Friendzoned (17 page)

That got a shrug as the dark haired girl stood.

"Why would you be embarrassed?
I
was the one that interrupted you. Zack certainly didn't seem to think it was something for you to be ashamed of. In fact, he'll probably be calling you for a date. We aren't exclusive after all. As for me..." She shrugged, then walked over to her and gave Becky a hug. It wasn't a tight thing, but also didn't speak of sex, which was good, since she was already at about her personal limit of embarrassing things at the moment.

"Well, I can forgive having to clean up after you, this once. Next time throw down a towel, and come prepared."

Then, as if it only made sense, she offered to make a snack. Becky wasn't hungry at all, but agreed.

"Some of that veggie dip you made before? Or is that too much work?"

"That would only take a bit. Let's go sit and chat. After all, the plan isn't finished yet. You still have a Mitch to rope in. Plus, you really need to figure out what you're going to do with the rest of the guys." She made herself busy, pulling things from the fridge quickly. She was efficient about it, almost professional.

Distracted for a second, Becky gestured at the counter, where things were being cut with deft strokes. Peeled and diced faster than a machine could do it. Or, probably not really, but it at least had that air of the people on television that did it for a living.

"What's with all the cooking skills? Isn't that a bit, I don't know, counterproductive to the whole starving yourself thing?" It was probably too rude to say things like that, but the other girl just nodded.

"After I lost my job at Coretechs, mainly doing party planning, I got a job with a caterer that I met. It pays the car insurance. Speaking of jobs, I got word that you have my old one? Congratulations! It pays pretty well. Dan called and said that you'd be working with him from now on? Are you excited about it yet?" She smiled and kept working, but there was a bit of tension in her shoulders that hadn't been there before.

Becky just hoped it wasn't anger over her getting that old job.

"A bit. It was just offered to me, I, you aren't mad?"

Keeley didn't deny it totally, she just sighed a bit and then shook her head. "Not at you. Not even at Coretechs. My dad, Charles, the one that raised me, he didn't
just
run off. He embezzled nearly a half million dollars first. From Coretechs. He was an accountant there. Mrs. Gibson didn't press charges, to protect me and mom, but they couldn't let me keep on working there. It... I'm so mad at him for that. How could he do it? Worse, he just ran off and left us here." There was enough anger in her words that they shook the air a bit.

When she turned around there were tears running down her cheeks. It was the first time that Becky had seen anything like that from her really. Angry, a few times, sad and happy a lot, but not actually crying. She didn't know what to do at all, but stood, hoping that she got it at least close.

Moving carefully, since enraged and crying girl with a
knife
, but she hugged her. It lasted for a long time, and finally after about ten minutes, the other girl moved and got a tissue.

"It's worse for my mother. She was going to leave him, just before he ran off. Now she can't even get a divorce, because he isn't around to sign the papers. He pretty much kept her at home too, and she's really afraid of people, which that made worse over the years. Going out all the time and working with the public like she is has to be killing her. I don't know what to do." The words were slightly plaintive, but not whining at all.

Becky took a deep breath, feeling like she should have some kind of deep and soulful advice or something wise to say, but she just didn't. Nothing in her life had really prepared her for that kind of thing. Not at all.

"I wish I could help. I guess this is one of those things that you just have to get through. I know that isn't useful. I wish..." What did she want to say? It was too hard to think of anything, but the other girl used a paper towel from the metal holder under the counter and blotted at her eyes.

"Thanks. I really appreciate it. I know that there isn't a lot to be done. The Coretechs thing just brought it back for me, but that shouldn't stop you from doing the job.
Or
taking the scholarship. That's a pretty sweet deal. Darla mentioned it all to me. Do you want help getting things in the mail? Or making calls to colleges? That seems like a rush job."

"I know. Yes. I'd love the help. It might be impossible, but I really want to go. For one thing, I might be out of a place to live by then. My step-dad is finally getting the heck out of dodge. He might have already. They had a fight last night, but who knows what that means?"

Then, almost as if trying to change the subject, so they didn't have to talk about all the uncomfortable things they couldn't really do anything much about at all, Keeley went back to work, and finished the snack for them.

"Here we go. Low-cal, high fiber, and perfect for a late night snack. Will you be all right tomorrow? It's going to be a bit light on sleep."

She nodded. Not that it wouldn't be hard, but she'd manage it. There wasn't a lot of choice.

Keeley got to the real work then, just making suggestions, based on things that might, possibly, happen. Or not.

"So, Mitch first. He's going to call, or visit with you in the next few days. Probably feeling a bit angry or put out. Seriously... I know this will sound cold, but you should probably either send him packing, or do what Zack suggested. Tell him that you'll go down on him if he goes out with you. If you do that, he'll say yes. I don't know that you should bother going to that level, since most guys
would
go out with you, if that was the offer on the table. I mean movie stars and rich guys. It's more than you should have to promise just to get a date. But right now he has to be wondering what he's been missing out on with you. It's that rumor about you and Darla." She ate a single carrot stick, with nothing on it, munching it absently. "He hasn't been reacting right so far though. I would have thought he was gay or something, but he hasn't been looking at guys, just me. I think he might just be a bit immature."

She shook her head, clearly thinking about something, but not saying it out loud.

"You should go out with Cory, if that doesn't work out though. He's a great guy you know."

Something occurred to her then, going back over the events of the last week or two, thinking about what had been said and who was there the whole time.

"Wait... you've been trying to set me and Cory up the whole time, haven't you? This has never been about Mitch at all." It was a bit accusatory, but she didn't come across as sounding mean at least.

