The Green by Karly Kirkpatrick

disappointment in my voice. If he was going to move to
California, was there really a point in even going out with
him?
    “But I also really liked the schools near
here. I guess I’ll just see who accepts me and make the decision
after that. What’s your number one?” he asked.
    “Definitely Northwestern. Charlie Gibson, you
know, that famous newscaster? Well, he went there. That’s my dream
school.”
    “Well, you definitely have the grades to get
in there.”
    “Yeah, I sure hope so!” I decided to fidget
with the radio, but couldn’t find anything but commercials.
    “I’d love to be a foreign correspondent,
seeing the world as my job, ya know?” he said.
    I let myself daydream for a minute…Paris,
Africa, Dubai, China…how nice to get to travel to all those places.
My mind flitted a few pictures of James and me on the Eiffel Tower,
riding through the desert and on a safari…ugh! Snap out of it
Ariceli!
    “So, what’s on the agenda for the NHS meeting
today?” he asked, pulling me out of my thoughts.
    “Oh, uh, we’re talking about our next service
project. We’re going to work in a soup kitchen twice a month.
Actually, the place is not too far from me in Slate Park.”
    “Man, it’s always something, right? I’ve got
basketball and now I’ll have to fit this in too?”
    “I know, I hear ya. I’ve got cheerleading and
class council and homework and now I’ve got a job.” Oh shit. Why
did I just say that? Now I’m going to have to tell him ‘what kind’
of job I have. Shit, shit, shit!
    “I still don’t understand where you’re going
to find time for a job!” he said.
    “Oh, well I, uh, it’s a family friend so he’s
cool about letting me work around my schedule.” Okay, that was easy
enough. And really I wasn’t lying. And it’s easier knowing that
James already knew I was working just in case this developed into
something further.
    “What kind of stuff do you have to do?”
    Double shit and a half. Okay, be calm. It’s
not that big a deal.
    By the way, I am going to be dealing
drugs.
    “He does deliveries and stuff, and I’ll just
be doing some office work organizing deliveries.” Lies slid off my
tongue too easily.
    “Sounds pretty easy. Does it pay well?”
    “Enough. Since my brother moved out, my mom
could use a little help, you know?”
    I’m sure he didn’t know, as we sat in his
brand new Honda, with leather seats and a moon roof. He went home
to a nice house with two parents that could pay their bills and had
enough money to buy their son a brand new car.
    “That’s nice of you,” he said.
    “Nice? I know this might not make a lot of
sense, but it has nothing to do with being nice.” My voice was
sharp. I hoped he caught my dagger as I looked away.
    “Whoa, Ari, I’m sorry. Don’t get all mad. I
didn’t mean it in a bad way!” He seemed confused at my
reaction.
    I took a deep breath. There was no need to
get mad at him because he didn’t understand.
    “No, I’m sorry. It’s just, there’s a lot of
stuff going on at home right now. I’m just a little stressed.” That
was most certainly not a lie.
    “Well, if you ever want to talk about it,
I’ll listen,” he said softly. He turned down Cambridge Avenue and
stopped in front of the school at the light.
    I looked out the window, thinking about if I
should say anything else. He seemed like he cared more than Naomi
would about this.
    “When my brother moved out, I found out that
my mom can’t pay all the bills on her own. If I don’t try to help
her, we wouldn’t be able to stay in Slate Park. Meaning I wouldn’t
get to finish the year at Cambridge.” I kept my eyes fixed on the
road.
    “Wow Ari, I’m really sorry to hear that,” he
said gently. The light changed and we pulled into the parking lot.
“But you know what, you are a damn hard worker and I know you can
do it. Hey wait, I can be your cheerleader! So anytime you’re
having a bad day, let me know and I will do a cheer routine