“Oh yeah,” Val had forgotten in the flurry of the day’s events, “But we’ll actually be studying. So you know, if you don’t wanna come, I’d understand.”
Keenan laughed, “Babe, if you wanted me to go watch opera I’d say yes. There’s nothing I’d rather be doing tonight than studying with you.”
It was the first time Val had been called ‘babe’; it was evoked a strange feeling within her. “Great! See you tonight!”
“See you,” Keenan waved; he took the stairs down, where Val assumed he would meet his brother in the parking lot. She went to the cafeteria for the fifth Student Gov meeting of the week.
Chapter 8
“Ugh, why does algebra have to be so hard?” Val complained.
Alex grinned, “It’s not. You’re just bad at it.”
“Thanks,” Val stuck her tongue out at him.
“Look, it really is simple. If you have a variable that you want to single out, you just perform the operations that allow you to get it to equal one,” Keenan said.
“Oh my gosh, that actually made sense!” Val looked at the first of their homework problems.
Keenan took out a blank sheet of paper, “Here,” he wrote down three quarters x, “Now what do you need to do to make it one x?”
“Multiply it by four and divide by three.” Val giggled, “That’s easy.”
“Exactly. Now, you just take each number in the equation and do to it what you did to the variable. So five times four divided by three is—?”
“Twenty thirds.”
“It’s easier to use your calculator and write down the number it gives you to a few decimals,” Carrie remarked.
“Alright, so it’s six and point six six,” Val wrote the number down. “And then on the other side I take this gunk and do the same thing?” ‘This gunk’ referred to a collection of numbers and operations on the right side.
“It’s easier to simplify it first.” Keenan smiled encouragingly, “But yeah, once you simplify it you just multiply it by four thirds.”
“Oh, alright.” Val entered the operations into her calculator, “Is this right?”
“Yup,” Keenan confirmed.
Val wrote the result down. “Now what do I do? Since the x isn’t by itself.”
Alex smirked, “Well in that case the problems unsolvable, sweety.”
“Is that true?” Val looked between Keenan and Carrie.
“Of course not,” Keenan said, “You just subtract the number on the same side as your x. In this case, that would be the six-point-something. And then the result is your answer.”
Val did as he’d said; she compared her answer to Carrie’s when she finished. “I got it!” she exclaimed, “I actually got it! All by myself!”
Alex broke into fits of laughter; Keenan held back a grin, and even Carrie smiled. “Ok, maybe it wasn’t all by myself,” Val admitted, “But I think I understand this now.”
“Well that’s good,” Alex commented, half sarcastically and half humorously, “And here I was worried we’d have to stay up till midnight helping you understand.” He was right; Val’s clock read 12:07. She had hardly been aware of the passage of time, since she’d had so much fun joking around with her friends. They’d only really settled down to work an hour before, when the snacks Mom had brought up had all disappeared.
“Why are you worried about it being late? I thought you’d be the last one to complain about being in my room at night,” Val joked.
“Yeah,” Alex replied, a smile spreading on his face, “And that’s what I thought too. But then again, I was imagining you with a lot less clothes on. And it would be only us.”
“Hey,” Keenan tried to efface a stern look, “That’s my girl you’re talking to.”
“There’d be mood lighting and rose petals and you’d slip into something comfortable,” Alex continued.
Val laughed, “But I’m already in something comfortable.”
“Yes, well those pants certainly don’t look that comfortable to me. They’re too tight. Especially in back.”
Keenan’s eyes widened, “Have you been looking at Val’s ass, Alex?”
“Oh yeah. Don’t tell me you haven’t. She’s got a badonk.”
Something about the word badonk caused them all to laugh uncontrollably. When Val regained control of herself she said, “Well these pants really are comfortable. You should try them.”
Alex thought about it a moment. “Aren’t you worried I’ll stretch them out?”
Val shook her head.
“Alright,” Alex said, “On one condition. If I wear the pants you can’t put on a new pair.”
“Why?” Val asked; it didn’t make sense.
“Because I’m a perv and I wanna see you in your underwear.” Alex laughed a little hard; it wasn’t that funny of a joke. Carrie shifted uncomfortably.