Keeley smiled and let both her eyebrows go up.

"
Who me
? It really kind of has been about Cory. Mitch is fine, but you can do better. Not just in looks, but in the way he treats you. You deserve respect, and to be noticed. Everyone around you has been saying that and you're locked on to the geeky bad boy that what? Represents the best you thought you could get three years ago, along with enough neglect that you never had to worry about him actually returning your feelings? That's too pop psychology, but take it from a girl that has pretty major daddy issues, you do too. True, in a slightly more sane way, but Mitch was always serious minded and
there
, even as he didn't really notice you and used you for free food, or whatever else he wanted that you had. A body to make a game happen, or someone to wait on him and his friends while they played. Am I wrong about all that?"

She wasn't. In fact the words could have been taken from right out of her own head. They were dead on and Becky knew it.

"But, we've done all this work with Mitch..."

"
And
I'm not saying you shouldn't try it. I'm just saying it isn't your best option. What do I know though? I'm mainly just trying to distract myself from my own problems really. So, there's that part of things. The other guys, what do you want to do there?"

"Other guys? Who? What other guys?"

"All of them, silly. You're pretty and popular, you're best friends with the head cheerleader, or close enough that no one will notice the difference, and you have a hunk coming in to have a casual relationship with you. Guys will notice. They already have and that means that you're going to have some offers to deal with. You need to figure out how to deal with them. You can date one guy, or even a girl if you want, or several, and just not go steady with anyone. Or you could use the Eve technique and sleep with anyone you want to at any time. I can't recommend that one really. She has some issues, ones that make ours look like child's play. I guess we all do, really. Hally is the only normal one of us that way. Even Gary... Well,
gay
, his dad did not take that news well. We're all driven by our pasts, in one way or another."

Becky had gotten that one from context, so just nodded.

"I don't know what to do. I... You know, I don't know how to, um, do that thing that you all keep saying I should offer Mitch." Also, apparently, she wasn't adult enough to say blowjob out loud. That was probably a sign that she wasn't really ready.

Keeley grinned.

"Hey,
I
never have either, or I'd show you. I bet Darla knows. We should ask and see if she can show us. Or we could ask Eve, but if you want to learn on a banana instead of a guy, I suggest we go with the first option." Then she chuckled a little bit.

It was nice then, for a while but at midnight she had to get home. The morning was coming, no matter what she did and even a few hours sleep would be better than nothing. She had work the next day, at two jobs, and not a lot of time to play around.

Keeley hugged her again, and then smiled.

Becky blinked.

"Wait, if you've never gone down on the guy... what were you and Zack doing in your bedroom that whole time?

The other girl smiled.

"Breathing exercises. It's not nearly as dirty as it sounds like either. What did you
think
we were doing? Plotting some kind of demonic takeover of the Earth?"

"No, um, but you know,
sex
. It's Valentine's Day."

That didn't get an answer, just a pat on the shoulder and a walk back to her car, as if the smaller framed girl was going to fend off any attackers that might come. The street was dead however, since it was a quiet and low crime area. She waited for Keeley to walk back into her house before pulling all the way away, and drove the nearly silent streets without incident. She was sleepy already, so moving quietly, she got into the house, trying not to wake anyone. It wasn't too hard, since no one else was there at all.

The alarm was set to the right time, so she scrubbed the makeup off her face, changed out of her clothes into an old set of pajamas, which were nice and loose on her now, the cotton things worn almost bare in places, and slept until the annoying beeping got her to open her eyes. It was a fight to get up, but she did it, hoping that there was some coffee in the place. That was hit or miss for them. If she wanted booze, there was a well stocked cabinet and the refrigerator, filled with various things. Something that would keep her awake? That was harder to find, most days.

When she came out though, there was some already made, and Mike was awake and sitting on the sofa. He'd actually shaved and looked like some water had hit him in the last day, which improved his condition a lot.

"Hey." His voice was a bit different too, subdued, but not half drunk. It was, she realized, something new. Sobriety. It looked both good
and
out of place on him.

"Good morning. Is this coffee sacred and only for you, or can a heathen like me steal some?" She sounded half chipper, even if it was all fake. Her eyes wanted to close on their own.

"Go to. Um, I..." There was a big pause there and the man stared at her, finally speaking in a low tone, as she turned, after getting one of the big mugs filled with coffee. She glanced in the fridge, to see if there was anything approaching milk for it, but there wasn't. In fact, the thing was nearly empty, except for some American cheese singles and a plate of something that had once been chicken, but was now green and needed to be tossed out.

Clearing his throat, Mike started again.

"I, uh, joined AA. Alcoholics Anonymous. It's a twelve step program and one of them, the eighth step, is making amends to the people that we've hurt. It's... So, do you have a few minutes?" He looked down and sighed, then glanced at the clock.

She really didn't have long, not if she was going to make getting to school on time.

"A few minutes. I really can't see that it will take longer than that. You haven't done anything to me in particular. No rape in the shower, or making me sell myself on the street when rent was coming in short." She smiled, but the man shook his head somberly.

"No, but I was supposed to be a father, not just some guy that lived here. I didn't help you when I should have. I mean, I let your car sit there for weeks, because I was too drunk to get off my butt and make sure it was fixed. I know
how
to do it. Heck, I used to be a mechanic for years. I also let your mother run around on me. I... This isn't about her, but that set a bad example for you. You need to know that you're worth more than that, and letting her do that... It wasn't a good thing. Just easier for me."