didn’t you say something?”
“Because I was hoping it wasn’t true! Oh God, what am I gonna
do
?”
Meg touches Lacy’s ring. “You’re engaged, right? Maybeyou guys can get married now, if your parents say it’s okay. Unless … well, you know. Unless you want an abortion.”
“I’d never murder Chad’s baby. I love him! He tattooed his
ass
for me.”
“Then tell him that. Tell your mom and dad, too.”
Lacy breaks into fresh sobs. “Nooo, they’ll
kill
me.”
“No, they won’t. But you have to call Chad,” Meg insists.
“I can’t! He’s in Japan!”
“Then e-mail him.” Meg hugs her. “Do it tonight and let us know what he says. Right?”
This last question, I guess, is directed at me. I force enthusiasm. “Yes, let us know. It’ll be all right,” I add belatedly. “If he loves you, he’ll marry you.”
Even though you’re not even out of eleventh grade, duh.
Lacy’s green eyes glitter. “What do you mean ‘if’ he loves me? Don’t you think he does?” Face contorted, she shuts her eyes and clasps her temples. “You don’t even know him,” she rasps as I back away. “You don’t know
me
.”
“I only meant …” My words dissolve as a bone-numbing chill descends.
What the hell IS that?
As I turn questioningly to Meg, Lacy’s eyes fly open. She leaps up and plows me straight into the wall, pinning my shoulders with her iron claws. “You bitch, don’t you
dare
say he doesn’t love me. Who do you think you are?”
One thing I’ll always be grateful to Frank for, he did teach me some self-defense. I throw my arms up between Lacy’s, slamming hers to the side to break her grip. I push her away and whirl for the door—
okay, I’m officially handing over the Wacko Torch to Lacy Kessler!—
and that’s when I hear it.
At the end of the tunnel, the pool room door stands open.The distant rattling of the chain-link fence almost stops my heart.
“Who’s in there?” Meg whispers, motionless except for her hand rubbing her throat.
The fence shakes again, louder, more insistent. Lacy screams, which makes
me
scream, too—and then the cafeteria door bangs open.
“What’cha all think you’re doing in here, you girls?” It’s Bennie Unger, the janitor, in overalls and orange knit cap.
The rattling stops.
Squinting, Bennie moves closer. I point bravely to the pool room door. “There’s somebody in there, I think.”
Bennie moseys around us, assaulting us with BO. He tromps down the corridor, peers into the pool room, shuts the door, and tromps right back. “Ain’t nobody there
now.
” I shiver at the way he stresses that word, like he knows what we heard wasn’t our imaginations at all.
I think I’m the only one left who can speak. “We
heard
someone.” Hopefully a human someone.
Bennie contemplates our huddle. “You all the decoratin’ committee?”
Lacy and I nod. Meg, paralyzed, clamps both hands over her mouth and nose. I pray she doesn’t upchuck.
“Guess you girls all best get to decorating, then.” Nonchalant, Bennie shuffles off, all jangling keys and scraping soles.
Coming alive, we dash out into the welcoming light of the cafeteria. Lacy, back to her old self, leans against the wall and explodes into giggles. “Holy shit! Saved by the retard.”
Meg doesn’t laugh. Neither do I.
I
want to know what happened to Lacy in there.
I also want to know why Bennie Unger emphasized the word “now.”
It’s funny how something can creep you out when you’re there, in the moment, and everyone else is as creeped out as you.
Then, fifteen minutes later when you’re safely back home and the lights are all on, and your mom’s stir-frying chicken and onions, and a news anchor’s yammering about another Hollywood scandal … well, everything’s fine. Almost
painfully
normal.
I sniff. “Smells good.”
“How’d it go?”
“Um, we didn’t get much done.” I rub my shoulder, the one that hit the wall the hardest. No point in
“Because I was hoping it wasn’t true! Oh God, what am I gonna
do
?”
Meg touches Lacy’s ring. “You’re engaged, right? Maybeyou guys can get married now, if your parents say it’s okay. Unless … well, you know. Unless you want an abortion.”
“I’d never murder Chad’s baby. I love him! He tattooed his
ass
for me.”
“Then tell him that. Tell your mom and dad, too.”
Lacy breaks into fresh sobs. “Nooo, they’ll
kill
me.”
“No, they won’t. But you have to call Chad,” Meg insists.
“I can’t! He’s in Japan!”
“Then e-mail him.” Meg hugs her. “Do it tonight and let us know what he says. Right?”
This last question, I guess, is directed at me. I force enthusiasm. “Yes, let us know. It’ll be all right,” I add belatedly. “If he loves you, he’ll marry you.”
Even though you’re not even out of eleventh grade, duh.
Lacy’s green eyes glitter. “What do you mean ‘if’ he loves me? Don’t you think he does?” Face contorted, she shuts her eyes and clasps her temples. “You don’t even know him,” she rasps as I back away. “You don’t know
me
.”
“I only meant …” My words dissolve as a bone-numbing chill descends.
What the hell IS that?
As I turn questioningly to Meg, Lacy’s eyes fly open. She leaps up and plows me straight into the wall, pinning my shoulders with her iron claws. “You bitch, don’t you
dare
say he doesn’t love me. Who do you think you are?”
One thing I’ll always be grateful to Frank for, he did teach me some self-defense. I throw my arms up between Lacy’s, slamming hers to the side to break her grip. I push her away and whirl for the door—
okay, I’m officially handing over the Wacko Torch to Lacy Kessler!—
and that’s when I hear it.
At the end of the tunnel, the pool room door stands open.The distant rattling of the chain-link fence almost stops my heart.
“Who’s in there?” Meg whispers, motionless except for her hand rubbing her throat.
The fence shakes again, louder, more insistent. Lacy screams, which makes
me
scream, too—and then the cafeteria door bangs open.
“What’cha all think you’re doing in here, you girls?” It’s Bennie Unger, the janitor, in overalls and orange knit cap.
The rattling stops.
Squinting, Bennie moves closer. I point bravely to the pool room door. “There’s somebody in there, I think.”
Bennie moseys around us, assaulting us with BO. He tromps down the corridor, peers into the pool room, shuts the door, and tromps right back. “Ain’t nobody there
now.
” I shiver at the way he stresses that word, like he knows what we heard wasn’t our imaginations at all.
I think I’m the only one left who can speak. “We
heard
someone.” Hopefully a human someone.
Bennie contemplates our huddle. “You all the decoratin’ committee?”
Lacy and I nod. Meg, paralyzed, clamps both hands over her mouth and nose. I pray she doesn’t upchuck.
“Guess you girls all best get to decorating, then.” Nonchalant, Bennie shuffles off, all jangling keys and scraping soles.
Coming alive, we dash out into the welcoming light of the cafeteria. Lacy, back to her old self, leans against the wall and explodes into giggles. “Holy shit! Saved by the retard.”
Meg doesn’t laugh. Neither do I.
I
want to know what happened to Lacy in there.
I also want to know why Bennie Unger emphasized the word “now.”
It’s funny how something can creep you out when you’re there, in the moment, and everyone else is as creeped out as you.
Then, fifteen minutes later when you’re safely back home and the lights are all on, and your mom’s stir-frying chicken and onions, and a news anchor’s yammering about another Hollywood scandal … well, everything’s fine. Almost
painfully
normal.
I sniff. “Smells good.”
“How’d it go?”
“Um, we didn’t get much done.” I rub my shoulder, the one that hit the wall the hardest. No point in
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