Turn To You

Turn To You: Chapter Nine

Asha

I was a little wobbly even in my flats and Rhonda had her hand on my elbow to steady me, but she was a little unbalanced herself. Betsy and Todd were ahead of us and we followed them closely and quietly as they followed the waitress to our table. I was praying we didn't draw attention to ourselves as the two drunk, underage chicks. The waitress didn't seem to notice. She was too busy ogling Todd.

"I'm Shelby and I'll be your server this evening," she leaned over where he'd just seated himself, her cleavage spilling out of her bright yellow V-neck like a drink in his lap. Her white-blond hair was teased so big that it seemed to shadow the whole table. She raised an eyebrow and looked directly at Todd. "So what can I get you to drink?"

"Yeah, Shelby," Todd said, giving her his perfect smile. "I'll have a Coke. Asha?"

I blinked - clearly I was not ready to be addressed. I had to focus.

"Um, Coke. I'll have Coke, too."

"Iced tea," Rhonda said.

"I'll just have a water," Betsy said. The waitress nodded as she wrote down our drink orders and then she sashayed away, sure to wink at Todd one time before she left. I looked over at him and he was smiling. I kicked him and he straightened up, then looked at me with narrowed eyes.

We all sat in silence for a few minutes, looking over our menus and avoiding conversation. I was having trouble with reading the menu and doing anything else at the same time. When the waitress came back and started asking what we'd have, I almost forgot to order my salad because I was so engrossed in the menu. Todd stepped in and ordered two large pizzas for everyone, asking what toppings everyone liked first. Then he poked me - hard, too - to order my salad. I always had a salad - I was pretty predictable. Usually.

"I'll have the cobb salad with ranch dressing," I said and then, when Shelby walked away, I promptly returned to space-out mode.

"What the hell is up with you?" Todd said through his clenched teeth. "How much did you drink?"

Rhonda began cackling at that and Todd got wide-eyed.

"Geez, Asha. You guys are trashed. What the hell?"

He was sputtering now and I felt slightly defensive. Who was he to get angry that I may or may not be drunk when he and his stupid basketball buddies got high on at least a weekly basis.

"So," I said, stubbornly crossing my arms over my chest. "What if I am drunk?"

"You ok?" Betsy said softly to me from across the table. It wasn't until she said it that I realized I was getting loud. More importantly, I was momentarily rocked by a slight wave of nausea.

"I think so," I said, a little slower and at a lower decibel.

"Let me know if you feel sick," she said.

"You'd better not get sick all over my car tonight," Todd said. I grimaced but didn't say anything else for fear of getting us kicked out.

The waitress delivered my salad and I picked at it for a few minutes before I took a bite of a tomato. I could feel the juice in my mouth and almost started to feel sick again, but I gnawed on some lettuce and the feeling went away.

"Ooh, I love this song," Rhonda said when Duran Duran came up over the speakers. I was feeling a little better and eager for conversation. Rhonda seemed like the safest person to engage with.

"Me, too!" I said, happy to feel a little giddy again. I started to hum a little and Rhonda started to sing. I glanced at Todd but he was having none of it.