Val bit her lip, “Um, I don’t think I’m gonna take you up on that. Anyways, it is getting late guys. Who wants to call it a night and go our separate ways?”
Carrie was all for it (“Just let me call my parents”), and Keenan didn’t protest; Alex, however, seemed reticent. “Just give us one more half hour,” he begged.
“Why?” Val asked, “What is going to happen in one more half hour that hasn’t already happened?”
“We’ll find a party to go to.” Alex pulled out his phone and sent several texts, “You can come along if you want.”
“I haven’t heard of any parties,” Val said. “And besides, I’m sure my parents wouldn’t let me go. They think we’re studying, remember?”
Keenan frowned, “Would you be willing to say you were going to a sleepover?”
“Yeah, I guess.”
“Perfect. I’ll say we’re going to sleep over at my house, and I’ll tell Porter so he can answer the phone if your parents call—“he looked at Carrie, “Do you wanna come?” She shook her head vigorously.
“Hey, guess who’s throwing a party just a few blocks away!” Alex shouted.
“Shhh,” Val made a quieting motion with her hands, “Do you want to get me in trouble or what?”
Alex apologized; “Who is it?” Keenan whispered.
“Miro!” Alex looked around, but no one else recognized the name; Val wasn’t sure if it was the same Miro from her Drawing class or not. “You know,” he said, “Junior kid, he’s like the only dealer at our school. If he’s throwing a party, it’s bound to be fun.”
“I dunno,” Val said, “Won’t there be drugs at the party? I mean, if he’s a dealer?”
“Nope,” Alex assured her, a little too quickly to be believable.
“Well, still—I think if that’s the party you’d go to, I’m better off at home.”
“Ok,” Alex looked disappointed, “How about you, Keenan?” His friend shook his head. “Alright, well I suppose we’re all just goody-two-shoes then.” Alex shrugged, “Oh well, there’s always next week. See you Monday, Val.”
“Bye!” Val waved; she accompanied her guests to the front hall, and waved as Alex and Keenan drove off. Carrie’s mother was late in picking her up, but not by much. By the time Val got ready for bed it was just past one.
With such a long night to propel her into sleep, Val’s sleep was long and undisturbed. It was nearly nine in the morning by the time she awoke; Val rolled over and yawned, stretching her shoulders. “What should I do today?” she asked the empty room. She’d decided to hold off on her homework until Sunday, which left Saturday wide open. It was the kind of day she’d normally spend hanging out with McKayla, but that didn’t seem likely. McKayla’s mom had been over to return Val’s wallet, and since then she hadn’t heard from her one-time best friend.
Val nuzzled her pillow, wracking her brain to try and come up with something she could do with her free time. She retrieved her phone from her nightstand, planning on texting Keenan; instead, she found herself on Facebook, rereading the letter that Jaxton had written. I could visit him, Val thought, Yeah, that’s what I’ll do. She got up and poured herself a
bowl of cereal; meanwhile, Val asked one of Jaxton’s friends from Walker for his number.
The response was a few minutes in coming, “I think it’s 4042910323.”
“Kk, thanks,” Val sent back. She texted the number, “Hey, this is Val…From Walker.”
“Ha ha ha,” Jaxton replied, “Like I haven’t heard that one before. Just leave me alone.”
“No, it’s seriously Val.” Val frowned; how can I prove it’s me?
Jaxton solved the problem for her, “Alright, if it is you… What was the name of our first grade teacher?”
Val smiled; their first grade teacher, Miss Richards, had been one of her favorite people. Still was, in fact. “Miss Richards,” she sent back.
There was no reply for several minutes; Val turned on her laptop and surfed the net to pass the time. She was starting to wonder if Jaxton was going to reply at all when she got a text from him, “Val! How are you?”
“I’m good. Do you wanna meet up somewhere?”
“Of course! Where were you thinking?”
“You know the Starbucks at the corner of Vine and Berkshire?”
“Yeah. You want to meet there? I’ll treat you!”
