Building on Lies (11 page)

I shrugged. “ Eh. I’m not sure I wanna go”.

Ro threw her hands up in the air. “ Nellie! You can’t be serious. Tommy and Joaquim are waiting for us! We can’t just stand them up!”

“ So, you go. Take my car. I want to finish up this work”. The truth was, I wasn’t in the mood to go anywhere. I wanted to lie in bed, and think about Channing. How he looked, and how he smelled, and how great it was to kiss him. Knowing I was never going to be able to kiss him again was sending me into withdrawal.

“ You have all weekend to do your work," Ro said, narrowing her eyes at me. “ You just want to mope around, thinking about Channing”.

“ Is that so bad?" I sighed. “ I miss him, Ro. You’d think you’d be more understanding”.

“ I’d be understanding if you were trying to get him back. You broke up with him, remember? Just call him and tell him you’re sorry”.

“ Never!" I said, crossing my arms over my chest. “ Especially not after he was flirting with Bethany Grant”.

“ He wasn’t flirting with her, Nellie. He was just talking to her," Ro said, shaking her head. “ You know what? You are NOT going to ruin my night. Get out of bed, and get dressed. If I show up without you, then Joaquim is going to be all depressed, which will make Tommy upset, which will make ME upset.”

“ Ro…," I said, with a long sigh. “ I don’t think I can deal with Joaquim drooling all over me. Every time he looks at me with those goo goo eyes I just feel so bad”.

“ One night of him making goo goo eyes at you isn’t going to kill you. And aren’t you going to go to Winter Dance with him? Do you expect to avoid him until then?”

“ No, but Winter Dance isn’t for a couple of weeks. I’m talking about tonight. Tonight, I just want to wallow in my misery," I said.

“ Nellie Fernanda Depaola, get your tiny little butt out of bed right now, and get ready!" Ro said, picking up the curling iron and shaking it at me, threateningly. “Or I swear, I’ll…curl you to death!”

I couldn’t help but laugh at how silly Ro looked, so I swung out of bed, and trudged to my closet. I tried to convince myself the reason I wasn’t slaving over what to wear was because we were just going to the bowling alley. It had nothing to do with the fact the only guy I felt like getting decked out for was for Channing.

I grabbed my skinny jeans…the same ones Channing seemed to like so much… my slouchy boots, and a gray thermal shirt.

Ro, who was looking very cute in dark denim jeans and a red V-neck sweater, frowned at my outfit. “You do know we’re probably going to hang out at the Harbor Restaurant afterward?”

“ The Harbor Restaurant? It’s too cold to hang out there," I said, grumpily. The Harbor Restaurant was a gorgeous restaurant overlooking the water. It was especially awesome in the summertime when you could sit outside on the deck, and watch the waves while you ate. In the winter, people dined within the glass atrium covered one section of the deck. It was still pretty, but very cold in the atrium.

“ Yeah, but Ana is having her birthday party there tonight. She rented the entire restaurant. Everyone is going. It’s going to be really nice," Ro said.

“ OK, let me put on something cuter," I grumbled.

“ Thank you," Ro said, simply, and she sat down to do her makeup.

I decided on my brocade print hoodie and a pair of dark jeans like Ro’s. Instead of slouchy boots, I put on a pair of dressy sneakers. I was comfortable enough to go bowling, but dressy enough for a party at the Atrium.

“ That’s better”, Ro said approvingly. “ And of course, your hair looks good no matter what you do with it, so no worries there. You just need to put some makeup on that pretty face, and we’re ready to roll”.

A half hour later, we were in my car, waiting for it to warm up. We’d told my mother we’d be home no later than one.

“ Have fun girls, but no drinking, no drugs and no sex," my mother said.

“ Oh come on, Mom! Being drunken crack whores was so on our agenda tonight!" I said, pretending to be upset.

“ Nellie!" my mother warned, but then she laughed and told us to have a good time.

“ So, things are getting pretty serious between Tommy and me," Ro said, as we drove downtown to the bowling alley.
“ That’s awesome, Ro!" I said, happy for her. Ro and Tommy started seriously dating over the summer. They’d always had a love/hate thing going on, but it was obvious to anyone who saw them together that they were crazy about each other. What made their relationship work was they’d always been friends. Friends at each others throats, but still friends.

