is my father’s brutality and my mother’s apathy.
“Seriously. What about all those books you read?”
“Those aren’t real, Riss.” My life has always been clearly defined by my parents and I never attempted to relate the imaginary stories to it. Until meeting Arissa, I never thought my life could be different than it is now.
“They aren’t,” she agrees, “but there are people like the characters in real life. Didn’t you meet your friends’ parents before?”
“I never had friends before you.”
“Why?”
“My parents don’t like me talking to other people.”
“I think it’s sad you never had a friend before.”
“I don’t really mind. I like having you for a friend, Riss.”
“I like having you for a friend too.”
CHAPTER SEVEN
Arissa and I are talking about our classes at lunch when Jason takes a seat next to her.
“So what happened to your arm, Parker?” he asks, gesturing with his chin.
“I tripped over one of my sister’s toys and fell.”
Lying is too easy the more I have to do it. I have to follow the rules, but I hate being dishonest with my friends. It will be one more thing they won’t like about me if they ever learn the truth.
“So do I get to sign it or what?”
Arissa smiles, winking at me while mouthing, “He likes you.”
My eyes widen at her.
Jason glances between us. “What?”
“Riss is being gross, showing me the food in her mouth.”
“Way to go Jericho!” He slaps her back.
“I do what I can,” she says, laughing.
“So back to your cast, Parker. Do I get to sign it?”
“If you want.”
He draws out a black Sharpie from his pocket and straddles the bench next to me.
“Aw, how ‘tweet,” Arissa coos.
“Jealous, Jericho?” he asks, scribbling on my cast inside my upper arm.
“In your dreams, Waters,” she retorts.
“It’s not you I dream about,” he replies. “Done,” he proclaims, popping the cap on the pen with the center of his palm.
I check where he signed. He drew a heart and wrote inside:
To my Parker
~JW~
I smile at him. “Thanks. But what’s your girlfriend going to say?”
He flashes a playful smile. It makes him look innocent, sincere, and confident all at once. “I don’t know. She’s not my Parker.” He stands, picking up his backpack. “Catch you girls later.”
“Bye, Jason,” we say in unison.
Arissa reaches over, studying my cast as soon as he is gone. “Now tell me he doesn’t like you.”
“Shut up!” I exclaim, half-joking.
“And you like him too!” she teases.
“Shut up!”
“No, you shut up!” We giggle together.
“Okay, he’s cute,” I admit. “But he has a girlfriend.”
“Ah ha!”
“What?”
“You do like him,” she says, eyes gleaming
I roll my eyes at her. “You know my parents. If I paid any attention to boys and mentioned it to them, I don’t even want to know what would happen.”
Boys are unfamiliar territory. I don’t know how to read the cues, because I never had to before. I know what it’s like in the fictional worlds I read about, but this is the real world. In the real world, spending time with him at lunch makes me happy and I look forward to seeing him.
Jason is a friend. The only one I have besides Arissa.
I know that if I do like him, I’m not equipped for it.
I practice what to ask Mother over and over in my head while I do my chores. She arrives home with Victoria in tow while I’m working on my homework. I leave my room and follow her to her bedroom.
“Mother.”
“What?’ she asks irritably while changing her clothes.
“I have a question.”
“Ask and stop wasting my time,” she snaps, unbuttoning her blouse.
I say it before I lose my nerve. “There’s a boy at school who talks to me and I think I might like him.”
She points her finger at me. “You stay away from him.”
“But, Mo-“
“Boys are nothing but trouble!” she screams. “Just look at your drunk ass father.”
“But this boy is nice, Mother.”
Her eyes flare. “Sure they all seem nice to start off. But all he wants from you is between your legs.”
She’s not making sense to me. “What?”
“Enough questions!” she yells, stalking into her bathroom and slamming the door behind her.
So much for answers. All she gave me was more questions.
I tap on the door.
“What now?”
“Can I go to Arissa’s?”
“Is your homework done?”
“I need to work on a project with her.”
The ease of lying goes both ways.
“Fine,” she grumbles.
“Can I stay for dinner if they ask?”
“Yes! Now leave me alone!”
I gather my homework and hurry to Arissa’s. Andrew answers the door.
“Would it be okay if I finished my