Cal leans against the wall with his plastic guitar, waiting for us to stop arguing, or until he has to say something to make us stop.
"I brought new music today too," I say, plugging my iPod into the radio.
"If it's Britney Spears, I'm going to throw up," Rae complains, making gagging noises. "And if I can't sing, then I get to pick the music."
"Your music doesn't even make sense," I tell her. "It's just screaming."
"You don't even know what real music is."
I'm about to tell her that it wouldn't be on the top forty if it weren't good, but I notice what time it is and don't bother.
"It's time to get Nicole. I'll be right back."
"Why doesn't she just come over? I don't understand her weird rules."
"You know her mom says she has to be invited first," I say with a sigh. Rae can be so frustrating.
"What is she, a vampire?" Rae laughs.
"Rae," Cal scolds. "Knock it off."
This shuts Rae up. When Cal speaks up, it usually does. I run off down the street and press the Bentleys' doorbell, out of breath. I ring the bell the same time every day, and every day Mrs. Bentley answers it like she doesn't know why I'm here.
"Hi, Richelle. What can I do for you?"
I want to roll my eyes, but I don't. I smile and say the same thing I said yesterday, and the day before yesterday--as far back as the first day Nicole moved into the neighborhood. "Hi, Mrs. Bentley. Can Nicole come out to play?" But today I add, "And can she sleep over at my house tonight?"
"Yes, Nicole can come out. But I will have to call your mother and check with Mr. Bentley about sleeping over."
Nicole is standing behind her mom like she always does when I come to get her. As soon as she hears she can play, she lets me take her hand.
"Be home by five thirty, Nicole," Mrs. Bentley says as we skip away. "I'll have spoken to your father by then."
I don't know why she has to ask him if Nicole can sleep over. She's done it every Friday this summer.
"Okay, Mom," Nicole calls back.
We skip together all the way to Rae's. Nicole still doesn't run, but at least I got her to skip. It's better than walking, even though it still feels too slow for me.
As we approach, Cal is walking across the yard to his house.
"Where are you going?" I ask.
"Rae had to go pick up Liam with her mom. And I have to get ready for baseball. I'll see you guys later."
Rae's brother lives with his dad. And he comes over every other weekend, except we never really see him or Rae when he does because her mom wants them to have family time. And Cal plays on a baseball team Tuesday and Friday nights with Craig and Brady.
"Oh," I answer, disappointed. "Well, I guess we can go to my house."
We play fashion models in my backyard with an old camera my dad doesn't want anymore. Nicole is allowed to sleep over, just like I thought. We eat pizza and watch a movie before we're supposed to go to my room to sleep. But we don't sleep. We're too hyper, which makes us laugh a lot.
"Can I tell you a secret that you have to promise not to tell anyone ever?" I whisper in the dark.
Nicole is on the bottom bunk. My sister, Kara, and I used to share a room. But when she started middle school last year, my mom and dad let her have my mom's old office. She even gets her own TV. I don't care because I got to keep the bunk bed.
I hang my head over the side, holding on to the edge so I don't fall.
"I promise not to tell anyone, ever," Nicole whispers.
I smile before I say, "I'm going to make Cal my boyfriend this year."
"Really?" Nicole asks with a giggle. "Are you going to marry him too?"
I know she says it to be funny. But I mean it when I say, "Yup. When we grow up, we're going to get married and live in a big white house. I'm going to drive a Mercedes and he's going to drive a BMW. I'm going to sell houses, and he's going to be a rock star."
Nicole giggles. "Well, I'm going to go to college at Harvard and be someone respectable like my daddy wants me to be."
"Why do you want to go to Harvard?"
"Because my mom and daddy want me to. They've been putting money in the bank since I was a baby so that I can go there. It's where important people go, and my daddy wants me to be important. He says I have to be the best in school before I can go there. And I have to be a good person that everyone will like and listen to."
"But you don't ever say anything in school," I say, confused.
"I guess I haven't found anything really important to say yet."
"My mom and dad tell me they want me to be happy. Besides, college is so far away. I can't think about that."
"But don't you get married after college?" Nicole points out.