Val laughed; Jaxton’s enthusiasm was infectious. The last few texts had passed between them in less than a minute. “Hahaha, kk. How about we meet there in an hour?”
“Sure! Ten forty-five?”
“Yup,” Val checked the living room for Dad; he wasn’t there. Mom wasn’t anywhere to be found, either; a year or two ago that would have been unusual, but any more Val had come to expect their unexpected absences. She called a cab service, “Hello, could I have a cab come to 1625 Cedar Avenue in about forty minutes?”
The woman on the phone coughed, “We typically don’t send cars out for children.”
“I’m not a child!” Val insisted, “And besides, I have more than enough money to pay for it.”
“1625 Cedar?” the woman asked.
“Yup.”
“Alright, just let me look it up—I see, so you live in the Stonebrook Community?”
“Uh huh,” Val hated admitting it; it was tantamount to proclaiming her family’s status to the inquiring party.
“Well in that case, I can have a car for you whenever you need it. Do you have a gate code?”
“Um, yeah. It’s 3127.”
“Fantastic, we’ll be there shortly.”
“You mean in forty minutes?” Val felt compelled to ask.
“Of course. It’s just an expression.”
“Ok, well I’ll be here.” Val hung up the phone, wondering what she should do until the cab arrived. She wound up downloading a game for her phone; it was pointless, but a great waste of time. A knock on the door pulled her out of the world of flying birds. Val answered it, realizing she’d forgotten to change from her normal Saturday clothes—a pair of sweatpants and a t shirt.
“Uh, hello,” the cab driver said, “Did you call for a cab?”
“Yeah!” Val frowned, “I forgot to change before you came though. Would you be alright if I just went up to my room really quickly and grabbed something?”
“I can wait for up to fifteen minutes. Longer than that is against company policy.”
“Great!” Val sprinted up the stairs to her room; she put on a red knee-length skirt along with a turquoise shirt, and grabbed her purse on the way back to the door. “Alright, I’m ready to go.”
The driver held the door open for her to get in; that was strange, since Val had never seen a cab driver do that before. Limo drivers maybe, but oh well. She decided not to say anything about it, and got in wordlessly.
“So where are you going?” the man asked.
“You know the Starbucks at the corner of Vine and Berkshire?” the cabbie nodded; “Well, that’s where I want to go,” Val said. Her phone buzzed.
“Hey, are you on your way?” It was from Jaxton.
“Yeah,” Val didn’t know why he’d be worrying about that; it was still ten minutes before they’d agreed to meet. Maybe he got there early, she decided. She stared out the window as the taxi turned onto Vine.
Jaxton sent another text, “Well where are you?” Val decided not to respond; I’ll be there in a minute or two anyway.
The taxi stopped; the driver turned in his seat, “That’ll be sixty-five dollars.”
Val pulled out a crisp hundred, “Thanks.”
“No, thank you,” the driver smiled, and Val smiled back before getting out of the cab. Her phone vibrated, probably with another text from Jaxton, but she ignored it. The Starbucks was pretty small; she entered the store and was greeted by the male cashier, “Hello, what can I get for you?”
“Um, nothing, thanks. My friend’s supposed to meet me here.”
Val peered around, trying to spot Jaxton amidst all the other patrons. She felt a tap on her shoulder and turned to see who’d tapped her. Porter’s distinct grin greeted her, “What are you doing here, Val?”
“I’m meeting a friend. What about you?”
Porter held up a mug, “I’m picking up coffee. Avery asked me to get something for her too.”
“Avery the Student Gov President?” Val asked. Her phone rang.
“Yeah, she’s my girlfriend.” Porter looked down at Val’s ringing purse, “Do you need to answer that?”
“Probably. Um—“ Val pressed the answer key, “Hello?”
“Hey, are you here yet?” Val assumed the voice belonged to Jaxton.
“Yeah, I’m standing next to the tall blonde guy.” Porter frowned.
“Ok, I’ll look for you,” Jaxton replied.
“Sounds good.” Val hung up. “Well, it was nice seeing you, Porter.”
“You too, Val. See you Tuesday.”
“Yeah.”
