We were supposed to head to the ice cream parlor a couple of blocks down from Bankridge to kill time before Back-to-School Night. But Jacob said something had come up and he’d meet me back at school fifteen minutes before Mrs. McCready had asked us to be there.
I went to the ice cream parlor alone and ordered two scoops of vanilla and one of pistachio. I liked how the colors swirled together in the bowl.
The ice cream did nothing to soothe my stomach, which felt all knotted, like a snake trying to play Twister. I couldn’t stop picturing Mamma at the funeral for a man I’d never met, in a country I’d never visited. I got out my phone and sent her a quick message: Hope you’re OK. xx
And then I freaked out a little because Mamma always forgets to put her phone in silent mode, and it would be the worst thing ever if her phone made that dumb chirruping sound right in the middle of the funeral. Then I remembered that it would be late at night in Italy, so I didn’t need to worry. Not about that anyway.
I got a reply from Mamma a few minutes later: Thanks, topolino. I’ll be fine as soon as I’m home with my famiglia. xxx
My stomach got even twistier. Why did my family have to be so nice when I was busy deceiving them?
I tried reminding myself that my motives were good. I was doing the moms a favor. Usually I can convince myself of almost anything, but as I sat there watching my ice cream melt into a pale green puddle, I knew that I was in the wrong. There was no point dwelling on it, though. Mamma was in Italy and Mom was at home with Enzo. It was too late now.
=
There were teachers milling around, getting their classrooms ready for the parents, but otherwise it was empty. I wouldn’t mind Bankridge so much if it stayed like that. A whole school just for me. Then it wouldn’t matter which changing rooms I used.
I waited for Jacob in the empty science lab, sitting on my usual stool at the back. He was late again.
When he finally walked in, I could tell right away that he was walking better than he had been earlier. His face was back to normal too. It was no longer pinched and pale.
“You look weird,” I said.
“Thanks,” he said sarcastically.
“What’s with the hair?”
“Don’t you like it?” He smoothed it down with his hand, even though it definitely didn’t need any more smoothing. If you looked up the word “dorky” in the dictionary, you would see a picture of Jacob’s hair on Back-to-School Night.
“Nope.”
He smiled and said, “Me neither, but I’m trying to look respectable. Mom thought it might be a good idea, after yesterday. As if me looking like a total nerd will make the teachers forgive me.”
“I think most of them are on our side, you know. The only one we have to worry about is Mr. Lynch.”
“Who happens to be the most powerful person in the entire school,” Jacob pointed out.
“Who is not going to be fooled into liking you again just because you’ve combed your hair. Is he even here tonight anyway?”
“I have no idea. He’s probably driving around town, buying every single copy of the Gazette he can get his hands on.”
“He’ll probably use them to wallpaper his bedroom.”
Jacob laughed. “He should be thanking us, really. We made him famous.”
“I dare you to say that to him the next time you see him.”
So, of course, he double-dared me, then I triple-dared him, and it went on and on until we decided we’d get Sav to do it. That kid hadn’t turned down a dare in his entire life.
Jacob checked his watch. “What time is your mom getting here? I told my parents to come a few minutes early so they could meet her.”
“Why did you do that?”
“Um, my mom said she’d like to meet her. What’s so wrong with that?”
I closed my eyes and tried to think. I was going to have to tell him.
“Liv?” He knew something was up. I could see it in his eyes.
I slumped in my chair. “She’s not coming.”
“What do you mean she’s not coming? Wait, did she go to Italy for the funeral too?”
I could have lied to him right then. He’d given me the perfect opportunity by coming up with the perfect lie for me to serve up, but I couldn’t do it. Not to him. I took a deep breath and told him the truth. The weird thing was that it was actually harder than telling him about me being a boy.
He didn’t say anything for a moment or two. I half hoped that maybe he would call me a genius again, or at the very least say that he understood why I’d lied to my parents. When he finally looked up at me, I knew he was going to do neither of those things.
“I can’t believe you did that.” His voice was flat, stripped bare of any feeling.
“I suppose you’d be totally fine with your parents being laughed at by Jade Evans?” I felt it in my stomach first. The anger. Like a fire had been lit. If I wasn’t careful, the flames would get out of control.
“I wouldn’t care! And they wouldn’t care either. Who gives a monkey’s butt what Jade Evans thinks anyway?”
My jaw clenched and my hands tightened into fists. “Stop shouting at me!”
“I wasn’t shouting. I was just talking loudly! And stop changing the subject. You do realize how stupid you’ve been, don’t you?”
I wanted to hurt him right then. I hate being called stupid. Call me anything you like, but don’t ever, ever call me stupid. “Shut up! It’s none of your business anyway! It has nothing to do with you!”
“What’s that supposed to mean? We’re friends, aren’t we?”
“If you were my friend, you’d understand why I don’t want my mom to come tonight.”
“I do understand, Liv.”
The flames exploded. “You don’t! You have no idea what it’s like! No one’s going to laugh and stare and point at your parents when they walk in! YOUR PARENTS ARE NORMAL!”