Page 239 of Rock Chick

“Good idea.”

We stood there, silent, staring out the window.

Ally broke the quiet, the first to tamp down her emotion and get on with it.

As always.

“I need a drink. Mom downed mine.”

“My ice is all melted,” I said.

“I’ll get you another one.”

“I need to call Lee. I forgot about the barbeque. Barolo Grill is off.”

“Bummer.”

Ally picked up my glass and walked to the kitchen.

I stared at the box and decided to go through it later. When I was alone and no one would be able to call me a sissy or see my ugly, blotchy, red face when I was done.

* * *

I was lyingin my darkened bedroom attempting a Disco Nap.

I heard Lee (or what I hoped was Lee) come in. The house was so silent, even at the distance of the kitchen to the bedroom I heard his keys hit the counter.

I decided we were going to have to have another talk about the keys on the counter business. I had a cute kitty-tails-as-hooks key holder on the wall by the back door. Keys went on one of the kitty tails. I’d already told him once, but did he listen? No. He just smiled at me like he thought I was cute.

I heard his footsteps on the stairs and put my arm over my face.

I’d gone through Kitty Sue and Mom’s box and sifted through the memories. I’d read and reread the letter until I’d memorized my mom’s girlish handwriting. I’d held the treasures in my hands, touched them, turned them, even smelled some of them.

Because of this, I’d been crying, and no way in hell did I want Lee to see me post-crying orgy.

“Indy?” Lee called my name quietly, and I knew he was standing by the bed.

I feigned sleep.

The bed moved when he sat on it and moved more when he took his boots off. I heard them hit the floor, one then the other. Then the bed moved again when he settled into it, turned to me and pulled my back to his front, arm around my waist.

“Stop pretending to sleep,” he ordered.

“Go away. I’m taking a Disco Nap,” I told him, my voice muffled as it was coming from under my arm.

“You’ve been crying.”

What?

How on earth could he know that? He hadn’t seen my face.

“Have not,” I lied.

He sighed. “Mom told Dad about the box. Dad told me.”

Shit.

This was going to be my life. I knew it. With Malcolm and Dad best friends, and Ally and me best friends, and Hank and Lee super close, and Kitty Sue and Malcolm married, nothing was ever going to be a secret.