it won’t be brand-new.”
“Are you kidding me?” I cry. Nancy has never done anything like this, ever. She never got Scarlett a car! I’m ready to jump up and hug—
“You can really expand your horizons with this car. Get some new hobbies. You could even come down here on some off days from school.”
Visit?
Scarlett keeps texting, but her lack of response tells me she’s surprised. Her all-too-casual reaction is a clear giveaway.
“This will be very helpful for you to do things outside science. Scarlett loves to dance, but she also loves movies, art, and all kinds of things. You could do that too.”
“Can I go?” Scarlett asks without a glance up from her phone. I close the lid on the box with the car keys.
“Mom.” Scarlett finally looks up from her phone. “I need to go home and change. I can’t go to the party in this.”
“Hold on, Scarlett.”
“I leave tomorrow, shouldn’t I get to do what I want to?” Scarlett says, though this time it’s a whine. “I stayed the whole dinner.”
Gee, thanks. Feeling the love here.
“Oh, go, Scarlett.” Mom turns back to Nancy. “This car is too much.”
“I have to get a new one anyway!” Nancy says. “And it’s too late, I already signed over the title.”
It’s 7:48. Andrew texted earlier and said he was going to the party around 9:30. I want to be with Andrew. I want to be with someone who sees what I wish everyone else would see.
Scarlett tucks in her chair. “See you guys,” she says.
“Where are you going?” Mom asks.
“To a party with Curtis and Tate.”
She motions to the bartender. Except now, he’s not in his red Lobster Pot shirt. He’s waiting for her in a T-shirt and jeans. Now that I look, I think I recognize him from town the other night. I make sure to keep my head turned away in case I see him out with Andrew sometime. I don’t want him to recognize me.
My stomach sinks. If Scarlett is meeting Curtis, I can’t go to the party to meet Andrew. Scarlett will probably be there. I won’t get a chance to see what she’s wearing, but knowing Scarlett, it’s tight and short.
“Happy Birthday, Bean,” Scarlett adds before leaving.
Dad gets the check and Mom cleans up all the wrapping paper. Her cheeks are red.
Nancy is still squawking away about how good the car will be for me and all the interests I should and shouldn’t have. I want to be anywhere else but here. For the first time in sixteen years I actually wish I could go do something else instead of our mini-golf tournament.
“Ready to beat your old man?” Dad asks. He leans a hand on the back of my chair. I smile because I would never disappoint Dad. He could never guess that I would rather be meeting an older boy at a party than playing mini-golf.
“As always!” I say and follow my family out the door.
FOURTEEN
I WIN BECAUSE DAD ALWAYS THROWS THE MINI-GOLF game on my birthday. Within fifteen minutes of getting home, Dad is snoring on the couch and Mom is reading in their bedroom. Nancy is in her room getting ready for bed.
I knew what I was going to do the second I hit the eighteenth hole at the windmill. Even though Scarlett is potentially going to be there, I want to go to the party. I’ll peek in and see if she’s there. If she is, I’ll go home, and no one will know. If by some shred of a miracle, she isn’t there, I can text Andrew and pretend I got out of my “family obligation” early. Andrew said it was kind of formal, so it’s the perfect occasion to wear the black dress. First, I have to make sure Scarlett isn’t wearing it.
Asking for a later curfew is a risk, but I’m trying it anyway. I need to think of an excuse to go out tonight, and no one can see what I am wearing. I don’t feel so bad lying about this. I’m doing what Nancy wants me to do—I’m pursuing other interests. It’s just not on her terms. This is on my terms and they wouldn’t understand.
“Mom,” I say gently as I stand in the doorway of her bedroom. I make sure to dress in jeans and a T-shirt to avoid suspicion.
“Yes?” she says, turning a page.
“I have some star charting to do and, well, I was kind of hoping to head down to the beach. I know it’s