Beaming Through It All

Chapter Ten

'So you're together now ? That's awesome ! We totally have to celebrate. Girly night. Just you and me.'

I gave Jill an incredulous look as she walked from her bed to her computer to check the movies currently in theaters.

'We're not together,' I said. 'He's coming as a boyfriend to please mom, but that's not official, you know.'

Jill shrugged. 'What do you know. Maybe by saying he came as a boyfriend he meant he was your boyfriend now.'

'Erm, maybe he needs me to accept first, don't you think ? He can't just say he's my boyfriend and be my boyfriend. That's not how it works.'

'How do you know how it works ? You don't know anything about boyfriends.'

I opened my mouth to reply – she was not being very nice - but I realized she was sort of right.

'I'm teasing you,' she said after a while. 'But still, he doesn't need you to accept it. We all know you'd accept it, even if you don't say anything.'

'What ? No, I wouldn't, I mean, what makes you say that ?'

Jill gave me a 'oh come on don't deny it' look that made me shut up. But we were just friends, weren't we ?

'So,' she went on as if nothing had happened. 'You're gonna be a cheerleader, huh ?'

I blushed. 'I don't know. I'll subscribe, I guess.'

'See, if I had told you to do that, you'd have despised me. But when it's Jeremy's idea, you agree right away...'

And before I could say anything, she added : 'Nice, anyway. I think I'd have liked to be a cheerleader but... Well, I suck at gymnastics and everything. I could never do that.'

I had a flash of Alison saying 'they think they're doing gymnastics but actually they suck at it' but I didn't say anything. Maybe being a cheerleader wasn't so easy after all.

I started to wonder whether it was a really good idea and tried to picture me with a cheerleader uniform when we heard a car park in front of the house. Jill stood up to look through the window.

'Uh uh, Romeo's here.'

I had told my mom Jeremy had agreed to share a dinner with us and she had said he could come whenever he wanted to. And the big night had finally come. It was six and he was already there.

I hurried out of the room and tiptoed down the stairs to meet him before he would cross the entrance door. I wanted to make things clear before my mom and Katie saw him.

As I went past the kitchen, I overheard my mom and Katie talking together.

'...I don't know what to do,' Katie was saying. 'But it's my daughter, you know ? I want to see her happy.'

I frowned and stopped near the door to listen more carefully. I had no idea Katie had a daughter.

'I know,' my mom replied. 'But you're not alone in this. I'll help you cheer her up.'

There was a little silence, and aunt Katie spoke again.

'You don't think...' she hesitated. 'You think she could have found out ? About everything ?'

I heard my mom sigh, and a car door close. Ouch. I had to get to Jeremy first.

I opened the door as quietly as possible and met him in my front yard.

'Hey,' he said. 'What's up ?'

I came closer to him and grabbed his hand to take him a bit further.