Building on Lies (6 page)

Then there’s Egg Cove, which is mainly working class Portuguese American, the descendants of immigrants from the Azores, who came to work in the fisheries at the turn of the century. Egg Cove is a lot older than Ardsley Park, and it shows. Most of the houses are weathered clapboard houses, beaten down by the constant sea spray. Our streets are riddled with potholes, the result of years of fish trucks making their way to the harbor. We don’t have a country club, golf course or a grand hotel…the fanciest thing Egg Cove has is a mall, and a bowling alley.

Egg Cove and Ardsley have only one school district in common, because the towns are too small to merit separate school districts. Some Ardsley kids attended private schools, but the majority attended the local schools, same as the Egg Cove kids. Their parents paid enough taxes and invested enough money into the PTA so that our public schools felt like private schools, anyway.

Which was cool for the Ardsley kids, but not so cool for the Egg Cove kids, or “Cove kids”, as we were known. Everyday, we were reminded we went to school with kids whose parents earned six figure salaries. We showed up to our high school on foot, yellow bus, bikes, or catching rides with friends whose parents allowed them to drive their pick up trucks or rickety Hondas like mine. Their Ardsley kids, though, zoomed past us in their BMW’s, Mercedes and luxury SUV's.

The Ardsley kids were constantly organizing school ski trips, day excursions to NYC, even study abroad programs, using money acquired through the many fundraisers they threw. Cove kids had to make do with organizing tours of the local lobster cannery. And even though the staff and faculty at Lexington High tried not to show any favoritism, it was usually who Cove kids got detention or suspension whenever they pulled any stunts in school, while Ardsley kids like Ty Sutton, who was known for his incessant pranks, got off with barely a reprimand.

There was a lot of resentment within Cove kids against the Ardsley kids. It wasn't easy dealing with rich privileged kids at school. Ardsley kids treated us Cove students as if we were non-existent, some of them even treated us as if we were beneath them. There was a clear boundary between the two groups, and no one from Cove ever hung out with A-kids, or vice versa.

Tommy spent the entire ride complaining about how most Cove kids didn’t have one hundred dollars to waste on a dance ( which was true) until I finally snapped and said, “ Well, Tommy, maybe you just shouldn’t go if you can’t afford it! It’s not like you’re obligated to be there!”

Ro looked embarrassed, while Tommy sounded hurt.

“ Sorry, Nellie. It’s just I wish the school board would consider we don’t all come from rich families. That’s all," he said, apologetically.

“ It’s fine. I hear what you’re saying," I said, feeling kind of bad I’d snapped at him. He was right. My feelings were based on my relationship with Channing, and there was no way Tommy would know that. Ro gave me another hard look, but kept quiet.

We got to school, and Joaquim pulled into a parking space. He hopped out and opened the door for me. I tried not to walk directly beside him. I didn’t want him to get any ideas about us being a couple.

Joaquim sidled up next to me, though, and took my hand.

“ Nellie, so… you are going to the dance with me, right?" he asked, and he sounded so nervous I felt sorry for him.

“ Yeah," I said, softly, wanting to take my hand away, but not wanting to embarrass him either. “ I’d love to go with you, Joaquim”.

He pretended to wipe sweat away from his forehead. “ Whew! I don’t know, but I was kind of nervous about asking you.”

“ Why?" I asked, trying to ignore the looks from our friends who were watching us stroll down the hall hand in hand.

“ Joaquim and Nellie are so cute together," I heard someone squeal, and I winced. I wished from the bottom of my heart it was me and Channing they were whispering about, not me and Joaquim.

“ I don’t know, Nellie. I just feel like you and I aren’t as tight as we used to be, you know? You just seem kind of distant," Joaquim explained, looking at me carefully.

“ Me? Distant? How?" I asked, and my voice sounded kind of shrill even to my own ears.

“ You’ve become like the Invisible woman, for one thing. No one can ever find you. I’ve asked Ro to bring you to the bowling alley a couple of times, but she always says you’re not home, or you’re busy. And I can’t ever reach your cell either”.

