While JimDaddy tuned his guitar and while Momma had everyone pile fresh ingredients on their individual pizza crusts (another Aunt Odie secret recipe), I excused myself to my bedroom to take a deep breath and try and calm the nerves.
I eased the door shut behind me and leaned against it.
A girl stood in the corner of my room. The one I’d seen going through the gate to the backyard.
“Erp,” I said, startled.
She flapped her hand at me. “Sorry, Evie,” she said. “I shoulda been there when your JimDaddy was making introductions, but I can’t hang out with Justin.”
“Oh.”
“It makes me sad.”
“Um.”
She pulled her blacker-than-black hair back into a ponytail. It glittered in the lights from the special-order pink chandelier. “I’m Tommie.”
“Sorry for not meeting you in the living room. It looks good, doesn’t it?”
“What?” I asked, and then said, “That’s okay.”
What was she doing in here? And without my permission. And what was she talking about?
“Evie!” Momma called. “Come on and make your pizza!”
I went to the heart-shaped mirror that hung over the dresser. My hair was still okay, styled in a way I would never be able to do myself. But my eyes looked too big. Surprised. And why not? There was a stranger in my bedroom.
“Evie?” Momma again.
I looked over my shoulder. “We better go,” I said, “or my momma is gonna have an infarction.”
Tommie laughed, a soft sound that was almost sad. “In a minute,” she said. “I promise.”
“But, ummm, everyone’s out here. That’s where the party is.”
Tommie’s eyes filled with tears, making the blue color intensify. Her skin was so pale I knew she’d sunburn the moment she got out in full day unless she had on SPF 8000.
“I’m not sure why I’m so emotional. We used to go out,” she said. She sat at the edge of my bed and wept into her hands. She looked too young to date to me, but maybe her momma didn’t care so much. What was a kid like her doing at my party? “And now everyone in the neighborhood is ignoring me. When I came tonight, I thought I could handle it. But I can’t.” She cried some more, her hair falling forward like a shroud.
Well, this was awkward.
“Evie,” Momma called. “Your guests are waiting for you.”
“Okay,” I said to Tommie. “You can stay in here for a little bit. I guess.”
She looked up at me, her face filled with thankfulness, then stood, went to the window, and turned back to me. “Are you sure? I’d really appreciate it.”
I wasn’t sure, but what could I do?
“Yeah,” I said, and left Tommie in the corner of my room, staring out the window into the growing darkness.