A Not-So-Simple Life (18 page)

“I’ll think about it.”

“Cool. Maybe you could let me know what you decide.” And so I decided. Or sort of. Anyway, I did go to school
with Kim today. And I met with a guidance counselor. I started by telling her that I’d been doing homeschool and that my school records might be a little messed up.

Mrs. King gave me a curious look. “So what grade would you say you’re in now?”

“I already have my GED.”

“You have your GED?” She blinked.

Finally I decided to just spill the beans. Seriously, what could it hurt? Besides, if she’s a good counselor, she should be understanding, right? As expected, she was surprised and impressed to learn that I’m Nick Stark’s daughter.

“Not that I want everyone to know,” I said quickly.

“Yes, I can understand that.”

So then I told her about my mom. And even the news I’d just heard, via my dad, that she will probably be doing time in the LA. jail for drug possession and sales, among other things.

“Wow,” Mrs. King said after I finished, “you’ve certainly been through a lot, Maya.”

I nodded. “And I plan to go ahead with the emancipation. My dad has agreed, and, well, my mom doesn’t really have a say now. But…I don’t know…I thought it might be interesting to see how I like high school. My cousin Kim Peterson thinks I should give it a try.”

“Kim Peterson is your cousin?”

So I explained how our moms were estranged sisters and how, thanks to my mom’s messed-up life, I’m living with Kim and her dad for the time being.

“Kim is a wonderful girl,” said Mrs. King. Then she handed me some paperwork. “Do the best you can to fill these out, and if you don’t mind, I’ll set up some placement testing for you on Monday.”

“Placement testing?”

“Well, although you have your GED, it doesn’t tell us much about what academics you may be lacking. And come to think of it, it might not be too late to get you signed up for pre-SATs.”

“Pre-SATs?”

“Our college-bound juniors take the test to see what they need to study further during their senior year.”

I didn’t point out that if I’d been going to school like a normal teen, I wouldn’t even be a junior yet. Really, what difference would it make anyway? I simply filled out the paperwork and agreed to show up on Monday for my placement testing.

“How hard is it to get a driver’s license in your state?” I asked as Kim drove us home. Her friend Natalie, also a senior, was in the front seat. I don’t like to make snap judgments about people, but I didn’t like Natalie much from the get-go. It wasn’t just her fashion obsessions and styled-within-an-inch-of-its-life blond hair as much as it was her voice and
her opinions. To be honest, I wasn’t even sure why she and Kim were friends. But as usual, I kept these thoughts to myself.

“Do you have your learner’s permit?” asked Natalie.

“No, but I know how to drive.”

Kim laughed. “That’s not going to impress the DMV.”

“Probably not.”

So they explained the steps, and Kim even swung by the DMV to get some booklets and things. Of course, this brought up the need for emancipation again. So I realized I had some work to do.

“What do you think of Harrison High?” Natalie asked as we all got back into Kim’s Jeep Wrangler.

“I don’t know,” I said. “It seems kind of small.”

“Compared to Beverly Hills?” Natalie said in a weird tone. Like she was making fun of where I lived. I decided to let it go.

“Maya was homeschooled,” Kim said quietly.

“Seriously?” Natalie turned and stared at me like I was an alien. “Wow, you just don’t seem like the homeschooled type to me.”

“And that would be what?” Okay, I knew I sounded snooty, but I didn’t care. This girl gets on my nerves. It’s like she has a superiority complex. And then I was thinking, Isn’t this the girl who got pregnant last year? Not that I’m going there. I am not.

“Oh, you know,” Natalie said lightly, “homeschooled kids are usually in really strict Christian homes and—”

“That seems like a narrow perspective,” I pointed out.

“That’s right,” agreed Kim. “People from all walks of life do homeschooling, Nat.”

Well, that shut Natalie up. And after we got home, I wasted no time in getting away from them. Rather, from Natalie. Still, it made me wonder. What am I getting into here? This is a small town where normal actually exists, or so it seems. Girls like me don’t really fit in. And yet in some ways, this small-town life feels like a break. Like I can almost breathe again. Almost.

