Fading by Cindy Cipriano

Author:Cindy Cipriano [Cipriano, Cindy]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: CTP Publishing

9

Cruising

I was pretty sure the counselor wasn’t trying to be funny, but I couldn’t stop giggling due to Anamae’s incessant monologue.

Mr. Miller stood before us as we sat on the bleachers in the main gym. He was tall, well built, and looked too young to be working in a high school. He looked like he should still be in college, not leading field trips to one.

“Your schedule is pretty tight,” Mr. Miller said.

“Just like you,” whispered Anamae.

“We want you to have fun, but be responsible.”

“Well, which is it?” Anamae asked. “Are we supposed to have fun or be responsible?”

I snickered.

“Stay with your group and don’t wander away,” Mr. Miller said.

“Oh, but that’s where I do my best wandering,” Anamae said. “Away.”

“Your curfew is midnight,” Mr. Miller continued.

“Like Cinderella,” Anamae said.

Mr. Miller trained his eyes on Anamae. “Exactly like Cinderella. But unlike her fairy godmother, we’ll be around to check that you are in for the night. We’ll also give you a personal wake-up call.” He raised an eyebrow, and then stared at her a few more seconds before turning to a boy a few rows over.

“How exactly are they going to do that?” I whispered.

Anamae lowered her voice, not wanting to call more attention to herself. “They tape us in.”

“What?” I asked, confused.

“They go around to each room and put a piece of tape on the top of the door. We can’t go out until they come by in the morning and check to see the tape is still in one piece.”

“How do you know?” I asked, impressed.

“Becky told me. She said they did the same thing when she went on her college tours.” Anamae nudged me. “She also told me how to get around it.”

I thought about Becky, telling me how much fun college would be that day James and I had lunch off campus. I was absolutely sure Becky knew all about having fun.

“Of course she did,” I said. “But I’d really rather not get kicked off the other trips I signed up for.”

“What are we getting kicked out for?” James asked as he joined us. He took my hand.

“Me and my errant ways.” Anamae grinned.

“All right, it’s time to go.” Mr. Miller motioned us to the exits. “The busses are waiting.”.

My heart soared. This was the first trip I’d taken without my parents. As I walked down the narrow aisle, I felt as if I were leaving the kid in me behind for my adult version. Anamae, on the other hand, expressed immediate disappointment.

“Only two seats per row?” she groaned. “I wanted to sit beside you, Leath. Since you seem to be attached to James, well, how can I?”

She gave her patented Anamae pout, but her attitude quickly changed when she spotted an empty seat toward the back of the bus beside Matt Brooks. I remembered Matt. I’d had a crush on him in middle school just like all the other girls. Matt had grown quite tall and was well built due to the years he’d spent on the basketball team.

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