Page 80 of On My Side
are you broken? Did i break you?
Ren
Audrey
is that a no?
Ren
Audrey
is it a yes?
Ren
Audrey
you’ve lost the ability to compose words and have to communicate via images like a caveman?
Ren
Audrey
poor baby lol. see you this evening
Ren
“Hello?” I answer Piper’s call on the first ring, like I always do. She rarely calls, and her calling me during school has me nervous.
“Can I go to Annika’s for dinner?” she asks, sounding calm and unaffected.
I blink a few times. “You called me to ask if you can go to your archnemesis’s house for dinner?” I ask, confused by the situation.
“We’re friends now, Mom.” She lets out a long, suffering sigh. I rub at my temples. I could barely keep up with myownsocial goings on when I was a teenager, and I’m expected to be in the loop about my daughter’s?
This seems unfair.
“Okay,” I say. “That’s fine. Maybe I should meet her parents, though. If you guys are going to be hanging out…”
“I’ll kill you,” Piper interrupts.
“Okay, I’m not a fan of that. But can you give them my number and ask them to reach out tonight? I won’t make the first move and embarrass you!”
“That might bemoreembarrassing.”
I sigh. I don’t feel a need to be buddy-buddy with the parents of everyone she hangs out with, but I should at least confirm they’re like… not evil humans? That’s got to be an okay thing to do.
“I want you to go to dinner, birdie, but I need you to work with me. I need to know you’re with safe people.”
