My Summer Roommate (5 page)

The day is sort of pointless. It’s Friday and I have no plans. Most of my buddies are out of town, and Mike has some family thing going on. I can’t remember the last time that I didn’t go out on a Friday
night.

I get so bored
that I’m resigned to doing the laundry just to keep myself occupied. I throw the bag with the dirty clothes over my shoulder to get down to the cellar where there are washing and drying machines.

When I open the door, I bump into Chloe who’s winded from climbing the stairs.

“Hey there,” she says, and smiles and it’s like someone turned the hallway light on.

“Where’ve you been?”

“Out, buying wrapping paper for Izzy’s present. It’s her birthday today.”

“I didn’t know.” The thought that Izzy’s birthday probably means Chloe will be out tonight makes me even more miserable. I won’t just spend Friday night in, I’ll spend it alone.

“I just got home to change. We’re having a small party at her place later.”

She looks at the bag on my shoulder. “What are you up to?”

“Laundry.” I make a face, and she laughs.

“Later,” she says over her shoulder as she gets inside and closes the door.

I drag my feet down the stairs. When I’m in the cellar and the washing machine’s loaded, I regret not bringing a beer with me. I could do with some solace right about now. The room is stuffy, and I’m moody.

I sit on the floor, leaning onto the washing machine. Its rhythmic rocking lulls me to sleep, until the
spin cycle starts and jolts me awake.

I can’t believe I fell asleep in the laundry room. I load the drying machine, and to avoid falling asleep
again, I go upstairs for the half an hour it’ll take for the clothes to dry.

I don’t expect to find Chloe still home, but she comes out of the bathroom as I enter through the door.

“Still here?”

“I had problems choosing what to wear,” she says, and grins unabashedly.

I look her up and down. “The time you took certainly paid off.”

She giggles. “What are you doing tonight?”

I pretend it doesn’t bother me that I’ll be bored as hell. “Nothing. Staying in. A movie maybe.”

“Wanna come to Izzy’s?” she says through the open door as she’s fixing her hair in the bedroom mirror.

“I barely know her.”

“You’d be my plus one.” She actually winks at me. Is this girl for real?

“I’d love to be your plus one,” I tease.

She comes out of her room and stands there watching me. “Well?”

“What?”

“Aren’t you going to get dressed?”

“You’re serious? You want me to come with you to Izzy’s party?”

“I don’t joke around, Chris.”

I’m not sure what to think. I’m always up for a party, but this will be a small thing, probably with just family and friends.

“I won’t be in the way?”

“Well, if you’ll just stand there like this, then you might be, yes.” She grins, but there’s a tinge of annoyance in her voice.

“I’ll hurry up,” I say. I’m relieved I won’t have to be home alone tonight. I’m glad I’m going out with Chloe. Although I’m not actually going out with her, am I? This is not like a date.
Right?

With half of my clothes downstairs in the drier, I don’t have much choice. I put on a pair of dark jeans and a t-shirt that I bought in California two years ago. It’s got a surfer chick on it.

“Can I get her something?” I ask when I return into the living room. “A present, I mean.”

“Nah, don’t worry. You’re with me.”

I dash downstairs to retrieve my clothes from the drier. I throw the bag onto the couch, and I catch Chloe shaking her head disapprovingly. I grin.

“We’re good to go.”

She’s got an old Saab, her graduation present from her mom.

“I hope you’re not going to Atlanta with this heap of rust,” I say as I sit in the passenger’s seat.

“Why not?” she asks, astonished.

“I promise to give you a lift when I find you by the side of the road.”

She makes a face in response and starts the car. “It’s working fine.”

I’ll believe her when we reach Izzy’s house.

“So who’s going to be there?” I ask.

“Just us. I mean, her dad and aunt, Harper, and us. Maybe her cousin Evie.”

“Okay.” I wonder if there’ll be anyone to talk to. Or at least if they’ll have beer.

“I’ll keep you company, Chris,” she says
, and smiles in my direction. How did she guess what I was thinking?

“And Harper’s cool too.”

“I know, but he’ll be with Izzy.”

She chuckles. “I guess you’re right. He’s glued to her side.”

I think I heard a bit of wistfulness in her voice, but I don’t ask her about it. Maybe she’s had something with him, too.

“What happened to Adam?” I ask, because I remember I saw Chloe and him together at
a party in March. She hasn’t mentioned him since she moved in with me.

“Why do you want to know?” She sounds defensive. I didn’t mean to upset her.

“Just curious.”

“We broke up.”

“Oh.”

I’m sort of glad about it, because Adam’s a dick.
Personally, I don’t understand what girls see in guys like him. He’s a douche and arrogant to boot. I only put up with his shit because he’s friends with Mike.

“I guess I should say I’m sorry.”

“But?”

Is she reading my mind? I look at her to see what she’s thinking. She doesn’t seem to be pissed at me.

“I’m not really.”

The corner of her lips curls up, but the smile doesn’t reach her eyes.

I feel like I should explain. “I’m not a fan of Adam’s,” I say apologetically.

“Me
neither.” This time she grins.

“So. What are you studying?” she says, throwing me off with the sudden change in topic.

“Er, sport pedagogy.”

“I thought it’d be something … sporty.”

Is she mocking me? What’s wrong with sport pedagogy?

“I mean, you being a snowboarder and all.”

“Uh-huh.”

“What?” She turns to look at me, but quickly re-focuses on the road again.

