"Your friend wasn't so happy you ditched." She says. Straight with no preamble. I turn right to see she's leaning her head on the window. Her gaze still out to the traffic as we drive through.
It's been a while since Pamela said the iconic two words before sharply walking away, so sharp that I think some strands of her hair are still stuck on my face. I pulled off a few but it feels like there are remainder lingering somewhere I haven't touched. Or it could just be the shock and embarrassment itching my cheeks.
It's not the first time she's gotten outright pissed at me, but it's hardly. Can even still remember the last time it happened and that's a long time ago, think five years, on of our actual friendly outings. We were at some park that's now closed down and this girl around my age offered we could ride the Ferris together. Pamela who's been on it times without number claimed it was boring then and wouldn't go on no matter how many times I asked for us to try - though with a double-mind 'cause part of me was terrified being an inch next to the Ferris. I just wanted to try. So, I told her I'd found another partner.
I didn't get the exact 'suit yourself' line, probably due to her not knowing such a phrase at the time - she was around twelve, but I got a similar reaction.
"Maybe it's 'cause she thinks of it the same way you do. I didn't ditch." I state, then relax my tone. "Pamela's just a bit stressed out most likely. You know after practice and all that." Except there wasn't any practice today. "It's been a long day at school too that's all, then she probably also thought that I was ditching so you see." When there's no response from her and I'm left staring at speeding road scenery through the window on her side, I add. "She's a very good friend. Always just looking out for me and you know, the fact that she doesn't know who you are has her maybe on edge that we're hanging out and... She's a great person if you get to know her, that is, to really know her, away from the popularity status and 'suit yourself' "
I clear my throat. "She's a great friend."
"I never said she wasn't." Victoria answers, head still leaning on the window.
Her gaze stays static as she stares out the street. But it's not static like she doesn't want to meet my gaze. It's static like she doesn't care.
"Right."
The driver does a little salute as we begin getting down, I send him a 'thank you' before shutting the door. In no time he's doing a U-turn round the water fountain and going out through the open gate I'm guessing Toby helped open, since I spot a small figure behind a black Jeep parked on the left.
I'm not strapping my book bag on since I'm home, but I wait for Victoria to strap hers on, occasionally glancing at the approaching figure of my brother in his ruffled uniform and curly locks.
"You didn't come home with Pamela."
"Apparently." I decide to answer his statement of the obvious without rolling my eyes. "That's my brother." I tell Victoria. "He's in Eastwood's Elementary."
She nods as we start moving.
"Hi." Toby greets. I've now walked past them but knowing her, I turn back to let her know my brother said hi.
"Oh." She squints her eyebrows at me first, then turns to Toby who's not far behind her. "Hi."
As we get in, a new vanilla scent hits me, and it's instantly a reminder of the Jeep I'd seen outside but hadn't really taken cognizance of. Natalie's around. It's so strange that though my brother's best of friends with William, Amy's younger brother, and my sister's best friends with Natalie, her older sister, Amy and I have nothing to do together. And if we ever do, it's her asking me uncomfortable questions at the lunch table.
"Melissa!"
"Hi!" I say, trying to match her energy as I strut into the living room and crouch down into her open arms. My sister's sitting on a white sofa opposite so when I'm out of the hug, I send her a wave.
"I haven't seen you since you became a big girl! Twirl."
I do a completely confused twirl that has the pleats on my skirt awkwardly moving even when I'm done. Why did she ask me to twirl? I swear she's just like my sister.
Especially when she does a squeal like my twirl's the best she's ever seen. "Why do I feel it's been so long since I saw you? it's like I've gotta sign these protocols and all that fancy stuff just to get in your presence."
"Don't exaggerate, Talia. If you came around you'd find her." Danielle-Soledad says on my behalf.
"It's College. Man, do I hate that institution. There's like this underground plan to extinct me, you know? I can feel it."
"You could drop out?"
"Easy for you to say." Natalie spits then sighs, "How did your father not kill you?"
"You can never say." Danielle wiggles her brows, "For all you know I could be a ghost."
Natalie ignores that, tilts her head up to look at me instead, smiling. "You know your sister's dropped out of college now?"
"We did notice she was around an awful lot." I say and we both laugh. I hear Danielle snort.
"But girl's got a job too, you know that?"
"Please. Of course, she knows. I'm not exactly sneaking around here, you know."
