17 year old Callie is at her lowest point. Alone and depressed most of the summer, she feels fat and ugly-and school starts Monday. Her mother Michelle is about to have a baby, and won't tell anyone who the father is. The reality TV show that Michel...
On Saturday morning, Callie said goodbye to her mother and Booms as they headed out the door, her mother to a film session, and she was dropping Booms off at Gumms' on the way. Because, Callie told her, she was hanging out with some new friends from Mommy 101, as the unwed mothers' group from school was called. Michelle said she would be gone until after lunch.
Callie made the call, and in about a half hour, girls began to arrive at her house. Several came with Crystal, who not only had a driver's license, but a car. As they arrived, excited and giggly, Fiona gave them balloons to blow up, and the resulting lightheadedness increased the giddiness of the scene..
"Why don't we just have the party here?" asked Peri, Callie's friend from the woodwind section.
"Because Callie's mom said she couldn't have a shower." Fiona tried to catch her breath. "So we're just hanging out. With balloons. That's why no presents."
"But I brought a present!" said Peri.
"So did I!" Fabiola held up a plastic bag from Target.
They all laughed as they collected the white balloons in large trash bags. When everything was ready, Callie led the girls across the street and down two doors, to the party condo. As she approached, the front door opened, and Johnny peered out. He was the one of the three roommates Callie had actually talked to. He wore black pants and a white dressshirt, like the limo driver or waiter that he was–Callie couldn't quite remember.
"Can you do this later?" He stood there, his pasty face mashed into a squint. "What!" Callie couldn't believe it. "You said... ."
"Yeah, well Chase is still asleep."
"So?" Callie wasn't going to be stopped, or even slowed down. "I'm here. We're here. You told me it'd be cool. I texted you last night."
"We just don't want to disturb him, y'know."
"Is he sick?"
Johnny scratched his ear. "Naw. But got in late. He's a bear if you wake him up."
"So there's a rude man sleeping in the back room? What am I supposed to do?" Callie glanced at the girls behind her, standing there with their bags of stuff. She turned back to Johnny. "You could have at least told us before we got all this crap ready."
Johnny sighed dramatically.
Callie grabbed his hand. "Pleeeeeeeeeze?"
He stepped back, opening the door. "Screw it. But keep it down."
"Yay!" Callie made short, happy claps and walked in. The sparsely decorated room had been picked up, if not exactly cleaned. The furniture looked new and rented. Wouldn't want to get too close to that carpet, though. "It looks nice. Thanks, Johnny."
"No problem. I'm going to work in about twenty minutes. Clean up after yourselves." And he disappeared down the short hall.
Since none of their mothers came, the girls could do it any way they wanted, and that was half the fun. Decorating consisted of dumping the balloons onto the floor and kicking them around–quietly–which gave the smallish living room the feel of being a cloud land. Fiona came up with the balloon idea, and brought the white diaper cake, and the punch in gallon jugs. They found extra chairs in the kitchen, and the girls set them up in a nice sort of oval around the room.
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The scene warmed Callie's soul. Every one of these girls was a doll party veteran from childhood, whether with glitter unicorns or Bratz or Digimon action figures. How nicely they arranged the chairs and laid out the snacks on a narrow table near the kitchen, and even though the girls didn't all know one another, they sat down and made polite conversation about clothes and the presents they had brought. Besides Fiona, Ronette, and Crystal, the group included Angelique and Bunny from the teen mom's class, Peri from marching band, and Fabiola, a grade-school friend. Though there were no babies present, they dominated the conversation as thoroughly as if they'd been crawling around among the pearl white balloons.
There was a knock on the door, barely heard, and Zam stuck his head in. "Hey."
"Hey, yourself." Callie stoodup. She wondered why he was here.
"No bimboys!" someone said.
Callie waded through the balloons toward Zam. Music began to play. Ronette had brought a small boom box, and a low pop-hop wail now snaked through the room. Callie turned, but Ronette had already lowered the volume, looking around with her finger on her lips.
Callie faced Zam. Was he here to make trouble, or to be a friend? "Yeah. So like, this party is our little baby shower. Only those invited."
"Didja bring a present?" Someone interrupted.
"Well, a card." Zam handed Callie a baby-blue envelope.
"Thank you..." She took it reluctantly.
"No, let's see." Fiona reached up from her seat, and Callie gave her the envelope.
Fiona peeked inside the envelope. She handed it to Callie. "Oh, let him stay. But he has to play all the shower games. You know what those are, don't you, Zam?"
Callie wavered. He did look fairly presentable. His hair curtain was combed back from his face—though it wouldn't stay there long. And he'd put on a shirt with actual buttons, a red and black plaid cowboy shirt that hung over his skeletal torso. Zam was certainly an old friend, and a unique personality. Callie couldn't think of another boy who would subject himself to this.
There came another knock on the door. Zam stepped deeper into the room, and Callie opened the door.
And in comes David Ross. Callie blinked hard, as the girls behind her whooped with delight. David, in a big-striped shirt, his curly hair glistening with natural sheen, had come to her party. He leaned over and gave Callie a loose, brotherly hug.
"Hey." He smiled at her.
Besides not being invited, he had been acting very cool toward her every time she saw him, and Callie took that as moral superiority, which she had become very good at recognizing. So what was he doing here, with that sly smile and those mumbled greetings? He didn't seem to know any of the girls, or Zam. But now he gave Fiona a hug. And Fiona gave Callie a mysteriously knowing look.
David and Zam moved through the balloons, conversation resumed, chairs were found, but David didn't sit down, he grabbed a cup of punch and stood by the snack table. Came another knock. David was closest. He opened the door.
