“Jordan’s.” She had no embarrassment.
“Ah, well, congratulations!”
She grimaced, annoyed, and put her hands on her hips, as if that could reinforce the menacing glare she was giving me.
“Listen, young lady. Don’t talk back to me like that, you hear me? The vice principal told me you gave a guy a black eye!”
“What? It was a mistake, it was because—”
“Today you talked back to the English teacher and asked if he was blind. Was that by mistake?”
A chuckle slipped out of my lips.
“Come on, Mom.”
But she wasn’t in the mood to joke around. “No excuses! And you were about to assault your classmate today.”
“That’s not true!”
Mr. Beckett? Cross him off my list of crushes. He was a liar.
“And why are you coming home again with the smell of weed and alcohol all over you? What kind of people are you hanging around?”
I took off my Vans and threw them at the shoe rack. I always did that when I was angry.
“What about you, Mom? You’re the one who’s drooling over a guy like Jordan.”
She composed herself and shot me a condescending look. “And why should that matter to you, June?”
“You’re not even gonna deny it? Are we at that point? I think it’s ridiculous,” I spat.
Her face hardened. A few fine lines under her eyes accentuated her profile.
“You saw James tonight, yes or no?”
I stared at her with my mouth open.
“Well? I’m waiting!”
“I’m not dating him. But what’s wrong, Mom?”
“I asked you if you saw him! Not if you were dating him!” Exasperated by the argument, she sat on the couch and propped her forehead up with her hand.
“I’m dating his friend,” I admitted feebly.
Mom had an unclear expression on her face. “I wanna meet him, then.”
“No.”
“If your bad behavior has something to do with the people you’re hanging around, your outings are over,” she threatened.
“Meaning? I can’t go out anymore?”
I watched her stand up, come closer, and take aim at me. “You’re going to Jordan’s house tomorrow at five.”
I didn’t know if she was serious or joking. But she seemed to be anything but joking.
“You’re awful. Aw-ful,” I articulated.
