Page 35 of September Lessons
“Sorry to interrupt,” Christina said, half the eyes in the cafeteria on her. “I wanted to come by and apologize about what happened this weekend. I know I said I was sorry at the police station, but I wanted to make sure you knew I really meant it and wasn’t saying it because my mom was there.”
Leigh-Ann and Carrie exchanged a glance. “Why are you apologizing?” Carrie asked. “Is our teacher making you do this?”
She knew those were the magic words to make Christina turn beet red with sheer embarrassment.Good. That’s the only apology I really need.Christina had done enough already. Carrie was grateful that the girl had come clean and done the right thing in the end, but did they really need to hash this out again?
“I also need to apologize to Leigh-Ann.” That made Carrie’s girlfriend rattle her tray against the table. “For what happened a couple of years ago. I’ve… I’ve been thinking about it a lot. About what I did and why it was really stupid of me to tell you we couldn’t be friends because we… you know.”
“Hey, it’s cool,” Leigh-Ann whispered. “You’ve got your other friends now.”
“Yeah, about that…” When Christina jerked her thumb over her shoulder, Carrie half-expected to see an empty table behind them. Instead, she looked into the vapid yet curious faces of the likes of Amanda and Chrystal, two girls who lowered their noses toward one another and whispered something Carrie couldn’t hear, not that she wanted to. “Would you guys like to come eat lunch with us? You’re always over here by yourselves…”
“How can we be by ourselves if we have each other?” Leigh-Ann asked. The thing that remained unspoken was the fact she had been sitting by herself for almost two years.
Christina was that hilarious mix of confused and promptly accepting the point Leigh-Ann so astutely made. “Yeah. You’re right,” she said. “Don’t be strangers, okay? If you guys ever wanna come sit with us, it’s cool.”
“Your mom making you say this?” Carrie asked.
“What? No! I’m serious. I’ve realized lately that I was a bit of an ass to you, Leigh-Ann. You were my best friend when I first moved to this town.” Christina glanced at Carrie. “Guess the same thing happened to you, huh?”
“Think we might be more than friends now. Hey! Same thing that happened to you!” Carrie’s index finger initially pointed to Christina, then made its way to Leigh-Ann. “Maybe you’ve got that magic lesbian energy, Leigh-Ann. Gettin’ girls left and right.”
It had the desired effect. Leigh-Ann was made speechless, and it was a miracle she didn’t faint onto the cafeteria floor.
“So, anyway.” Christina stepped back. ‘Have fun, you two. See you around.”
Carrie didn’t waste time. As soon as she was alone with Leigh-Ann again, she took her hand on top of their table and flashed her a smile.
“You. Me. My car. This Saturday.”
“Why, Ms. Sage,” Leigh-Ann said with the worst imitation of a Southern belle Carrie had ever heard, “are you suggesting I’m that kind of girl?”
“If you’re not already, I’m gonna make you that kind of girl.”
Whatever Leigh-Ann was about to say disappeared into the ether of Clark High School. Instead, the grotesque sound she made, which was a delightful combination of scandalized and excited, turned the heads of every other student in the room.Yup. Still got it.Carrie never doubted she lost it. She was simply happy to find someone in this town, so far away from her own home, who appreciated the kind of flirtations only an Alabaman could bring to this tiny, kitschy corner of Oregon.
THE END