A quiet cough to Val’s right alerted her to Jaxton’s arrival. He held out a plastic cup, “Who was that?”
“That’s—he’s—Porter.” Val took a moment to figure out how she wanted to summarize her relationship with him, “He’s my boyfriend’s brother.”
“Oh, cool.” Jaxton nodded, “You have a boyfriend?”
“Uh, yeah,” Val gestured to a pair of empty seats they could sit in. She took the closest one and Jaxton plopped down opposite her.
“I thought your parents didn’t let you date,” he looked at the ground, “At least, that’s what I always heard.”
“Well they don’t know about it, strictly speaking.” Val frowned, “You can’t tell them. Please.”
Jaxton glanced up at Val; their eyes met briefly. “Valentina, I don’t even know your parents. By the way, have I told you how stunning you look?”
Val shook her head.
“Well you look like an angel. That’s a great outfit for you.”
“Really?” she looked down at her skirt, “I just threw it on.”
Jaxton shrugged, “It still looks amazing. Valentina, I was wondering—why’d you text me? I didn’t even know you had my number.”
“I didn’t,” Val admitted, “But Tyler gave it to me. To be honest, I don’t know why I texted you.” She looked out the window, “McKayla and I aren’t friends anymore.”
“I heard,” Jaxton nodded, “She was pretty broken up about it.”
“Why would she broken up about it?” Val asked, “She was the one who said she didn’t want anything to do with me.”
“All I know is there were a lot of people talking about it. I was surprised at first, because you two were such good friends at Walker. But you didn’t answer my question.”
“What question?”
“Why did you text me?” Jaxton repeated.
“Well, like I said, I don’t know. I just—I dunno, I felt like talking to someone from Walker and I thought of that letter you wrote and how I hadn’t talked with you about it all summer—“
Jaxton blushed, “Yeah, sorry about that.”
“Don’t be. It was sweet. And hey, I wouldn’t have texted you if you hadn’t written it.” She smiled.
“Well then I’m very glad I did. I meant every word of it, Valentina.”
“I know,” Val whispered, “And you were right—about everything. I was kind of a b-word to you.”
“No you weren’t—I was just beneath your notice. It happens all the time; even at Gentry, half the people act like I don’t exist.”
“Well you have to make them notice you,” Val said.
“Easy for you to say,” Jaxton looked at her, “You walk into a room, everybody notices you just because of how you look. I walk into a room, it’s a different story.”
Val coughed into her hand, “It’s not all looks, you know. I like to think at least part of it is my personality.”
“Perhaps. But I don’t have as much energy as you.”
“What do you mean?”
Jaxton sighed, “You’re always so—alive. I don’t know if that even makes sense.”
“Not really, but oh well. I bet if you wanted to, you could be—alive—too.” Val’s phone buzzed; it was a text from Keenan, “Hey, you wanna go get some lunch?” She looked back at Jaxton, “Well, anyways, you have my number now, so we should do this again sometime. Just text me if you wanna hang out.”
“Will do,” Jaxton smiled, “Good luck with school.” He left the restaurant, pausing only to wave before his footsteps carried him out of view.
Val frowned at her phone for several minutes; I’m already out, might as well get some lunch. “Sure, I’m at the Starbucks at Palm Grove.” She sent the message to Keenan.
“Great! You know the Italian place across the way from that? Why don’t we just meet there?” It was an expensive place, as far as Val knew, but if Keenan wanted to go there she wouldn’t say no.
“Kk, see you there. Want me to get a table?”
“Yeah, sure. Alex and the guys are coming with, so get a table for six if you can.”
Great, Val thought, the more the merrier. She’d been hoping to have a meal with just her and Keenan, but apparently he had other plans. “Kk, I will,” she replied.
The Italian restaurant, Cibo Del Mare, looked out of place among the other stores in the Palm Grove shopping center. Its red portico and ionic columns looked fantastic in the midday light, and as Val approached she found herself appreciating the structure all the more. It looked like it was two stories high, but upon entering Val realized that the extra space had not been used; as a result, the ceiling sat an impressive thirty feet above the dining room.