Just One of the Boys

“Claudia!” I hissed, grabbing her arm, ditching my stuff behind and dragging her away from the classroom. She followed willingly, a smirk on her face.

“Yes, my non-lesbian lover?” she smirked.

“What the hell are you doing here?” I snapped, checking to make sure no one was around.

“Why, I’m visiting my best friend who managed to get kicked out of class,” she replied innocently. “What else would I being doing?”

“Doing everything in your power not to get me in trouble?” I grabbed her arm and steered her into the closest bathroom, a men’s room.

“Dude, urinals!” she gloated in a whisper. I placed one finger to my lips, bending over to check if anyone was in the stalls. Each one was empty, luckily. I shoved her into the handicap stall, locking it behind me.

“Why are you here?” I hissed, glaring at her. She shrugged before slipping an envelope out of her pocket.

“This came for you,” she said simply, not even questioning why the letter came to her house. I took the letter wearily. Only one person ever sent me letters by mail. I slipped my finger under the paper seal and pulled, ripping the thin layer of glue from the white envelope.

Darling Holly,
Paris is wonderful. I had so wished you could have been able to come but, seeing as you had made plans already, I understand. I’m so glad you decided to try out working at a summer camp! How exciting! I remember when I was your age. Well, I won’t bore you with the details, but I assure you it was wonderful. Tell Claudia I say hello, will you?
I am coming home on the seventeenth of August, but until then I shall be in Paris! If you wish, just say the word and I’ll have Ryan fly you out in a heart beat. The filming is going fantastically, and I expect this to be another “one”. I have to go, darling, Ryan is calling me. Tell Claudia I say hello, and I love you very much.
Love,
Your Mother XOXOXOXO
P.S. Tom Hanks says hello!

“Yuck,” I snarled, rereading her phony lettering. “Can you believe it? She didn’t even ask me what job I had!”

“Holly, did you ever think that maybe your mother trusts you?” Claudia sighed. I raised an eyebrow at her and she rolled her eyes. “Maybe she actually does think that you’re working and you didn’t tell her so that the press wouldn’t find out! Did you ever think about that?”

“Please, it’s my mother,” I sniffed, folding the letter up and shoving it into my pocket. “Now we need to get you off campus before--” I didn’t even have time to finish my sentence before the bell rang, signalizing that class had ended and the students were suddenly swarming the quad. “Aw, holy mother of pearl.”

“What are we going to do now?” she whispered, horrified. “If I walk out of here, they’ll think that you and I…ahem, did the nasty, but if you don’t go now, you’re late!”

“The nasty?” I snorted. “Claudia, we’re seventeen. It’s no longer nasty.” Glaring, she smacked my arm.

“Focus, Holly!” she hissed.

“Hang on you guys, I gotta pee.” We both froze, turning to face each other as the door slammed open.

“Oh my god, what the hell are we going to do?” she mouthed, fanning her face. Thinking quickly, I motioned for her to stand on the toilet seat. Making a face, she climbed onto the porcelain oval, careful not to slip. Claudia dipped her head down, and I pressed myself flat against the wall.

The guy coughed, and we both heard a zipper go down. I refused to look at Claudia, knowing that if I did I would burst out into hysterics. A minute passed, and we heard the sound of flushing water. The guy left, and Claudia and I burst into laughter.

“Now that…” I breathed, shoulders still shaking as tears rolled down my eyes. “Was the nasty…” Claudia clambered off of the seat, still laughing.

“Oh my god, how gross!” she giggled. “I’m going to have nightmares!” We calmed down enough to figure out how to get Claudia out with out being noticed.

“There’s a window,” I whispered, pointing. “If I give you a life, you should be able to get out, okay?”

“Alright, see you in town! And I’ll bring you more letters, okay?” she replied before stepping into my palms and crawling through the small space. “Bye!” I waved back to her before leaving the bathroom and heading towards the music room for my next class.