The Life She Led

Car Talk

I get a ride home from my father. On the way, I asked if I could go to the movies with Erica and Anna. Dad asked how long, what movie, and how much it's going to cost him. I told him all the details and he finally said yes by the time we pulled into the driveway. I figured I'd go ahead and knock out some of my chores since I had an hour and a half before I had to be at Anna's.

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At 7:15, I found myself in Anna's car. I sat in the passenger seat while Erica sat in the back. Our friend Cindy had tagged along too, and sat with Erica in the back.

We were all currently gossiping and chattering happily about the football game next Friday. Then suddenly Anna says, "So I figured out who Marinette's secret admirer is." She sounded really proud of her statement. My face began to heat up. Did I really want to hear this?

I blinked and slowly turned to look at her while Cindy squealed and Erica's eyes widened, along with her smile. Anna May kept her eyes on the road, but grinned broadly. "Wait-WHAT?" Erica asked. "Mari ! You never told us!" Candy's Australian accent was sounding real thick today. "Um, I didn't know I did myself." I said quickly.

"Tell me it's not Jeremiah's friend, Anna May." Erica wanted to know. She leaned up between the two front seats.

"Oh, but it is. It's Dylan Skye." Anna replied almost as fast as the question was produced. My eyes widened and I heard Cindy gasp. Erica was speechless, then broke into a fit of giggles. Erica. Giggling.

I hung my mouth open for a moment before licking my dry lips and pressing them together tightly. "D-Dylan? Like, the one I kinda liked last year? In 8th grade?" I demanded a little loudly.

Anna scrunched up her nose a little bit. "Yup." She said, "So anyway. What movie do you guys wanna see?" And just like that, the subject was changed. As my three other friends chatted, I starred at the dashboard, thinking.

Why Dylan? Why now? Right after my break-up/getting dumped problem with Randy. Are you serious? In my head, I sounded angry. But my heart couldn't outwit my brain. My brain recognized that behind the anger, there was my sadness.

"Marinette. Are you all right?" Cindy wanted to know, bringing me out of my thoughts. It was so quiet only the two of us could hear. I didn't look at her, but I knew her blue eyes were boaring holes into the back of my head. "Yeah, I'm fine. Thanks for asking." I reply in a whisper of the same tone. "Of course. She days.

But I'm not sure if I'm fine. I think about that, plus don't talk, until after the movie.