The Revenge Artist - Philip Siegel Page 0,54
bulge. She wouldn’t give up that dress to save her first-born child. I grip her head in my hands and lock eyes. The Revenge Artist has driven me to paranoid, crazytown extremes. “Valerie Patricia Hurst, are you or are you not the Revenge Artist? If you are, we can work through it. But I need 167 percent truth.”
She slowly takes away my hands. “First off, you’re smearing my concealer. Secondly, I. Am. Not. The. Fa. Reaking. Revenge. Artist.”
A wave of relief crests within me. I burst out laughing and crying, working myself into a frenzy as I expunge all this nervous energy. “That’s the best sentence I’ve heard all day.”
“You really thought I would do that?”
“When you dangle a secret in front of me, I jump to the obvious conclusion.” My posture calms into a comfortable slump. “You don’t have to tell me anything you don’t want. I won’t push you. I promise.”
“Good.”
“Although you know you can trust me.” I double my hands atop hers like we’re about to do a “Goooo Friendship!” cheer.
“I’m the secret.”
The voice comes from upstairs. I shift my eyes toward the staircase, and there, standing on the top step, is that scrawny freshman guy who came up to her at her locker. Short kid, jet-black hair, dark skin, wide-but-serious eyes. And now he’s on her top step, which means he probably came from a room upstairs. Her bedroom?
“Hi,” I say cautiously.
Val stares at the tiled floor.
“I got tired of hiding up there.”
“Who are you?”
“I’m Manny Esposito. Val’s boyfriend.”
I swivel my head to Val, who’s still in a staring contest with floor tiles.
“Boyfriend?” I spit out.
“Boyfriend,” Manny confirms.
I shake Val’s shoulder. “Boyfriend?”
She turns my way, and her spunky attitude is replaced with pure solemnity. “Boyfriend.”
I jump up and pace around the foyer. “Okay, somebody owes me an explanation ASAP.”
Manny takes his time coming down the stairs. “We’ve been together for about two months. We met in Intro to Business class. And she’s the most beautiful girl at Ashland, no offense.”
“None taken. Aren’t you a freshman?”
He nods yes.
“So how old are you?”
“I just turned fourteen.” His voice squeaks on the word turned.
Shock nearly explodes from my face, but I do my best to hold it in. I know it’s only three years, but it’s a pivotal three-year age gap. And he looks so young. Val’s little brother. Not Val’s hot paramour.
She’s still not looking at me. I get it. All those times I made fun of girls for being cougars flood my mind. All those times when Val laughed along with me, she was holding this inside. Manny walks across the foyer and kneels down to Val. He strokes her hand, and they share a silent moment that has this instant intimacy.
He’s so young!
But he makes her happy. And Val makes me happy. And I’ve already seen what my life looks like minus Val, and that’s not a life worth living.
I hold out my hand to Manny. “Nice to meet you.”
A tear glistens in Val’s eye as we shake.
“I’m sorry,” Val says.
“No. I am. With all my stupid talk, of course you had to keep this secret. But you shouldn’t.”
“It’s not just you. What are people going to say about a senior girl dating a freshman guy?”
“Let ‘em talk,” Manny says, and I admire his outspoken courage. “It’s been torture sneaking around.”
“I’ll make sure they’re busy talking about me and my terrible antics,” I say. Val’s not laughing.
“Did you really think what you said?” Val asks. “Did you really think I was jealous of Fred and hated your relationship?”
I shrug my shoulders. It sounds so dumb now. “I didn’t know what was going on. And I know things like this caused a rift in other friendships. I’ve seen that firsthand.”
“You and Fred make a great couple. You gave me hope that I would find a truly amazing guy myself.”
“We gave you hope?”
“Yes! You two are so perfect together.”
“Really?”
Val crooks an eyebrow at me in a “seriously?” moment. That’s the Val I remember.
“Did I tell you I’m on Fred probation?”
“Um, no.”
“We need to talk.” But first, I wrap her in a tight hug. “I’m so happy we aren’t fighting.” I reach out my hand, grab Manny’s shirt collar, and pull him into the hug. “Get over here, Esposito.”
Once we finish our Kodak moment, I stay for dinner. I quickly forget caring about the age difference. It’s Manny and Val. So natural together, and Val is glowing, which makes me glow with joy. But as we eat dessert, a