"Okay. But does she know you're having an office affair? Boss and secretary kinda things?"
"First of all," Danielle starts.
But I interrupt, "Your boss likes you?"
"-I'm not a secretary, and," she shifts her gaze from her friend to me, my lips spread into a smile even though her face is devoid of any. " you. Can you not take Talia serious. And Talia stop feeding my sister's head with your naughty erotica and assumptions." At the mention of assumptions I feel something in me flicker, but it's gone almost immediately and I shake myself out of it.
Natalie shakes her head too. "Alright, alright. Into weirder things, I hear Amelia goes by Amy now, and you guys have got your little 'group' going on. Y'all aren't even in senior year yet, what?"
"Little group?" I echo, but decide focusing on the former. "I don't think it's weird, anyway, her name's Amy for short."
"Yeah, but there's a lot of you-"
"In the group." Soledad points out.
"Yeah in the group, that now have your names shortened."
I lift my knee off the sofa but let it go back down as I stare at both of them, sister opposite us with her smile weird, and her friend beside me, smile weirder. It's like those aunts you're not even close to asking about any possible boys in your life.
"Who's feeding you all of these information?"
They both laugh. Like it's funny.
"Your sister here told me."
I look at her. "Well, I didn't tell you we all have our names shortened or that we've got a little group going on."
"Yeah, so? That's what I picked from what you say." Then she turns her gaze back to her friend, " 'Nica told me Gianna goes by T now."
I roll my eyes.
"What?" Natalie asks laughing and it's one of those loud barking laughs that could scare you away, but I'm used to her laugh so I remain with my one knee planted into the sofa. "What in the world is Tea? What in world! So melissa what do you go by, Sugar?" She laughs again to herself and my sister joins in this time, both of them having the same kind of ugly laughs.
"Gianna's Gianna Techelletus so I think that's how T came about."
"How on earth does that give her Tea?" She asks, only seeming to laugh harder, my sister as well, so much that they're both cleaning tears from the sides of their eyes like it's actually funny. Their type of humor never seizes to amaze me. There was a period of time when one of my lost front teeth begun growing back, but grew only half way and stayed that way for a while. They called me 'half-a-tooth' throughout the mini era and laughed whenever I talked or smiled.
"Okay. Okay. Wait, okay." Natalie chants with a serious face, though once they look at each other it's another round of hysterical laughter.
Spotting a shadow by the entrance, I figure it's the best time to excuse myself.
"This is Victoria. Victoria Tywo." I gesture at her who's standing beside the silk curtains by the entrance looking like she'd rather be anywhere else than here, and for the moment they stop laughing. My sister looks over her shoulder to find my guest. When she does, flops herself into a comfortable position to keep looking at her. "She's my partner for the group project."
"Ooh okay that's why my sister's been so mad." Natalie chirps, pats my knee. "Proud of you for stepping up for yourself, girl." I have no idea what she's talking about.
Or, yeah I do, but sparing her a look then glancing away, I'd rather not drag the matter. I stand off the sofa. "Yeah, so I'll be upstairs if you need me."
"Alright," My sister says, sends a weird look to her friend that only makes sense when they both add, "Sugar."
I take a deep breath in, I'm above this. I'm also in-between laughing along with them and sending a glare their way at the same time. But I let it go, pull my bag up with me.
" They're a handful." I say to Vicky as I show her down to the stairway. She nods. Just nods. As always.
However as we climb up the stairs, she tells me she likes my home.
"You do?"
"It's neat."
I almost laugh, "What? Don't tell me the last home you visited had underwear littered from the entrance. Where you partnered with a boy? Is that why you hate team work now?"
"I meant it's pretty." She clarifies, looking at me. "Neat's my way of saying it."
I say an 'oh, okay' to that. Shut up. Though after a while the quiet as we keep going has me saying more. "Well, I'd let you know, not to brag or anything, that the interiors were all decorated by yours truly."
She nods slowly, looking around. "You're obsessed with certain colors."
"Oh no, you're not about to imitate Soledad. The color white is general, It's in many homes. Everyone likes it and for black and glass- which isn't technically a color sorry, it's general as well, okay? And the curtains are cream, come on." When I stop talking to look at her face, she's for the first time smiling. It isn't big or major but it does reach her eyes that seem to be amused from behind the glasses.
So because it's an amused smile and not a 'I totally get you and relate to you' one, I continue my walk up the stairs, throwing her a "Whatever" though I'm smiling too.