We stopped at my locker, and I opened it up to put my books away so I wouldn’t have to meet Joaquim’s eyes. I hated lying to him, but what could I say? I wasn’t hanging out with him because I was hanging out with another guy? A guy from Ardsley Park? And even worse, a guy who already had a girlfriend? Joaquim would lose all respect for me, and I couldn’t bear that. He was too good of a friend.

“ I have been kinda busy," I said, vaguely.

“ But you’re not avoiding me, right?" he asked, plaintively.

“ Oh no, Joaquim!" I cried, turning to face him. “ Not at all! You know you’re one of my best friends”.

Joaquim grinned, huge dimples forming in his cheeks. He leaned over close to me, and whispered, “ I’d like to be more than just best friends, Nellie. I really, really want to be your boyfriend”.

Then he kissed me! Not on the lips, but a soft lingering kiss on the cheek, and what could I do? Push him away when there were kids in the hall staring at us? I couldn’t embarrass him like that.

So I kissed him back, on the cheek, because hurt feelings or not, there was no way I was going to lead Joaquim on any more than I had to.

And my luck being what it is…which is lousy…Channing happened to be walking down the hall at just that moment. I know he saw us, because my locker is smack in the middle of the corridor. The halls were emptying out as kids rushed off to their homerooms, and Joaquim and I were one of few students still standing by lockers.

I rarely see Channing in school, because even though we’re both juniors, we have totally different schedules. The only class we share is Sociology, which is only once a week, since it’s an elective class. Other than that, I’m lucky if I catch a glimpse of him even once a day.

But today of all days, when Joaquim decides to confess how he feels about me, my boyfriend walks past. My first impulse was to run up to Channing and tell him the kiss between Joaquim and I meant nothing. He was just a friend!

Especially since Channing slowed down just the tiniest bit when he saw us. A frown appeared on his handsome face, and his green eyes locked with mine. I couldn’t read his expression. Unlike me, Channing knew how to keep his feelings under control.

Instead of rushing up to him though, I just looked away. There was nothing I could do. Channing and I couldn’t even acknowledge each other in school. We ran in totally different circles. I’d just have to wait until I spoke with him later to explain about Joaquim.

I turned my attention back to Joaquim who was still breathing over me, looking lovestruck.

“ I’m not sure I’m ready to get serious, Joaquim," I said, sounding a bit more angry than I should have. “ I mean, I think we need to hang out a little more," I added lamely, when I saw how hurt he looked.

“ I understand, Nellie. I don’t want you to feel pressured or anything," he said, quickly. “ I just wanted you to know how I felt”.

I nodded, then pretended I was running late. I gave him a little wave, but my eyes were scanning the corridor for Channing. If only we could just have a few minutes alone in school to talk…

I was worried about Channing all day. I could barely focus in any of my classes, and as much as I’d convinced Ro I hadn’t needed to study for the English Lit test, I wished I had. I was so upset I forgot the little I’d bothered to study. I would be lucky if I managed to get even a C minus.

At lunch, I got so desperate I sent him a text. I knew he probably wouldn’t get it until after school, because students weren’t allowed cell phones on during class time, but I felt I had to explain.

“ Chan, the guy in the hall is my friend J. He’s just a cool guy. Nothing serious," I typed, hoping it didn’t sound like I was trying to cover up.

“ What the heck is wrong with you, Nellie?" Ro asked, when I put my phone away. “ Why are you so jumpy?”

We were sitting alone at our table. It would only be a matter of time before our table filled up with all of our girlfriends. And I knew they’d all be eager to talk about me and Joaquim.

I gave Ro a quick rundown of what happened at the locker. “ And then Channing walks right past as I’m kissing Joaquim on the cheek! Can you believe my awful luck?" I whispered, even though there was no one around to hear.

Ro didn’t look sympathetic. “ Gee, that does kind of suck”.

“ Ro, what do you mean kind of sucks? It sucks all the way! Channing saw me kissing another guy!”

