I slip into the passenger seat and wait until Sunny pulls into traffic before I check my ringing phone.
She glances at me and then back at the road, her hands at ten and two like they’re supposed to be. The GPS is tracking our drive, even though she’s been to the apartment at least two thousand times. Sunny’s directionally challenged. And she’s very diligent about following road rules.
“Who’s calling you? Randy? What happened in that bathroom?”
“It’s my mom. She probably wants to give me a list of things to bring home. I don’t know why she doesn’t text.” I let the call go to voice mail and shove it back in my bag. “So, get this, my mom brought home her date.”
“Last night? Did you meet him?”
“I did this morning.”
“No!” Sunny’s eyes go wide.
“Yup. He was wearing tightie-whities and showing off his hard-on.”
“Oh my God!” Sunny’s mortification matches my own.
“So classy, right? Anyway, my mom thought I was at your place, so I guess she figured it would be safe.”
“I’m sorry, Lily.”
I shrug and make a joke out of it. “I guess the good thing is, there’s a low probability that I’ll ever see him again.”
Sunny doesn’t get what it’s like to live in a house with a revolving door of boyfriends. Her parents have been together forever.
I have no idea if my dad was the first professional athlete my mom scored with, but he was the one who got her pregnant. So since then, as long as the guy doesn’t play hockey, he’s fair game. I think it’s kind of insane, because any guy can be a deadbeat, not just hockey players. Still, if I ever came home with a hockey-stick-toting boy, I’d hear about it. Hence the reason my mother will never know about my romp with Randy.
“How was the rest of your night?” I ask Sunny after she doesn’t respond. I mean really, what is there to say? “The event went so well. Miller did great. How was Michael feeling by the end?” It’s definitely not a subtle change of topic, but Sunny doesn’t seem to notice, or maybe she doesn’t want me to dwell on the unfortunate visual of my mom’s date’s man rod.
“It was amazing, wasn’t it? Michael’s such a trooper. He’s tired today, though. Miller called him to see how he’s doing. He really is wonderful, isn’t he? I’m so in love with him. I can’t even tell you. Last night he managed to get past Titan so we could get in some alone time. I can’t wait until this semester is over.” She taps the steering wheel and bounces in her seat.
“How’d he manage to get past Titan?” Sunny’s little Papillon is super protective.
“Cookies.” Sunny giggles. That’s Miller’s nickname for her vag. She thinks she’s hilarious when referring to actual baked goods.
Sunny’s mentioned moving to Chicago more than once since the fall semester began. It makes me nervous. We were supposed to move into an apartment or a little house after we finished college. I received my bachelors in kinesiology this past April, but the jobs in my field aren’t the best unless I continue on for a master’s degree, which is expensive. I also don’t want to give up teaching figure skating, because well, it’s been my life since I could walk. Anyway, Sunny switched programs last year, so it’s taking her a little longer, but this has been the plan for the past three years.
I don’t know what I’ll do without her if she goes to Chicago. Especially since I broke up with Benji, and I honestly don’t want to get back together with him. We’ve been apart for more than a month. I’ve avoided all of his phone calls, aside from the one where I told him I wasn’t kidding about being done. He had some very choice words, none of which were nice, and all of which reinforced the reasons why I don’t want to be with him anymore. There’s nothing more heartwarming than being told I’m a “titless slut who deserves the next loser who fucks and chucks” me.
Anyway, Benji’s out, and if Sunny leaves, that’s another one of my ties to here severed. I don’t want my mom to be the only thing left for me.
“You know, Lily, we could both move to Chicago at the end of the fall semester. Between Alex and Miller, I’ll have a placement all worked out for the winter. It’d be the perfect way to start the new year.” She glances at me before focusing on the road again. “Alex is looking into buying a little house, and I’ll pay him rent or something. He thinks it would be a good investment. He has lots of contacts, and there are all sorts of opportunities in Chicago. You could teach skating to pre-pro hockey kids, or figure skating. Plus you have dual citizenship, so there isn’t anything holding you back, especially since you and Benji are done for good, right?”