Gimme Everything You Got - Iva-Marie Palmer Page 0,69
those friendly faces, like a guy who got along with all the different crowds at school. “How long have you known Tina?”
“Since about third grade.”
“What about Todd?”
“I’ve known him even longer. When we were in elementary school, I knew he liked Tina before he did,” he said.
“Yeah, they’re really committed. I honestly don’t get how they do the long-distance thing.”
“What do you mean?” Jeff said.
I shrugged. “I guess, like, it makes me wonder, are you really in love with each other or just your dramatic faraway love affair?” I cringed at how horrible it sounded as soon as I said it, and I wasn’t sure if I meant it, or if I was annoyed that Tina had sort of scolded me for my lack of curiosity about Todd. Or if I was jealous that she was off making out with someone she really liked while I pointlessly pined for Bobby and made things awkward with Joe, the one guy whose company I enjoyed.
“I think it’s cool they take a chance on each other,” Jeff said, picking at the label on his beer bottle. I could tell he thought what I said was mean, too.
“Yeah, I guess it just seems like so much could go wrong,” I said, hoping I sounded more gentle. “It’s a lot to deal with.” I didn’t mention outright that Tina hid the relationship from her mom, in case Todd didn’t know that. I realized if I were a better friend I would know if Todd knew that.
“I guess, if you think you found the right person, maybe it’s worth it? Risking the parts that could go wrong,” Jeff said, making me feel like an even bigger jerk than I already did.
“Susan, it’s your turn to get ice,” Arlene said, thrusting the empty bucket at me. She gave Jeff a sultry smile and squeezed between us. “I’ll keep him company.”
“You know what?” I said to Jeff conspiratorially. “I’ve got to get the ice and make sure no one is getting out of control.”
He winked as I left, but he didn’t seem to mind Arlene replacing me.
I took the bucket and opened the door a crack, and saw Bobby, peering out his blinds toward our rooms. Then his lights flicked off and his door started to open. I gulped, ducking back inside.
“Pipe down,” I said as calmly as I could. I swatted down our light switch. “Bobby is leaving his room. I think he saw something.”
“Shit,” Marie hissed.
“Just be quiet, everyone,” Dawn said, way too loudly.
“I’ve got an idea,” I said. I made sure my pajamas were on straight and took a deep breath, setting the ice bucket down on the carpet before softly opening the door. I stepped onto the walkway and dashed as fast as I could toward the stairwell that Bobby would need to use to come upstairs.
My timing was perfect. I bumped directly into him.
“Susan,” he said, catching me by the arms. He held me like that for a second before sort of placing me on the stair in a less-precarious position. “What are you doing up?”
I gave him the most defeated look I could, and, hoping my breath smelled like strawberry Bubble Yum and not Natural Light and schnapps, said, “I couldn’t sleep and I didn’t want to disturb the other girls, so I walked outside and . . . I forgot my key in the room. I’m locked out. I don’t want to knock since they’re sleeping, so I thought I should go to the office for a key.”
As lies went, it was perfect. Where were these bullshitting abilities when I’d been struggling to write my essay on Faulkner?
“I’ll help you,” Bobby said, with a glance up the stairs toward the party room. Mercifully, the lights were off and I didn’t hear a sound. The moon was full and our shadows blended together in front of us. Bobby gave a light laugh. “I’m sorry you can’t sleep, but I’m relieved that’s all it is. I thought I heard a party, but I guess I’m paranoid.”
So he had been coming to check on us. Guilt bubbled in me and I fumbled for a way to change the subject, but he did it for me.
“Is the no-sleep thing because of the game?” he asked.
I puffed out a breath—I could see it in the chilly air—and said, “Yeah, just a little nervous.” My pajamas were thin and I hugged my own shoulders as we walked.
“Don’t be,” he said. “It’s just a game, as they say.”