Callie turns to me. “Well, just because you don’t acknowledge him doesn’t mean I can’t.”
I open my mouth to politely explain why that’s not actually helpful, but Willowdean interjects. “Oh, y’all, trust me when I say that if you want anyone talking back to Patrick Thomas on your behalf, it’s this girl. She takes no prisoners.” Willowdean reaches across the circle to give Callie a high five.
Amanda gives me a knowing look. The two of us have spent the last few years ignoring all the looks and jokes from our peers. It’s not like we don’t hear it, but there came a time when we had to make the decision to pretend we didn’t hear it, or just let ourselves drown in it.
Callie turns to me. “He just said something stupid to me between classes, and I set him straight.”
I wait for a moment to see if she’ll elaborate, but she doesn’t. And truthfully, I know people like him will always exist. I don’t need the details. They don’t change anything for me. But still, a little bit of warmth tingles in my chest at the thought of Callie standing up for me.
That night, Amanda and Hannah sleep head to toe in Amanda’s twin bed while Ellen and Willowdean share an air mattress and Callie and I take sleeping bags on the floor next to the empty pizza boxes.
I can’t sleep, because it just always takes me forever to fall asleep when I’m not in my own bed, so I’m awake to see Willowdean and Ellen sit up in bed and do their bestjob of tiptoeing around as they gather their shoes and cell phones while still wearing their pajamas.
“Where are you bitches going?” Callie whispers next to me, scaring me a little, because I didn’t even know she was still awake.
Willowdean holds her finger to her lips, telling us to be quiet. “Our boyfriends are outside,” she says, so quietly it barely counts as a whisper. “We were just gonna sneak out for a little bit.”
I sit up. I don’t want them to go, but I’m also jealous, because what if Malik were here doing the same, and what if he was my official boyfriend? But I don’t want them to miss out either. “I’ll help you guys,” I tell them. “I know this house better than y’all.”
Willowdean looks to Ellen, who nods her approval.
“Well, I’m coming with you,” says Callie.
“I’ll be right back,” I tell her.
“We’ve been cooped up in this room all night hiding from Amanda’s brothers. I’ve forgotten what the outside world even looks like.”
“Fine,” I say. “Be quiet. Amanda’s dad is a light sleeper.”
The three of them follow me downstairs and through the kitchen to the back door, which lets out a long creak as I open it to the milky nighttime sky. I hold the door while they all shuffle through, then let it close softly behind us.
Willowdean and Ellen head to the gate on the side of the house, circling around the pool.
“Y’all, don’t stay out too long,” I say.
Willowdean smacks Ellen’s butt as they shuffle through the gate.
“Oh my God!” says Callie.
“Shhh!” I try to quiet her.
“Amanda didn’t say she had a pool!”
I smile. “It’s not even warm enough out yet.”
She sighs. “I know, but...” She sighs again. “A private pool all to yourself in the summer.”
“Well, she does have to share it with her brothers.”
“Can we just put our feet in?” Callie asks. “It’s pretty warm tonight.”
I glance behind us to make sure there are no lights on in the house. “Sure.”
We sit side by side with our feet dangling in the deep end. Amanda’s house is pretty old and so is the pool, but it’s the reason why her dad bought the house. The tiles lining the pool are clearly older than both Amanda and I, but her dad treats this pool like a fourth child.
“Didn’t your, um, ex-boyfriend have a pool?”
Her eyes light up briefly before her whole expression droops. “Yeah, but his dad was weird about having people over.” She holds her hand to her chest. “Iwas allowed over, but if we wanted to hang with friends, we had to go to the community pool.”
