Throw Away Teen (33 page)

***

When I finished filling Liz in about the latest disaster in Sarah’s life, she gave me her cell phone, which I passed to Sarah along with a handful of tissues. She called her aunt and the two of them made arrangements to go shopping the next morning while I had my tutoring session with Fiona. After she hung up, she brought Liz and me up to speed. “Aunt Cathy says she has a credit card for emergencies from my dad. We’ll get a new uniform and my stepdad can pay the Colonel back. Aunt Cathy says that Bruce is responsible for the stunts that Priscilla pulls because he’s her father.”

“What if he doesn’t?” I asked.

Liz smiled at us. “Oh, I think he will. Bruce will want to settle this before Adam Flynn gets back from Afghanistan. Only a suicidal fool would mess with a career soldier and Bruce isn’t suicidal.”

“Good point,” Sarah said. “I hadn’t thought of that.”

“Now, that we have this settled, let’s swing by Parthenon’s and pick up pizza,” Liz said. “That’s the best part of a sleep-over. Junk food.”

I had to laugh. She and Ted had more in common than I’d thought. “Oh yeah! That’s great. Then we can tell Zelda about the kittens, but they still don’t have names.”

“Yeah, but you could call them Alfredo and Fettuccini,” Sarah said. “You told me they were into the chicken pasta.”

Liz nearly busted a gut laughing. “Oh yeah. Those are cat names, all right.”

“Actually, I like them better than Pete and Repeat,” I said. “We’ll get them an order of pasta to celebrate.”

“I’m not buying Chicken Fettuccini for cats,” Liz told us firmly.

“Then we will,” Sarah and I said together.

Hey, maybe I could make it as a cheerleader after all.

***

The rest of the weekend zoomed by between sleepovers, karate, tutoring, horseback riding, the baseball game, staying at Willa’s Saturday night, and church. Then it was Sunday dinner at the homeless shelter. We made tons of spaghetti, green salad, and garlic bread. Father John taught me how to cut slivers of chocolate cake so there would be enough for everyone.

I didn’t mind helping him because Liz was right across the room, so it felt safe. Eating at the shelter meant no dishes at home, but that was okay. There were still plenty for Warren, Sarah, and me to do. Thankfully, Jocelyn and her family didn’t show up all weekend. Ted said that they’d gone to visit Zach’s folks and we could expect them next Sunday. Yuck!

Mid-terms took up most of the next week. Each teacher let us use one giant index card for their test. I was so glad that Fiona taught me how to write up my notes on them. In the afternoons, I went to karate, or cheerleading practice, or horseback riding, then returned home to study for the next big test with Fiona. Willa told me that the results of the tests made up half our quarter grades and I wanted to have straight A’s in June. Poring over stupid books on subjects I could care less about would all be worth it when I got major bucks from Ted.

By Friday I was wiped, so I didn’t complain when Mr. Lee told us there was another assembly. I just picked up my back-pack and followed the crowd to the gym. I wasn’t the only one who slumped onto the bleachers. Everybody looked as tired as I felt.

Vonnie sat down next to me. “I think Washington State History killed me.”

“I know the feeling.” I scooted over to make room for Willa. “How about you? How did you do this week?”

She grinned at me. “I knew all the books I read would come in handy. I aced the World History mid-term.”

“Shut up!” Vonnie told her, sounding like an actress on a teen drama. “That test was the worst.”

Both cheerleader squads sat in chairs around a stage in the center of the gym. Some of the teachers waited around there, too. What was going on? When Dr. O’Malley stepped up to the podium, the gym silenced. “I have some announcements to make and then we’ll call it a day. You Highlanders have done your part. Now, it’s time for the teachers to do theirs and grade your tests. So, you know what kind of weekend they’ll be having.”

As a comedian, he shouldn’t quit his day job, but most people laughed. Then, he called up Mr. Miller who told us the qualifications for freshmen joining the Honor Society. Ten top students would be chosen in June and there would be a formal celebration closer to the end of the school year.

Next, a few more teachers talked about other clubs that would start soon. Some would run all summer, like the Equestrian team and Rodeo group. The French Club had raised almost enough money to go to France for six weeks and the Spanish Club would be going to Spain. Didn’t these people know teens had lives beyond the Academy?

