Of Vice and Men

Chapter 14

Chapter 14

The more we shelter children from every disappointment, the more devastating

future disappointments will be.

-Fred G Gosman

I spent the next few days locked up in my rooms.  I blasted loud music and worked fervently on the AP summer assignments I had put off up until this point.  I quit work the day of the New York adventure.  My boss was disappointed but didn't ask questions; apparently high school kids weren't typically the most dependable anyway. 

My parents yelled at me a few times to turn the music down but that was about it.  Mostly, they were preoccupied with Missy and her new-found rebellion.  She was hardly ever home, out with friends every night.  Apparently when I saw her with Emily, they were getting ready for some party across town.  Compared to Missy, I was the good child and thought that was slightly disturbing, it was also a relief.  I was done rebelling.  What good did it do?

I woke up on the third morning to the sound of someone cleaning.  This surprised me since the cleaning lady wasn’t due for another two days and besides, she hadn’t come near my room since I threw a shoe at her when I was thirteen.  I smiled at the memory before sitting up slowly to inspect the intruder.

“Drop the Starburst wrapper now.”

Ryan jumped at the sound of my voice which was came out hoarse and rough from lack of use.  Her expression started off guilty, as if she’d be caught in the act of something inexcusable, but then quickly twisted into anger.  “You’ve been hiding!”

“Yes,”

“No calls!  No texts!  Just quit work with no excuse!”  She reeked of cigarette smoke, a clear sign of her irritability.  Ryan was gutsy and bold but rarely angry.  Right now, she was very, very angry.  

“Who let you in, anyway?” I asked, more than a little irritable myself.

“Your father, dumbass!” she exclaimed.  “He’s worried about you!”

“Bullshit,” I whispered, without much conviction.

Ryan just looked at me, her dark eyes raging.  “God, you’re so selfish!”  She went back to violently picking up trash, looking anywhere but at me.  “You think everything is about you. When you got dumped by an asshole it was all about you.  And it was understandable, whatever.  It happens.  But then you refused to get over it for two fucking years and it was still all about you!”  

“That’s not fair,” I whispered.

She stopped.  “Not fair?  Not fair?  You know what’s not fair!  When your best friend is overworking and starving herself and your other best friend won’t even listen to you because she’s too concerned with her own stupid problems!  That’s not fair!”

“Brisa’s fine,”  I insisted, more to myself than to Ryan.  

“When was the last time you saw her?  Talked to her?  Spent any actual time with her?”

I had to think about that one.  I hadn’t actually seen Bree since Ryan’s dinner party and phone conversations, if she picked up at all, were always in between some activity or another.  “She’s really busy.”

“She’s sick,” Ryan said stubbornly.  “And don’t you dare leave me to deal with this alone, Sheryl.  Don’t you dare.”  Here was the girl I’d met on the playground, twelve years before.  He was that girl with courage and determination and more than a little vanity.  Right then, standing in my messy room with her face blotchy and her hair all tangled, she was the bravest person I knew.  

“Do you think she’ll be home?” I asked, after a minute.  

The girl from the playground smiled for the first time that morning.  “There’s only one way to find out.”

It was Brisa’s mom, Terry who answered the door.  She was an older version of Bree, with the same golden curls and pretty nose.  When she saw us, she looked a little taken aback but also a little relieved.  It didn’t take long to discover why.

    “Thank God you two are here!” she exclaimed.

    “Where’s Brisa?” I asked nervously.  I noticed Terry looked tired.  Really tired, like she hadn’t slept in weeks.  

    “In her room,” she sighed.  “She passed out at work yesterday. The doctor said she needed to rest for a few days.”  Ryan and I must have looked worried because she added.  “She’ll be fine.  I’m sure she’d love to see you.”

    We found our friend curled up in bed, asleep.  She look so small just lying there.  In the weeks since I’d seen her she’d lost a lot of weight.  How could I have missed this?

    “Maybe we should come back another time,” Ryan said softly.

    “No,” a tiny voice replied.  Apparently, Sleeping Beauty was awake.  “Don’t go yet.”

    “You’re an idiot,” I said immediately.  Ryan shot me a look but I didn’t stop.  “You’re lucky you have people who care about you or you could be dead.  You know that?”

    “Sher, that’s-”

    “No she’s right,” Brisa said.  “I may have overdone it just a tad.”

    “May?” I repeated skeptically.

    “Tad?” Ryan put in.

    “Okay a lot!” Brisa corrected.  “But obviously I can’t save the world from in bed so I guess I’ll have to slow down a little from now on.”

    I curled up next to her on the bed.  “Just enough to stay alive.”  Seconds later, I felt the pressure of Ryan on my other side.  Out of no where, Brisa giggled.  It took me by surprise and I realized I hadn’t heard her laugh in such a long time.  For some reason, this made me laugh too and then Ryan started and we just laid there, laughing like crazy people until Terry brought us breakfast in bed.