I Never Told You What I Did for a Living
Preparations
"Got a date for grad yet?"
I narrowed my eyes. As if Josh didn't already know the answer to that question.
"Oh, right," he looked away.
"Yes, Gerard's coming down for it," I glanced at Angela, who was seated beside me at the lunch table. "Mikey's coming, too."
She shrugged. "Whatever. I don't want him to be my date."
I nodded and dropped the subject. I knew her well enough to know that she didn't want to talk about it. Kevin was staring at me from across the table, anger hidden in his eyes. I ignored him. He was being wierd since I'd brought Mikey to our movie night. I couldn't figure him out, so I'd given up trying.
"Kev, want to go with me?" Natalie asked, sounding a little unsure of herself.
Kevin looked away from me and smiled. "Yeah, that'd be fun."
Josh glanced around the table. "Angela?"
She didn't look up from her yogurt. "Mhm?"
"Want to go to graduation with me?"
She grinned a little despite the depressed mood she was in. "Yeah, okay."
Josh leaned back in his seat and smirked. "So, now we've all got dates. And everyone except Lily hangs out with theirs every day. Grad's going to be fun."
I ignored his comment. "I'm having my grad party at my dad's house. You guys in?"
Natalie nodded. "Sure. My mom would kill me if anything happened to her precious house. I hope your dad's not expecting his place to stay spotless."
"If he is, he's got another thing coming. After school I'm moving back to the city, so I'm going out with a bang. It's a good thing his house is already a piece of shit, because it's getting trashed."
Kevin laughed. I looked over at him, unsure of what to think of this change in attitude.
"If my date's having her party there, I might as well, too."
"I'm in," Angela piped up.
Josh sighed and nodded. "Yeah, me too."
After school I stood in the deserted parking lot. Apparently, my dad had forgotten about me. I dialed the number to the house. The phone rang numerous times, but there was no answer. I refused to worry about my father. It wouldn't help my situation to be upset. As it was, I was stranded.
I sat on the curb and, as luck would have it, felt a raindrop splatter on my head. I flipped up my hood and hugged my knees to my chest. The cold swept through me and the rain pelted my sweater. I heard an engine nearby, but didn't look up.
"Lily?"
It wasn't my dad. The voice wasn't even vaguely familiar. I looked up and saw a police car sitting in the parking lot. I froze.
This sight gave me a horrific feeling in the pit of my stomach. It was exactly the same feeling I'd had when I'd been told about Gerard's accident.
"Is my dad okay?"
"He's fine. It's your mother. He's gone to see her. She's sick."
"Sick? Is it serious?"
"I'm afraid so. I'm here to take you to her."
I shook my head. "Mom can't be sick. She's never sick. I'm not going."
"Lily, you have to come. You don't have a choice right now. Your family needs you."
"Why did Dad go? Why should he be there? They're divorced."
"They stayed friends. We need to get going."
I stood up, but I had no intentions of going with him. I pulled out my cell phone again and turned away from the police officer. I started to dial, then ran.
I felt warmth spreading through me as I bolted from the parking lot.
"Hey!" the officer yelled after me. I heard the car engine rev and I knew he was following me.
The phone was ringing, but there was no answer at my mom's house, either. Despair filled my lungs, constricting my breath. I made one last attempt at a phone call as I ducked through someone's backyard.
"Hello?"
"Mikey?"
"Yeah. What's up?"
"Where's Gerard?"
"In the shower. You okay?"
"I need him to come get me. Now."
"What? Why?"
"Just tell him to call me, because I don't know where I'll be when he gets here."
"Lily, tell me what's going on," he sounded extremely worried.
"Please just do this for me, Mikey. I'll explain it all when I get to your place."
I couldn't hear the police cruiser behind me anymore, but I didn't slow down. I couldn't slow down.
Mom was a rock, how could she fail me now?
I narrowed my eyes. As if Josh didn't already know the answer to that question.
"Oh, right," he looked away.
"Yes, Gerard's coming down for it," I glanced at Angela, who was seated beside me at the lunch table. "Mikey's coming, too."
She shrugged. "Whatever. I don't want him to be my date."
I nodded and dropped the subject. I knew her well enough to know that she didn't want to talk about it. Kevin was staring at me from across the table, anger hidden in his eyes. I ignored him. He was being wierd since I'd brought Mikey to our movie night. I couldn't figure him out, so I'd given up trying.
"Kev, want to go with me?" Natalie asked, sounding a little unsure of herself.
Kevin looked away from me and smiled. "Yeah, that'd be fun."
Josh glanced around the table. "Angela?"
She didn't look up from her yogurt. "Mhm?"
"Want to go to graduation with me?"
She grinned a little despite the depressed mood she was in. "Yeah, okay."
Josh leaned back in his seat and smirked. "So, now we've all got dates. And everyone except Lily hangs out with theirs every day. Grad's going to be fun."
I ignored his comment. "I'm having my grad party at my dad's house. You guys in?"
Natalie nodded. "Sure. My mom would kill me if anything happened to her precious house. I hope your dad's not expecting his place to stay spotless."
"If he is, he's got another thing coming. After school I'm moving back to the city, so I'm going out with a bang. It's a good thing his house is already a piece of shit, because it's getting trashed."
Kevin laughed. I looked over at him, unsure of what to think of this change in attitude.
"If my date's having her party there, I might as well, too."
"I'm in," Angela piped up.
Josh sighed and nodded. "Yeah, me too."
After school I stood in the deserted parking lot. Apparently, my dad had forgotten about me. I dialed the number to the house. The phone rang numerous times, but there was no answer. I refused to worry about my father. It wouldn't help my situation to be upset. As it was, I was stranded.
I sat on the curb and, as luck would have it, felt a raindrop splatter on my head. I flipped up my hood and hugged my knees to my chest. The cold swept through me and the rain pelted my sweater. I heard an engine nearby, but didn't look up.
"Lily?"
It wasn't my dad. The voice wasn't even vaguely familiar. I looked up and saw a police car sitting in the parking lot. I froze.
This sight gave me a horrific feeling in the pit of my stomach. It was exactly the same feeling I'd had when I'd been told about Gerard's accident.
"Is my dad okay?"
"He's fine. It's your mother. He's gone to see her. She's sick."
"Sick? Is it serious?"
"I'm afraid so. I'm here to take you to her."
I shook my head. "Mom can't be sick. She's never sick. I'm not going."
"Lily, you have to come. You don't have a choice right now. Your family needs you."
"Why did Dad go? Why should he be there? They're divorced."
"They stayed friends. We need to get going."
I stood up, but I had no intentions of going with him. I pulled out my cell phone again and turned away from the police officer. I started to dial, then ran.
I felt warmth spreading through me as I bolted from the parking lot.
"Hey!" the officer yelled after me. I heard the car engine rev and I knew he was following me.
The phone was ringing, but there was no answer at my mom's house, either. Despair filled my lungs, constricting my breath. I made one last attempt at a phone call as I ducked through someone's backyard.
"Hello?"
"Mikey?"
"Yeah. What's up?"
"Where's Gerard?"
"In the shower. You okay?"
"I need him to come get me. Now."
"What? Why?"
"Just tell him to call me, because I don't know where I'll be when he gets here."
"Lily, tell me what's going on," he sounded extremely worried.
"Please just do this for me, Mikey. I'll explain it all when I get to your place."
I couldn't hear the police cruiser behind me anymore, but I didn't slow down. I couldn't slow down.
Mom was a rock, how could she fail me now?