Crash Test Dummy

Chapter 12

The overheard conversation gave me an idea. I waited a half hour and then went downstairs and into the kitchen.

"Look, Momz," I said. "I was out of line. If you say you and Seth won't be sleeping together, then I guess you won't be sharing a bed. But, there's still the temptation. You told me not to put myself in situations where I knew I'd be tempted. So how about you and Seth come to Mexico. Maybe we can get Mawmaw and Pawpaw to go to the beach. We could rent a condo with enough rooms for all of us. With us around, you wouldn't be tempted to sneak into each others' beds. You guys could do your own thing and have lots of couple time. Mawmaw and Pawpaw could do stuff with me or sit under an umbrella while I hang out on the beach. It's a win win for everybody." I didn't wait for an answer. "Just something to think about," I said as I headed out to F2.

I suffered through Turkey Day and made nice with my sorta future cousins from the Collinsworth clan. The boy was 12. He wanted to be my bud. I played Mario with him, but he wasn't too swift. One of the girls was 14 and hot but spent all the time on the phone texting some boy. The other two girls were 10 and 11. They looked at me and giggled a lot. Anyway, I made it through the day.

On Friday, Momz went to work and Seth hung out with his family, taking them to all of the famous New Orleans spots. I was invited but I bowed out and spent the day gaming with Jake and Marlow. No, brews this time, though. I put my foot down. That's how the rest of the weekend played out. I didn't even go to church. Momz was at work. Seth went to another church so I didn't have to worry about him. Not yet, anyway. Once they got married, I figured they'd be going together. That made me think about having Seth in the house and what that'd mean for me hanging with Jake and Marlow. The whole deal gave me a headache.

Anyway, Momz and Seth bought into my suggestion. That's how we all ended up in a condo in Nuevo Vallarta for Christmas. We Skyped Mawmaw and Pawpaw on Thursday after Seth's family left. They were thrilled. They said they had some friends who weren't going to use their condo on the beach during the holidays. They had already talked to them about maybe using it if I came. "We knew you weren't wild about spending a couple of weeks with just us old folks," Mawmaw said. "We thought maybe the beach would make up for it."

I grinned. "You're alright, Mawmaw," I said. "A beach is always a plus."

On Monday I was running late and didn't get to hang with Jake and Marlow before school. I barely made it in time to keep from getting a tardy. I was sitting in English, doodling in my notebook and looking out the window. We were supposed to be writing in our journals. I saw Jake and Marlow run across the parking lot to Jake's old beater. Jake gave the finger to someone as he gunned out into the street. I leaned forward, trying to see who he was giving the bird.

"What's so interesting out there?" the teacher asked, stopping by my desk. She glanced out the window and then down at my notebook. "It looks like you had an interesting holiday. Let's see, a turkey, a hottie with sexy legs, a woman with a broomstick. Maybe you can give words to those pictures," she said.

"Sorry," I mumbled. I started to write.

When lunch arrived, I huddled under our tree. It was a cold, drizzling day. Not a day to be outside, but I needed to find out what had happened. I texted Jake and Marlow both but got no answer. I tried calling, but their phones went straight to voice mail. Finally I headed back inside. The Veep was waiting for me inside the door.

"You don't need to show up after school to tutor anymore," he said.

"Why, what happened?"

"Your friends," he sort of sneered the word, "won't be needing your help. They decided school is not for them."

"I thought you said they had until test time in January."

"That was before they chose to take an unauthorized day off. They weren't here last Tuesday. I sent the truant officer to the addresses we had on file. Their families said they haven't been living at home for months. Evidently they're living in that jalopy Jake drives or crashing with friends."