Dispatches from a Teenage Girl

Chapter 32

"So how did you and Michael start hanging out anyway?" asks Claire.

We are hanging out on Friday night in her room. Grace is away on a ski weekend with Miles. Very fancy. Claire has always known Michael existed, I mean we all have classes together. But they've never really spoken. Just like I'd never really spoken to him. And she's never really heard me speak about him either.

I am finally not grounded. One month sentence served.

In celebration, Claire and I are going to head downtown to grab a coffee, see who's out and people watch. I casually mentioned that Michael was going to be out too, at a gallery opening for his brother's photography. And maybe, you know, we could check it out.

And that has brought us to this conversation.

"I mean I have noticed you guys talking more outside class, but I didn't think much of it. Is there much of it?"

I blush, a little.

"No, no, nothing. We, umm, just started chatting in class. We sit next to each other in homeroom. Anyway, he mentioned his brother's thing in passing. It's not like he invited me," I stammer. "I just figure it's always best to have a destination if we go downtown so we aren't aimlessly wandering."

"Lucy, we are teenagers. Aimless wandering is what we do."

She is right. But I really want to go to the gallery. Probably more than I want to admit. And I feel really nervous about it. Nervous about my outfit. Nervous about what to say. Nervous about how to act. And, of course, it wasn't a casual mention. He invited me to stop by.

"But ya, I guess a gallery sounds cool. I have never been to an opening night. Do they have free food?" asks Claire.

"And drink!"

"Alright, I'm in."

And we bounce down the stairs, say bye to my mom and head out the door.

***

It's the first nice night after a week of rain and there are so many people out. We are dodging people on the sidewalk and in the crowded mayhem we walk right past the gallery without even noticing.

"Lucy!" I hear someone yell. I turn my head and Michael is sticking his head out the door of a storefront with papered windows.

I grab Claire's arm and we swing back and walk over.

"Hey Michael," I say, much more nervously than I would like. "You know Claire?"

"Of course, hey Claire."

"Hey."

"So glad you guys are here. It's all my brother's friends and they are all a bit, I don't know how to say it. Artsy?"

"Snobby?" offers Claire.

"Ya. Haha," replies Michael. He holds the door open for us and we head in.

We look around, there are large photos up on all the walls and in front of each, there are small groups of three or four, standing, staring, sipping wine and chatting. This is 100%, definitely, in no way, our scene.

I look over at Claire and her eyes are getting huge.

"Oh my god, this is amazing," she says. She looks at both of us. "Where is the wine?"

Oh boy. Michael laughs. He walks us over to a table with rows of wine glasses, already poured, red and white.

"Help yourself," and he gestures to the glasses.

"Incredible," Claire sings and grabs a glass of red and strolls over to a photograph with a small group already standing in front of it.

I take a glass of white, mouth "thank you" to Michael and walk over to stand with Claire.