“ Uh, correct me if I’m wrong, but isn’t Channing the one with the steady girlfriend? I don’t think he can get all upset with you over a harmless kiss on the cheek!”

“ I don’t know if he’s upset. I just don’t like how he saw us together. I’ve never told him about Joaquim. For all he knows, Joaquim is this random guy I’m all of a sudden kissing!" I said.

Ro shrugged. “ That would be the pot calling the kettle black, Nellie. He can’t expect you not to have male friends when he so obviously has female friends”.

I wanted to say more but a group of our friends arrived, and they swooped down on me immediately, wanting to know what the deal was with me and Joaquim.

“ I heard you two are going to the Winter Dance," said Ana Beatriz, waggling her spoon at me suggestively.

“ He told Thiago he’s crazy about you!" added Emanuela, one of the most gossipy girls in school.

It really didn’t matter what I told my friends about Joaquim. None of it would ever get back to Channing. I could tell them Joaquim and I were about to run off to Portugal to elope, and Channing would never hear about it. Cove kids and Ardsley kids just didn’t mingle like that.

But it bothered me I had to pretend Joaquim and I were something more. I wanted everyone…Cove kids, Ardsley kids, heck kids in Bora Bora…to know how I felt about Channing.
HE
was the one I wanted to go to Winter Dance with. HE was the one I was crazy about.

Only Ro understood my hesitance to talk about Joaquim. She kept trying to change the subject, but it was no good. Nothing caused more of a buzz than a new couple getting together.

I told my friends I felt a headache coming on, and that I was going to go to the nurse's office. It wasn’t far from the truth. Stressing over Channing had me feeling out of sorts. And I really didn't want to be questioned anymore about Joaquim.

I almost fainted on the spot when Channing approached our lunch table, before I had a chance to leave. My friends all fell silent as they watched one of the most popular guys in school…and an Ardsley guy, at that…come up and stand in front of me. Not to mention it wasn’t even Channing’s lunch period.

I realized then Channing was just as confused about the Joaquim kiss as I was. I could tell by the way his hands were dug deep in his pockets, and the way his brow was furrowed.

I honestly didn’t know what to feel. Elated he was talking to me in school? Annoyed he was only doing so because he’d seen me talking to another guy? Scared about why he was approaching me in the first place?

“ Nellie, I was just wondering if we could meet after school. And work on our Sociology paper," he said, staring at me with his intense green eyes.

“ Um, yeah. Sure," I stuttered, unsure of what to do.

“ Because I’d really like to talk. About our paper. You know? I think it’s important if we…uh, talk about the paper," he stuttered, and I nodded. It was kind of unnerving to see Channing acting so nervously, when he was usually so reserved. Especially about a non-existent paper.

“ We can talk about the paper," I said, and gave him a hesitant smile. “ You got my message about it, right?”

“ Yeah, I got your message. And that’s why I want to talk. About it. The paper. OK. So, I’ll see you later”. He nodded at all of my friends and walked away.

“What was that about?" asked Emanuela, her eyes wide with curiosity.

“ Did you not hear?" Ro said, coming to my rescue. “ They have a paper they’re working on”.

“ He seemed kind of nervous," Ana Beatriz commented, watching Channing as he exited the cafeteria.

“ Probably not used to coming over to the Cove side of the cafeteria," Ro said, with a snort.

“ Does he still go out with red headed girl? Samantha St. John?”, Emanuela asked no one in particular.

“ I think so," I replied, looking down at the tray I still had in my hands.

“ Funny he didn’t even bother to go and talk to her. She has the same lunch period as we do," Emanuela said, and she looked around the cafeteria. “ See? There she is”.

I glanced over to where Emanuela was staring. I’d temporarily forgotten Samantha had the same lunch hour as I did. It was during lunch break that I managed to watch her, and take inventory of how her makeup looked and what she was wearing.

I felt my heart sink to my knees when I realized Samantha was staring back at me as well. I could tell by the expression on her face she’d seen Channing talking to me. I looked away, but there was no mistaking the hostility coming from her, even though she was sitting all the way across the cafeteria.