Finally, Ms. Olson came up, holding a sheaf of papers. “It’s been hard to choose the new members of the Junior Varsity Cheer Squad. Everybody tried very hard, but there were only three open spots.” She went on and on about what prospective cheerleaders had to do to be considered.

I leaned over to Vonnie. “What’s going on? I thought Rita and Kaitlyn were the only two who’d been promoted. When did we get a third opening? Is Sarah moving up?”

Vonnie shook her head. “No. She told me that Ms. Olson always picks an extra girl in case somebody moves during the summer or drops out.”

That made sense. I focused on the advisor who was still blathering about all the things cheerleaders would do during the summer. If I’d known I’d be going to a camp over in Eastern Washington or teaching little Academy kids in August, I’d have asked Ted for more money. Next time I volunteered for anything, I’d find out all the details first.

“And now without any more fanfare, here are the three girls who made J.V.” Ms. Olson looked around the gym and smiled. “B.J. Larson, Dallas Taylor, and Trisha Jones, come on down.”

This had to be one of the most embarrassing moments in my life, but I was B.J. Larson. I got up and worked my way down the steps. Cheers, whistles and stomping erupted around the room and I tried not to look like I cared.

When I got to the stage, Sarah jumped up and hugged me. “I’m so glad you made it.”

Then it was Rita’s turn. She hugged me and shoved a red sweater at me. “Put it on. Put it on.”

Kaitlyn handed me a pair of pom-poms and pushed me into an empty chair.

I sat down and watched Dallas go through the same routine. Then, it was Trisha’s turn.

There was more hollering and applause from the onlookers which finally ended when Dr. O’Malley raised his hand. “Well, I think Sarah has something to say.”

“Come on.” Sarah waved to us. “Let’s go.”

“Go where?” I asked.

“To do the cheers you’ve been practicing for the past two weeks.” Kaitlyn took my arm and led me to the side of the gym to face the area where the juniors and seniors sat. “You’re with me and Rita.”

I was going to die. I just knew it. I went and lined up between them, not able to remember any of the steps I’d learned. The music started for the country dance and everything rushed back into my head. Step left twice, then to the right, then grapevine...

We finished to rousing applause. Ringo waved at me and then whistled like a guy at a construction site. Jerk! I felt my face flame.

We returned to the stage and the Varsity girls went to lead a couple cheers. Rita and Kaitlyn performed with them. Since I sat next to Sarah, I was the only one who saw the tears bubble in her eyes. She should’ve been with them and she wasn’t because of her bitchy mother. I was so going to do something about Laurie this summer if I stuck around.

I reached over and gripped Sarah’s hand. “It’ll be okay. We’ll make it okay.”

CHAPTER 22

When I got home that afternoon, I spotted Carol’s car in the drive. What was she doing here? I hadn’t made any major screw-ups while I was here, had I? And I thought Liz and I had settled the karate issue already. I ran through all of the expectations that Liz and Ted had for me and couldn’t think of a single thing I hadn’t followed through on. Even Fiona and Sensei were happy with me.

So, what had I done wrong? Why was she here? Had she realized how attached I’d gotten to Liz and Ted? Where was she going to take me now?

When I went in the back door, all the dogs raced to meet me. I petted them and scooped up Guard, holding him tight against my new red sweater. Pasting a forced smile on my face, I said, “Hey Carol. What’s up? Why are you here?”

Liz pushed back from the table. “She’s your caseworker, honey. We need to expect her to visit.”

“
Without warning us?” I stayed close by the door. Why hadn’t she told me she was coming? Was this her new strategy to keep me from running? To not give me time to pack up my things, find my cats and split before she arrived?’

Guard wriggled and whined, but I wasn’t letting him go. I could make it across the yard and into the woods before Carol got to her car. “Tell me the truth, Carol. Why are you really here?”

“
To find out how things are going.” Carol kept sipping her coffee. “I haven’t heard from anybody in almost two weeks.”

“
Annie would’ve called after that interview with the cops,” I said. “Are you saying she didn’t?”

“
She did,” Carol said, “but between our schedules we barely had time to talk. And all I get from you are emails with pictures of horses for Gabe.”

“
Yeah, well it’s not like you ever call me.” I backed carefully toward the door, still clutching my puppy. Gawd, he was heavy. Why did I feed him so much?