"Yeah, but that's just pretend," I defend, feeling light-headed from hanging upside down for so long. "Except I am going to make Cal my boyfriend this year."
Chapter Seven
I peek out of one eye, undecided whether I really want to be awake. It's after two in the afternoon. Then I remember Nyelle and roll over. She's not here. All that's left are my sweatshirt and sweatpants folded neatly on top of the pillow.
I sit up when I hear a cabinet door shut.
"Nyelle?" I call out. I listen. There's footsteps, but no answer. "Nyelle?"
"Who?" It's Eric. I let out a heavy breath. She left. I'm not surprised, but I can still feel the weight of disappointment in my chest.
"Forget it."
Eric pokes his head in my room. "What happened to you last night? Did you leave with that cute brunette I saw you talking to?"
I yawn, twisting to stretch my back. "No. I met up with another girl and ended up nearly drowning in a frozen lake."
Eric laughs. "What?"
"Yeah, it's funny now," I admit. "But it wasn't when it was happening." I give him the abbreviated version. And he laughs louder.
"Who is this girl?" he asks, still chuckling.
"That's what I'm trying to find out," I reply, eyeing the stack of clothes on my bed.
*
Nyelle's avoiding me again. Or at least that's what I've convinced myself. She left without a word, and I haven't seen her in four days. Now I'm sitting on the couch at Bean Buzz, bouncing my knee and rubbing my hands together with my eyes trained on the door, hoping she'll show up. I didn't say what time I'd meet her here today. I just said Thursday. Maybe I screwed up.
I'd wait here all day for her except I can't be late for class. I have a midterm. I pull my phone out of my pocket to check the time again. There's a message across my screen.
JADE: WANT TO SEE ME THIS WEEKEND?
I try not to judge girls by their text messages. I've learned that tone can get lost in translation. Still, it says a lot when the girl texts first. It's bold.
I'm tempted to ignore the message, but decide it might distract me from the anxiety in my stomach that's about to swallow me whole. And I have an easy out since Rae's flying in tonight.
ME: I HAVE A FRIEND VISITING THIS WEEKEND.
JADE: SO... DITCH HIM.
I shake my head. What? There's not much to misinterpret about that statement.
ME: NOT MY STYLE. HOW ABOUT AFTER BREAK?
JADE: AW! THAT SEEMS TOO FAR AWAY.
JADE: IS YOUR FRIEND A GUY OR A GIRL?
I hesitate. Maybe I should have ignored her text. Insecurity is not attractive. Jade and I didn't talk much the night we met, and regardless of intention, there are warning signs in the few texts she's sent. I must take too long to respond, because she texts again.
JADE: NO WORRIES. I'LL SEE YOU AFTER BREAK. HAVE FUN THIS WEEKEND.
She redeems herself. Or tries to anyway.
ME: YOU TOO. I'LL TEXT YOU WHEN I GET BACK.
I know I shouldn't have sent the text because I have no intention of seeing her again.
I notice the time on the screen. I have to go. I can't wait for Nyelle any longer. When I start for the door, Tess walks in. My shoulders relax, thinking Nyelle is about to w
alk in after her. But Tess is alone.
"Hi, Cal," she says with a bright smile.
"Hey. Nyelle with you?"
Her smile falters as she shakes her head. "I don't know where she went this morning. She was gone before I woke up."
"Okay," I say, then add because there isn't another option, "There's a house party on Lincoln Street Saturday night if you and Nyelle want to meet up with us."
Her smile reemerges, exactly what I was afraid of. "Really? That sounds great." She reaches in her purse. "Here, let me get your number and I can text you."
After exchanging numbers, I leave for class, hoping Tess didn't get the wrong impression and that she'll convince Nyelle to go to the party.
I hate not knowing where Nyelle is or when she'll show up. I expect her to jump in front of me at any moment, but she never does. Each time I'm with her makes it harder to let her go, because it kills me to have to wait until the next time--fearing there might not be one.
I keep playing back Sunday morning over in my head, not sure if I did something or said anything that would've freaked her out. It makes me crazy that I still can't get in touch with her. Where the hell is she and why is she avoiding me?
