Chapter 25: Chapter 25
Beth let out a sigh, sad to see him go, and slightly disappointed that he seemed to think she was doing something wrong, not because she cared so much what he thought but because it was uncomfortable to receive critical judgment from him. He was normally one of the few who wasn’t judging her.
Beth headed back over to the group of giggling girls. “He didn’t know where she lives. Neither did Sammy.”
“Who?” Carly asked, her forehead crinkled.
“Halley, goofball!” Amber gave her a playful shove in the arm, and Carly started laughing hysterically at her own stupidity. Beth giggled along with the other girls, wondering how in the world anyone that stupid ever got her driver’s license.
A few minutes later, she realized that Brittany was gesturing for her to come over. “What’s going on?” Beth asked, keeping her head up so that she wouldn’t alert the other girls that she thought they might be judging her coolness level for speaking to her other friends.
“Hey, we see Jeff and Brad over there,” Brittany said, pointing to the place where they usually parked. The two boys were part of their group at school, and Beth could hear Jeff’s old pickup truck idling even from here. “We’re going to go over there, ‘kay?”
“Oh, okay.” Beth tried to sound surprised, like she didn’t want them to go, but she actually felt relieved. It would give her a chance to talk to the other girls without having to worry about her friends feeling left out. “I’ll call you guys later.”
“I’m on for Thursday, right?” Andi asked. “Oak City?”
“Yep,” Beth assured her having already worked out who was going to the away game with her this week. She said her goodbyes and then reinserted herself into the conversation with the other girls, though Tiffany had been pulled away by her brother, and they were currently sitting on the bumper of his car, their arms around each other. Beth averted her eyes.
“Your groupies leaving?” Carly teased.
“Oh, yeah.” Beth snorted. “They’re cool though. Just… I don’t know.”
“Lame?” Jessica offered, and then they all laughed, including Beth, even though she felt bad about it. She was thankful when Carly changed the subject to who the cute boys on the Lockton team were and Zoey and Dee Dee jumped in to give them the dish on all of the hot guys from their school. Beth stayed involved in the conversation as much as she could, but she did notice when Sammy left without saying a word to anyone, and she wondered if he was okay for a moment before she realized he never gave a damn how she felt.
At about 11:45, Zoey began to yawn. “I think we better head over to your house, Bethy, and drop you off. I don’t want to fall asleep driving home.”
“I can’t believe your parents let you stay all the way over here until midnight,” Carly said, shaking her head in awe.
Zoey shrugged. “My parents don’t care what I do as long as I don’t get pregnant or die.” She giggled mischievously, sending the rest of the group into similar bursts of laughter. Beth had always been envious of Zoey’s more lenient household rules.
“See ya later, Beth,” Carly said, pulling her into a hug. Beth was shocked but she pretended like it was no big deal. “Call me if you need a ride Friday, ‘kay?”
“’Kay,” Beth answered, mimicking Carly’s smile. She assumed she meant just to come up to the square and hang out, but she honestly had no idea what was happening on Friday. They all said their goodbyes, and Dee Dee conceded the front seat to Beth again. She managed to keep her fake face on until they were off of the square, and then she let go a breath she might’ve been holding for the last three hours.
“Beth, oh my God!” Zoey exclaimed. “You were awesome. They totally accepted you. And the guys. Holy Hell, they were all staring at you all night!”
“That was totally awesome!” Dee Dee agreed.
“Yeah? Thanks. I couldn’t have done it without your help.” She looked from Zoey back to Dee Dee. “It is too bad that Halley wasn’t there,” she added, resting her head against the seat back. They’d be at her house in a minute.
“About that, I swear to God I know that girl,” Dee Dee said, grabbing ahold of the seat and pulling herself forward. “I just can’t place her.”
“That’s so weird. Did she used to live in Lockton or something?” Beth asked.
“No, we know everyone who lives there, and Zoey didn’t recognize her.” Dee Dee slid backward. “So weird. I swear her name isn’t Halley, though.”
“Weird,” Beth agreed. “Well, if you figure it out, give me a call. I don’t even know her last name or anything.”
“Would Shane know?” Zoey asked, turning onto her street.
“Hell if I know. I’ll be avoiding Shane as usual for the foreseeable future.”
“It’s so awesome that thing about the pictures worked so well,” Dee Dee mused from the back seat.
“He’s an ass.” Zoey knew him well enough to have a pretty good understanding of him. She pulled into the drive in front of Beth’s house, and Beth took Dee Dee’s shoes off and handed them to her.
“I’ll get Faith’s outfit the next time I come over,” Zoey assured her as Dee Dee got out to get in the front seat.
“You sure? I can run in and change and come back.”
“Nah, it’s okay. You should wear that to go shopping, though. Have the sales people help you find some things that are similar.”
“Good idea.” Beth had no idea who she might get to take her shopping, but she wondered if Carly might do it. Thoughts of going to the mall with Carly, Tiffany, Amber, and Jessica seemed surreal. Could she really hang out with that group of girls without Zoey and Dee Dee? “Be careful driving home,” she said, “and thanks again.”
“See ya, girl,” Zoey called as Beth got out of the car and picked her way toward the door in her stocking feet, hoping no one would drive by and see her. She made it to the door and opened it with hardly a creak, sliding inside as quietly as possible so as to avoid the wrath of Evelyn.