Really Good Friends by Daisy Jordan
“No,” Hilton said, shaking her head. “I’m sure I would’ve heard if they did. She’d make it very well-known. I bet it was nothing. Probably just them being friends, like always, but he obviously wants Lorylyn, ‘cause he’s trying pretty hard to get her back.”
“Yeah, but do you think we should say anything to her? ‘Cause I don’t know if she’s really thought about that, like him being friends with Brooke and how much that might bother her when they’re going out. I mean, I don’t think she knows him and Brooke have been hanging out. I didn’t really know until today if they were or not. I just have a bad feeling about Brooke. I don’t trust her!”
“Yeah, me neither.” Hilton frowned. “I think I might bring it up to Lorylyn. Like just ask her if she knows if they hang out at all and how she feels about it.”
“Okay, good idea. I just don’t want her to get hurt again.” Jill was relieved Hilton was going to take care of it, because Hilton always knew the right thing to say to people, whereas Jill would’ve had no idea how to approach the subject without upsetting Lorylyn.
***
Three hours later, Jill was already on the bus to go to the gymnastics meet when Lorylyn rushed on, looking distressed, and tossed her bag into the seat across the aisle from Jill.
“Have you seen Brooke and Brady together lately? Like at school or anything?” she asked, a pained expression in her big dark eyes.
“Yeah...I saw them walking in the hall together,” Jill said reluctantly, afraid Hilton had told Lorylyn what Jill had seen and Lorylyn was mad because Jill hadn’t told her earlier.
“You did? When?”
“Um...it was today actually.” Jill wished she knew what Hilton had told Lorylyn!
“Really?” Lorylyn’s shoulders slumped. “Hilton said she saw them together today too! What were they doing? I mean, did they look, you know, couple-y or anything?”
“Um, no, not really. They were just walking together, and then Brady stopped at his locker and Brooke kept walking.”
“Oh. Well, I don’t know what to think! That makes me so mad at him! I just don’t understand! How can he want me back but still be friends with her? He told me when he came over that Tuesday night, right after school started back up, you know, that Brooke meant nothing to him and the sex thing was before he even met me, and that she’s turned into a bitch lately and he doesn’t even talk to her anymore! And when he came over the other night he didn’t mention her at all! He didn’t tell me they were friends again!”
“He said it was before he met you that he had sex with Brooke?” Jill was almost sure that had to be a lie, because Brooke had told them at lunch back in September or October that she’d gone on a date with Brady and they’d done more than make out. So it had to be since he’d known Lorylyn.
“Yeah, why?” Lorylyn looked confused.
Jill shook her head quickly. “No reason really.” She couldn’t tell Lorylyn about Brooke and Brady’s date now, because Lorylyn would be mad she hadn’t said anything a long time ago. “I don’t know though, Lor…I’d be really careful about getting back with him. I mean, I think you should ask him about Brooke. ‘Cause he told you he wasn’t friends with her anymore, so if he is now, that’s okay, but he should tell you. ‘Cause if you’re considering taking him back you deserve to have all the info.”
“Yeah, I know. Ugh, this just sucks! I was all ready to get back together with him and now she has to mess things up again!”
“Yeah, that sucks. I would ask him and see what he says.”
“Yeah, I will, that’s what Hilton said to do too.”
As Jill settled back in her seat, she felt as if a red light were flashing in her head. WARNING! WARNING! Brady’s a liar! But, she rationalized, maybe he just told Lorylyn it was before he met her so she wouldn’t worry. I mean, the exact date doesn’t really matter as long as it didn’t mean anything to him, and he probably just lied so she wouldn’t worry about it being so close to the time he asked her to the Homecoming dance...right? That was what really confused Jill though. Brady must’ve already been thinking about asking Lorylyn to the dance when he slept with Brooke....How could he sleep with one person when he liked another? She still didn’t have a good feeling about Brady.
chapter 12) the pantry
The next day in Jill’s SRT they had a substitute teacher. Jill was thrilled because the sub didn’t care what they did and even let them talk and move around the room.