I’ve just finished my first week in a real high school. Pretty weird. But sort of cool too. After my testing, which seemed to impress Mrs. King, she asked if I wanted to be placed as a junior this year.

“Meaning I would be a senior next year?”

She smiled. “It seems that way.”

This was actually a huge relief. I’d been worried that I was going to be like a freshman, with three more years until graduation. And if that was the case, I was considering just going with the GED and calling it a day.

“That sounds good,” I told her. “Well, if I decide I like school.”

She nodded. “Let’s hope you do. You’re a very smart girl, Maya. And I think you’d have a good chance for some scholarships.” Then she looked uneasy. “Not that you’d need them…I mean, with your father and all.”

“Don’t forget about my emancipation,” I reminded her.

“Yes…of course.”

“Although my dad is helping me out financially.” Not that I can totally count on that. The bottom could fall out for him on any given day. His career bombed once. I’m sure it could happen again. Besides, if I’m going to make it in this world, I’ll probably need to make it on my own.

“I heard you didn’t bring much with you from California, Maya,” Natalie said as Kim drove us home from school. “Maybe you’d like us to take you shopping.”

“Shopping?”

“You know, for some clothes and things.”

“It may come as a surprise to you,” I said in a sharp tone, “but some of us are not that into shopping.”

“Oh,” Natalie said. “Is it like that vegan thing? You don’t eat meat or wear leather, and you don’t like new clothes either?”

I was starting to fume now, and I tried not to think of how I compromised myself by wearing leather to work…and for modeling. Not that it did me any good.

“Unlike some people, Maya isn’t a slave to fashion,” Kim said.

Yay, Kim!

“Meaning you think I’m a slave to fashion?” Natalie asked in a shocked tone.

“Not as much as you used to be,” Kim said. “But you have to admit, you’ve been known to shop—”

“Just because I care about my appearance doesn’t mean I’m a slave to fashion!”

Suddenly, and to my relief, they were the ones arguing. Okay, I felt a teeny twinge of guilt, but mostly I was glad the spotlight was off me.

I
got my learner’s permit today, thanks to the help of Uncle Allen (that’s what he said to call him). And it’s hard not to like the guy. He’s got this receding hairline and gray hair and a slight paunch and glasses, but these features only make me like him more. In fact, weird as it sounds, he reminds me of my favorite overalls. Nicely worn and comfortable.

Anyway, Uncle Allen somehow managed to coordinate, between his attorney and my dad, getting a form of temporary guardianship over me. This is only until my emancipation is complete. And according to Uncle Allen’s attorney, that shouldn’t take long. Kim has made it clear that she doesn’t really approve of my plans, not that she’s making it difficult for me. I also sense that Uncle Allen has questions. But fortunately, he keeps them to himself.

“Thanks,” I told him as he drove home from the DMV. “I really appreciate you taking time off work to do this for me.”

“I was glad to help, Maya.”

“The only problem now…,” I said with some uncertainty, “is that I need to accumulate fifty hours of driving time with someone over the age of twenty-one. And ten of those hours need to be night driving.”

“I’m over twenty-one,” he said, “and I’ve been through all this before, with Kim. Patricia…your aunt…preferred me teaching Kim to drive.”

“I already know how to drive,” I said.

“Really?” And suddenly he was turning onto a side street. Then he got out of the car and opened my door. “Go for it.”

“Seriously?”

“Sure, why not? Show me what you got.”

So I drove us home, and when I got there, he seemed pleased. “You really do know how to drive. Who taught you?”

“No one.”

He looked curious. “No one?”

So I explained about Shannon’s need for chauffeuring from time to time. “I had to learn.”

“Looks like this will be easy then.”

“You mean other than the fifty hours?”

“Well, maybe you and Kim and I can do some road trips. We could show you the sights, such as they are.”

“That’d be great. And I’ve already signed up for driver’s ed, although it doesn’t start until June. But my goal is to be driving by summer.” I didn’t tell him that I’d also be looking for a job and another place to live. My plan is to be on my
own by the time Kim leaves for college in August. I’m pretty sure that’s what Uncle Allen would prefer too.

