knees on the floor. I was sobbing forcefully, as if someone was reaching inside my chest and yanking the sounds out. I even tore at my hair a little, though not hard enough to pull it out. I curled up in the fetal position with my arms over my face and just cried. Several minutes passed before I heard a sound other than the ones I was making.
“Courtney?”
I flinched and looked toward the door. Someone had come in without my noticing. Elaine Winslow stood leaning against the closed door, cool and calm, her face unreadable. I just stared at her, my cheeks striped with tears.
“Are you okay?”
I hiccupped.
“I didn’t mean to eavesdrop, but I was in the next room.” She held up a golf club. “They let me practice putting down here in the winter.” She bit her lip. “Did you and Ted have a fight?”
“I, um…” I didn’t know what to say. I began to pull myself together, smoothing my hair and wiping my face, gasping as I tried to regulate my breathing.
Elaine leaned her golf club against the door and felt in her pockets. She produced a small packet of tissues from her skirt pocket and held it out to me. “I heard something about Hugh? I realize this is none of my business, but in my humble opinion, Ted and Hugh are real assholes.”
“Ted’s not being an asshole,” I said. I fumbled with the tissues, managed to free one, and tried to hand the pack back to her. She waved me off. “He’s just worried about me. I have been acting weird lately—I mean, I can see how he thinks that,” I said, swiping at the tears dripping off my chin with the tissue. “You know how it is. Senior fall stress.” I tried to smile, but it felt more like a manic, skull-like grin.
“Oh,” I saw something close in Elaine’s face, something that I hadn’t even recognized until it was gone. Hope, maybe, that we were going to dish together over Ted.
“You’re right about Hugh, though,” I said. “I tried to tell that to your sister.”
One corner of Elaine’s mouth went up, and she knelt down on the floor next to me. “Yeah, I heard about that.”
“I wasn’t just bitching out on her.” I blew my nose. I was finally breathing normally. “I really like Molly. But Hugh is…dangerous.”
“I know,” said Elaine. “I tried to tell her the same thing.”
“You did?” I eyed Elaine. My friends had been hers first, back when she and Ted had dated. Maybe she even knew what it was like to spend a night in Melissa Lewis’s guest bathroom. But I’d always felt weird and competitive around her, on account of Ted. Her face was still and had no expression. I was too afraid to ask what Hugh had done to make her form this opinion. It didn’t occur to me to wonder what Ted had done to earn the same label, other than dump Elaine almost two years earlier.
“Yeah. Molly didn’t listen to me, either.” Elaine gazed off into the middle distance. “I think it just makes him more appealing to her. It’s all very ‘us against the world.’ She used to love Marshall, but all of a sudden she thinks he’s boring. She keeps telling me we’re like an old married couple. I say I’d rather be old and married than young and stupid. That’s about the point in the conversation when she stops talking to me. She thinks I just don’t want to let her grow up.” Elaine looked at me. “Are you feeling better?”
“A little. I mean, I think I can handle going out in public.” I wiped a few stray tears from my eyelashes. “Crap, I have completely cut calculus.”
“Alden might not write you up. He’s cool like that,” said Elaine. “Listen. I kind of have a favor to ask you.”
“Okay.” I narrowed my eyes a little. One measly pack of tissues and now she wanted a favor?
“As long as Molly’s dating Hugh—and I will find a way to break them up—but in the meantime, maybe you could sort of keep an eye on her? At parties and stuff?”
“I’m not sure she needs a babysitter,” I said. More like a bodyguard. And
“Courtney?”
I flinched and looked toward the door. Someone had come in without my noticing. Elaine Winslow stood leaning against the closed door, cool and calm, her face unreadable. I just stared at her, my cheeks striped with tears.
“Are you okay?”
I hiccupped.
“I didn’t mean to eavesdrop, but I was in the next room.” She held up a golf club. “They let me practice putting down here in the winter.” She bit her lip. “Did you and Ted have a fight?”
“I, um…” I didn’t know what to say. I began to pull myself together, smoothing my hair and wiping my face, gasping as I tried to regulate my breathing.
Elaine leaned her golf club against the door and felt in her pockets. She produced a small packet of tissues from her skirt pocket and held it out to me. “I heard something about Hugh? I realize this is none of my business, but in my humble opinion, Ted and Hugh are real assholes.”
“Ted’s not being an asshole,” I said. I fumbled with the tissues, managed to free one, and tried to hand the pack back to her. She waved me off. “He’s just worried about me. I have been acting weird lately—I mean, I can see how he thinks that,” I said, swiping at the tears dripping off my chin with the tissue. “You know how it is. Senior fall stress.” I tried to smile, but it felt more like a manic, skull-like grin.
“Oh,” I saw something close in Elaine’s face, something that I hadn’t even recognized until it was gone. Hope, maybe, that we were going to dish together over Ted.
“You’re right about Hugh, though,” I said. “I tried to tell that to your sister.”
One corner of Elaine’s mouth went up, and she knelt down on the floor next to me. “Yeah, I heard about that.”
“I wasn’t just bitching out on her.” I blew my nose. I was finally breathing normally. “I really like Molly. But Hugh is…dangerous.”
“I know,” said Elaine. “I tried to tell her the same thing.”
“You did?” I eyed Elaine. My friends had been hers first, back when she and Ted had dated. Maybe she even knew what it was like to spend a night in Melissa Lewis’s guest bathroom. But I’d always felt weird and competitive around her, on account of Ted. Her face was still and had no expression. I was too afraid to ask what Hugh had done to make her form this opinion. It didn’t occur to me to wonder what Ted had done to earn the same label, other than dump Elaine almost two years earlier.
“Yeah. Molly didn’t listen to me, either.” Elaine gazed off into the middle distance. “I think it just makes him more appealing to her. It’s all very ‘us against the world.’ She used to love Marshall, but all of a sudden she thinks he’s boring. She keeps telling me we’re like an old married couple. I say I’d rather be old and married than young and stupid. That’s about the point in the conversation when she stops talking to me. She thinks I just don’t want to let her grow up.” Elaine looked at me. “Are you feeling better?”
“A little. I mean, I think I can handle going out in public.” I wiped a few stray tears from my eyelashes. “Crap, I have completely cut calculus.”
“Alden might not write you up. He’s cool like that,” said Elaine. “Listen. I kind of have a favor to ask you.”
“Okay.” I narrowed my eyes a little. One measly pack of tissues and now she wanted a favor?
“As long as Molly’s dating Hugh—and I will find a way to break them up—but in the meantime, maybe you could sort of keep an eye on her? At parties and stuff?”
“I’m not sure she needs a babysitter,” I said. More like a bodyguard. And
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