EMIT (THE EMIT SAGA) Page 3

  When we complained, she said, “True friends wouldn’t make me feel bad for being in love.”

  We just wanted to see her occasionally, but we gave up trying.

  As I waited, I got a text saying that she was sorry that she couldn’t come over after all. I wasn’t surprised because she canceled all the time, but I was still disappointed.

  When Mom got home, we decided to order Japanese food.

  “What would you like?” she asked while looking at the menu.

  “Just a spicy tuna roll and firecracker shrimp.”

  I went to my bedroom to wait and got on the computer. There was an invitation on Facebook from Reed, a boy from school. Reed had asked me to the last school dance in May. I only liked him as a friend, so I lucked out that we had theatre tickets for the same night.

  His message was that he was going to hockey camp for the summer and was having a get-together tonight before he left. It would be nice to see some kids from school.

  When I heard the doorbell, I ran downstairs for dinner. I was starving.

  Mom was paying the delivery guy and I took the bag. As I entered the kitchen, the house line rang and it was Daphne.

  “Paige, I’ve been texting you all day. Are you still having issues with your phone?”

  “I guess. One day it’s fine and the next it’s crazy. I have to go to the phone store. Are you going to Reed’s tonight?”

  “Yeah, that’s why I’ve been trying to reach you. Grace and I are going. Can you go?”

  “I’m not sure I should. What if he asks me out again?”

  “Tell him you like somebody else or that you just want to be friends. Problem is, once a guy asks you out and you say that, they never want to be friends. Remember Colton?”

  “I know. That’s exactly why I’m worried. Colton hates you now. I’ll call you back after dinner. I’m really not sure if I’m in the mood for a party.”

  Mom walked in and overheard the ending. “Sweetie, go have fun. You were just complaining how bored you were.”

  She was right. I couldn’t hide from every boy that liked me.

  I called Daphne and made plans to meet them in front of Reed’s building. Reed lived on West 79th Street and Daphne and Grace lived on West 82nd Street.

  When I got to Reed’s, they were waiting for me. As I approached, Grace was animatedly telling Daphne something. What did they have left to talk about? I suppose, that same question could apply to Lily and me, but we didn’t go to school together, work together and live on the same block.

  It was impossible not to notice Grace’s striking appearance. Her mom was African-American and her dad was Irish so Grace had beautiful blended features. With long curly brown hair, big brown eyes, light brown skin and full lips, she really was stunning. Daphne was Italian with shoulder length black hair and hazel eyes. Jokingly, we called ourselves the 3D’s for ‘the dark three.’ When Eden was part of our group we had called ourselves the Four Musketeers. After Eden ditched us for Paul, Daphne came up with our new name. Eden had red hair so the 4D’s name wouldn’t have worked for the four of us anyways.

  “Hey, you two look great. Perks of working in a clothing store, huh?” I joked.

  “Yep, but we also have to deal with crazy shoppers, so it’s a trade off,” Daphne said.

  “Yeah. There’s this insane woman who keeps returning everything she buys,” said Grace.

  Walking into the building, Daphne asked, “You ready?”

  “I guess,” I answered hesitantly.

  “Maybe he likes somebody else by now,” Grace added, reassuringly.

  As we rode the elevator up, I hoped I wasn’t making a mistake.

  Chad, Reed’s older brother, answered the door. He was really cute and had long brown wavy hair that almost reached his shoulder. He had graduated this year and I had no idea what he was doing in the fall. When I was a freshman, he was a sophomore and we had an art class together, but since then, I had barely seen him.

  “Hi, girls.”

  “Hi. How’s your band?” I asked, noticing his guitar.

  “Great. We have a gig tonight.”

  “What are you doing next year?” I asked.

  “I’m going to Julliard.”

  “Wow,” we all said almost simultaneously.

  “Reed…you have some more friends here,” he yelled. “Gotta go, have fun.” Although Chad and Reed were only a year apart, they had their own circle of friends. Reed was a muscular jock and sports consumed his life and Chad’s passion was music.