“So do you know what happened with Lorylyn and Brady?” Hilton asked Jill.
“No, all I know is she was gonna talk to him and ask him what’s going on with Brooke.”
“Yeah, that’s all I know too. I don’t have a good feeling about that boy. Something weird’s going on with him.”
“Yeah, I totally agree.”
“Where’s Todd?”
Jill shrugged. “I have no clue. I don’t know if he’s here today at all or not; this is my only class with him today.”
“You didn’t see him at lunch or anything?”
“No, they sit so far away; I never see him unless I happen to see him going up to get his food or something. It’s always so crowded.”
“Maybe he’s at the trainer or something.”
“Yeah, maybe. I don’t think he’s hurt at all or anything though. They’re not having the baseball callout today, are they?”
“No, it’s next week, Reed said.”
“Oh.”
Just then the door opened, and an office messenger came in and delivered a slip of paper to the substitute.
“Jill Sherer?” the sub read off the slip, looking questioningly around the room.
Jill frowned at Hilton, who shrugged. Jill stood up and went to the front of the room to take the slip. She’d never been called out of class before. Something for gymnastics, maybe? She hoped she wasn’t in trouble!
She took the slip and frowned at it. At the top there was a line stating, Please report to the following office: and a place to check principal (Madden), asst. principal (Clarksdale), asst. principal (Hooper), dean (Preston), guidance, attendance, nurse, or athletic. All those were blank. Underneath was a line that said, Please report to room _________. In the blank, 1111 was written in red pen. Jill knew the 1100 hallway was down by the gyms. Maybe it was for gymnastics. But the scrawled signature looked like it said Stetson. Mr. Stetson? The freshman basketball coach? He was a gym teacher, but he wasn’t even her gym teacher. Huh, weird.
She gave Hilton a confused look and mouthed “Mr. Stetson,” as she headed for the door. Hilton gave her a slight shrug in return and shook her head. Jill left the room and walked quickly toward the gym. Maybe she had left something there last period and Mr. Stetson had found it? But if she left something it would’ve been in the locker room, and why would he be in the girls’ locker room?
It took her a little while to find room 1111 because it was actually inside room 1110, which was the PE department office, and 1111 appeared to be a smaller office. The door was closed, and room 1110 was deserted. Jill knocked hesitantly.
“Come in,” said a muffled voice.
Jill slowly swung the door inward and stepped into the room. “Todd?” she said in surprise. “What’s going on?”
Todd was sitting in an oversized computer chair at the desk in the small, drab office, playing solitaire on the computer. No one else was in the room. Todd turned and lifted his chin in greeting.
He looks so cute today, Jill thought. Cuddly and huggable. He had on an oversized gray BC basketball sweatshirt and faded jeans, and she had an overwhelming desire just to be touching him.
“Hey, Jilly. Nothin’s really goin’ on.” He looked back at the computer screen. “I just didn’t really feel like goin’ to SRT today, so I told Stetson at the end of gym that I felt like shit, and he told me I could just stay in his office and rest up for the game. He called down and got me excused. And he had these passes laying on his desk, so I sent one for you.” He gestured absentmindedly in the direction of a pad of g
“Um...okay,” Jill said, puzzled, but thrilled he had wanted her to come join him. “So Stetson doesn’t even know you sent it?”
“Nah, but he wouldn’t care anyways. He doesn’t give a shit.”
“Well that’s cool. So you’re not really sick then? You just didn’t feel like going to SRT? It’s actually sweet today; we have a sub.”
“Oh. Well fuck, guess I picked the wrong day to miss. But nah, I’m not sick.” He finished his game and wheeled around in the chair to face Jill. “Just kinda fuckin’ depressed about my parents, you know?”
Oooohhh. Jill made a sympathetic face. “Are they still in counseling?”
“Yep.”
