He Told Me To Walk This Way

It's Party Time It's Excellent

In the three weeks before my eighteenth birthday Steven and I decided that, after my birthday, I'd move in with him. He promised to make time for me no matter what, and I promised not to take it personally if he couldn't spend every second he wasn't on stage, with me. We decided that I'd wait to go to college until we could see where his musical career was going. Depending on his success, we'd go from there. Basically, everything in this short time period seemed perfect. Every second was bliss, even when I introduced Steven to mother. She'd already met him once or twice before, but believe me when I say; telling her that he was my boyfriend was a whole different ball game. I started noticing that I was seeing less and less of Angela. Whenever I called her, her mother would answer and tell me that she was busy. She didn't spontaneously appear at my house nearly every day like she did before Steven and I became more than just friends, and she was never at his apartment anymore.

This leaves us at our current place and time: my house, the day of my birthday

"I haven't been seeing much of Angela lately." My mom commented as she stirred her tea.

"Me neither." I sighed. I missed my best friend. She hadn't even called on my birthday.

"Did you invite her to the party?"

"I told her mom to tell her she was invited. She never called back."

My mother looked at me for a minute before saying, "You know, I can tell when somethin's wrong. I was a teenage-uh too. Did you girls have a fight?"

I shook my head.

"You don't have any idea what her problem is?"

I shook my head, trying not to let myself say what I thought it might be. I didn't want it to be what I thought it could be.

"You been spendin' alotta time with that Steven boy lately."

"And?" I asked, sounding more indignant that I had intended.

"Well maybe you been ignorin' her and now she's payin' you back? I know that girl...she never spends much time with any one boy. Moves on quickly, if you know what I mean. So maybe she don't unduh-stand when you say you're 'in love' with that guy. You know?"

"I guess. But every time I call, she won't talk to me."

"I thought her mom was telling you she's been busy."

"Yeah, right. Every time? She used to drop everything just to talk to me. You know that. She'd call in the middle of the night."

My mom sipped her tea and nodded. She sighed as if to say, you're on your own, kid.

"I think I'll go over to her house today." I said, thinking out loud.

My mom looked up, nodding. "That's a good idea. By the way, who else are you inviting to the party?"

I thought for a second. "Just Angela, Steven, Joe, Tom, Brad, and Joey."

"The band? You don't want to invite any other people, ya know, your own age?"

"I said Angela."

"Other than her?" She raised her eyebrows.

"Not really. They're my friends mom. I don't care if they're older."

She huffed. "Fine." She sat up out of her chair and put her cup in the sink. Then she grabbed the car keys off the hook next to the back door. "I have to go run a few errands, buy a few things for the party. I'll be home soon."

"Could you drop me off at Angie's?" I asked.

She smiled. I knew she'd do anything to get me around her again and away from the twenty-something's I'd been hanging out with for weeks. "Absolutely."