  Reed materialized and I could tell from his expression that he was happy I came.

  “Hi, come on in. We’re playing video games and just hanging out.”

  There were five guys and three girls from school standing in the living room and a pretty blonde girl I didn’t know sitting on the floor talking to Evan, Reed’s best friend. Reed’s mom told us to help ourselves with the drinks and snacks on the counter in the kitchen. After grabbing a water bottle, I returned into the living room and sat on the couch. I thought Daphne and Grace were right behind me, but Reed sat down next to me instead.

  “I heard your London trip got canceled.”

  “Yeah, my grandmother broke her leg.”

  “So what are you going to do this summer?”

  “I don’t know yet. Hopefully find a job. When are you leaving for Canada?”

  “In two weeks. Are you around for Fourth of July?” he asked.

  Oh no! Please don’t ask me out. “No, we’re going to my grandmother’s on Long Island. It’s her birthday,” I said.

  Evan came over complaining about the remote and dragged Reed away. Grace quickly sat down and squeezed my arm. I opened my eyes wide at her and breathed a sigh of relief.

  Daphne was talking to Deidre, a girl from school, and the blonde girl. Wherever Reed went, she watched him like a hawk.

  When Daphne came over, I asked, “Who’s that blonde girl you were talking to?”

  “Her name’s Josie. She moved into Reed’s building from Paris about two weeks ago. She’s really nice,” Daphne added as an afterthought.

  “Does she speak English?” I asked.

  “Yeah, she’s from California. She lived in Paris for two years because of her dad’s job.”

  I looked over and Josie was watching us.

  In a short time, there were about twenty people there. Daphne spent most of the night flirting with Evan, which was strange because she always said that he was a jerk.

  I was talking to Grace and Deidre when I saw Vanessa walk in and I was surprised and annoyed at the same time. Vanessa’s best friend was Carla, Reed’s ex-girlfriend. When Reed broke up with Carla in the spring, she was heartbroken and she still wanted him back. The rumors were that she wouldn’t leave Reed alone and was almost stalking him.

  As soon as Vanessa spotted me, it was like daggers were being thrown at me. Carla and Vanessa heard that Reed had asked me to the dance and because of that they hated me. Every time they passed me in the halls, they’d laugh and make snarky comments. Luckily, I had no classes with them, but sometimes their comments really got to me.

  All night long, Reed was nearby and always jumped into my conversations. I glanced around and saw Vanessa talking to Josie. When they both started giving me dirty looks, it was obvious that Vanessa was talking about me. It was funny watching them together. Josie was a blond Barbie doll and Vanessa was Chinese with long black hair. They were complete opposites.

  “It looks like Vanessa is talking about me,” I whispered to Grace.

  Grace looked over and lifted her water bottle and mouthed, “Do you want a picture.”

  Vanessa turned away and laughed with Josie.

  “Don’t. It’s not really worth it,” I said.

  “Why not? She’s an idiot. You should go over there,” Grace insisted.

  “What’s so crazy is that I never even went out with Reed. What would they be like if I did?”

  “I think you should tell them off or tell Reed. He’d ge
t really pissed at both of them.”

  “I’ll think about it.” When I glanced back at Vanessa, she gave me the finger. I didn’t want to stay any longer and deal with this nonsense. “Grace, I’m going home.”

  “Don’t let her get to you.” Grace hadn’t seen what she did and I wasn’t telling her.

  “I’m just tired. I’ll talk to you tomorrow.”

  I wasn’t in the mood for Vanessa or Josie. Perhaps with me gone, Josie and Reed would find each other. Carla and Vanessa could move on and hate Josie.

  When I went over to say goodbye, Reed insisted on walking me to the door.

  “I’ll call you before I leave for camp.”

  I managed to say, “Sure.”

  I gave him a hug goodbye, but by the time I got to the elevator, I worried that he might have gotten the wrong idea and regretted it.

