First Time by Meg Tilly

Author:Meg Tilly
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781554696178
Publisher: Orca Book Publishers
Published: 2008-11-01T04:00:00+00:00

Chapter Eleven

I take my time unlacing the skates and handing them in, getting my shoes. It always feels odd to walk after skating. It’s almost like I have to remember how. Everything feels sort of floppy.

I’m one of the last people to leave. I take my time walking home. I hope Larry’s gone. That mom’s not having him sleep over tonight. It’s pretty dark. There’s not much of a moon out tonight, and it keeps getting covered up by clouds. There are a lot of cars though, casting off light, headlights arcing across the road, and then red glowing tail lights disappearing in the distance. Every once in a while one comes along, music blasting, and I scrunch down in my jacket. Hope it’s not Lynn. I don’t want her to see me walking home all alone, like some pathetic friendless loser.

Another car speeds by. Someone flings a beer can out the back window. I jump back, but it really wasn’t necessary. The guy had bad aim. It missed me by a mile. “Screw you!” I yell, giving them the finger. Doesn’t really help things, but makes me feel better. Probably not the smartest thing to antagonize a carload of drunken red-necks. I’m glad to see their car doesn’t slow down, but just keeps on going, disappearing over the crest of the hill.

I’m halfway up our drive before I realize I’m holding my breath. I let it out. Try to calm my body. I hope Larry’s not here. Maybe they went over to his house, or out or something.

I come around the back of the house and there is his black Jaguar sitting in the drive. My first impulse is to hide. Which I realize, sitting here behind mom’s purple flowering rhododendron bush, is really stupid. It’s his car for Christ’s sake. He’s not even in it. What’s it going to do? Run me over driverless like in some kind of cheesy horror movie?

Maybe Lynn’s back from the party and I could sleep over at her house. I call her cell phone. The ground is damp on my butt. Either she’s not picking up or her batteries are dead. I don’t bother leaving a message. I call her home phone. It rings four times. I’m just about to hang up when Lynn’s mom answers.

“Hello?” She sounds really sleepy. I think I woke her up.

“Um...Hello, Mrs. Masterson, I’m so sorry to bother you. Is Lynn there?”

“I don’t think she’s home yet, honey. Do you want me to go check her bedroom?”

“Would you mind?”

“No problem, sweetie.” She always does that. Calls me “sweetie” and “honey.” I don’t mind though. It makes me feel like she thinks of me as family.

She comes back to the phone. “No, Lynn’s not back yet. Shouldn’t be long.” Lynn’s mom stifles a yawn. For a second I’m tempted to ask if I can sleep over anyway. But that might seem weird, so I don’t.

“All right,” I say, my voice, cheerful. “Thank you for checking. Sorry if I woke you.

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