When we get up, we pass by the lit up corridor with family photos piled on the walls. I notice she slows down to look at them, I don't. I don't wait around to have to explain whereabouts of a missing family member. Or feel the pressure to.
In no time, we're in my bedroom, have assigned roles to ourselves, sharing the work in half and dare I say on her behalf, gotten comfortable.
Victoria's to work with the textbooks and I'm with the desktop since it's mine. That's how she put it anyway.
I actually think she's gotten comfortable. She's situated on the pink sofa by my bed where I had to grab away the teddy bear that was on it, Sir LivinStein, throw him into my closet with a shaky smile directed towards her. Sometimes when she finds something suitable but debatable, she'll call me over for an opinion then depending on it, either add or disregard the information found. It's the third time she's done so and we've both agreed to disregard it though I've told her to mark a pencil around the paragraph, that I'll go look it up first.
But sitting back down, multiple thoughts cascade my mind. Most of them negative.
Dissecting each, it's first Amy's question from school, then George's usual behavior, Tyler's eyes. Then his brother.
I should be looking up Dalton's theory and it's relevance to our project, but I remember how I've never checked on Tyler's family, only on him.
So I type out Christian in the search bar. Then wait.
Many Christians come out, of course what was I thinking? I'm quick to add Jones to it. Play with the mouse while I let it load. I think our WiFi's having issues, heard my sister complaining about it yesterday.
Christian Juniper Jones (C.J Jones) 1998 - 2016.
That's the first name that pops up, and I'm certain it's the one. There's hardly even any other, if the last name is Jones, it's another first name. And if the first name's Christian, it's another last name.
Scrolling down, I see he used to be really active on social media. Really popular too, with thousands of followers on various handles, and on Instagram he had over three thousand posts so that's active.
Wait.
There was something stated after his date of birth and death, wasn't there? Or not. But I click off the page I'm on. Back onto the main page, I scroll up to where I think I'd seen it. My vision blurs a lot of the words and different sites first, but then I find it.
Cause of death unknown.
"I might've found a similar—"
"Yeah!" I say. I think I'm yelling. I'm yelling. Also jumping off the chair, clicking off the page I'd been on, shutting close my open notebook. Take out the pen from the middle. I press my lips and look to Victoria. Who looks surprisingly wary. Maybe I'm acting out of the ordinary. Why am I acting out of the ordinary?
"Are you okay?" She asks, eyes appearing cautious behind glasses.
"Sure." I chirp back without a doubt. Without a doubt.
Her gaze stays long on me, but she later gives up. Thankfully.
"Okay. Okay 'cause I might've got something similar for the first topic. You don't have to look up Dalton's theory."
In order to not let my mind think on Christian , Tyler's apparently older brother or Christian Juniper Jones, I get off my computer, move to the couch and decide to work manually as well. With textbooks.
And while doing that, in-between flipping pages and jotting down necessary info, I begin talking about Pamela and how her house is right next door, the one she's seeing far through the window, yes that one, you see it? And that that's how we became friends, it's like we were destined to be friends despite our slight difference in personalities because even our summer homes were right next to each other.
And it's the only time Victoria does something besides nodding in approval or silently ignoring me. When I look up the textbook mid-sentence, I find her already staring at me. Cock a brow.
"Summer what?"
"Summer homes." I repeat, a bit carefully this time since there seems to be a problem with it. And i'm not sure if the problem is the summer or the home.
"You have a summer home?"
"Yes?"
She breaks into a small laugh, though however looks at me like just realizing I'm being serious. "A summer home."
"Yeah..." I trail off, again feeling weird and the need to explain the word. "I mean, it's just like this place we live during summer? Like a vacation home." Everyone at school has that. Atleast everyone that I know, except Brea has more of a country home where they visit whenever. The Romeros, Margo and Steph, even have a winter home that Pamela thinks is really 'sick' because nothing, to her, is better than that.
I think it's 'cause they've got a pool in the yard of the house and it's heated, plus has tech colors that change every thirty seconds.
"And the Williams. Pamela," She nods towards the next house probably thinking I didn't get her when i'm really just shocked at how she just referred to our neighbors as the Williams. Their last name. The way she said it. She knows Pamela's last name. But I shouldn't be so shocked at this point, she's known me since grade five. "They got a summer home too?"
I nod. "They do."