  

  My books were strewn all over the place. While most of my friends bought clothes, I bought books and could get lost for hours in a bookstore. Lily thought I was crazy.

  As I put my books away, I saw a folder protruding from under my bed. Inside, I found my school’s required summer reading lists and assignments for my classes that needed to be completed before school started. I’d signed up for a poetry class called English Poets.

  I’d taken a Shakespeare class last year and loved it so much that this year I decided to tackle poetry. Nana loved poetry and on every visit, I’d find a poetry book in my room. Her favorite poets were Elizabeth Barrett Browning, John Keats, Percy Bysshe Shelley and Lord Byron. Luckily, those four poets along with William Blake, Lord Tennyson and William Butler Yeats were part of the curriculum. I had to check if we had any of the poetry books and if not, I’d have to go to the library.

  When Amber started barking, it gave me an excuse to stop cleaning to go for a walk.

  Back in my room, I noticed my electric and acoustic guitars and my keyboard in the corner of my room and decided to write a song. I got so involved that I lost

  Mom called up that she was home, so I went downstairs and found her in the kitchen. She reminded me that they were having a dinner party.

  I really didn't feel like being home anymore, so I called Daphne. “What are you doing tonight?” I asked.

  “Nothing special. Why?”

  “I'm bored. Can I sleep over?”

  “Sure. That concert we tried to get tickets for is tonight at Rumsey Field. Want to go, sit on a bench and listen?”

  “Okay. We can close our eyes and pretend we’re inside,” I joked.

  We had a great time. I normally had trouble falling asleep at friends’ houses, but not tonight.

  

  In the morning, I walked with Daphne and Grace to Stars and went inside to find a present for Grammy’s birthday. I eventually settled on a beautiful knit peach summer scarf. While Grace gift-wrapped the gift, I asked Daphne if there were any job openings at the store. She didn’t think so, but would check with her mom later.

  Before I left, Grace asked if I wanted to meet at Café Lalo that evening. She had family visiting and had to stay for dinner, but wanted to get out of the house afterwards. I said sure.

  When I got home, I called the Museum of Natural History and a lady told me that I needed to apply with the Department of Volunteer Services. First, there was an application to complete and with that you had to send a resume. Then, there would be a preliminary interview. Since I was under eighteen, I needed a permission letter from my parents. If I passed all these steps, I would be interviewed a second time and finally placed. By the end of this long process, I fully understood, it would be fall and I would be back in school. I checked some other museums and the process was the same. Even volunteering was difficult. Nonetheless, I decided to fill out the applications online anyway. I could volunteer on the weekends during the school year if I got accepted or at least be ready for next summer if need be.

  I called Mom and she was at the obelisk for the photo shoot so I jogged over. For a research paper on Egypt in seventh grade, I wrote about obelisks and since then I’d been fascinated by them. This one was the only ancient Egyptian obelisk in America. Napoleon had admired this one, but thought it was too deteriorated, so he chose a different one for Paris. Cleopatra's Needle is the name given to all three Ancient Egyptian obelisks removed from Egypt. They were re-erected in London, Paris and New York City. Amazingly, the twin of the Manhattan obelisk was in London and I’d seen it many times. It made me feel like New York and London would forever be linked and intertwined. The obelisk in Paris came from a different site and its twin still stood in Egypt. Obelisks were placed in pairs at entrances of temples. Now most stand alone apart from their mates. It’s sad in a bizarre way because they were constructed as mates and then they were torn apart.

  After about an hour, I got bored and left. My cell rang and it was Grace. “Hey, let’s meet at the café at eight o’clock. If I’m running late, I’ll call you.”

  When Dad got home from work, he said his office did need me, but only on a part-time basis. I jumped up from the couch and screamed, “YAY!” Mom rushed out of the kitchen.

  “I’m working at Dad’s office!” I shrieked at her.

  “That's great, but please quiet down,” Mom said, shaking her head.

  Surprised by my outburst, Dad patted my shoulder and said that Maria, the office manager, would call to tell me when to come in.

