“Who told you that?”
“It doesn’t matter,” she said quickly, and I wondered if it had been Nicole. If so, she had to have gotten it from Shauna.
“It does matter. They’re lying. Shauna called Amy’s boyfriend and told him that she cheated on him—but she pretended to be me, so Amy would blame me for it.”
Mom paused, like she was thinking about what I’d said. I actually hoped for a minute that she’d see my side of things, might even be angry on my behalf.
“I can’t keep up with everything that’s going on with all you girls,” she said with a sigh. “When Shauna’s at our home, I’d like you to at least be polite—she’s one of your sister’s friends. Nicole says you’ve been really rude.”
I was about to tell her how they’d been treating me at the restaurant, but the phone rang and my mom ran to get it. At dinner, I again thought about bringing it up, but then decided there was no point in saying anything else. No one, especially my mom, believed that Shauna was a bully and a liar.
Soon the girls started driving Nicole to school, and I left earlier so I didn’t have to see them—sometimes I took my car, sometimes Ryan picked me up. I couldn’t get away from them anywhere. At home Nicole and I avoided each other. Only speaking, and barely, when our parents were around. In the morning, Nicole would look normal—hardly any makeup, a T-shirt and loose jeans—then at school she’d morph into one of Shauna’s girls, hair rippling down her back, tight jeans or skirts, full makeup, walking confidently down the hall—and never making eye contact with me.
She’d also started sneaking out again at night. I’d hear her window opening and shutting, then in the morning she’d be in the kitchen, talking and laughing with my mom about something, cheerfully greeting me with a “Good morning, Toni!” And when I didn’t respond, she sighed. Like I was the problem.
*
It got so bad at the restaurant I considered quitting my job, but no matter where I went, Shauna would find me. Plus, I liked working at the Fish Shack and I made really good tips. But every time Shauna and her gang showed up, I’d mess up an order or add something wrong on a bill. I was worried I might get fired.
One night when Nicole was out again with Shauna and the girls, I tried to talk to my dad about it while he was cooking some curry. The air smelled warm and spicy. I grabbed some plates and started to set the table.
“Where’s Mom?” I didn’t want her to know what was happening. She’d turn it around somehow and make it my fault.
“She’s meeting with the Realtor.” My parents had gotten into buying and flipping houses. Mom loved real estate, poring over magazines, crunching numbers, talking to her agent on the phone, trying to get the best deal.
“Dad, I have to talk to you about something.”
“Hmm?” He kept stirring the curry while reading a recipe.
“Those girls that Nicole’s hanging out with are trouble—every time they come into the restaurant they totally mess with me. I don’t know what to do.”
He stopped stirring and faced me, his expression worried. “What are they doing?”
He listened as I talked, then shook his head sympathetically, but my face was hot. I wondered if he’d think I was a loser, which at the moment I kind of was.
“Sounds like they’re being real jerks,” he said. “How does Nicole react when this happens?”
“She just goes along with it. Did you know she’s sneaking makeup to school? You should see what she’s wearing too. Mom would freak.”
“She’s growing up, Toni. She’s like you were at that age, starting to figure out who she is, but she’s not partying and her grades are good.” Unlike me.
I didn’t want to tell him she was also sneaking out, partly from loyalty and partly because I didn’t want to draw attention to myself. I was supposed to be home at a decent hour as long as I lived at home, so sometimes I came home from work on the weekend, then snuck back out again to see Ryan.
“It’s horrible, Dad. I can’t take it anymore.”
He sat down at the table and thought for a moment, his hands fiddling with one of the napkins. “I’ll talk to Nicole, okay?”
I let out my breath. “Thanks, Dad.”
“Just try to remember that she’s always looked up to you in a lot of ways. I think she admires how brave you are and wishes she was more like you.”
That caught me off guard. I knew Nicole liked things peaceful at home, so I’d never considered there might be a part of her that wished she was more rebellious.
Dad continued, “She’s probably flattered that older girls want to spend time with her, and maybe she’s too intimidated to confront them about the way they’re treating you. But she’ll see them for who they really are soon enough.”
Later, when I was lying on my bed, listening to music, I thought about what he’d said. I hoped he was right, but I worried about what might happen if Nicole tried to break away from that group. And what might happen if she didn’t.