“ He asked me to marry him!" she said, in an excited whisper, even though there was no one in the car but us.

“ Ro! Get out! No, he didn’t!" I gasped, looking over at her. She was grinning from ear to ear.

She nodded, happily. “ Yeah. He’s even picked out our engagement ring. He wants to wait until I turn seventeen, and then we’re going to go apply for the marriage license”.

“ Oh my goodness. Ro, so soon?" I exclaimed. Ro would turn seventeen in just a few months.

“ Yeah. I mean, we both know we want to spend the rest of our lives together. So why wait?”

“ But we’re not even seniors yet!" I pointed out. I clapped a hand over my mouth. “ Oh no, Romina. Tell me the truth! Are you pregnant?”

Ro laughed like it was the funniest thing she’d ever heard. “ No, silly. I’m a good Catholic girl, remember? No sex until marriage for me.”

“ Then why the rush?" I asked earnestly.

Ro’s face turned serious, as if she didn’t quite know how to phrase her answer. “ I guess it’s because I want a place of my own. I love how Daisy took me in after my parents died. She’s the best godmother I could ever ask for. In fact, she feels more like a mother than my own mother ever did. I‘ll forever be grateful to her”.

Ro paused. Ro’s parents died in a car accident several years before, when Ro and I turned twelve. As awful as it sounded, it was really the best thing for Ro. Her parents had been abusive to each other, and even worse, abusive to her. She’d practically lived at my house to escape the constant fighting, so it was only natural she came to live with us when they died. Her mother had even written a will, leaving my mother…one of her best friends, and Ro’s godmother… as Ro’s guardian.

None of Ro’s family came for her, even though they all lived in Egg Cove. Ro’s older half brothers returned to the Azores, the islands in Portugal most of the people in our community immigrated from. Ro was pretty much on her own, but my mother and I did our best to make her feel like a part of our family. Ro honestly felt like a sister to me.

“ But I just want a home that belongs to me, you know? And I can have that with Tommy. His parents are going to let him have his grandparent’s old house, right next to the factory. His Dad already has a job lined up for him there. So, it’s not like we’re going into this with nothing, you know? His parents know about his wanting to marry me, and they approve. Can you imagine? They have no problem with their son wanting to marry trashy Romina Vilella.” Ro’s voice trembled a little.

“ Ro, you’re not trashy. You’re the most decent girl I know," I said, and it was true. Ro was as serious a girl as you could get.

“ OK, maybe not me exactly. But you know the reputation my family had," she pointed out, and I couldn’t argue with her. The town had breathed a sigh of relief when Ro’s brothers had left for Portugal. They'd always been loud, rude drunks. The rest of her family were no better. It was amazing Ro had turned out to be the well-mannered girl she was.

“ When are you going to tell my mom?" I asked, knowing she hadn’t yet.

“ As soon as Tommy gets the engagement ring," she said. “ He’s going to ask your Mom for my hand!” She giggled happily.

“ Oh, Ro. A part of me is thrilled for you, but then…don’t you think you’re too young to jump into something as serious as marriage?”

“ We’re not jumping into it, Nellie. We’ve given this a lot of thought, trust me. Also, I’m only two years younger than my mother was when she got married. And your Mom had you at nineteen, too. You know half of us are going to be married as soon as we graduate. So what’s the difference between now, and two years from now?" she asked.

“ You’re right, I guess”. Both of our mothers had started families at a young age. It wasn’t uncommon in our community at all. But it was different when it was your best friend.

It seemed like Channing and Ro and Tommy were all making adult decisions when they still had a few more years to be teens. I felt like we were all way too young to make decisions about parenthood, marriages, and careers, when we weren’t even done with high school.

But I wasn’t going to put a damper on Ro’s happiness. Tommy was a great guy, and I was sure he’d make a good husband. I just didn’t think I was ready to see my best friend become a wife before she’d even gone to her senior prom!