“Are things getting any better at all?”
“Nope, not that I can tell. I mean, I don’t fuckin’ know I guess, ‘cause I never realized anything was wrong in the first place. But now it’s like they avoid each other around the house. I just don’t get it. ‘Cause if they’re going to counseling, doesn’t that mean they wanna work shit out? I mean, that’s what you said, right? But then they come home and avoid each other?” His brown eyes pleaded with Jill’s, looking for an answer.
Jill shook her head helplessly. “That’s really weird,” she said. “You’re right though, I mean I don’t think they’d go to counseling at all if they didn’t wanna work things out. Maybe it’s just that the counseling is so intense they need some space at home. Or maybe their therapist wants them to avoid, like, interacting except when they’re in counseling. ‘Cause without her being there to intervene, they might get in a big fight or something and ruin the progress they’ve made with her.”
“Maybe,” Todd said doubtfully. “It’s just so weird!”
“Yeah. Have they talked to you about it at all?”
“Well they told me about it before they started counseling; well actually my mom told me about it. She said they were having some ‘minor issues’ and they were gonna try counseling and see if that would help things, and that I shouldn’t worry, but she just wanted me to know.”
“Well that sounds like a good sign then.”
“Yeah, but they haven’t said anything really since they started, and they’ve been four times, and now it’s like so tense around the house I’m like afraid to ask, ya know?”
“Yeah, that would be hard. I don’t really know what to tell you. Are you close with your parents?”
“More with my mom, I guess. I mean, my dad’s gone a lot ‘cause he has to travel for business and stuff. But he hasn’t had to go on a trip since they started counseling. I almost wish he would, you know? ‘Cause then it wouldn’t be so tense around our house.”
“Yeah, I totally understand. You don’t have any brothers or sisters, do you?”
“Nope.”
Jill fell silent. She didn’t know what to say because she’d never experienced anything like this, and none of her close friends had been through a divorce either. “I don’t know,” she said finally. “I wish there was something I could say to help. But I think you just have to wait it out and see what happens, ‘cause it’s their relationship and there’s nothing you can do to control it. And I think the thing to remember is they are in counseling, so they wanna make it work, and you just have to hope and pray for the best. But if your dad does go out of town, I’d ask your mom about it. ‘Cause you deserve to know what’s going on.”
Todd nodded. “Yeah. Jilly, do you pray?”
Jill was surprised by the question. When she’d said “hope and pray,” she hadn’t really meant literally pray; she’d just been using the expression. “Well, yeah. I mean, I go to church and stuff. And I pray before I go to bed usually.”
“What kind of stuff do you pray for?”
“Um, like my family and friends, and just for all of us to be safe and healthy and happy, and then if there’s anything specific going on I might pray for that.”
“Well, pray for me if you think of it. ‘Cause I don’t know what I’d do if my parents got a divorce.” Todd put his head in his hands. “I know that’s stupid ‘cause it happens all the time, but I just don’t think I’d handle it that well.” He sounded like he might cry.
Jill’s heart broke for him. She felt tears well up in her eyes. She reached out and rubbed his arm lightly. “Of course I will, Todd.”
He looked up and gave her a small smile, but his eyes were shining. “Thanks, Jilly. Come here.” He stood up and pulled her into a playful hug, picking her feet up off the ground and making her squeal.
“Put me down!” Jill giggled. She remembered what her mom had said about him feeling vulnerable after putting all his emotions out in the open and figured he was probably trying to be silly now to cover it up. But that was okay. She was honored he’d talked to her about it again, and she’d never felt so close to him.
She laughed again as he set her on her feet and flashed him a smile. He smiled back, his normal teasing smile, but when their eyes locked there was something deeper than humor there, and they held the look for a few seconds. It was Todd who looked away first.
“So let’s do something fun,” he said.
“Like what?”
“I don’t know...let’s get the hell out of here and go somewhere.”
“Todd, we can’t!”
“Why not?”
