Page 102 of Searching for Nova

“What took so long?” Ted says as I set his dinner on the tray.

“I think there’s something wrong with the stove. One of the burners isn’t working.”

“Did you call maintenance?” he asks, cutting into his pork chop.

“No. Shouldn’t you be the one doing that? It’s your name on the lease.”

“Anyone can call. You sure it’s broken?”

“I don’t know. It might be okay. I’ll try it again later.” I return to the kitchen.

“Is that kid coming over?” Ted yells. He always yells when I’m in the kitchen, even though it’s right behind his chair, like a foot away.

“What kid?”

“The tall one. The guy who was here last night.”

“No. He’s busy tonight.”

“Yeah, with some other girl.”

Ted always assumes the worst in people. Everyone’s a cheater or liar or using you to get something. He thinks that way because he’s like that.

“You know he’s just using you,” Ted says. “Buying you shit so you’ll give him what he wants.”

“That’s not what he’s doing,” I say as I scrub a pan in the sink. “We’re just friends.”

“Then it ain’t gonna last,” he says, his words garbled from the food in his mouth. “I seen how he looks at you. And he bought you that TV. You think he ain’t gonna expect something for that?”

When Ted saw the TV in my room this morning, I thought for sure he’d take it. He looked at it and turned it on, then said it was a piece of crap and that his current TV was better quality. So I guess that means I get to keep the TV, at least until Easton leaves for college. I was going to insist he return it, but he’s right. We need some entertainment when he comes over since we can’t do other stuff.

Last night in bed, Easton didn’t even try anything. He’s determined to make me his girlfriend, and although that scares me, I’m thinking of agreeing to it. I’ve never been this happy, and I want to keep feeling that way. Maybe I should do what Rielle said and just focus on today instead of worrying about what will happen next fall.

Someone knocks on the door.

“It’s open!” Ted yells.

An old lady walks in, the one who was here last night.

“You’re late,” Ted grunts.

“You should be happy I showed up at all,” she says, going to sit on the couch. “Why aren’t you ready?”

“Shut up, woman. I’ll be ready after I eat.”

I roll my eyes. Why would this lady date him? Why would anyone date him?

“You guys going out?” I ask.

“We’re going to bingo,” the lady says, noticing me in the kitchen. “It’s at the church down the street.”

“I told her I might burn the place down,” Ted says.

“Why?” I ask.

“Me in a church?” He laughs. “As soon as I go through the doors, the place could go up in flames.”

I don’t get it. Is he saying he’s the devil?

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