I got off the bus on Monday morning, and walked through the hall with Rubi towards the lockers. She had spent the bus ride grilling me about all things Noah and Layla. "That's just so cool that you got to go to an actual Layla Ainsley party! I mean, they're like legendary!"
I neglected to tell her that Layla had texted in advance to invite me. It seemed like a harmless omission. Rolling my eyes and smiling into her sweet countenance, I told her, "Yeah, well, I think she just didn't want me to spend time at Noah's. I really think those two like each other. There's like a love-hate thing there or something. Trust me, I won't be hanging out with her again any time soon."
We had reached my locker, and I was spinning through the combination when Rubi, looking over my shoulder said, "I wouldn't be so sure about that if I were you...."
"What do you mean....?" I had barely gotten the words out when Layla's all-too-familiar voice punctuated the ever-present hallway din.
"There you are, Mary!"
I turned around slowly, surprised to see not just Layla, but Harrison Evans standing beside her in his Hinsdale Central letter jacket.
"There's my little wallflower!" She squealed, hugging me, smelling like lavender and coconut.
"Layla," I tried to make my voice enthusiastic sounding, but not sure that I got there, in my shock. "What's up?"
"Oh, well, funny you should ask! You remember Harrison, right?"
Mr-bad-breath-barge-in-on-you-in-the-bathroom himself. How could I forget? "Yeah, sure. What's up?" I offered him a half-hearted wave, which he somehow took as an invitation to move a good three feet closer to me.
"Look, I feel like I made a bad impression on you at Layla's party. I just....I like you. I've noticed you all year. Would you let me make it up to you? Go out with me sometime?"
Again, feeling as though I were somehow trapped in the middle of a sadistic kind of practical joke, I looked around slowly from Layla's expectant expression, eyebrows raised high on her pretty face, to Rubi's surprised delight, to Harrison, who, to be perfectly honest, just looked as though he expected me to say yes, or something.
"I um.....thank you.....for the offer...." I stammered. "But the thing is, I have a boyfriend....so...."
Annoyance flashed across Harrison's expression, then was quickly replaced with his typical indifferent smile. "Oh, that's right. I just figured that since you were the new girl and everything it might be nice to have another friend here. You don't seem to have a problem hanging out with Nazarian, after all."
Still smiling, he stalked off, leaving only Rubi and Layla to hear me rant, "Maybe I don't want to be your friend, Harrison, did you think of that? God! I hate when guys like that think they can get whatever or whoever they want! What makes him feel so entitled?!"
"Wow, Molly," Rubi regarded me with a mixture of surprise and awe. "Harrison's the quarterback. He's like.....really popular...."
"Rubi," I tried to keep the exasperation out of my voice. "I barely know him. You really think I'd go out with him? Plus....he's kind of a jerk!"
Layla looped her arm through mine. "Okay, so forget him. This is the week, bitch! Central versus South! And I get to meet your boyfriend!" She dragged me down the hallway, leaving Rubi trailing behind.
I barely made it to Trig before the bell, and for once, Noah beat me to his usual seat. Seeing him back in class, surrounded by our classmates made me nearly forget Harrison, Layla, Rubi and the awkward scene at my locker.
He didn't look at me at first, as engrossed as he was in conversation with our other classmates. I took my usual spot beside him, though I had to side-step a few kids to squeeze into my chair. No one paid me any attention, as caught up in Noah's triumphant return as they were. It was kind of refreshing.
Even Mrs. Webster commented, "Mr. Nazarian. It's good to see you. How are you feeling?"
He flashed her one of his winning smiles, that even teachers were not immune to. "I'm much better, Mrs. Webster. It's kind of you to ask."
Mrs. Webster turned to the smart board with flushed cheeks and a close-lipped smile, obviously as charmed by Noah as everyone else. I laughed under my breath and shook my head.
"Kerrigan," he acknowledged me at last, with a little smirk, as we both pulled out our paper and began working on the bell ringer. He still finished it faster than I did, even with a concussion and being three days behind. And so things quickly settled back to normal.
Except normal now was a world in which Layla Ainsley, queen bee of all the queen bees wanted to hang out with me after the Central versus South football game so she could be introduced to my 'boyfriend.' Lunch group felt a bit like Opposite Day. Layla could not shut up about Ryan and our plans for Friday night, and Rubi barely said a word. This did not go unnoticed.
"Everything okay, Rubi?" Ms. WIllis asked casually.
"Yeah," Rubi smiled without making eye contact, her voice uncharacteristically flat.
Ms. Willis nodded. "How's your mom?"
Rubi shrugged. "She came home from the hospital yesterday. So that's good at least. It's really hard on my little sisters when they can't see her. Especially the youngest, Lena. But.....they don't really see her too much when she is home, to be honest. So.....". Her voice trailed off and she shrugged again, reminding me of a deflated balloon.
"Sometimes I go weeks without seeing my mama," Trinity said softly, bitterly. "And she never leave the house. You'd think she get sick of her bedroom but....I think she feels safest there. Or something."
Ms. Willis nodded, speaking slowly, treading carefully. "Do you ever go in her room to talk to her?"
Trinity scowled at the floor. "I used to. But sometimes it feels like.....like I make her more nervous or something. Like she rather not see me......or something....."
Then Ali piped up. "I can't remember the last time I talked to my mom," she smiled around at the group, her eyes wide, as though she herself were surprised that she was actually talking. "My sisters are just SO busy. The two older ones do travel volleyball, and mom is always taking them to practices and privates and tournaments - sometimes out of state. And my little sister is on this competitive gymnastics team. Mom says that I'm her easy one. I mean," She looked at me and her eyes got even wider. "Whatever, I can call her any time I want, right?"
"But do you?" Ms. Willis gently asked, and Ali shrugged. Ms. Willis sighed. "Everyone pulls apart from their parents when they're a teenager. It is totally normal."
Layla scoffed. "You're kind of full of shit, Ms. Willis," she said without her usual haughtiness. "What we're talking about here is our moms pulling apart from us."
Ms. Willis nodded again, with a small, sad smile. "You're right, Layla. And you're also extremely perceptive. Maybe you should go into counseling when you grow up, huh?"
Layla rolled her eyes. "I already am grown up...." she muttered under her breath.
Rubi still seemed sad on the bus ride home, prompting me to ask, "Hey Rube, you okay?"
She just shrugged. "It's just.....you're all like besties with Layla now. Hanging out and studying with her, invited to her parties, going to the football game with her on Friday....."
"Like I really want to do any of those things? Come on, Rubi, you know I'd rather hang out with you...."
She shrugged again. "So.....are you going to the game with her on Friday?"
I squared my shoulders towards her as we sat on the bus. "It's like.....a whole big group going I think. You're coming, right?"
"Am I invited?" She sulked.
I rolled my eyes and smiled. "Of course you're coming! Do you think Ali would like to come, too? Or Fernando? Trinity? We should all go. Seriously."
Finally she rewarded me with a grudging smile. "Will you introduce me to Ryan?"
I couldn't look at her anymore. "Yeah...." I bit my lip and looked out the window.