“Who?” she asked, just as Rachel predicted.
“I’m sorry, Ms. Miller, but under recent Illinois confidentiality legislation, I cannot divulge this information. However, I do recommend you schedule an appointment with your healthcare provider as soon as possible.”
More silence.
“Ms. Miller?”
“Yes?” (In a whisper.)
“Best of luck to you. Be careful out there.”
We hung up, and I felt much better. I’m not sure if it will save my parents’ marriage, but at least it will give Melanie Miller a few sleepless nights. And my dad, too, for that matter.
April 29
So I finally confronted my dad and he swore up and down that nothing is going on. He said that Melanie works in his office and is going through a tough time and that he has been helping her. I told him he must be calling her an awful lot if he gave the wrong phone number to the pizza guy. He said they were talking pretty often but they aren’t anymore. (Because she is too busy getting tested for AIDS! HA!) I didn’t tell him about the drive-bys because I’m going to keep checking. He also said he loves mom even though they fight a lot and that they aren’t going to get a divorce. I feel so relieved even though I’m still mad at him. Rachel said that I should forgive him. That nobody is perfect. And that I should give him the benefit of the doubt because he’s my father. I guess she’s right. But even if they weren’t fooling around physically, I don’t think he should be keeping secrets from my mom. I will never do that to a boyfriend. I mean, what’s the point?…. On a more fun note, I drove all the way to Chicago with Rachel and her dad to go to Game Two of the playoffs—Bulls versus the Bucks. The seats were right behind the Bulls’s bench! After MJ made one sick dunk, we made eye contact. I kid you not! I bet he put two and two together from the photo I sent. I’m betting that I hear from him this week. Fingers crossed!
May 15
I got two more rejections—from Purdue and Ohio State—and worse, a rejection from Michael Jordan that said he appreciates the invitation but has to focus on the playoffs. Ethan said it was a form letter with a rubber stamp signature. Why does he always have to rain on my parade?! Thank goodness I didn’t tell Ethan and Rachel about the beach shot I enclosed because it clearly didn’t do the trick. I guess he gets too many pictures likes that. I knew I should have gone with the terminal illness angle…. So now I don’t know what I’m going to do about prom because Blaine asked Lucy Hendricks. I know they’re just friends but I’m still jealous and sad that he didn’t even try to ask me. It’s like he just gave up on me because of the whole Michael Jordan thing. Rachel said I could go with her and Brandon. She even suggested that I ask Ethan—which was really nice of her considering that I can tell she loves him more than Brandon. Which proves my point that friends are so much better than family and boyfriends. They never let you down.
June 5
It’s official! I’m a high school graduate! A bunch of us are going to the dunes on a camping trip to celebrate. Even Blaine, although technically we are still broken up. I can’t wait to hang out, drink, and not worry about ANYTHING. The summer is going to be awesome and college is going to be even more awesome. The only sad part is that I’m going to Indiana and Rachel’s going to Duke (in North Carolina), which is going to be really hard. But I keep telling myself that it’s only for four years. Then we can move to the same city again and pick up just where we left off. With her working hard, and me playing hard. Ha! But seriously, I know that everything will be fine. Better than fine. Amaaazing. Because no matter what else happens, Rachel and I will be best friends 4EVER!!!
TO BE CONTINUED…
Also by Emily Giffin
Heart of the Matter
Love the One You’re With
Baby Proof
Something Blue
Something Borrowed
About the Author
Emily Giffin is a graduate of Wake Forest University and the University of Virginia School of Law. After practicing litigation at a Manhattan firm for several years, she moved to London to write full time. The author of five New York Times bestselling novels, Something Borrowed, Something Blue, Baby Proof, Love the One You’re With, and Heart of the Matter, she now lives in Atlanta with her husband and three young children. Visit www.emilygiffin.com.
This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, organizations, and events portrayed in this story are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.
THE DIARY OF DARCY J. RHONE. Copyright ? 2012 by Emily Giffin. All rights reserved. For information, address St. Martin’s Press, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10010.
www.stmartins.com
Cover art by Olga Grlic Illustrations and hand-lettering by Olga Grlic e-ISBN: 9781466822498
First Edition: June 2012
Read on for a sneak peek of:
July 24, 2012
Order Your Copy Today!