“Guess!”
“What?”
“Bryce Evans is back in town and said hello to Lexi.” Anna interjected, quickly. I looked at her in reproach and she sighed. “Sorry, but I didn’t want this guessing game to go on for the next thirty minutes. I have to go home and cook dinner for my dad soon.”
“The Bryce Evans?” Luke spoke up before I could answer. I knew he didn’t want to be in the middle of another Lexi-Anna pseudo argument.
“Yes.” I grinned, too excited to let anything get me down.
“I thought he joined the army or something?” he frowned.
“The marines.”
“Or was it the air force?”
“He joined the marines.” I said, louder.
“Figures. He wasn’t smart enough for the air force.”
“Luke!” I admonished him.
“Sorry.” He rolled his eyes. “So that’s the super exciting news that you were thinking of not telling me?”
“I was going to tell you.”
“A guy you knew from high school said hi?” Luke looked at me with a serious face.
“He is more that just a random guy from high school,” I said, in a soft voice.
“I know that, Lexi,” he sighed.
“You know what would have happened if he hadn’t been there, Luke.” I looked at him, seriously.
“I know.” Luke turned away from me, with a clenched fist. I could see he was upset.
“You know I don’t blame you, Luke.”
“I should have been there.” He turned back to me with real concern in his face. “There isn’t a day that goes by that I don’t regret it.”
“It’s the past, Luke,” Anna said, angrily. “You really need to forget about it.”
“Anyone want a drink?” I jumped up and tried to break the heavy mood that filled the living room. “I think we have coke.”
“What? No Pepsi?” Luke grinned and I laughed at him as I shook my head.
“Sorry, we are a coke household.”
“Luke, I wanted to thank you once again for adopting Bongo,” Anna interjected. “I can’t tell you how happy you have made me.”
“Anything for you, Anna.” He grinned at her and she blushed. “Plus, now I can make sure Lexi gets some exercise in.”
“Ahem!” I faked an angry voice. “And how are you going to make sure of that?”
“When you walk him.”
“I’m not going to be walking your dog, Luke.”
“But won’t you join me when I walk him?” He put on an innocent, pleading face.
“I guess,” I sighed. “I guess I could stand to lose ten pounds.”
“Or twenty.” Luke stared at me with a bland face and I swat him on the arm.
“I will get you for that, Luke.”
“Uh huh.”
“Just wait.” I grinned at him and I saw Anna rolling her eyes.
“Are you guys ever going to grow up?” She stood up. “We’re not in high school any more, guys. We are adults and we should all act like we are.”
“Hey, are you okay, Anna?” I frowned at her as she walked to the front door.
“I’m fine,” she sighed. “I should get going. Dad had a long day at work today. I should go and get dinner ready for him.”
“Okay.” I walked over and gave her a hug. “Do you want a ride?”
“No. I can walk.” She smiled at me softly. “I’ll see you guys later.”
“Bye, Anna Banana.” Luke called to her as he poured himself a coke from the kitchen.
“I hope she’s okay,” I frowned as I walked into the kitchen and joined Luke.
“Who?” He chugged his drink and looked at me in confusion.
“Anna, Luke. Anna,” I sighed. “You know, our friend, who just left.”
“I’m sure she’s fine.” He sidled up next to me. “Want a Dawson’s Creek night?”
“Tonight?” I raised an eyebrow.
“It’s Bongo’s first night. I think it will be fun.”
“Where?”
“My place?” He cocked his head. “I figured your mom wouldn’t be too happy if Bongo spent the night already.”
I laughed and grabbed an apple. “You got that right.”
“So we down?”
“Can we eat chocolate in the bed?” I grinned at him.
“Only if you promise to eat it carefully.”
“Don’t I always?”
“No. The last time, you dropped a bunch of crumbs that melted and it looked like shit all over my sheets.”
“Well, maybe you need diapers then?” I looked at him with a funny face.
“Funny, Lexi,” he laughed. “You can have chocolate if you don’t turn my bed into poopyville.”
“Eww—you’re gross,” I laughed. “And who knows what Bongo is going to do.”
“Anna said he’s potty trained.”
“I sure hope so.” We both laughed and watched as Bongo licked his balls on the rug in my living room. I knew I should get the dog out as soon as possible, because if my mom came home and saw him she would have a fit. Just like she did over everything she had no control over. I sighed and turned to Luke. “Take Bongo and get out of here. I’ll be over later.”
“So you can talk more about dreamy Bryce?” He wriggled his eyebrows and I slapped him on the arm.
“Luke.” I growled at him and he cocked his head and looked at me curiously. “Okay, maybe a little bit,” I laughed. “This is exciting for me.”
“I don’t know why,” he sighed. I pushed him towards the door.
“I’ll be over around 9pm?”
“That sounds good.” He picked up Bongo and they left the house. I surveyed and smelled the room to make sure that there were no discernible traces of Bongo anywhere when my mom got home. I really wasn’t in the mood for an argument and I didn’t want her to spoil my good mood. I ran to the rug and straightened it out, before running back to the kitchen to wash out the glasses and dry them. If she saw two empty glasses she would want to know who had been over at the house. And then she would put me though the fifth degree. I didn’t want that. Not today. Not when I was happy.
I knew that I should just move out and try to find a place of my own. Well, with a friend. Anna would never leave her dad and her animals, but Luke had seemed quite keen whenever I had discussed getting an apartment. Especially now that he had some money. In fact, he thought it was a great idea. Only I felt guilty about leaving my mom. My salary, though meager, helped to pay the rent for that house. Something my mom couldn’t do on her waitress salary fully. There was no way I could just leave and not help out. And there was no way I could leave and still help out.