Hillcrest. Mia and Connie are more BFF than mother-daughter. It’s a little odd to me, but they are thick as thieves and happy.
Mia and I enter the dining room, where everyone is waiting. Including Connie.
“Georgia, that top is everything,” Connie says. “Where did you get it?”
I look down at my shirt. It’s nothing special.
“Target, maybe?”
“Girl!” She snaps twice, shaking all the bracelets on her hand. “I love me some Target fashion!”
Connie is coming in hot tonight. I hug Lauren and Kelly and take a seat at the table.
“Mom,” Mia demands, “could you get dinner? I am running on empty.”
“Yes, girl,” Connie says, then heads into the kitchen. “Y’all are not ready for my chicken and dumplings.”
Once it’s a Connie-free zone, Mia gets down to business. “Georgia, dish right now. Lo told us that you left in a golf cart with that new guy last night,” Mia says.
“We have been texting you all day,” Lauren adds.
Mia shakes her head. “And Jake has been worried sick!”
I am outnumbered. I look over at Kelly. Maybe she can help. “Kelly?”
She looks at me with teasing eyes. “I, too, am interested in your whereabouts.”
There’s no way I can tell them what actually happened. Could you imagine unleashing that kind of juicy secret on a group of gossipy cheerleaders? The entire school would know that Pony was transgender before I finished my sentence.
I don’t want to hurt Pony, but I’m not known for my secret-keeping abilities. I’m literally sweating. I can feel the secret in my throat, begging to be told, like an itch that needs to be scratched. But this isn’t gossip, it’s a secret. I need to be strong.
“I was abducted by aliens,” I say.
“No way,” Lauren says. “Wait, were you really?”
“Lo, no, she wasn’t,” Mia says.
“How was the anal probe?” Kelly asks, and we all laugh. I can’t decide when she is funnier, in the mascot costume or out of it.
“Our sweet Georgia was abducted, but not by aliens,” Mia says, flipping her hair. “Is this new guy going to be a problem for us?”
“Georgie,” Lauren says, “we have decided on Jake for you. But the new guy is cute.”
Mia jumps in. “A little weird, though. Always alone.”
I perk up, ready for a fight. “He literally just started in a new school. What do you expect?”
Mia takes a sip of champagne. “Georgia, really? That kid is a nobody. He doesn’t make sense for you.”
“G,” Kelly finally jumps in, “I support you dating Pony. Just don’t forget a saddle.”
“We are not dating,” I say, hoping to end this conversation.
“Good,” Mia says, like she influenced that decision. Whatever.
The savory smell of creamy chicken goodness fills the room. Connie enters wearing a bright pink apron and matching oven mitts, holding the piping hot casserole dish. I almost faint from excitement. I might have forgotten to eat today. That happens when I’m upset.
“Dinner is served, y’all!” Connie says, and we clap in appreciation.
Mia turns to Lauren. “Lo, fetch the plates and utensils?”
I look at Lauren with big eyes. Now is her chance to stand up to Mia. She can get her own damn plates.
“Sure,” Lauren says, then heads off to the kitchen. I slump in my chair in defeat. How do I help her with that?
Connie sets the dish in the middle of the table and fans the steam with her oven mitt. When Lo returns, we take turns ladling dumplings and bits of chicken swimming in cream sauce onto our plates. Connie takes a plate and heads to the living room. “I’ll be watching Real Housewives. Holler if y’all need me!”
There’s silence for several minutes as we devour the dumplings. Just a bunch of “mmmm” and “ahhh” and “ouch” (when Lauren burns her tongue). I start to feel better. They call it comfort food for a reason.
“I heard a rumor,” Mia says, ending the silence. “Chuck told Angie that there’s a lesbian on the cheerleading team.” She looks at us, one at a time, with her openmouthed OMG face, expecting a similar reaction. No one returns it.
This is Mia’s drama dragon rearing its head. She is the primary power source of Hillcrest’s gossip. If some guy has an accidental boner in front of the class, she knows. If someone is hooking up with someone they shouldn’t, she knows. If there are whispers in the hallway, you can bet Mia had some part in them.
“Who could it be?” Mia asks.
Lauren jumps in. “I think it’s Zoe. She is always lingering in the locker room.”
“I don’t think it