One and Done - S. Briones Lim Page 0,17
to go.”
“Jesse, please don’t be like this.”
“Like what? Someone who abandons someone else in need? Funny, I think we know somebody else like that.”
“Jesse.”
“Bye.”
My phone rang again that night. Not once, but four times. It wasn’t my father who called; it was Rocky checking up on me. Though I knew hearing from her would make me feel better, I also knew my resolve would crack and decided not to answer her calls. I wasn’t strong enough to keep fighting my feelings off, but now more than ever, I knew I had to. My father made that decision for me when he reminded me of my broken family. I’d never get Rocky into all that.
Chapter 6
The sun shone a deep orange the next morning, covered by low lying thin grey clouds. I stepped out onto my porch, surprised to find Rocky curled up against the porch post, her sleepy face greeting me hesitantly. The sun had just risen an hour before and I had no idea how long she’d been waiting, but judging by the rosiness of her cheeks, she must have been sitting in the cold for a while.
“Hey, I tried calling last night.” Rocky stood up slowly, eyeing me with pity. “Um…are you okay?”
Pity. Ugh.
I shrugged nonchalantly. “Why wouldn’t I be?”
“I don’t know.”
“What are you doing here, anyway?”
“Checking on you.” Her mouth puckered into a pout. “You didn’t answer any of my calls. You never ignore my calls…I thought something bad happened to you.”
“I was busy.” Gripping my binder, I pressed it against my chest as if it were a shield and pushed past her. Suddenly I realized there was no way I’d be able to survive school that day, not with the thought of my dad marrying a stranger looming in my mind. I did an abrupt about face and walked toward the opposite side of the street.
“Where are you going?” Rocky demanded. Swift footsteps echoed behind me, and before long her tiny figure appeared in my periphery. Her breaths quickened, fogging the air around her.
Rolling my eyes, I pointed behind me. “Leave.”
She groaned. “Seriously, Jesse? You can’t expect to skip and not get in trouble again.”
“I’m not expecting anything.” I stopped expecting things a very long time ago.
Her eyebrow arched. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“That’s what I do best, right? Not thinking? Not giving a shit? Why should I care about what happens to me? Doesn’t seem like anybody else does.”
Her jaw tightened. “What about homecoming?”
I nearly stopped in my tracks. She was right. If I got caught, any plans of spending the night with her would be completely nixed. Oh, who was I kidding? It was never going to happen for us anyway. Why keep up with the charade? Forcing my face to remain neutral, I snapped, “I was stupid to think I could be like everybody else for one night. I never wanted to go to the dance, anyway.”
Rocky looked as if she had been punched in the gut. “Are you seriously going to be like this?”
“Like myself? Yeah.” I was too far gone to come back.
“Fine, I guess I’ll just have to make sure we won’t get caught.”
“We?” I gaped. “What makes you think you’re going with me?”
“Don’t I always?” she snapped.
I pressed my lips together for a moment and shook my head. “If you really want to help me out, then I need you to leave me alone.”
Please.
“Well, that’s not going to happen.”
Of course not.
Her arms tightened around her breasts, and despite my current state of mind I couldn’t help but admire the way they plumped against her knitted collar. Hormones and loneliness were a lethal combination.
Knowing I had lost the good fight, I sighed. “You’re right. So where do you suggest we go?”
“Wherever you want to.”
***
“Well, you’ve certainly outdone yourself.” Rocky sighed and leaned into the cement wall, which continued to vibrate from the passing cars above us. The walls of the bypass were dinged with graffiti and what looked like dried vomit, but leave it up to my tomboy best friend not to care. I cringed watching her brown ponytail press up against the brown stains. “So we’re here…now what?”
Without answering, I reached into my pocket and pulled out a half-empty pack of cigarettes. Almost robotically, I snatched one up between two fingers and grabbed the lighter from my shirt pocket.
Rocky’s nose crinkled up. “Really? That’s what you decide to do? Even gym is more appealing than sitting here watching you smoke.”
“What’s so bad about it?” I inhaled a puff of