He rolled up the sleeves of his long-sleeved shirt and I got a good glimpse of the tattoos snaking up his thick forearms. The week before, as I’d watched him from afar, I had seen the tats but hadn’t been able to make out what they were. I was certain I saw the edge of the Colosseum and the end of a spear.
He glanced at me and caught me looking. I didn’t like being caught ogling, but I wouldn’t act like I was embarrassed, so I held his gaze and only looked away when Aria said my name.
“Brooke, don’t you agree?”
I looked at her, trying to figure out what she’d just said. I must have missed it.
“What am I agreeing to?” I thought I’d play it safe. It was like a mini world war in here, and if I agreed to something, it could set off a bomb.
“School and life are separate. I don’t want to be seen as some kind of geek.”
I laughed. “I’m sorry, Aria, I’m kind of a geek, so I was always stuck in a library somewhere.”
She looked so shocked when I said that, but Ryan looked relieved.
“You think you’re a geek? No way.” She shook her head. “You even buyCosmo.”
“It’s the girl bible—everyone hasCosmo.” I nodded.
“I agree. We’d be lost without it.”
“Cosmo, the same magazine I caught you with other the week?” Ryan asked, stabbing the withered remains of his chicken with his fork. He looked from me to her again.
Aria stared at him head on and straightened up. “Yes Dad, that same one.” She looked at me. “Dad got all worked up over an article titledHow to know if he’s good in bed.”
I wanted to laugh but tried to suppress it. It was funny, really, but I knew if I reacted it would be construed as me agreeing with her, and I didn’t. There was no way I would feel comfortable knowing my sixteen-year-old was reading stuff like that. Articles like that were okay for me, but for her…
“Come on, Aria, you seriously expected your dad not to freak out?” I had to ask her because I knew my dad would have probably burned the magazine.
She frowned at me. “Brooke, you’re supposed to be my friend—you can’t take his side.” She pouted.
“I’m not taking sides. As your friend, I have to be honest. If there was lipstick on your teeth, wouldn’t you want me to tell you?”
“Yes, I would be very upset if that happened and you didn’t tell me.”
“Same thing here. Why don’t you leave those articles to the big girls? I lovedCosmo Girlwhen I was your age. They had the coolest articles, and the best thing was the discount at Macy’s and Sephora.”
She gasped. “Really? I didn’t know that.”
“Girl you’ve been missing out. Thank God I’m here, right?”
“Oh yes.” She nodded.
Ryan chuckled. “Finally something we can all agree on.” He widened his eyes.
I smiled at that too, but it got me thinking about what his life must be like. Where was Aria’s mom? No one had said anything, neither Aria nor Ryan.
I’d scanned the dining room for pictures, but there weren’t any of the family photos I expected to see around the place. I hadn’t been in the living room yet so I couldn’t be totally certain. Maybe they had a bad relationship and Ryan wasn’t with her anymore, or maybe they had a good relationship but the kind where she saw Aria during the holidays or weekends, but then that would be odd too because usually most kids lived with the mother and the father had visitation arrangements.
The other possibility I thought of was that she wasn’t around anymore, like …she’d died. I hoped not. I knew the pain from loss all too much. I may not have known Aria long, but I would have felt truly sad for her if that was what had happened.
The buzzing of a phone brought me out of my thoughts.
It was Aria’s cell vibrating on the table. The excitement that danced in her eyes as she looked down at the screen told me it had to be the boyfriend calling.
The put-out look on Ryan’s face confirmed it.
“Excuse me,” Aria said, picking up the phone and dashing out of the room before Ryan could say anything.