Liz sighed and went to the cupboard to take down three jars of beans. She carried them over to the table and put them in front of three different chairs. “Does everybody remember the rules from when we played poker? One bean. One question. Now, Carol, how about you just answer B.J.?” She smiled at me. “I think her question was, are you here to move her to another home?”

“
Of course not.” Carol opened her jar and took out a red bean. “Okay, next question.”

“
Are you really just here for a visit?” I asked again.

“
Yes.” Carol pulled out a second bean. “Come sit down, B.J. I’m not taking you out of here today. Or ever, if you’re happy here. And if Liz and Ted are happy with you.”

Still watching her warily, I lugged Guard over toward the table. “Yeah, well they’re not perfect, but...”

“
That’s fine. I didn’t get them a perfect kid.”

Liz smiled and gave me a quick hug, gently pushing me toward a chair. “Wait a minute. What do you mean, I’m not perfect?”

I put Guard down next to me. “You’re just a human being like me.”

“
Who’s about to make you a snack. Go wash up.” Liz kept her arm around me. “Do you want to tell Carol what happened today?”

“
How did you know?” I stopped and looked up at her. “Oh, you had to buy my sweater. When did Sarah tell you?”

“
It wasn’t Sarah. Ms. Olson called this morning.”

“
Hmm. That makes sense.” I put my backpack next to the chair and went to wash my hands. Guard trotted after me. Then, he followed me back to my chair. He knew all about after-school snacks. They ranked right up there with breakfast, lunch, supper, and training goodies.

“
So, what happened today?” Carol pushed a bean at me.

I pushed it back toward her. “This one doesn’t count. I made the cheer squad.”

Her mouth fell open and she stared as if she’d never seen me before. “No way. I don’t believe it. You’re a cheerleader? How? What did you do?”

“Worked my butt off all through tryouts. It about killed me.” I pointed to my sweater. “I got this today. Only cheerleaders get to wear red ones. At the Academy we wear uniforms, blue slacks or skirts, white shirts and a Royal Stewart plaid scarf or tie. In the fall, we add blue sweaters and when the weather gets cold, a blue jacket. A single screw-up with your uniform means a demerit and three of those add up to all day Saturday detention.”

Carol blinked. “I thought the nearest school was in Pine Ridge, Liz.”

“The nearest public school is.” Liz brought over a roast beef sandwich surrounded by potato chips and put the plate in front of me. “Their test scores are abysmal, and I don’t know how the new principal is going to change things. However, B.J. won’t get into a good college unless she attends a decent high school and the Academy is one of the top-ranked in the state. Since Ted retired from the Marines, we get a discount on B.J.’s tuition.”

“We can’t reimburse you for a private school, Liz.”

“Told you,” I said, around a bite of my sandwich. I chewed and swallowed. “I’m not giving up my school, Carol. I’d never be a cheerleader anywhere else. I have really awesome teachers. Mr. Miller totally freaks whenever I ask questions. He jumps around like Guard does for a cookie.”

“And that’s good?” Carol asked. “It doesn’t sound very professional to me.”

“Yeah, but I never had a teacher get so excited before just because I want to know stuff,” I said. I slipped a potato chip to Guard and tried to look innocent when Liz gave me the evil eye. “He’s a little weird, but it’s cool and his mid-term didn’t totally freak me out.”

Liz brought me a glass of milk. “We’ll swing by Jumping Java and you can buy Fiona a coffee card to thank her for tutoring you.”

Carol said, “I agree B.J. probably needs a tutor, but we won’t pay for that either.”

I heaved a dramatic sigh. “Don’t worry. I won’t make you pay for the gift card for her at the espresso stand either, Carol.” That got me a glare from her. No sense of humor there. I switched back to school stuff. “Actually, I think I did okay on all my tests, but they were hard.”

“Good,” Liz said. “Hard tests will help when you go to college. They won’t scare you.”

“You and Ted aren’t paying for that,” I told her. “When I turn eighteen, I’ll have aged out of the foster system and Irene and I are going to Las Vegas to work in the casinos.”

“The casinos won’t hire you until you’re twenty-one,” Liz said. “So, you may as well do Running Start as a junior and senior at the Academy and get your four year degree before you head south. You might find something you like better than playing poker.”