week, I asked him how he thought he did.
Blueyedevil: Alright, I think. Performance exams were a piece of cake. You?
Bookworm01: Passed the AP tests in April, so those classes are auto A’s. So glad I don’t have to take PE again. Are you coming home for summer?
Blueyedevil: Don’t think so, Bethie.
Bookworm01: Why not? School’s out.
Blueyedevil: It’s expensive, and the band is pushing for gigs now we have time. ‘Sides, you know Mum—I have to work.
Bookworm01: You could work here.
Bookworm01: I miss my best friend.
Blueyedevil: Miss you, too, love. Gotta go. Celebratory freedom date.
Bookworm01: Oh. Girlfriend?
Blueyedevil: Could be. Later, Bethie!
He signed off the messenger program.
Well, that sucked.
No best friend for the summer plus he was out with other girls and I was…
I grew to five-foot-five over the year and finally felt I was starting to look my age of seventeen. Still didn’t have much of a figure, yet, but at least I didn’t look twelve.
It was summer and I was looking at college applications, so I toured the UCLA campus and got lost in the beautiful library. Already decided not to leave L.A. as long as my parents were here. Call me a scared-y-cat, but I wasn’t ready to leave home, yet.
London was the only other city that enticed me, but friendship wasn’t enough to make me move to another continent.
Mom and I went to visit Andrew for a week in August. He had a serious girlfriend he wanted the family to meet. It was an awesome trip and I wouldn’t mind Darcy as a sister-in-law.
My high came crashing down when we got home.
Jacob made a surprise visit for a few days and I wasn’t here.
He left souvenirs and a letter on my bed, but there was so much I would have said and wanted to know. Of all the rotten, stupid timing…
“Hey…” I greeted him when the phone picked up.
“Hey, Bethie! What’s up, love?” He sounded distracted, some place noisy.
“I don’t have a lot of minutes, but I wanted to say I’m sorry I missed you. Why didn’t you tell someone you were coming?”
“Eh, spur of the moment, pet, really. You should see us play. The band is really takin’ off, Bethie. I had to tell Mum before things get crazy, ya know? I have a feelin’ about this like you wouldn’t believe.” Even over an international phone line, his accent was thicker after a year in London.
“That’s great. When you make the radio I’ll tell people I knew you when.”
Jacob getting famous scared me.
Distance made it hard to keep in touch—becoming a rock star would make it impossible. The worst of it? I knew it would happen some day.
“Aww, there’ll always be room for my number one fan, Bethie. Think you’ll like what I brought you. Well, gotta go, pet. Rehearsal space ain’t cheap.”
“O-okay. Keep me up to date, okay?” He wasn’t reliable about it, but I could still ask.
These phone calls never lasted long enough.
“Sure, sure. Bye!”
“B—”
Click.
“Bye…” I set the phone in the cradle, and sniffed, something bothering my eye, and looked through the presents. There was a t-shirt wrapped in plastic. I tore that open and held up the shirt—a band logo. Jacob’s band logo! “Awesome!”
There was some other London stuff—tourist trinkets, mostly. I set the letter aside to read after dinner when I wouldn’t be interrupted.
When I went to bed, I slept in the shirt.
Senior year was a blur and too slow all at once.
Didn’t make sense, but the mind sensed the passage of time in weird ways.
My eighteenth birthday carried little fanfare, but I did finally have a party, a small one. Dad barbequed and we were out in the backyard until it got too warm.
A few class friends came over, other nerds that were cool to hang out with.
Andrew and Darcy sent a gift and I got an e-mail from Jacob, and my friends brought gift cards. Mom gave me an old camera and the coordinating lenses.
You might think a hand-me-down present was cheap, but not this…I could spend days playing with the new capabilities on film.
I graduated second in class and five foot seven.
Jacob sent a charm of a book for my congratulations gift. It was gold, or gold-tone, and on a fine gold chain. At least, I thought it was from him. Mrs. Lindsey passed it on. I chose to believe his mother wasn’t covering for his forgetfulness since I didn’t hear from him often these days.
I wanted to fly out to London to see him this summer, but my parents wouldn’t pay for it and I didn’t have enough. “Can’t you cover the rest? You know what it would mean to me, and I’ll pay you back.”
Mom shook her head. “I’m sorry, honey. Your father said absolutely no way. He doesn’t want you going that far alone.”
“But I wouldn’t be alone there!” Jacob would take me in even if I didn’t call him first.
“Elizabeth, he made up his mind before he left. Maybe when he gets back there will be time to—”
“Forget it.” I stomped into my room and slammed the door shut.
Then I thought of talking to Mrs. Lindsey about it. I was eighteen, could go where I wanted—just didn’t have the cash.
Luck was with me when I went around the corner and found Mrs. Lindsey’s car in the driveway. Opening the front door, I called out, “Hello?”
“Elizabeth?” Vivian Lindsey walked out of her kitchen.
“It’s me.” I closed the door since the AC was on. “Um, I wanted to ask you something.”
She led me into her living room to the sofa. “What is it, dear?”
“Are you visiting Jacob this summer?”
“Probably…why?”
“I…I’d like to go with you. I haven’t seen him for two years, and once I start college, there might not be time again.”
“Well, Elizabeth, of course I enjoy your company, but have you discussed this with your parents?”
I had an answer prepared for that question. “Mom’s fine with me going and Dad’s away on business again. I’m eighteen, though, and I’ll be moving into the dorms in August, so, adult now. I’ll even pay part of my way. Please?”
Mrs. Lindsey smiled. “Just as stubborn as my son. Do you even have a passport?”
“Yup! A trip like this would be educational, too, with the history and the sights…get some nice photos for my portfolio…?”
Chuckling, she shook her head. “I pity the person that stands in the way of your goals, Elizabeth. Very well—”
I squealed and hugged her, cutting off the rest of her sentence. Might have squeezed a bit too hard, now I was several inches taller than Vivian. “Thank you, thank you! Say when and my bag is packed.”
Two weeks later, I sat at an airport gate waiting for them to call our row, foot tapping impatiently. Daddy wasn’t too thrilled I found a way to circumvent his decision, but I didn’t care. In a matter of hours, I’d see Jacob again!
He knew his mother was coming, but she hadn’t told me if he knew about me tagging along, as well. I hoped to surprise him.
Mrs. Lindsey put her house up for sale before we left, but that didn’t matter now, either. England was her home, and he would be there indefinitely. It made sense she’d want to go back, though I would miss climbing over the fence and chatting over cookies.
“Elizabeth, that’s us.”
“Okay!”
Vivian grinned. “You know you can’t bounce on the plane, yes?”
I blushed. “Sorry. This is just a big deal for me.”