*
"Hey!" Rae calls out when she enters the apartment. I exit my room and stop short. Rae drops her bag by the door, scanning the apartment. "Not bad. It's very... college."
Then she notices I'm staring at her, speechless. "What?"
"Uh... that's quite the look you've got goin' on," I say, eyeing the torn skintight black pants and the oversized shirt with a provocative pierced tongue printed on it. Her dark round eyes are dramatically lined in more makeup than I've ever seen her wear in her entire life. But it's the shaved bright pink hair that's really throwing me off. That and the loop through her eyebrow and the stud above her lip. She already had a nose ring and metal lining each earlobe. "Aren't you a little old to be going through your rebellious stage?"
"Fuck you," she bites halfheartedly. "It's my new image. Blond hair and freckles weren't working for an all-girl punk band."
"You still have freckles," I tease. This is going to take some getting used to.
"I like it," Eric chimes in. "It's badass."
It would be badass if she weren't barely five feet tall. Although she does have the skinny rocker look going for her.
"Want a beer?" Eric asks from the fridge.
I shake my head. "I have a paper to finish for tomorrow."
Rae holds out her hand. "I'll take one--or three." Eric laughs and hands her a can. She takes it and flops down on the couch.
"Eric, thanks for picking her up," I say. "That midterm sucked." I might have done better if I'd been able to concentrate.
"Cal, did you realize I've never actually met Eric before today?" Rae pops the beer can open.
"What? Of course you have..." The sentence drifts away when I realize she's right.
Eric and I were roommates last year in the dorms. He's met my entire family. My brothers, when they visited during homecoming for the football games. Jules and my parents, when they came out for parents' weekend. But both times Rae visited last year, he wasn't around. We never met up with him either time because of the asinine things he had to do while pledging for Delta Ep.
"I never thought of that," I finally say. "I guess I talk about you guys so much, it felt like you already knew each other."
"I mean, it does seem like I know her," Eric agrees, sitting in the beat-up recliner. "That's why I didn't mind getting her. But then on my way to the airport, I realized I had no idea what she looked like."
"I don't think my description would've helped." I glance at Rae with a shake of my head.
"Hilarious, Cal," she says. "I've seen him on Facebook, so it worked out."
"Rae, what's the name of your band again?" Eric asks, typing on his phone. "I need to follow you guys. Do you have anything I can download?"
"Ragin' Bitches," Rae tells him. "Not yet. We're supposed to record a demo when I get back. We're a few songs away from a set, so I'm hoping to book our first gig soon."
"Really?" I ask. This is the first time she's mentioned it. Rae usually complains that the girls can't agree on anything whenever I talk to her. It's good to hear they've finally made progress. "Will I get to see you play when we go home?"
"Maybe. If the neighborhood doesn't revolt against us. Your mom's trying to make peace by sticking earplugs in all the mailboxes. You'd think they'd be used to music coming from my garage. It's been that way since we were kids."
"Yeah, Rae told me about that." Eric laughs. "She also told me you were a complete dork growing up."
"Nice, Rae. Thanks," I remark with a shake of my head.
"Whatever." She shrugs. "I didn't mean it in a bad way. You just... were."
"And she said that you think Lake Girl is actually a girl from your neighborhood you've been obsessing over your entire life."
"Wow. Leave much out, Rae? And I'm not obsessing over her," I say in defense. "I wish you'd stop saying that." But considering how much I've been thinking about Nyelle lately, Rae's not totally off.
"Have you met her yet?" Rae asks Eric. He shakes his head. "Nicole, the girl we grew up with, was nothing like the girl he tells me about. She was super shy when we were kids. Then she became a stuck-up bitch in high school."
"Rae," I say sternly.
"What? She was," Rae argues back. "Nicole was too consumed with being perfect to give a shit about the rest of us. Seriously, when was the last time she spoke to either of us, other than to tell us to leave her alone?"
I drop my eyes to the floor. "Nyelle's different."
"That's right. Because it's not her. When do I get to meet your delusion anyway?"
"Not sure," I reply. "I'm hoping she'll show up at the party tomorrow night with her roommate."
