Page 81 of Absorbed

“You’d be surprised. For the first week, I was totally invisible at The Plunge. It’s going to be like that again, now. For the rest of summer. I know it. I should just quit.”

“Quitting won’t make it go away. We always imagine things will be worse than they actually turn out. I think you’ll be surprised how understanding people are if you give them a chance.”

Stacey pictured Mark spitting foam from the beer bong. The crew hanging out without her. She felt Melissa’s glare. Heard Bob’s disappointment over the phone.

“I know these people. They have no reason to be nice to me.”

“Even still, it’s too late in summer to get another job. It’s good money. Do you really have anything to lose by waiting a week or two before you decide to quit?”

They stopped in front of Desiree’s house. Stacey’s mom hugged Stacey again, then waited as Stacey used her spare key to unlock the Silver Bullet.

“Everything’s going to be okay. I promise,” her mom said.

Stacey put her key in the ignition.If any of those tests are positive, nothing will ever be okay again.

PART THREE

Chapter Twenty-One

Stacey was awakened by the phone ringing beside the couch. “Hello?” Her voice was groggy.

“May I speak with Stacey Chapman?”

“This is Stacey.” Her heartbeat quickened.

“Stacey, this is Planned Parenthood. Did you visit our office this morning?”

“Yes.” She put her left thumbnail between her teeth.

“Your test results are negative. However, I see a note here that Nurse King believes the accuracy of these tests is questionable given the date of your recent exposure. She encourages you to return any time after August 2 to redo the bloodwork. Her note also says to do an at home pregnancy test after July 19. Do you have any questions?”

“No. Thanks.”

Stacey called her mom and shared the news, but felt no relief. Her life would be in limbo for at least another eight days. Other than her mom and Murphy, she didn’t feel like she had a friend in the world to talk to.

She laid on the couch staring at the ceiling. Snippets of the night before flashed in her mind. She imagined how Gabe felt when he found Trent touching her. How she must have looked at that moment. Waves of disgust pulsed through her as she imagined the places Trent’s hands must have roamed on her body. She wondered who threw the first punch.

Stacey wanted to tell Gabe he was right; that talking to her mom was what she should have done from the beginning. To thank him for helping her. She desperately wanted to believe they could be friends again.

She also wanted to tell Melissa she should have stopped drinking, and find out if Mark was okay. Were any of them looking for her when she lost track of them at the party? What exactly did Jessie hear she said about him? Was Bob angry after he warned them to be careful? Who covered her shift? She wanted to apologize to them all.

Mostly she wanted to erase everything about the past week. Make it all go away however she could. That felt impossible.

You’ll be surprised how understanding people are if you give them a chance.

Stacey decided to go into the pool office and apologize to Coach Bob, face to face. She had the least amount to lose with him. The worst he could do was fire her. She figured she’d end up quitting anyway, so it wouldn’t matter if he did.

It was 12:45 when she hobbled into the guard shack. Mark was asleep on the couch. Melissa and Desiree were sitting together in the shallow-end guard stand, chatting while watching two elderly lap swimmers. Bob looked up from the desk, surprised, and turned off Vince Scully’s broadcast of the Dodger game.

“I thought you were out for the day,” he said.

“I thought so, too. I’m so sorry about this morning, Coach. I really screwed up last night. It won’t happen again. I can work this afternoon, or tonight, if you want me to.”

“You can’t imagine how surprised I was when you called, Stacey. I figured at least one guard would be irresponsible at that party and call out sick. I just hadn’t figured it would be you.”

“Who covered my morning shift?” She leaned against the lockers to take the weight off her sore ankle.

“Melissa. She assumed you wouldn’t be feeling well. Desiree was scheduled to be here. They told me it was obvious you wouldn’t make it to work.”

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