it.
“I’m sorry, but I can’t,” she’d said, ducking out from under Chris’s arm.
“What do you mean? Come on, everybody’s really cool,” he’d said, flashing that megawatt smile of his.
“I know, but I promised my boyfriend I’d call him,” she’d told him, wondering if that was still the appropriate title for Justin.
“Oh, sorry.” He looked really embarrassed. “I didn’t know.” He held his hands up in surrender, and backed away. “I guess I’ll see ya later then,” he had called, turning and jogging toward the lunch tables, leaving Anne standing there alone and wondering if she’d just made a major mistake.
In retrospect, it had been a mistake. Since after going to that pathetic patch of grass that had become her usual, lonely lunchtime hangout, she sat cross-legged in the sun and made her usual, desperate bid to communicate with Justin. She flipped open her cell, pushed the right buttons, and let it ring itself all the way into voice mail.
So then she called again.
And then one more time.
And then, finally deciding to call his house and speak to his mother, she was promptly informed that Justin was next door.
“Would you like me to run over and get him?” she’d asked.
“Um, no. That’s okay,” Anne had said, closing her phone and lying flat on the grass, eyes closed against the sun, refusing to cry.
Justin lived on the corner.
Which meant he only had one next-door neighbor.
Which meant he was at Vanessa’s! Apparently he no longer cared about their scheduled telephone time!
Oh God. “Telephone time”—it even sounds pathetic! She rolled over onto her stomach, burying her face in the warm grass. What had they been thinking? Had she really believed they could make it work with all those miles between them? And when they promised they’d wait for each other, what exactly did that even mean? Because from what she knew about Vanessa, she doubted Justin would be waiting for anything.
She’d sat up, rubbed her eyes, and squinted at some guys throwing a Frisbee around the quad, some cheerleaders on a bench comparing manicures, and Chris telling a story, motioning wildly with his hands, while everyone around him laughed.
She lived here now. Not Connecticut. And her first big romance was over. Strangely, she didn’t feel so bad about it.
chapter eleven
Lola was in her mom’s bathroom, lounging in the awesome oversized Jacuzzi tub and enjoying the hot water, the bubbles, and the candles that were lit all around her as only a luxury-loving girl could. She lifted her leg high into the air, watching the bubbles gather, skidding into each other and slipping down to her knee. Then she stared at her feet, noting that her pedicure was definitely past its prime, but hoping she could pass it off for just one more night. She was determined to wear her new metallic stilettos on her date.
Her date. For her seventeen years, Lola had already been on many dates—far more than most girls her age. The very first one took place in sixth grade at the Ocean Ranch Cinemas when she had told her mom she was seeing How the Grinch Stole Christmas with Ellie and Jade, when what she really saw was Almost Famous with Parker Knowles, the cutest boy in her class. Lola had walked out of that theater wanting to be just like Penny Lane. Except for the drugs. And the getting traded to another band for a case of beer. Not to mention that unfortunate overdose. But still, everything else just seemed so glamorous, especially the furry-collared coat, the black sunglasses, and how all the guys in the movie fell in love with her.
Up until then, Parker Knowles had been one of her longest lasting, most serious romances. They’d been boyfriend and girlfriend for the better part of three weeks.
But things were simpler back then. Going steady meant no more than a handful of awkward phone calls, some sweaty hand-holding, and a few embarrassing attempts at kissing. By the time she and Parker had gotten it right, it
“I’m sorry, but I can’t,” she’d said, ducking out from under Chris’s arm.
“What do you mean? Come on, everybody’s really cool,” he’d said, flashing that megawatt smile of his.
“I know, but I promised my boyfriend I’d call him,” she’d told him, wondering if that was still the appropriate title for Justin.
“Oh, sorry.” He looked really embarrassed. “I didn’t know.” He held his hands up in surrender, and backed away. “I guess I’ll see ya later then,” he had called, turning and jogging toward the lunch tables, leaving Anne standing there alone and wondering if she’d just made a major mistake.
In retrospect, it had been a mistake. Since after going to that pathetic patch of grass that had become her usual, lonely lunchtime hangout, she sat cross-legged in the sun and made her usual, desperate bid to communicate with Justin. She flipped open her cell, pushed the right buttons, and let it ring itself all the way into voice mail.
So then she called again.
And then one more time.
And then, finally deciding to call his house and speak to his mother, she was promptly informed that Justin was next door.
“Would you like me to run over and get him?” she’d asked.
“Um, no. That’s okay,” Anne had said, closing her phone and lying flat on the grass, eyes closed against the sun, refusing to cry.
Justin lived on the corner.
Which meant he only had one next-door neighbor.
Which meant he was at Vanessa’s! Apparently he no longer cared about their scheduled telephone time!
Oh God. “Telephone time”—it even sounds pathetic! She rolled over onto her stomach, burying her face in the warm grass. What had they been thinking? Had she really believed they could make it work with all those miles between them? And when they promised they’d wait for each other, what exactly did that even mean? Because from what she knew about Vanessa, she doubted Justin would be waiting for anything.
She’d sat up, rubbed her eyes, and squinted at some guys throwing a Frisbee around the quad, some cheerleaders on a bench comparing manicures, and Chris telling a story, motioning wildly with his hands, while everyone around him laughed.
She lived here now. Not Connecticut. And her first big romance was over. Strangely, she didn’t feel so bad about it.
chapter eleven
Lola was in her mom’s bathroom, lounging in the awesome oversized Jacuzzi tub and enjoying the hot water, the bubbles, and the candles that were lit all around her as only a luxury-loving girl could. She lifted her leg high into the air, watching the bubbles gather, skidding into each other and slipping down to her knee. Then she stared at her feet, noting that her pedicure was definitely past its prime, but hoping she could pass it off for just one more night. She was determined to wear her new metallic stilettos on her date.
Her date. For her seventeen years, Lola had already been on many dates—far more than most girls her age. The very first one took place in sixth grade at the Ocean Ranch Cinemas when she had told her mom she was seeing How the Grinch Stole Christmas with Ellie and Jade, when what she really saw was Almost Famous with Parker Knowles, the cutest boy in her class. Lola had walked out of that theater wanting to be just like Penny Lane. Except for the drugs. And the getting traded to another band for a case of beer. Not to mention that unfortunate overdose. But still, everything else just seemed so glamorous, especially the furry-collared coat, the black sunglasses, and how all the guys in the movie fell in love with her.
Up until then, Parker Knowles had been one of her longest lasting, most serious romances. They’d been boyfriend and girlfriend for the better part of three weeks.
But things were simpler back then. Going steady meant no more than a handful of awkward phone calls, some sweaty hand-holding, and a few embarrassing attempts at kissing. By the time she and Parker had gotten it right, it
Similar Books