“ Don’t tell anyone, Nellie. Only Tommy’s immediate family knows. And Joaquim knows, too. But we don’t want rumors spreading," Ro said.

“ Yeah, the last thing you need is for people to start counting on their fingers!" I teased.

“ Can you imagine?" Ro laughed. “ No, Tommy and I decided we’re going to wait until I get my nursing degree before we start on kids. His parents already have six grand-kids, so there’s no rush for more!”

The rest of the ride we spent talking about whether Ro should wait until her wedding night to have sex, or if her and Tommy should enjoy a pre-honeymoon experience.

“ Practice makes perfect, and I want my wedding night to be perfect!" Ro said, practically.

“ Yeah, but then you’ll be riddled with guilt." I pointed out. “ And you’d have to confess”.

“ True, but we’ll be married anyway so it won’t be sooo bad confessing to Father David," Ro said.

“Sounds like you really want to sleep with Tommy!" I teased.

“ Hello? Have you seen his body? Working with his Dad in the factory has put some serious muscles on that boy. Not to mention I can barely keep my hands off him when he kisses me as it is!" she said, smiling devilishly.

“ Ro! You bad girl!" I accused. “ Maybe you aren’t respectable after all!”

“ Oh, get off it, Nellie. Tell me you haven’t considered hooking up with Channing?”

I had to admit I had. But it was kind of difficult wanting to sleep with a boy who was probably sleeping with his girlfriend, too.

“ You think him and Samantha still have sex?" Ro asked, as if reading my mind.

“ I don’t know," I answered, not even wanting to think about it. “ They have so much history together, you know? I’d like to think they don’t even kiss, but I think that’s kind of naive. And it’s not anything I’d ever ask him anyway”.

“I’m so glad Tommy is a virgin, just like me," Ro said. “ I think being with an experienced guy would be really difficult”.

“ It is. But Chan never put any pressure on me to go all the way with him. I know he wants to, but he knows when to stop," I told her.

“ I think Joaquim has only slept with Bruna Porto, but everyone knows Bruna is kind of easy," Ro said, as if that justified Joaquim’s sleeping with her.

“ I really don’t care who Joaquim has slept with, Ro," I said, rolling my eyes. “ It’s not like I plan to be added to his list.”

“ True!" Ro laughed.

We reached the crowded bowling alley, Friday nights being their busiest night. We had to park a good distance away from the entrance, and I was glad I’d brought my thick bomber jacket. It was early December, and the temperature kept getting colder.

Ro and I rushed inside, grateful for the warmth. We saw a bunch of our friends, Ana, Emanuela, and a couple of other girls. They waved us over.

“ Hey Nellie-girl," greeted Ana. “ You coming to my party later?”

“ Definitely!" I said, smiling.

“ Are you bringing Joaquim?" Emanuela asked, slyly. Emanuela’s whole life revolved around gossiping about other people.

“ Probably," I said, noncommittally.

“ Have you seen Tommy and Joaquim, by the way?" Ro asked. “ We’re supposed to be hanging out with them”.

“ Oh yeah. They’re over there," Ana replied, pointing to where Tommy and Joaquim had already begun bowling.

We said goodbye to the girls, went to rent our bowling shoes, then joined Joaquim and Tommy.

Joaquim held my hand when he saw me. I had to fight the urge to yank it away. I don’t like you like that, I wanted to scream.

Tommy gave Ro a long kiss, which brought on a few catcalls and whistles from kids nearby. We all laughed, but I edged away from Joaquim before he got any ideas.

But as much as I didn’t want Joaquin to think we were on a “date," it
was
fun hanging out with him. He kept showing off about what a great bowler he was, running down the lane doing silly moves before he let go of the ball. He booed and hissed whenever Ro and I went up, because we were playing boys against girls. His obnoxious jokes had me laughing so hard I kept throwing gutter balls, even though I’m a pretty decent bowler.

Tommy and Joaquim were serious bowlers, though and soon Ro and I were way behind, trying to think of strategies to beat them.

“ I say we flash them our boobs just before they launch," Ro said out loud, and Tommy pretended to drop the ball when he heard.