“It’s a serious study subject, like any other. There’s a lot of psychology involved. How to inspire kids to do sports and how not to overstress them with competitions. Stuff like that.”

“I didn’t mean …”

I don’t let her finish. “I started competing when I was ten. It was hard, between school work and constant training, and with an asshat coach who didn’t give a shit about trying to fit the training around school work. It gets to you, when you’re ten and no one really listens to you.”

This time she looks at me for longer, I see it out of the corner of my eye. I don’t want to return the gaze because I realize I sounded pretty whiny.

“I believe you. Having too many responsibilities as a kid can break you.” She says it like she’s talking from experience. I wonder about that, but at that moment we arrive and she parks on the curb in front of what must be Izzy’s house.

She’s out of the car before I even open the door, getting the nicely wrapped parcel from the back seat.

Izzy greets us at the door and when she sees me, she quickly covers her surprise with a wide smile. “Come on in.”

The girls hug and giggle and whisper and Izzy blushes
, and a swarm of voices can be heard from the backyard beyond the long hallway. To me it’s all a blur. I catch Harper, who goes past the open back door and then retraces his steps and raises his hand in salute, recognizing me. He waves me out onto the porch, and I skirt around the laughing girls and go to him.

There’s a table on the lawn, covered in dishes and bottles. Next to the porch steps, there’s a barbecue with
steaks on it that Harper is now expertly turning over.

“Drink?”
he asks.

I accept it and the next second I’m shaking the hand of an older man. He seems equally lost.

“This is Isabelle’s dad,” Harper introduces us.

“Chris.”

“Forgive me if I’ve seen you before and forgot,” he says breathlessly. “I’m not good with faces.” He cringes and at the same time wipes his forehead as if the stress of socializing is making him sweat.

“We haven’t
met, Sir.”

“Good. Oh, that’s good. That I haven’t forgotten, I mean.”

He nods, and then glances around as if he’s looking for something. “Where have I …”

He wanders off without another word to Harper or me. He’s a funny one.

Harper grins when he sees my expression of disbelief. “He’s a genius scientist. Not so good with parties.”

“How’s Izzy so normal?” I ask, voice low in case someone’s close enough to hear me.

“Who knows? From what I hear, the situation with Chloe’s mom is similar. You might want to ask her.” Harper turns to the barbecue.

“Yeah, I don’t think so.
It must suck to have a parent like that.” My mind goes back to Chloe’s words about having too many responsibilities as a child. Was that what she was referring to? Her mother?

“There are worse options,” he says.

“I guess,” I say, but I don’t sound convincing even to my ears. It’d be a nightmare if my parents were this irresponsible or even unable to remember who my friends are. I can’t imagine it.

“How’s the roommate thing going?” Harper asks, attending to the meat on the grill again.

“It’s fine.”

He raises an eyebrow. “Not too many dudes coming around?”

“No, none,” I say surprised. It actually never occurred to me that Chloe might bring a guy over. That’d be just … fucked.

“Is she really … Did she really date so many people?” I ask.

“Not that it interests me, but I’ve heard of a few.” He rolls his eyes, while he starts filling a plastic plate with steaks and bread and salad.

“If you’ll excuse me, I need to go find Izzy’s dad because otherwise he’ll forget to eat again. Serve yourself,” he adds
and points to the barbecue.

He goes off towards the house and it’s only
when he mentions it that I notice, Izzy’s dad has disappeared inside.

I stand by the steps like a
tree. I don’t know any of the people around me. A blond girl, younger than me, smiles shyly and says hi when she comes to get a paper cup from the table. There’s also an older woman there that I guess must be the aunt Chloe mentioned. A boy of about ten is playing with a truck in the corner by the garden wall. There’s another couple stretched out on a blanket on the lawn. They seem to be in their late twenties and completely oblivious to the world around them.

“Hey
, loner,” Chloe says in a singing voice.

“How glad I am to see you.”

“Sorry. Got held up in Izzy’s room while she tried on the present I made her.”

I offer her a can
from the cooler under the table, but she already has a drink in her hand.

“You
made
her a present?”

“I sewed her a sequined top. Harper will love it.”

“Sewed?”

She grins and nods, obviously proud of herself.

“Cool. You’re a very talented woman.”             

“Sure am.”

“I’m proud to call you my roommate.”

She jabs me in the ribs.

“Who are all these people?”

She inhales as if there were fifty names to list. She points out the aunt, Connie, the blond girl is her daughter Evie,
and the boy is the son Tommy. The girl lying on the blanket is another of Connie’s kids, Laura, and keeping her company is her new boyfriend Simon.

“Evie seems smitten with you,” she says
, and wiggles her eyebrows.

“Huh? She’s what … fifteen? Not interested.” The girl’s pretty in a willowy, serene way. She’s like a graceful ballerina, but not someone I’d be interested in.

Chloe doesn’t seem to buy it, though.

“I’
m not,” I repeat.

“She’s sixteen, and whatever you say.”

“She’s too … bland.”

“You’re after drama queens, then? Passion and betrayals?” she asks, grinning and taking a sip of her drink.

I snort with laughter. “Is your drink spiked?”

She leans closer and mock whispers, “Don’t tell the grown-ups.”

“How much have you had to drink?” It’s only now that I notice her pink cheeks and the glimmer in her eyes.

“Izzy’s got a bottle in her room.”

“You’re right, you know. Right now, Evie seems more mature than you.”

I
get another jab for that, and we both laugh.

“I’m trying to get you a date and you’re ridiculing me. Rude.”