After not even two weeks in this town, I am almost starting to feel as if I might fit in. Or sort of. Although I’m not sure that’s what Uncle Allen or Kim is thinking, because the truth is, I keep an extremely low profile in their home. I don’t leave any messes. And for the most part I take care of my own food, which they seem to respect since neither of them gets the vegan thing. I do my own laundry, and I even started working in the garden out back, which seemed to please my uncle. So really, it’s almost as if I’m not here. Or so I like to think. Mostly I don’t want to wear out my welcome. At least not before I get the whole emancipation thing settled and get my driver’s license in hand. Then I can take the next step.

And for sure I don’t mean to suggest that I fit in at Harrison High. It’s not like everyone there has accepted me and I’ll be voted prom queen or anything lame like that. Not that my misfit complex has to do with ethnicity. I mean, the school doesn’t have a ton of diversity, but there’s definitely a mix. But I feel like an oddity because of my background. In this small town I doubt that many teens have parents doing time for drugs. But I could be wrong.

Still, I’m surprised to find that I’m starting to relax a little. And some people at school are even talking to me now.
It seems that some of them actually want to get to know me. Not that I’m jumping into anything. Lately I’ve been eating lunch with Marissa, a senior in my art class, and her friends. I almost feel like I fit in with them. And one of these guys, Jake, seems to be putting the move on me. Not that I care.

But then as I’m beginning to feel somewhat comfortable, I’m shocked to discover that sometimes Kim and Natalie eat lunch with these kids too. Okay, I’m more surprised about Nat than Kim. Although Marissa told me that is due to Chloe Miller, a girl who went to school here but graduated early to play in her Christian rock band. Apparently she befriended both Marissa and Kim.

“Christian rock band?” I questioned. “Sounds like an oxymoron or something.”

Marissa laughed. “Yeah, it sounds weird. But when you meet Chloe, you’ll get it. She’s totally cool. And so is Kim. It’s just Natalie who takes some getting used to.”

And I have to agree with her there. Mostly I try not to engage with Kim’s best friend. But for some reason, Natalie seems to have set her sights on me. Like today.

“I hope you know that Spencer is into drugs,” Natalie warned me as Kim drove us home from school today. I knew she was saying this because she’d seen me hanging with Marissa and Spencer in the parking lot after school. And probably because she saw them both smoking cigarettes.
Like, Oh, no, they were smoking. That probably means they’re taking drugs too.

Seriously, it’s like she wants to have this off-the-wall running commentary on my life. Like she thinks I need someone like her to help me find my way. Sometimes I try to humor her, but sometimes she just makes it difficult.

“I know you’re new,” she continued, “and you’re probably not aware that Spencer has a history, but I feel it only fair to warn you.”

Meaning no one else has a history? I wanted to ask but didn’t. I hate it when anyone, especially Natalie, treats me like I’m a child. Even though she’s older than me and about to graduate. And then it occurred to me that she’s got some history too. She’s had some experiences that I haven’t (like getting pregnant, getting married, having a baby—the kinds of experiences I would just as soon put off for about twenty years), but surely that doesn’t give her the right to act like she is so much more mature than I am. I think that’s what bugs me most about her.

As usual, I ignored her.

“Spencer’s not a bad guy,” said Kim defensively. “Not really. He’s just a little misdirected.”

Misdirected? What was that supposed to mean? Like the sign said turn left, and he’d turned right?

“Meaning he needs God in his life,” Natalie stated with authority. Like she had the secret remedy, like if we all just
listened to her and inserted God in our lives, we’d be just fine. That would solve everything. Tell me another.

“So what makes you such an expert on what other people need?” I asked, then instantly regretted it.

“It says in the Bible that we all need God.”

“Not everyone believes in the Bible.”

“Just because they don’t believe in something doesn’t mean it’s not the truth,” she tossed back. “Like people used to believe the world was flat, but now we know they were wrong.”