Almost Friends

Chapter 2- Kyle

Chapter Two

Kyle

Secrets

Never in a million years would I have guessed that Ms. Laura works as a stripper at a seedy place like Leon's.

As we make our way back into town, I turn to the window and stare at the passing swampland.

I've lived in Swamp Rose for about six years now, and until today I had no idea that Leon's even existed.

It's not that I'm a prude. I've been to the upstairs VIP room in Club Dixie and I know about the upscale gentleman's clubs that Swamp Rose businessmen frequent. But a dump like Leon's is something else entirely- people like us don't have anything to do with place like that ... people like "us." I used to think E was one of "us." But considering where she lives and her mom's job at Leon's, how can she be one of us?

I sigh.

OMG, did I really just think that? I sound like my mom.

Who cares where E lives or what her mom does to put food on the table- they're decent people and I shouldn't be so judgmental. Besides, Ms. Laura is a pretty awesome mother.

She may not make it to all of our competitions and performances the way my mom does, but when Ms. Laura does show up, she's our loudest supporter and there's no denying that she's E's biggest fan. Even when we don't win, afterwards Ms. Laura hugs E as tightly as humanly possible and cries while she tells her how wonderful she was. It sounds sappy, but it's actually kind of sweet.

In fact, the way she cares about E is so distracting that I think it's why I've subconsciously excused Ms. Laura's quirks. In retrospect, there's no hiding the way she's different from other parents; she peppers her sentences with words like "ain't" and all of her clothes are a bit worn and faded. But all of that pales into insignificance when she smiles at E and unabashedly tells her, "You're the best thing that's ever happened to me; I'm so proud of you."

If my mom ever said that to me, I'd have a heart attack and after my recovery I'd demand she see a doctor to find out what's happened to her brain.

It's not that my mom isn't proud of me. It's that her way of showing she cares is to self-appoint herself as my biggest critic. My weight is never quite what it should be, my GPA could be better, the dance I choreographed was a tad risqué, and when my weight, grades, and dancing are to her liking, then the problem is that I haven't been going to church as regularly as she thinks I should. It's always something.

My stomach growls and I clear my throat to cover the noise. We pass the "Welcome to Swamp Rose" and I glance back at it.

What would Mom say if she knew that one of my best friends has been sleeping with her history teacher and my other best friend's mother is a stripper?

My stomach growls again. I shift in my seat, wishing I'd brought a bottle of water with me. Water's great for controlling hunger pangs.

Trying not to think about the empty feeling haunting my gut, I let my thoughts return to E and to the little trailer she and Ms. Laura call home. It wasn't trashy-looking like most of the surrounding mobile homes, but it was surprising nonetheless.

I think Mia was even more shocked than I was. She has yet to figure out what me, E, and every other girl at South Louisiana High already know: you can't trust anyone with your deepest secrets, not even your best friends.

No one's going to hear me telling my friends that I plan to be a pop star by the time I'm twenty-one and no one's going to hear E discussing her plans to work her way out of the trailer park. That kind of information is simply too personal.