When I meet Shane at lunchtime, he tells me that tonight is teen night at the Rock. Then he asks me if I can sneak out just one more time. I feel so desperate to go out with Shane. Ever since my mom grounded me, I haven’t dared sneak out the window. I don’t know whether I should do it or not, but I really want to be with Shane. He’s the only one who understands me.
That evening, I wait until I’m sure Mom is sound asleep before I carefully take the screen off my bedroom window and climb out into the back yard. I slowly grope along in the dark until I reach the gate that opens to the street. Then I hurry over to wait on the street corner where Shane and Charley are supposed to pick me up.
Scary thoughts race through my mind as I stand waiting next to the street light. What if Shane and Charley forget to pick me up? What if Mom wakes up and comes looking for me? I am starting to feel very panicky when all of a sudden a car comes screeching around the corner. I breathe a sigh of relief when I recognize Charley driving his dad’s car. They pull up next to me.
“Hey, babe,” Shane greets me as I climb into the front seat between him and Charley. “We’ve been cruising around here for an hour watching for you. What took you?”
Before I can say anything, Shane tells Charley, “Let’s hit it over to the Rock, Charley. See what’s going down there.”
I start to feel excited about going to the Rock. I haven’t been there in such a long time. I wonder how it will feel dancing with Shane.
When we reach downtown, it takes us a while to find a parking spot. Since Laguna is the only university city in this area, the downtown is filled with fancy restaurants and dance clubs, like the Rock, that cater to the tourists and the university students. Mom hates coming downtown because it’s impossible to find a parking space and she always runs into her students.
As soon as we get inside the Rock, I see a couple of the girls from the tennis team, but I pretend that I don’t notice them. I hate those rich, stuck-up socies with a passion. That’s what everyone calls them at school because they act so stuck-up.
“Let’s go boogie,” Shane says, pulling me onto the dance floor.
I’m surprised to find that Shane is a good dancer. I guess I always thought heavy-metal guys didn’t dance, especially to hip-hop music. We dance for almost a half-hour and then head back toward the entrance where Charley is standing talking to some weird-looking guys I’ve never seen before. Shane joins their conversation, and I try to act as if I’m interested in what they’re saying, even though I couldn’t care less. All of a sudden, I feel someone tap me on the shoulder. I turn around and find myself face to face with Tyrone.
“Hi, Maya. Wanna dance?” he asks me.
My face is flushed. “No, thanks,” I answer indignantly, turning away from him and moving closer to Shane, who hasn’t even noticed that another guy has asked me to dance. Out of the corner of my eye, I watch as Tyrone turns and walks away from me to join Tommy, Rina and Juanita, who are standing on the other side of the dance floor waiting for him. From the look on Tyrone’s face, I know that I’ve hurt him. Maybe I should have danced with him just once.
After a while, Shane pulls me back onto the dance floor. We keep dancing until the music finally stops and the lights go on signaling that it’s closing time. Then we go back and join Charley and his weird friends.
We are walking out of the building when I hear someone call my name. It’s Juanita. I’m not sure whether I should talk to her or not, but I find myself slowing down while Shane and Charley walk ahead of me.
“Hi, Maya. Can we talk?” Juanita asks in a subdued tone.
“About what?” I ask, trying to sound as rude as possible.
“I just wanted to talk, that’s all.”
Shane is waving at me and calling me to hurry. “Yeah, well, sorry, I’m in a hurry,” I tell her, rushing away to catch up with Shane and Charley.
After cruising around Laguna for a while, we get bored and drive out to the nearest beach where we meet a couple of Charley’s friends from the dance. We crank up our car radios and lay some blankets on the sand so we can all sit together. Charley’s weird friends have some beer with them. I’ve never tasted beer before, but I make myself drink one so they won’t think I’m a baby. It tastes bitter and it makes me feel so dizzy that I stay as close as possible to Shane.
A while later, Shane asks me to go for a walk with him on the beach. I can tell that he’s had too much to drink because he’s talking weird. After we walk up the beach a ways, we find a place to sit and watch the waves. Shane puts his arms around me, pressing his body up against mine, and I start to feel warm all over. First he kisses me lightly, then more deeply. I’ve never made out with a guy like this before. When Shane starts to kiss me on the neck, I panic. I abruptly push his hands away, telling him that I feel sick to my stomach and need to use the bathroom. Shane seems upset, but he gives in and we walk back toward the cars.
When we finally get back to Laguna, it’s almost two in the morning. Shane insists on getting out of the car and walking me to my house. When we get to the gate, Shane follows me into the back yard. I’m afraid to argue with him because I know he’s had too much to drink. As soon as we get to my bedroom window, I tell him goodbye and sneak back inside my room. The next thing I know, he crawls in through the window after me. I insist that he leave, but he won’t listen to me. Although it is pitch dark, he manages to reach over and pull me onto the bed with him. I am struggling to get free from his grasp when suddenly the door bursts open and the room is filled with light.
“What is going on here?” Mom Yells.
Shane immediately stands up, looking deathly pale.
“What the hell are you doing in my daughter’s bedroom?” Mom asks Shane between clenched teeth.
“Wait, Mom, I can explain,” I mumble, knowing that I’m in deep trouble.
“Shut up, Maya. And you, you better get out of this room before I call the police.”
“Yeah, sure,” Shane answers in a shaky voice.
“Where do you live?” Mom asks, glaring at Shane.
“On the other side of town.”
“Well, get out of here before I have you arrested.”
I start to speak, but before I have time to say anything, Mom reaches over and slaps me on the face as hard as she can. “You stay right here, Maya. I’ll show him out.”
I am so stunned by the sudden blow that I don’t say anything. I watch in silence as Shane follows Mom down the hallway. My cheek is burning. This is the first time that my mom has ever hit me.
After a few minutes, Mom comes back into my room. I notice her eyes are red and puffy and she looks very old. But I don’t care. I hate her. I can’t stand looking at her. That’s probably why Dad left. Maybe he couldn’t stand looking at her either.
“Maya, how could you do this to me?” Mom asks me in an anguished voice.
“I didn’t do anything,” I say defensively, trying to convince myself that she is the bad person, not me.
“Aren’t you ashamed, sneaking a boy into your room? I want you to know that you’re grounded for life. And I’m calling your dad in the morning.”
“I hate you. I can’t stand you,” I scream back at her. “It’s all your fault Dad left. I hate you so much.” I can feel the tears rolling down my cheeks.
Mom’s eyes are filled with tears, but I can tell that she’s trying to remain calm. “It’s late and we’re both too upset to talk now, Maya. Go to bed. We’ll talk about this in the morning. And leave your bedroom door open!”
After she leaves, I cry myself to sleep, wishing things could be like before, wishing Dad were here.
As soon as I wake up the next morning, I know what I have to do. I can hear the television in the family room, so I know Mom is already awake. I dress quickly, grab my purse, and head fro the living room, hoping that my mom won’t hear me. I’m almost at the front door when she suddenly appears before me. She grabs me by the arm and says, “Maya, where do you think you’re going? You have a lot of explaining to do after what happened last night.”
I push her away from me. “I can’t stand being here anymore. And I can’t stand being around you. I’m leaving.” I yell at her, racing out the front door before she has time to stop me.
“M’ija, wait. Come back here,” I hear her call out to me as I take off down the street.