“Not on a busy road, though,” Mama said. Still, she gave in. “Fine. Just be careful, okay?”
It was a small victory. And the prize was something I’d done before—just without her knowing. But still. Coming from my mama, this was progress. We’d been making it over time—slow, but steady. It was probably crazy, but I was starting to have hope that, one day, she and Daddy would treat me the same as Gracie. That I’d be allowed to do the same things she did, instead of having to sneak around and lie about it.
Maybe Christy and Colt and Bo were right. Maybe I did just need to talk to my parents and make them see my side.
I was looking forward to telling Bo the good news. And I didn’t have to wait as long to see her as I’d expected.
During second period, there was a knock on the classroom door.
“Sorry to interrupt, Mrs. Devore.”
My head jerked up, though I didn’t have to see that halo of red and gold to know who was at the door.
“Do you need something, Bo?” my algebra teacher asked.
“Mr. Martin sent me,” Bo said. “He needs Agnes in the chemistry lab.”
“What for?”
“Ain’t sure, ma’am. Said something about a test she took last week …”
Mrs. Devore sighed. “So he’s gonna cut into my class time? That man drives me crazy. I really ought …” She trailed off, probably remembering she was in a room full of students. “Never mind. Agnes, did you get the homework assignment down?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“Then go. But ask Mr. Martin to wait for his own class to talk to you next time.”
I grabbed my books, unfolded my cane, and followed Bo out into the hallway.
“I failed the test, didn’t I?” I asked. “I knew it. How does he expect me to do an essay about our lab experiments when I can’t see half the stuff my partner’s doing or the way the stuff reacts? And I’ve told him so many times—”
“Relax,” Bo said. “Mr. Martin didn’t ask me to come get you.”
“He didn’t?”
“No.”
I frowned at her as she led the way, turning down the hall that would take us to the cafeteria and the building’s back entrance.
“Then what are we doing?”
She looked back at me, and she was close enough that I could see the big grin on her face. “Celebrating.”
It was the first time I’d ever skipped class, and once the nervousness wore off, it was real exciting.
Bo had her mama’s blue car, and we drove out to the river, to that same spot where I’d had my first beer and sang with Bo on the roof of the car. We hadn’t been there in months. It had been too cold. But that day, it was warm enough for us to sit on the hood, our backs against the windshield, listening to the birds that had just returned from somewhere farther south.
“I got you something,” Bo said, hopping up onto the hood next to me. She told me to hold out my hand. I expected a beer, like last time, but instead she placed something small, round, and sweet-smelling in my hand.
A Little Debbie cake.
“Hold on,” she said, before I could say anything. “I ain’t done yet.”
Then she pulled a small, thin candle out of nowhere and lit it with a cigarette lighter. I couldn’t help laughing.
“Happy birthday,” she said. “I know it ain’t much, but—”
“It’s perfect,” I told her. “Best birthday cake ever.”
“Liar. Blow out the damn candle.”
I did as I was told, then we split the snack cake between us.
“Tell me something I don’t know about you,” Bo said, once we’d finished the Little Debbie.
“Uh …” But this game had gotten hard. It wasn’t easy coming up with things Bo didn’t know about me. I’d already told her so much. Told her more in the past few months than I’d told Christy in over a decade of friendship. “Let me think about it. You go first.”
“All right.” She paused. “You probably won’t believe me.”
“I always believe you.”
“Well … I ain’t never had sex.”
“Wait … what?” I sat up straight and turned to look at her. “You’ve never … really? Not once?”
By now, I knew most of the rumors about Bo weren’t true. Some had been exaggerated; others were just outright lies. But somehow, I’d never even questioned the idea that she’d slept with somebody. Probably a few somebodies. How could you get a reputation like hers otherwise?
“Not once,” Bo said. “Too many people in my family get pregnant young and ruin their lives. I decided a long time ago I wouldn’t be one of them.”
“Wow,” I said, stunned. “I can’t believe I lost my virginity before Bo Dickinson.”
I clapped a hand over my mouth, mortified. Had I really just said that?
Now Bo sat up straight. “What’d you just say?”
I felt my face start to heat up. “I, um … I kinda slept with Colt.”
“You slept with Colt? My Colt? Colt Dickinson?”
“Um …” I pulled my knees up to my chest and leaned forward. “Yeah … Since you went home, it was just me and him at his house on New Year’s Eve and …”