As a freshman, Lisa had taken and passed the only AP psychology course at Upland High School. In fact, she scored higher on the exam than anyone else in the class of mostly juniors and seniors. But, it was simply an introduction to the field of psychology and not nearly enough to qualify Lisa as any sort of psychological expert. She was only seventeen by a few months. But, she believed in herself maybe more than other people believed in God or the devil or Heaven or Hell. She knew she was right. And she didn’t need a textbook to prove it. Now, with her second session with Solomon on the books, she was feeling more confident than ever that she could get him out of that house and get herself out of Upland.
After school on Friday, she ran home to change clothes and grab a snack before heading over to Clark’s. She didn’t expect to see her mother, but her car was in the driveway when she pulled up. Her mom worked a lot, and when she wasn’t working, she tried to spend as little time as possible at home. Lisa figured she either hated her or hated Ron the stepdad. Either way, she was there today, on a weekday afternoon before five, and it was weird. When Lisa walked in, she saw dirty dishes on the counter by the sink and heard the television at an ungodly volume coming from the den. She tried to sneak through without being heard, but her mom was yelling her name by the time she got to the refrigerator.
“Lisa!” she shouted from the living room. “Is that you?”
“Yes, Mom.”
“Come here, honey!”
She walked around the corner to find her mother lying on the couch, a big fluffy quilt covering her all the way to the chin. Lisa couldn’t remember the last time she’d seen her mom during a workday.
“Are you okay?” she asked her, picking up the remote and muting the TV.
“Just nursing a cold, sweetie,” she said. “Talk to me. I’m lonely.”
Lisa took a seat across from her on the recliner that was usually reserved for Ron the stepdad. Ron hadn’t been around for days though, so Lisa wasn’t sure what was going on. They did fight a lot and it wouldn’t surprise her to find out that he’d left for good this time. Just like Tim the stepdad did two years before. And Lisa could tell the difference between sick and sad.
“A cold, huh?”
“Don’t talk back, Lisa.”
“That wasn’t talking back,” she defended. “Where’s Ron?”
“Business trip. At least that’s what he told me.”
“Do you think he’s lying or something?” Lisa asked.
“I just don’t know anymore.”
Then she started crying. She always cried when she talked about Ron. Lisa had stopped feeling sorry for her a long time ago. But she still sat there and listened as her mom went on and on about a fight they’d had the night before. It was over money this time, which didn’t surprise Lisa one bit. Her mom worked eighty hours a week and Ron had been changing jobs a lot lately, which wasn’t a good sign. Do phlebotomists even take business trips?
“I’m sure everything will be fine,” Lisa said.
“I know, honey. You know how emotional I get sometimes. I just need a good cry and then I’ll be back to normal.”
But Lisa wondered whose definition of normal her mother was going by. Things with her mom had always been weird. And she didn’t have the world’s best track record for maintaining healthy relationships, either. In fact, that was the longest conversation she’d had with her daughter in months.
Eventually, Lisa was able to go change clothes and when she got back downstairs, her mom was asleep. She cleaned the dishes and took out the trash. She wrote a note saying she’d be at Clark’s. And then she set a glass of water and two aspirins on the coffee table next to her mom on her way out.
When she got to Clark’s, he was in the driveway playing basketball with his little sister. Drew was only thirteen to Clark’s seventeen, but she was nearly as tall and a much better basketball player.
“Why even bother, Drew?” Lisa asked once out of her car.
“Right?” she said, shooting the ball.
“Hey, hey,” Clark said. “I’m letting her win.”
He walked over to hug Lisa and she held on for a little longer than usual, despite how playing basketball in the spring made him smell.
“Better save him, Lisa,” Drew said. “This game’s getting ugly.”
They went upstairs to Clark’s room and, as soon as the door was shut, Lisa started kissing him. It was pretty much the same every time. He would kiss her like they were filming a scene in a movie or something, all passion and no restraint. And then as soon as things started to heat up, he’d ease off and kiss her like they were at a middle school dance in the fifties. And God forbid Lisa tried to put her hands below his waist. He would, in the nicest and most subtle way possible, move her hands right back up to his stomach or chest every single time. And his stomach and chest, while quite impressive, could only do so much for Lisa.