Eric turns to me, "If you're so sure Nyelle is Nicole and you've known her most of your life, why don't you just say something to her?"
"It's... complicated. I want her to trust me. Rae, don't say anything when you see her, okay? If she's lying, there must be a reason. And if she really believes she's Nyelle, something must've happened to her. I think it would only make things worse if we confront her."
I focus on Rae, silently pleading.
"Whatever," she grumbles. "It's not her."
We sit in awkward silence for a moment with Rae pulling the tab of her beer and Eric looking between me and Rae, trying to figure out what we're not telling him.
"How's Liam?" I ask, needing to change the subject.
"A fricken pain in my ass," Rae responds. "But he's staying out of trouble."
"Your brother?" Eric confirms.
"Yeah. He's the reason I'm not here yet," Rae tells him.
"You're supposed to be at Crenshaw?"
I watch Rae carefully as she nods. It's not easy for her to talk about what's she's given up for her brother.
"I'll be here next year unless my music career takes off," Rae tells him with a cocky grin.
"So why aren't you here now?" Eric asks, not following.
"Liam tends to be attracted to assholes. They probably remind him of our father," Rae explains, rolling her eyes. "Last year he got arrested for possession with intent to distribute. Dumbass."
"Wow," Eric responds with wide eyes. "So you're, like, his... parole officer?"
"Yeah, feels like it," Rae says with a laugh. "I just need to get him into college without him doing anything monumentally stupid to screw up his life. Once he graduates, he can clean up his own shit."
"What about your parents?" Eric asks.
Rae chugs the rest of her beer. I don't expect her to answer. She doesn't open up much, not even to me. I'm pretty sure she started playing drums when we were kids so she could beat the shit out of something. It's how she copes.
"They split when we were younger. My brother lived with our dickhead father until he took off, leaving my mother with a mortgage and a shitload of debt on top of having to support us. S
o she works doubles at the hospital all the time and we hardly ever see her. I basically grew up at Cal's house since his mom works from home."
Eric looks a little lost. "And so... how does this Nicole chick fit into all this?"
"Richelle and Nicole lived down the street from us," Rae explains. She takes in a deep breath. "Until they left us."
"Come on, Rae. Richelle moved. And we don't know everything that went on with Nicole... obviously," I say. "Maybe we never did."
"Give it up, Cal," Rae says with a shake of her head. "You need to stop defending her."
That's never going to happen. Not until I know what's really going on.
NICOLE
August--Before Fifth Grade
I walk up to Cal's door and ring the doorbell. Mrs. Logan opens it.
"Hi, Nicole. It's nice to see you. Cal's out back."
"Thank you, Mrs. Logan," I respond and continue around the house to the backyard. Cal's mom called my mom to ask if I could come over. She said Cal had something he wanted to share with his friends.
When I reach the backyard, my mouth opens into a big, huge smile. Cal is running around with a yellow puppy chasing after him.
"He's so cute!" I exclaim, not taking my eyes off the fuzzy little thing that keeps trying to bite the rope in Cal's hand.
Cal stops running, and the puppy jumps up on his legs, chomping at the rope. "Hi, Nicole."
"When did you get him?" I bend down and pet the puppy on the head. He jumps on my knees and licks at my face. "Ow." His little claws are sharp.
"Henley, get down," Cal demands, pulling him away. "Sorry. Did he hurt you?"
"He didn't mean to," I say, kneeling on the ground, making sure my dress covers my legs so he can't scratch me. "Come here, Henley."
"My dad brought him home today." Cal sits on the ground across from me as we both play with the puppy. He can't seem to sit still--jumping back and forth and running around us. "I don't think my mom knew about it, but she says we can keep him. I'm going to help my dad build a doghouse for him."
"My dad thinks animals are too dirty," I say. And watching Henley roll in the grass, chasing after a butterfly, I think he's probably right. But Henley's just so cute.
Cal and I play with Henley for a while before I realize it's just the two of us.
"Where's Rae and Richelle?" I ask, squeaking a plastic frog at the puppy, who isn't quite sure if he wants to bite it or run away from it.