“I don’t see it,” her mom said. “But what do I know? Everybody’s gay these days.”
“I guess I thought we’d always be together.”
“That’s what everyone thinks when they’re seventeen. Believe me.”
“Weren’t you with my dad at seventeen?”
“Yep. And you see how that turned out. I thought I’d be Mrs. Jacob Praytor forever. He wasn’t gay, he was just an asshole. Funnier than anyone I’ve ever met. But a total asshole.”
“Clark’s the nicest person I know,” Lisa said.
“Me too. But if this is the way it is, then what can you do? At least it isn’t your fault things didn’t work out.”
“At least.”
“Is Clark going to tell him? About the essay?”
“I don’t think so,” she said. “But who knows? I never got the chance to ask him not to.”
“You really want into that school, don’t you?”
“It’s the second-best psych program in the country,” Lisa said.
“Your experience with mental illness. You could just write anything. Seems like a dumb topic to me.”
“They’re looking for the right story,” she defended. “Something ambitious and courageous.”
“Lying isn’t courageous.”
“You should know.”
“Watch it,” her mom snapped. “Don’t start a fight just because it’s the easiest thing to do.”
“Sorry.”
“So, can you fix it?”
“Probably not.”
“Lisa,” her mom said, looking her right in the eyes. “I’ve never heard you say you couldn’t do something. Not in your entire life.”
? ? ?
Even when Lisa was super busy, she and Clark always kept in touch with a quick phone call or a text. Just to check in. They’d even talked while she was at camp, long enough to say hello and discuss Solomon’s progress. But now, a day after he kicked her out of his house, Lisa hadn’t heard a word out of Clark.
She hadn’t heard from Solomon, either, which made her worry even more. Were the two of them together now? Maybe Solomon had taken her advice, professed his love, and they were already living happily ever after without her. But, didn’t she deserve to know? She was the only reason they even knew each other. And you’d think Clark, of all people, would have the decency to break up with his girlfriend before getting his first boyfriend. What the hell was going on?
When she called Clark’s house, Drew answered and said he’d spent the night at Solomon’s. Now Lisa was almost certain the truth had finally come out. To her knowledge, he’d never stayed the night at Solomon’s, not even once. So, why was he suddenly doing it now?
Later that evening, at just about dark, Lisa grabbed her keys and walked out to her car. She didn’t know what she’d say or do, but she had to see them. And if it hadn’t been such a weird week, and she hadn’t spent the afternoon watching Ron pack up his things while her mom cried in the kitchen, Lisa might not have had it in her to drive to Solomon’s and climb over the back fence.
But she did. And now she was standing in the backyard, the only light coming from the swimming pool in front of her. And before she could turn around to face the house, she heard the glass door sliding open.
“Lisa?” Solomon asked. He was standing in the doorway in swim trunks.
“Hey,” she said. “You alone?”
Right when she asked it, Clark stepped out behind him holding two cans of soda.
“Lisa,” he said, frozen in place. “Hi.”
“I guess nobody’s taking calls today,” she said.
“Sorry,” Clark said. “My phone died last night and I didn’t bring my charger.”
“You stayed the night?” she asked. They were all still standing there, Clark and Solomon by the door and Lisa about ten feet in front of them just barely visible in the pool light.
“Stayed too late and didn’t want to walk home.”
“Do you want to come sit down?” Solomon asked, shooting Clark a look asking for approval.
“Yeah, come on,” Clark said. “It’s freezing.”
They walked over to the pool and Clark draped a towel over his bare shoulders. Then he threw one to Lisa and one to Solomon, who each did the same. He took the seat right between them and they both stared at him, expecting him to speak first.
“You were wrong,” he said to Lisa in an almost amused, but still quiet tone.
“I was?”
“Not gay,” Solomon added, shaking his head.
“Shit,” she said. But it was low and weak, not angry. She sat there for a few seconds not looking up at them. She wasn’t one to blush, but she was sure her cheeks were on fire and she hoped the darkness would cover it up so she wouldn’t be mortified even more.
“At least you didn’t let it get out of hand,” Clark said sarcastically.
“So I guess you told him then?” Lisa said to Clark.
“What? No.” He shook his head and widened his eyes so she would drop it. But, it was too late.
“Told me what?” Solomon asked.
She wanted so badly to lie, to have just a little more time before being unmasked as a complete monster. But it was over now. It had to be over.