Dispatches from a Teenage Girl

Chapter 10

On Saturday night, it's definitely time to relax with my girlfriends. I have been so caught up in this Sam thing that I haven't hung out with them. I feel like we had a sleepover almost every weekend last year and here we are, two months into the new school year and we're finally having our first one.

Claire and Grace arrive, arms loaded with junk food and board games. A classic grade school sleepover but nearly adult women. P.O.P. Pop, Chips and Parents. Exactly what the doctor ordered.

What would Sam think?

We pile into my room, shut the door and immediately get into our pyjamas. The coziest, baggiest best pyjamas.

"First things first," starts Grace. "What happened yesterday? You just disappeared right after the bell."

I am actually surprised that I hadn't told them that I was going to meet Sam. I had known since Friday morning. Math class. My mind was just swirling.

"I met up with Sam," I say sheepishly.

"Obviously," says Grace. "We OBVIOUSLY knew that. Why else would you disappear without telling us?"

"Seriously," adds Claire. "So how was it?"

I tell them everything. How we met at the coffee shop, how he greeted me with a huge hug and a kiss. How my knees melted. How his female friends are drop dead gorgeous. How we played bocce. And then how I left because Sam was jamming on his fundraising project with his buddy. His "passion project".

"Wait," Grace stops me. "He invited you out and then ditched you?" Grace and Claire are looking at me with faces of both shock and disappointment. They obviously did not believe this was no big deal. And seemed pretty surprised that I was playing it down.

"No, no, that's not really what happened. He just got into a deep conversation and I didn't want to interrupt." Pause. "It's no big deal."

"No, Lucy, he invited you out and then he ditched you," Grace interrupts again. Claire is nodding.

"That's not really how it happened, honestly. He's so nice and thoughtful. For real. He's the best," I stammer to defend him.

Claire and Grace are both staring at me, sternly.

"Then why haven't we met him?" Grace asks.

Good question, I think to myself. I don't even have an answer. Why haven't I introduced them? Why hadn't I even thought of it? Was I hiding him from them? Or them from him? And what else am I hiding? Why don't I ever talk about Bruce? Why haven't I told Sam about Bruce? Why does no one ask about him? Do I seem like I can't talk about it?

And then the tears just start flowing. I don't even know how to stop them. It's like a river running down my face. The salty tears are going into my mouth. My nose starts running too. It's like a faucet was turned on. This is getting gross.

Grace and Claire don't really know what to do. They are both staring at me totally confused. I am not usually a crier. The snot coming out of my nose is now dripping into my mouth. This is getting beyond sloppy.

"Please..." I start sobbing out. Claire and Grace are looking at me, now slightly panicked, not sure what to do but obviously wanting to help. "Please... get.. me... a GOD DAMN TISSUE!"

They both burst out laughing. I smile but I still can't stop crying. Grace is now frantically searching for a tissue box. "Do you even have tissues?"

Claire busts out of the room and returns with an entire roll of toilet paper. She throws it at me. The sobbing is continuing, my breathing is actually getting a bit intense, borderline hyperventilating. My mom heard the commotion, has run upstairs and now she is standing at the door.