Ocean State by Stewart O'Nan

Author:Stewart O'Nan
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Grove Atlantic
Published: 2022-02-14T20:09:07+00:00

3

Birdy’s hip is the worst, bruised purple and black, and so tender it hurts just lifting her leg to step out of the shower. She doesn’t remember being hit in the ribs, but the proof’s in the mirror, a brown island the size of a fist. She locks her door before getting dressed, confusing Ofelia, lies down on the bed and grits her teeth as she pulls on her jeans. In the bathroom, she does her makeup like any other day. Behind her one ear there’s a lump, but besides a slight brush burn on the tip of her chin, which could easily be from soccer, her face is untouched. She was afraid she’d have an egg on her forehead, and thinks it’s funny that her visor saved her. She turns her face one way and then the other, dabs a little concealer on her chin. No one will know.

Her mother doesn’t, or Birdy wouldn’t be going to school. She’d rather stay home with a couple of icepacks, but they’re playing Chariho, and he’s supposed to meet her after the game. As far as she knows, they’re still on. She’s not going to let her keep them apart.

She’s told no one, not even Elena. She doesn’t want to be news. This is between her and Myles, not the whole school. The girlfriend’s plan has already backfired. Once he sees what she’s done, Birdy’s sure he’ll choose her.

As she turns into the lot, following the line ahead of her, she’s on high alert, checking her mirrors, expecting, any second, the girlfriend to come screeching from between the parked cars, smash her window and drag her out. Instead there’s Hector, leaning against the trunk of his Charger, talking with Gregory and Sonya, who bounce when they see Birdy coming.

She’s prepared to drive right by him, and is surprised when he waves her down. The way he spoke to her the last time, she thought he was done with her.

He doesn’t lean in the window, stands back as if she might drive off.

“What?” she asks.

“Hey. I need that ticket for the dance.”

Next Friday’s the Halloween Hop. They were supposed to go together, so this means he’s taking someone else. That’s why he’s talking to her.

“I don’t have it on me.”

“Just whenever.”

“Yeah.”

“A’ight,” he says, in that fake way she hates.

“That’s all you want to say?”

“Unless you’ve got something you want to say.”

She’s already said she was sorry, that it was her fault. What more does he want—a reason why? Once, she wanted to be with him all the time. When did that change?

“I’ll get you the ticket.”

“A’ight,” he says, letting her go, and she wishes she had a car like his so she could peel out, leave him choking on a cloud of smoke.

She doesn’t want to know who he’s going with, but Elena tells her anyway: Brianna Mendes.

She’s a teammate from spring softball, their second-best pitcher, and though Birdy shouldn’t care, she feels betrayed.

“I thought she and Josh were a thing.”

“Not for a while.

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