, but it’s hard. When Jake…called me about the post and I begged Sharon to take it down, it had nothing to do with you.”
“No, because…” Oh jeez. I felt awful for her.
“Exactly. But I couldn’t tell Jake that, and so I did my best. Jake’s…he’s crazy about you. I don’t know why you’ve never noticed, but no one could ever compete with you. So make sure they look after you tonight. Okay?”
“Hey…” I narrowed the gap between us. “You, too. If you need me for whatever reason, you call me or come find me. I’ll have your back.”
When Maria hugged me I returned it. “I’m really sorry, Maria” I murmured against her.
“I’ve missed you,” she replied. The hug was over almost as soon as it began, and she headed to her car.
I really did feel so bad for her. These girls got roofied at their parties, or because of them?
As much as Maria didn’t want them to know, Archie and the guys would know who were at those parties. Maybe they’d know who did it. I also had a hard time believing Jeremy wouldn’t have done or said something. He tended to keep an eye on things, but they’d been…
…missing me and out of control.
In the car, I checked my phone. The guys were being suspiciously quiet. Then again, they knew I’d be with Rachel, so maybe they were giving me space.
Turning Maria’s story over in my head, I sat there for another minute. I wanted to talk to them about it in person, not over the phone, and I had to figure out how to ask without giving Maria away. She’d trusted me with something very personal, I wasn’t going to betray that.
Me: Nails done. Now off to get my hair and face fixed. Gonna grab some drive-thru for lunch. You guys behaving?
Jake: Hell no. Behaving is highly overrated. Besides, I’m stuck at the parade with Bubba who says hi, btw.
Coop: Jake hit me with mayo earlier when we made sandwiches. So I’ve had a facial. Also, Sis wanted to borrow the Black Beauty books, I didn’t think you’d mind.
Archie: Your apartment is in one piece. Coop and I brought his game system over and set it up. I promise, we will not turn your living room into a game room. Much. When do you think you’ll be back?
I shook my head.
Me: Sorry about the parade, J. Hi back to B. No, C, I don’t mind if she bo
rrows the books. Please tell me mayo didn’t get squirted anywhere else. And A, why do I not believe you? Also? I think 2 hours? I’m hoping less. But she has to deal with my hair.
Archie: Because you are as smart as you are sexy. Have fun, babe.
Jake: Baby girl, you always look great. Definitely eat though.
Coop: See, I’m smart, I knew that.
Me: You’re all nuts. Driving now…
I set the phone on the other seat and started the car. Weirdly, even with all the crap that happened at school, with the girls, my mom, and the nuttiness with the guys—I still had them. They still had my back.
Who had Maria’s back in all of this?
Sharon had been right about one thing, if Maria had told Jake, he would have done something about it. Whether it got them back together or not was irrelevant. Jake protected the people in his life. Chances were he’d kick that guy’s ass.
And the guy would damn well deserve it.
I was glad Maria trusted me enough to tell me and cared enough to warn me. But I almost wish I didn’t know, because now I had to wonder—who all had been at the party, and who’d done it?
Chapter Twenty-One
When It Isn’t Like It Should Be
Archie
Hot glue stung like a bitch, but we both kept an eye on the time. “Jake better move it.”
“He texted,” Coop said from where he was adding the ribbons to the other wheel. Like me, he had a glue gun and hissed periodically when he caught the glue on his fingertips. “They were almost out, but he found red mums for us to match her dress, and a white one for her.”
“Good.” The video Coop found insisted we could do all kinds of things for the mums and the typical length was to land it somewhere between her waist and her knee with the ribbons. We’d gone with red, white, and purple. The school colors and a little addition. Jake added his football jersey number to a gold football trinket that we were adding, along with trinkets for Homecoming and senior year. Coop had found a cat charm, and I’d picked out one of a couple dancing.
Keys and Kisses: Untouchable Book Three Page 28