  How could they be this blasé? I had something to do and it actually paid!

  After dinner, I went to meet Grace at Café Lalo. I took a table by the window, ordered a cappuccino and stared at all the people passing by. Grace was almost twenty minutes late and just when I was going to call her, she rushed in.

  “I’m so sorry. My mom wouldn’t let me leave. I tried calling you. Did you forget your cell?” Grace asked breathlessly.

  “No, it’s right here. It never rang.” I checked my phone, but there were no calls.

  The door opened and in walked Carla and Vanessa. They spotted us and began laughing.

  “Oh, no,” I said and covered my face with my hands. “This will be torture.”

  Carla was sporting a pixie hair cut and it actually looked really nice on her, which I wasn’t happy to admit.

  Grace said, “Don’t let them get to you. They’re idiots.”

  They sat two tables down from us and kept whispering and staring. Grace began imitating them and they looked really annoyed. When Grace waved to them, Carla gave her the finger.

  “Wait till the next time, she comes to Stars,” Grace said threateningly. “I’m so rude to them already, but Daphne and I are very careful that her mom doesn’t get mad at us.”

  “I’m surprised they still shop there.”

  “They like those T-shirts from London that only our store carries.”

  “Why don’t they order them online?”

  “The shipping cost from the UK is really expensive.”

  Suddenly, Carla said loudly, “I hate shirts with zippers. Only sluts wear them to make it easy for the guys.”

  She was talking about me, so I looked at Grace and pulled my zipper up and down exposing my pink polka-dotted bra. Grace and I started laughing so hard that we had tears in our eyes.

  Carla yelled out, “Can you quiet down over there?”

  “Mind your own business,” Grace shot back, which caused us to laugh even more.

  We left before them and as we passed their table, Grace said, “No wonder Reed broke up with her. She’s such a bitch and what a stupid haircut.”

  She looked so mad that I almost expected her to leap across the table and attack Grace.

  

  Thursday morning, we headed for Grammy’s house on the North Fork of Long Island.

  Mom had taken Thursday and Friday off so we were getting an early start to the long weekend. Dad would take the Jitney out on Friday night.

  Headphones on, pillow on the window and book in lap, I was ready for the ride. While Mom listened to
the radio, I listened to my IPod.

  Suddenly, Mom slammed on the brakes and I woke up.

  “What happened?”

  “Sorry. That black car cut me off and I almost hit him.”

  I was unsettled by the jarring way I was awakened and thought about the strange dream that was interrupted. I was walking in Central Park on a sunny day and suddenly everything went dark and cold. As I tried to leave the park, the path home kept disappearing. I asked people for help, but no one understood what I was saying and a feeling of despair enveloped me. Suddenly, a horse carriage materialized and the boy with the blue eyes motioned to me to get in. When I approached, he reached for my hand and pulled me up.

  I stared out the window feeling very sad from the memory of it.

  2. HAVEN

  “If you want your children to be intelligent, read them fairy tales. If you want them to be more intelligent, read them more fairy tales.” Einstein

  There’s a road sign in Cutchogue saying it’s the sunniest place in New York State.

  Grapevines are planted for miles and miles an there are over forty vineyards. Farms and nurseries are everywhere. Life is simple and that’s why I loved it. It was also the special place where my family always came together.

  We called it the “Unhamptons” because it’s very different from the South Fork. We enjoyed the Hamptons and visited Cooper’s Beach for the ocean. When we returned, we always appreciated the peacefulness of the North Fork all the more.

  On the way, we stopped at Briermere Farm to pick up a blueberry cream pie.

  As we pulled into the gravel driveway, the front door of the cedar-shingled house opened and Grammy rushed out to greet us.

  “I’m so happy to see you,” Grammy said as she approached.

  As I carried in the groceries, the aroma of baking hit me as I entered the foyer. The house always smelled of pies and cakes. I went up to my room and threw on my bathing suit. I pounded down the stairs two at a time, charged out to the pool and dove into the crystal clear water.