Populazzi by Allen Elise

Author:Allen, Elise [Allen, Elise]
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Published: 2012-01-27T18:23:46+00:00

I recognized the song: "Dentist" from Little Shop of Horrors. Tom was playing the character in Chrysella's version, and he was the one singing. Ember, Sue, Doug, and Archer were fanned out behind him, all grinning as they sang backup. I guessed the rest of their group wasn't around because they didn't have a morning exam today.

I should have kept my head down, but I didn't. I looked up—and straight into the eyes of Archer. He did an actual double take at the sight of me. I knew I should smile so he could see everything was fine, but I didn't have the energy. I just stared blankly.

Archer broke from the group and knelt beside me. "Cara? What happened?"

"Archer, come on!" Ember called.

"Yes, Seymour, please! " Sue called in her Audrey voice, heaving out her chest for effect.

"You go ahead; I'll catch up," he told them.

Archer's friends scowled, but Tom had a song to finish, and they were soon on their way.

Archer was plopped on the floor in front of me, even though it put him in the middle of traffic. "Cara..." he said again, and bent to catch my eyes as I tried to look away.

"Cara, I'm serious. Is this ... was it Nate? Did something happen with Nate?"

His voice was strained, and I had the sudden and horrible realization that he was thinking date rape, which only proved that I was now able to mess up without even opening my mouth.

"No. Archer, honestly, no." And since I didn't want to leave him with any doubt on this one, I told him everything, despite the fact that he'd now realize I was so evil and selfish that I had in effect set off a thermonuclear device in the middle of my family.

He stared at me when I was done. I waited for him to walk away in disgust.

"So wait," Archer said, "Karl's disowning you because you made a mistake?"

"Because I lied to him and went behind his back, so he can't trust me anymore," I muttered, wondering if this was what it felt like for people who rehashed their sins every week at confession. It felt crappy.

"Yeah, I get that. But disowning you?"

"Washing his hands of me," I said, "because I'm a stranger to him now."

"And your mom says you need to be really good to win him back?"

I nodded. "It worked before. It's just hard because he won't even look at me. I think he's staying with my mom, though, so that's good. I just have to make sure I don't do anything to set him off, or he could leave and we'd lose the house, and then..." I thought of Mom breaking down in front of me the night before and shuddered.

Archer leaned in closer. "Cara, listen to me. Your parents are crazy. Your mom's been with Karl for, what, twelve years?"

I nodded.

"So he's your dad. He doesn't get to stop being your dad because he's mad at you. And the whole thing about you having to save their marriage and keep the family together? That's not your responsibility.

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