Chapter 11
Lauren was the first to arrive the next morning. Her red curls fought against her green headband as she struggled to carry the essentials: a bag of Twizzlers, sunblock, and stacks of magazines. “You’ve got Diet Coke, right?”
“Yes.” Although I wasn’t allowed to drink it anymore—one of Mom’s new obsessions was making sure that everything that passed my lips was natural and organic.
“Hil was getting out of the shower when I called and Ally was leaving to pick her up.” Lauren breezed through the kitchen, greeting my dad on her way to the pool. He was “working from home” today, which translated to “babysitting Mia.” Mom had left with Gyver’s dad for her first day back in the office. She’d called four times.
I poured three sodas and a water and followed Lauren into the backyard. She turned the chaise longues to face the sun and stripped down to her bikini. “Aren’t you going to change? You’ve got to tell me what diet you’re on. I feel like an elephant next to you.”
“You’re not! I’ll change in a bit.” Lauren would start to crisp in twenty minutes. I planned to point that out and we’d both move to the shade. She’d be thrilled to have company and I’d avoid bikini, port, and weight-loss exposure. She selected a magazine and handed me the stack. I’d read them all in the hospital. Thank you, Nurse Hollywood.
It didn’t matter, because Lauren shut the magazine as soon as she opened it and turned to me with a confiding expression. “I really hated camp without you. Don’t tell Hil and Ally because they did their best to make me feel included, but they had all these captain meetings and I couldn’t go. I felt so lame and third wheelish.”
“That sucks.”
“They totally deserve to be captains—it’s not that—and I missed you the whole time you were gone, but especially then.”
“Sorry.”
“It wasn’t your fault. I’m sure you’d rather have been with us too.” She flipped her magazine open again.
“Definitely.” I pulled my feet up on the chair and thought. Of the Calendar Girls, Lauren was the best listener. Ally was too easily distracted and Hil was too opinionated. Lauren wasn’t a Gyver give-advice type listener, but the kind you went to when you wanted someone to nod and agree.
“Why are you staring at me?” she asked self-consciously.
“Just spacing out. Sorry.” I looked away, searching for a sign. Not finding anything obvious, I reached over and plucked a flower out of one of my mother’s patio pots. Tell her. Tell her not. Tell her. Tell her not … Not.
I dropped the naked stem onto Lauren’s open magazine. “So tell me about camp.”
She launched into a play-by-play and was still talking when Ally and Hillary flopped onto the waiting chairs and added their commentary.
“I hate that you missed everything: camp, parties, our trips to the shore—you should see the Mathersons’ shore house. And Ryan talked about you a lot,” Ally said.
“Really?” I sat up.
“Really. And he was all touchy-feely at Iggy’s,” Ally said.
I nodded. Hil put down her magazine.
“And he wanted you alone last night,” she added.
“So? Did you finally sleep together?” Lauren asked, since Ally wouldn’t. Hillary sat up and turned toward me. Ally squeezed in next to me on my chaise.
“No. We didn’t. We just talked. And kissed a little.”
“Ryan? Talk?” Hil scoffed. “Not when we were hooking up.”
“’Fess up,” teased Lauren. “We won’t judge.”
“He could talk to Mia.” Ally leaned her head on my shoulder.
“Thank you, Ally. Sorry to disappoint, but that’s all we did. I don’t know, do you guys ever look at him and think … he’s got so much potential?” I asked.
“I look at him and think, God, he’s hot!” laughed Lauren. Ally gave me a puzzled smile.
“What do you mean?” Hil asked. “Boyfriend potential? Because you agreed.”
I struggled with the words, wanting to explain why I was so attracted to Ryan, besides the obvious. “That’s not what I mean. Like, he could be so much more than he is … if he wanted to. Does that make sense?”
“Um, not really. Sorry,” said Ally.
“What did you two talk about?” Hil asked. She was studying me again, clearly on the cusp of some bigger question. One I probably didn’t want to hear and probably couldn’t answer.
“Lots of stuff. His job, living with Chris.” I shrugged, frustrated I couldn’t express it and they couldn’t understand. My eyes darted over the fence to Gyver’s house. He’d get it, but he wouldn’t tolerate the topic.
“Hil hooked up with Chris,” Ally exclaimed. “Did we tell you? It was when we visited.”
“No way!” I turned to her in surprise. “So? How was it?”
Hil pulled a rhinestone flask out of her bag and began mixing its contents with Diet Coke. “I need a drink before I’m ready to relive that.”