Page 100 of Damnation
“Well, the one she gave you just now, for instance. But also that time in the cafeteria, right before she poured that stupid smoothie on me.” I shudder a bit at the memory.
“I’ve only noticed how much she seems to dislike you. She doesn’t seem like a very nice person,” he says, rubbing the back of his neck.
“Well, you’re right about that. Not nice at all. But are you sure that’s all there is to it?”
He gives me a serious look. “Of course I am. People like her don’t pay attention to people like me,” he answers. But something behind me seems to have caught his attention. I start to turn, but then he speaks again: “Anyway, I have to go. I’ll be waiting for your call about Thursday.”
“Oh, yeah, okay…see you—”
He leaves abruptly before I even have the chance to finish saying goodbye. What’s going on with him? Confused, I’m still watching him walk away when two large hands grasp my shoulders, startling me.
“Little Gem, weren’t you told to stay away from that guy?”
I sigh, rolling my eyes and turn to face Vince. “Are you still on about that? Until I get a valid reason to end a relationship, I’m not going to do it. Do you know something I don’t? If so, I’m all ears. But if not, let’s just leave it alone.”
“Let’s just leave it alone,” Vince grumbles, his mouth twisting.
Just like I thought.
Huffing, I start walking down the hallway, heading outside, and he follows along behind me. “Did you get any sleep last night? You look worn out,” he asks me.
I glance at him and shake my head. “I finally shut my eyes about twenty minutes before my alarm went off. I have a splitting headache.”
“How is he?” he asks, sadness in his voice, as he holds the door open so I can exit.
“Not good,” I answer with a sigh. “He doesn’t go to practice anymore; he’s always drunk and out of control. I never hear from him, and he doesn’t want to be found.”
“He did just lose his father. I’d fall apart too. We should give him some time. I’m sure he’ll get better.”
“Do you really believe that?” My voice reflects my mood: low, defeated, disillusioned.
“Do you not?” he answers, sounding sorry. But it’s clear that Vince doesn’t know much about Thomas’s past; he can’t imagine how complicated the situation really is. If he could, maybe he would understand my beaten-down attitude.
I shrug, but our conversation is interrupted by my phone, and my heart nearly leaps out of my chest. When I see my mother’s name of the screen, however, I deflate like a balloon. I gesture to Vince that I need to go and take the call.
“Hi, Mom.”
“Hello to you too. Don’t sound so excited; I’m just your mother for goodness’ sake.” She’s trying to be funny, but right now, a Jim Carrey marathon couldn’t make me smile.
“Sorry, this isn’t a great time,” I explain, walking toward my dorm.
“Why? Did something happen?” she asks, her voice going shrill—a sure sign that she’s getting agitated.
“No, Mom, everything’s fine. Don’t worry.” I am once again forced to lie to my mother. “What did you want to tell me?”
“I was just calling to let you know that I got a reservation at Maple Garden for this Friday at eight.”
I stop in the middle of the sidewalk. “Sorry, didn’t we agree that I would call you when I decided on a date?”
“Yes, sweetheart, that’s what we agreed. But then I never heard from you…again. And you know, if the mountain won’t come to Esther White, Esther White will go to the mountain. Don’t be mad; it’s just dinner.”
God, my mother and her pathological need for control. She couldn’t have chosen a worse time for this.
“Okay, but know that there’s a good chance Thomas won’t be there. But I guess that won’t be much of a problem for you anyway.”
“Why wouldn’t he be there?”
Well, let’s see…because he trashed his mother’s house, showered his father’s coffin with whiskey during the man’s funeral, got into a huge fight with his sister, and has been perpetually drunk for the past five days.
