“Track, basketball, karate…” His father began counting on his fingers. “Violin, French.”
“You didn’t even give me a choice for half of those!” Derrick leaned forward in his seat. “I wouldn’t have had to quit if you’d listened to me in the first place and signed me up for soccer and guitar like I wanted.”
I made myself busy wiping the milkshake from Jade’s face, wishing very much that she and I could excuse ourselves and make a dash for the door. This so wasn’t my drama.
“You had the perfect life,” Mrs. Allen growled, putting the bagel down but not the knife. “Tell him, Gary. The perfect life.”
“I still don’t see why you had to join the military.” Mr. Allen put up his hands helplessly. “I had you lined up to do consulting with Howard Conway. You would have made more than three times what you’re making now.”
“Yeah,” Derrick said. “In five years. Maybe. If I’d done really well. But you don’t understand. I don’t want a high-powered…You know what? Forget it. You didn’t listen then just like you’re not listening now. Heck, you haven’t even asked why we broke up. You just assumed it’s my fault. As always.”
Mrs. Allen sat back. “Because it generally is your fault.”
A look crossed Derrick’s face that I wouldn’t soon forget. For just a second, he was a little boy. And he was hurting. “Excuse me, Jessie. I need to get some air.”
I stood and let him pass. He stalked toward the front door. I glanced back at his parents, who were talking in angry whispers—mostly his mother—before grabbing my yogurt and following him.
* * *
He was sitting on the edge of the raised flower beds in front of the restaurant when I found him. I sat beside him and said a silent prayer with a lot of pleading for words then started eating my yogurt. I had no idea of what to say now that I was actually here. I could say I was sorry he’d broken it off, but I wasn’t. The more I’d heard about Amy and the way she treated Derrick, and more importantly, Jade, the less I liked her. In truth, I was relieved. Derrick may not be my best friend, but that was not the kind of future I wished upon him.
Life had suddenly gotten a whole lot more complicated.
And he was right. His parents hadn’t even asked about the reason for their split. All they seemed to care about were Amy’s perfections. As if she was out of his league, and he was swinging high. No. Derrick could be awful, but he was also one of the most caring people I’d ever met. All you had to do was see the way he looked at Jade to know that.
“Sorry you had to witness that.” Derrick didn’t look up from the straw he was twisting in his hands. “I shouldn’t have asked you to come.”
“No, I’m glad you did.”
The look he gave me made me laugh.
“Really,” I said. “No one should have to go through anything like…” I nodded back at the window. “Likethatalone.”
He gave me a grim smile. “Thanks. And I mean it. Believe it or not, that would have been a whole lot worse if you hadn’t been there.” He sighed and looked down at the straw. “At least they’ll be gone for the rest of the day, and I can ignore them and all their guilt tripping until tonight.”
At that moment, Jade and her parents appeared at the top of the steps holding take-out boxes, and we both sobered up. From the look on Mrs. Allen’s face, Derrick wouldn’t be allowed to forget this for a long time. What an awful way to spend the Fourth of July.
But then I had an idea.
“Hey, your parents are going to work now, right?” I asked quickly as they made their way down the steps.
“Yeah. Why?”
“Why don’t you and Jade come spend today with my family?” I asked. “An airman shouldn’t have to spend Independence Day nannying alone.”
He gave me a long, thoughtful look, his blue eyes piercing mine before his mouth curved up into a lopsided grin.
“You know what? That actually sounds really nice.”
And I would have been lying to myself if I didn’t say that the way he looked at me made my heart do strange things.
24
Complicated
Jessie
We hadn’t planned on doing any fireworks, but the moment I called my parents to tell them we were having guests, that changed.