“We can’t just leave!”
“Okay, then think of something fun to do here.”
“I don’t know...” Jill struggled to think of something, anything.
“Let’s get some food at least. I’m starving.” He pushed his chair out of the way and headed for the door.
“Stetson won’t care if you leave?”
“Hell no, I told you he doesn’t give a shit. And if anyone asks you, just take your pass and say Stetson sent us somewhere to get something for him.”
“Okay,” Jill said, excited. Todd made her want to be bad, to break the rules. She would’ve loved to leave school with him, but there was no way she was that brave. Leaving the office she could handle. She was already feeling a thrill just because she was skipping SRT with a fake pass.
They left Stetson’s office and turned into the long hallway beside the varsity gym. When they reached the far end, Todd pushed open the door to the lobby between the two gyms, where the vending machines were. The area was deserted. Todd dug in his pocket and fished out some change.
“Twinkies?” he asked Jill.
“No, I don’t have any money with me.”
“I’m buying.”
“Okay. Cookies, then.” She pointed, and Todd punched in the correct letter and number.
“We should go in the locker room and smoke pot,” he said as they wandered slowly back down the hallway, munching on their snacks.
“Todd!” Jill looked at him, wide-eyed.
“Oh, come on, Jill, I’m just kidding.” He shoved her into the wall. “You’re so uptight.”
Jill frowned. She didn’t want him to think that; what an insult! “No I’m not!” she protested.
“Whatever, you need to loosen up a little.”
“Fine,” she said. “What do you want me to do?”
“Don’t get so defensive. I didn’t mean it in a bad way.”
“No, I’m not getting defensive. But I’m not uptight.”
Todd swung his arm around her and pulled her roughly to him, making her stumble a little. “I’m sorry, Jilly. I love you. I didn’t mean it.”
Jill’s stomach flipped, and she kept her head down so he couldn’t see her face. He was just joking around, but still, he’d said he loved her!
She was still feeling slighted by his uptight comment though, and she was determined to prove him wrong. “It’s okay,” she said. “So what do you wanna do?”
“I don’t know. I’m not going back in that office though. It’s too cramped. I wish we could go lay down somewhere. Oh, I know! Come on.” He grabbed her arm and began walking quickly around to the other side of the gym.
“You’ll see.” He entered the narrow hallway on the other side of the varsity gym, led her halfway down it, then pushed open a door on the left that led to another small, dimly lit hallway. Jill had never been on this side of the gym before; the girls’ locker rooms were on the other side. Halfway down the hallway on the right was an entrance to the boys’ locker rooms, and on the other side of the hall was a door that read SUPPLIES. Todd kept walking toward a door at the end of the hallway.
He pushed the door open and glanced quickly around. Jill tried to look over his shoulder into the room, but she couldn’t see anything.
“We’re good,” Todd said, opening the door all the way and stepping inside. After Jill was in, he closed the door and locked it.
“Why are you locking the door?!”
“So nobody comes in here and finds us!”
“What is this place?” Jill looked around the room and was surprised at its size. It was kind of dreary-looking, but there was a large TV in one corner, two inviting couches, and two recliners. On the other side of the room was a microwave, a coffee-maker, and a full-sized refrigerator.
“It’s the coaches’ lounge,” Todd said with a grin. “Pretty sweet, huh?”
“How’d you know about it?”
“This is where we come to watch tapes from the games.”
“What were you gonna do if somebody was in here?!”
Todd shrugged carelessly. “Just tell them Stetson sent me to look for a tape he thought he left.”
Jill smiled. “Good one.” Then she thought of something. “Don’t the coaches have keys? They can probably still get in even though you locked it.”
“Huh. Good point. Well, I guess we’ll just worry about that if it happens.” Todd strode over to one of the couches, plopped down, and flipped on the TV using the remote.
Jill threw her empty cookie package in the wastebasket and sat in one of the chairs.
“Anything special you wanna watch?” Todd asked.