“I’m good. I hope it’s okay to drop by without calling first.”
“Not a problem,” she said. “Troy’s picking me up shortly. You’re going to Austin’s party, aren’t you? They said you’d be there.”
Poppy nodded. “I’m giving Iris a lift. I’m on my way over to her house now and then we’ll head up the pass. She’s supposed to be at my house, so her parents better not find out or my ass is grass.”
“Austin told me you have a family obligation at four and I was hoping I could bum a ride back with you.”
“Sure.” Poppy shifted her gaze to the side yard and then to Sloan’s face. “Mind if I come in?”
“Oh, of course. Sorry.” Sloan held the door open and Poppy stepped into the entryway.
“Where’s Butch?” she asked.
“In the backyard, probably snoozing. I didn’t want to leave him cooped up inside while I was gone.”
Sloan crossed the foyer to the living room with Poppy on her heels. The room was cool and orderly, done in neutral tones. Sloan took a seat in her mother’s rocking chair and Poppy settled on the couch. The two had barely spoken for months and she was praying Poppy wouldn’t quiz her about the tape. As far as she knew, very few people had seen it, but word was out and there was already sly speculation about the contents. “You want a Coke?”
“No, thanks. I can’t stay. I just wanted to say hi. Are you doing camp again?”
“Starting week after next. What about you? Are you working?”
“Maybe part time at McDonald’s. I’m still waiting to hear.”
Sloan removed the clip from her hair and gathered up a few damp strays before securing it again. “I should finish drying my hair before it frizzes up on me.”
“I need to ask you something,” Poppy said. Her pale cheeks were tinted with pink. Sloan was already feeling cornered and she dreaded what was coming next. “I heard Kenny Ballard and some guys smirking about a video the guys made. Someone said you had a copy.”
Sloan blurted out the first thing that occurred to her. “I haven’t seen it. I don’t even know how I ended up with it.” Her tone was casual, but the statement sounded so lame, she expected Poppy to call her on it.
“Really? You haven’t seen any of it?”
“I caught maybe fifteen seconds. Fritz is smoking a joint and acting like a nerd. It seemed stupid, so I shut it off.”
“Maybe after the party, can I come over and watch with you? We could leave closer to three, which would give us plenty of time.”
Sloan couldn’t believe Poppy would push the point. She’d never seen her so anxious or insecure. Sloan was the self-conscious one, but now their places were reversed. She didn’t like lying, but what choice did she have? It would serve no purpose if she told Poppy the truth. Sloan responded in what she hoped was an offhand manner, though she couldn’t look her in the eye. “It’s not here. Someone else has it and I probably won’t get it back for a couple of days.”
“Someone else? Like it’s already in circulation?”
“No, no. I left it somewhere by mistake, which is why I haven’t had a chance to watch the rest of it. The guys are just goofing off. It’s supposed to be a parody.”
“Are you sure?”
“No, I don’t know for sure. That’s just what I heard.”
Poppy frowned. “Someone told me Troy’s getting it on with Iris.”
“Really? Well, that’s weird. Who told you that?”
“I don’t know. Someone mentioned it in passing. I was, like, totally freaking out, but when I asked Troy, he acted like it was no big deal. I don’t know who to believe.”
“You know what? I don’t like all this gossipy stuff. It’s not a good idea. That’s how rumors get started and look what happened to me.”
“It isn’t gossip, Sloan. I’m asking for information.”
“Why don’t you ask Iris? She’s the one you should be talking to.”
“I did, but she says she was drunk and doesn’t remember.”
“Why worry about it? You know Troy isn’t interested in her. The tape’s just some dumb thing they did. Like a prank or a joke.”
“But why would someone claim he was screwing her if he wasn’t? I heard Fritz was in on it, too, which is really pathetic if you ask me.”
“I agree, but just because people say something doesn’t make it true. Anyway, why come to me? I’m in the same boat you’re in.”
“I don’t know who else to ask.” Poppy’s gaze was intense and pleading. “When you get the tape back, will you let me know? I can come over anytime.”
“Poppy, just drop it, okay? You know how those guys are.”
“You think if I asked Bayard, he’d tell me? He was the cameraman, wasn’t he?”
“Well, yeah, but still . . .”
“I’ll feel like such a fool if I walk into this party with everybody knowing something I don’t. Like I’m the butt of the joke. Swear you’re telling me the truth?”
“Promise,” Sloan said. She glanced at her watch.
Poppy took the hint and stood up, saying, “I better let you go. Thanks for clearing the air. Let me know when you get the tape back.”
She leaned over impulsively and gave Sloan one of those awkward hugs where one party is seated and the other bending down to the embrace. Sloan patted her back, feeling acutely uncomfortable. She pulled herself out of the rocker and walked Poppy through the foyer to the front door. She made a show of waving as Poppy slid into her car and took off. When she finally closed the door, she leaned on it briefly, feeling thoroughly undone.
Troy pulled into the driveway at one o’clock and gave a brief toot on his horn. She flipped the thumb lock on the front door and pulled it shut behind her, her gym bag in hand. When she reached the truck, Troy leaned over and opened the passenger-side door. She hopped in and slammed the door.
Sloan said, “You’ll never believe what just happened. Poppy showed up and she’s grilling me about the tape. I didn’t know what to tell her.”
“Shit.” Troy groaned and pretended to bang his head on the steering wheel. “She’s been on my case for days and what am I supposed to say? I can’t remember the half of it except it wasn’t good.” He indicated the gym bag. “You have the tape?”
“Not with me. I’m not an idiot. What if Austin grabbed it and went right back to treating me like shit? Let’s see if he keeps his word.”
“I wouldn’t worry if I were you. It’s summer. You can’t shun someone you’re not going to see for three months. Everybody’s bored with it anyway.”
“Good to know,” she said. “Not that it’s a comfort at this late date.”
Troy put the truck in gear and took off. As he drove through the front gates of the Ravine, he said, “You’ve got balls threatening Austin. He’s a crazy son of a bitch.”
“How else could I get him off my back? It’s the only leverage I had.”
“He must have loved that.”
“Well, it worked, didn’t it? What I don’t get is why you guys made it in the first place. Talk about gross!”
“It wasn’t meant to be serious. We were just horsing around.”