9781250209153

Kevin drives us since he’s the only one who didn’t partake in the “senior
fundraiser.” Gunther takes the front while Danielle and I sit in the back seat,
holding Kevin’s guitar case across our laps. Gunther helped himself to
another two rounds of fundraiser while I was out in the locker hallway, so
he’s giggly and goofy. He won’t stop laughing about how he has to pee.
The Emporium garage is open when we arrive. People are milling about
in their suits and dresses, half inside the Emporium, half outside in the
parking lot. The air is cool and smells like dead leaves and campfire.
As my friends walk off to survey the Santa statues, I take a moment to
drink water and mull over something that’s been fermenting in my brain. It
fizzled to life sometime in the last hour, after I overheard Irene and Honey-
Belle at the dance. It’s a wild, ridiculous idea, but I can’t shake the feeling
that it could be exactly what I need to solve my problems. I mean, didn’t
my sisters tell me to fake it till I make it?
I make the decision and march toward Irene before I lose my nerve.
She’s standing with a small crowd of friends who look up as I approach.
It’s outside the prescribed social norms for me to seek them out, but right
now I don’t care.
“Irene,” I say loudly.
“Yeah?” she says, an edge to her voice. She crosses her arms over her
apricot dress and eyes me warily.
“I need to talk to you.” I give her a meaningful look. “It’s important.”
I’ve never been so bold before. But why shouldn’t I be, especially now
that I know all her weak spots?
She follows me out back behind the Emporium, where the longforgotten
train tracks are. There are fewer people out here; it’ll be easier to
have a private conversation. I scoot onto the track incline and wait as she
folds herself down next to me.
“Well?” she prompts.
I tuck my knees up, wrapping my arms around my pant legs like this is
the most casual conversation I could imagine.
“I heard you and Honey-Belle talking in the hallway,” I say, looking her
square in the eye. “I had no idea you were into girls.”