24
When You’re Busted, You’re Busted

I head up the front steps, put my key in the front door, and start to push, when the door opens all by itself. It’s Mom, waiting there for me, with an expression on her face that is beyond unhappy. She looks more like a mobster than a mom.

“I told you not to lie to me again, Alex,” she says.

I don’t say a thing. I walk past her as quietly as I can.

Seriously? I have to add my own mother to the list of people determined to give me a hard time about anything and everything having to do with Bijou and me? Do parents think it’s their personal mission to prevent their kids from growing up into responsible adults with actual lives?

“Alex, answer me. What do you have to say for yourself?”

I think as clearly as I can, considering that I just had my first kiss. “I told you I was going to a movie with Ira and Nomura, and I was going to a movie with Ira and Nomura.”

“Wait, you’re talking about last Saturday?” She looks like she’s about to order a hit on me, gangster-style. “I wasn’t even talking about the movie, Alex.” Oops. “Was there anyone there besides you and your guy friends?”

All right, when you’re busted, you’re busted. “Bijou, Mary Agnes, and Maricel.”

“What?!?”

“I didn’t lie. I just didn’t tell you every single person who wound up coming.”

“Oh please, Alex. Like Bijou wasn’t the entire reason you were there. It was a horror movie. You were terrified of Harry Potter, for God’s sake.”

“Thanks for pointing that out, Mom.”

“Were you with her again this afternoon?” she asks. “Because I know you weren’t with Nomura. I called over there, and his mom told me she hadn’t seen you in two weeks.”

“Yeah, I was.” I tell her about everything: the drum lesson, the walk home.

Correction: I tell her about everything except the very best part. I’m allowed to keep some things to myself.

“Alex, I don’t know what’s gotten into you since you met that girl, but you’re turning into a habitual liar.”

“I didn’t lie. I just didn’t tell the whole truth.”

“Alex, omitting the truth is a lie.” She takes a deep breath, gathers herself. “You are forbidden to see her, or her brother, until I say otherwise. And for the next three weeks, you’re not to see anybody outside of school. Not Nomura, not Ira, not anybody. You’ll come straight home after classes each day, you’ll do your homework, you’ll go to bed.”

“Is that all?” From past experience, I know challenging her, or using sarcasm at all, is a big mistake. So why am I doing it?

“Actually, it’s not.” She takes two steps toward me and holds out her hand. “I’ll have your cell phone, please.”

“What? For how long?”

“For as long as you’re grounded.”

“What? Three weeks without a phone?” Who ever would have thought that my mom would be as bad as Uncle Pierre? Correction: worse than Pierre. “You’re doing all this because I like a girl?”

“No. Because you’ve lied to me repeatedly.” Her words splatter me like paintball pellets. “Because your interest in this girl has made you lose sight of what’s right and what’s wrong. End of story.”

End of story? Not quite. I might have to suspend drum lessons for a while, but there’s still our Gran Bwa. And Musicale rehearsals, which take place during school hours. I’ve still got two weeks before the actual performance, where Mom and Dolly will, of course, be in the audience.

After forbidding me to see Bijou, it’ll be quite a shock to see me sharing a stage with her. But I’ll cross that bridge when I come to it.

Alex,

Oh, that was a close call, wasn’t it?

When I walked in, Marie Claire said it was a miracle I could carry my backpack and all those clothes from the dry cleaner’s to Guillaume’s and back. She felt my arm muscle and said, “You been working out, niece?” Funny, right?

I’m glad you come from a family that doesn’t watch you so closely.

I can’t wait to see you for our first Musical (is that how you spell it?) rehearsal. You’re bringing your drum, right? Now it’s your turn to carry around something heavy all the day long.

I miss you. Tuesday is too far away. Leave me a note.

Bijou

P.S. You are the first boy I ever kissed. I liked it. I’m glad it was you, Alex.