The Price of Falling

Chapter 10

Graduation was a few weeks away, and my mom was working like crazy at the hospital to get enough money to pay for my housing at WU in the Fall. She was now working night shift four nights a week, and day shift two days a week. That only left her with one day off a week. I was doing the majority of the household chores, which I was more than okay with. I did all of our laundry and most of the cooking and cleaning. I tried begging Mom to let me get a job again, and she never relented.

After school on Monday, Molly and I met at Cup-O-Joe to do our homework together. It had become a tradition for us when we started doing it every Monday our freshman year. "So, we need to talk about Summer plans, since it's getting so close," she said, doing a little excited applause.

"When is the senior trip? Mom won't let me pay for that either," I told her. Molly knew about my mom working herself to the bone to give me the things every normal teenager had. When my dad died, she threw herself into her work, even though his life insurance had us set up for a few years. But she knew that once the insurance money ran out, it would be difficult to get me through college. I told her that she didn't need to worry so much, and that financial aid would help a lot. But she just kept working and worrying, trying to give me the best. Trying to compensate for my dad not being there anymore.

"It's right after graduation, the first week of June," Molly responded. "How is your mom?"

"Tired, all the time. Working, all the time," I responded. Molly touched my hand and gave me a half-smile.

"So, Frankie definitely won't be going on senior week. I had to keep Jason from going over to his house and beating the shit out of him after you told us what happened at Jack's party," Molly said to me.

I was relieved to hear that fact. I probably wouldn't have gone on the senior trip if I knew Frankie was going. I had been jumping to the other side of the hallway at school to avoid bumping into him, and I was so thankful that we didn't have any classes together that semester. "Thank goodness. Now where are we going?"

"I think they said for the first few days we'd go to Cle Elum Lake. Macy Thompkins' parents have a cabin that's waterfront in Ronald," Molly did a mini-squeal. "Then for the last couple of days we'll go to Seattle and find some places that take fakes." She had forced me to get a fake ID with her the Fall of our Junior year. Like I said, I've never been really good at saying no to Molly.

"That sounds fun. Kind of boring, but fun. It'll be nice to chill on the beach at Speelyi, I guess."

"Can you say 'day-drinking'?" Molly laughed. I giggled along with her. "Now, on to important subjects. How are we spending the rest of our summer?" She wiggled her eyebrows at me.

"I guess we're just hanging out around here. Unless you have something else in mind?" I raised one of my eyebrows at her.

"You know what I mean, Ruthie," Molly said, smiling big. She had been trying to get me to agree to having a "friend-with-benefits" during my senior summer. "You need like a sexual spirit guide to lead you into your freshman year of college," she had said.

"Molly, are you talking about the 'spirit guide' thing again?" I asked her, grimacing. I had told her months ago that I didn't want to be a virgin by the time I went to college. I didn't want to be that girl. The one who got serious with a college boyfriend and then got dumped because he realized she didn't have any experience. But when I said that, I had been tipsy at a party. And I had since changed my mind. I didn't really care what college boys thought of me.

"Yes, that's exactly what I'm talking about. You can tell me you've changed your mind all you want, but I know you. You still want to experience some things before college," Molly was wiggling her eyebrows again.

"Stop doing that with your face, you look like you're having a stroke," I said, and she burst into laughter. I laughed with her. "So how would I even do that?" I asked.

"Well, first you have to find a boy. Then, you have to set ground rules. Like, are you going to be allowed to date other people or not? Then you have to make the contract clear, no catching feelings. Then, at the end of the summer, you both go on about your business like nothing ever happened," She explained this to me like she was showing me how to complete a math problem.

"And what about my level of experience, or lack thereof?" I wasn't sure how to have or be a friend-with-benefits, considering, I'd never done the benefits.

"Well, that will have to be something you discuss upfront. You don't want this guy to be blindsided by taking your virginity," Molly held her hand up when she spoke. She talked with her hands a lot. "What could it hurt? You have eight and a half weeks after graduation to have some of the best fun of your life before you start at WU in August. And if you don't like where it's going, you can call it off whenever you want. That's the beauty of no-strings-attached."

"Fine. I'll think about it," I let Molly think she'd had her way.