The Moment Before

Chapter Twenty-Six

TWENTY-SIX

The Monday after Prom is always a waste. Hungover students. The fallout of whatever breakups or hookups went down. Good luck to Pale Blue Dot or any of them who think actual educating will happen.

            First thing, before trig even, Martha finds me and she’s holding a yellow rose. A perfect yellow rose. “I am so sorry to hear about your dad, Brady,” she says, offering the flower to me. Plus a card.

            My throat is dry but I manage a gracious Thank you. I say, “He’s expected to make a full recovery,” in my robot voice.

            But then, behind her happy, happy Princess face, there’s a little wrinkle. Something not quite right.

            “He is,” I insist. “Going to be fine.”

            “It’s not that,” she says, continuing to thrust the rose my way until I take it from her. “It’s just, well, Nick told me that you’re involved with Connor.”

            “Involved? Well, not involved, really,” I stammer, sort of Judas-like.

            “And that he’s been filling your head with a bunch of lies.”

            Nick. Of course he’d be doing his best to save his hide now that he knows what I know.

            “Martha, I realize that you’re hot on Nick and all, but, he’s got a dark side. He’s guilty of more than you think.”

            “Guilty of what? You mean loving a girl who cheated on him? Repeatedly?”

            I can’t believe it. Nick’s spreading who-knows-what sort of crap about Connor. I reach my rose-wielding hand toward Martha, but she steps back, like I’m about to strike her.

            “I don’t know what Nick told you, Martha, but it’s not true. And, as far as the Connor thing. I’m not involved with him. Not anymore, anyway.”

            As soon as they’re out of my mouth, those words not anymore, a huge cavern tears open inside of me.

            Martha, though, she bounces up like a happy Jack-in-the-box. “So, you came to your senses, then? About Connor? I’m so happy to hear that.”

            Why am I even friends with this girl? The way she glows with satisfaction when the world matches up to her sense of order and the way things should be. I want to tell her that it’s only temporary. Once Dad recovers, once Mom re-busies herself with her own life, I can see who I want to see. Why should Martha be the only one on the planet who gets to do whatever the hell she wants? I glare at her. “Happy? Well, good for you, Martha. I’m glad you’re happy. Because I am not.”

            She pushes a hunk of her shiny mahogany hair back over her shoulder and grins. “Cheer up, Brady. It’s time you got back into things around here. I’d love it, assuming your dad’s out of the woods and everything, if you could come over later and help me with my Rose Festival Court speech. You’re so good with words, you know?”

            Good with words. Maybe I should show her the power of words. Let her hear Nick in all his glory.

            “I’ll come over, Martha, but there’s a few things you need to know about that boyfriend of yours.”