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“Sorry,” Maggie said. “My brother is such a jerk. Come on in.”
Eve stepped over the threshold and into the bedroom that she had always thought of as a sanctuary from the rest of the world. It was painted in a soft sage green and all the furniture matched. Substantial real wood furniture—and not covered in the half-ass coats of paint Eve’s mother gave everything. There was a tall dresser and two side tables on either side of a double bed. There was a bookshelf that went to the ceiling and a desk where Maggie could do her homework in the privacy of her own room.
Maggie, still in her pajamas, flopped down on her bed and patted the floral-sprigged comforter for Eve to join her. Eve climbed up and lay on her back staring up at the textured popcorn ceiling. “You’re going to be late for school. Are you okay?” Eve asked, peeking over at her friend’s tearstained face.
“Yeah,” Maggie said. “My brother is an idiot.”
“I can relate. Nola is insane.”
Maggie flipped over onto her back. “She is insane. Certifiable.”
“I broke up with Nick,” Eve blurted out. “I can’t believe it, but I did.”
Maggie sat up suddenly and gave Eve a playful punch in the arm. “Why didn’t you start with this information? This is huge! Was he okay about it? I mean, did he freak out?”
Eve shook her head. “I don’t think he really believes I’m serious. When I left he acted like we were going to start right back up the same way.”
“You always say you’re going to break up with Nick. Don’t you dare get back together with him,” Maggie said firmly. “You deserve so much better, Eve.” When Eve rolled her eyes, Maggie grabbed her hand. “No, I mean it. Nick is a jerk and I know he didn’t treat you well.” Eve felt her face flush.
She never told Maggie about the grabs, the pushes, the occasional slaps, but somehow her best friend seemed to know.
“Is there someone else?” Maggie asked.
Eve thought about mentioning Shaun O’Keefe but something stopped her. He was just a friend from class. “Nope, nope and nope.” Eve shook her head from side to side. Seeing the skepticism on Maggie’s face she protested. “I mean it, there isn’t anyone. Boys are stupid.”
“Most boys,” Maggie agreed. “But not all. You just haven’t met the right one yet.”
“Oh, and you have?” Eve asked and a dark look passed over Maggie’s eyes as she swung her feet over the side of the bed. “Wait? What? Oh, come on!” Eve scrambled to her knees. “Who is it?”
“There’s no boy,” Maggie said but Eve wondered if she was being completely truthful. Ten years of friendship made Eve an expert on Maggie’s body language. It was subtle, but when Maggie lied she did this thing with her hands. She’d pinch the soft skin between her thumb and index finger. Eve had seen it a hundred times. The bigger the lie the harder the pinch. There were more obvious signs that Maggie wasn’t herself. She had lost weight and the circles under her eyes stood out in dark contrast against her pale skin.
“Tell me,” Eve begged. “I know something’s wrong.”
“I think I might have gotten in over my head with someone,” Maggie said, tears filling her eyes. “Someone too old for me.”
Eve reached for her friend’s hand. “Who? What happened?”
“I can’t talk about it.” Maggie swiped tears from her face. “Not right now.” Maggie glanced at her alarm clock. “Oh my God, I still have to shower. You want to ride to school with Colin and me?”
“No, I’m going to walk today,” Eve said. “Are you sure you’re going to be okay?”
“I’m fine. Really. It’s nothing.”
“Okay,” Eve said doubtfully. “But call me later, we’ll talk more.” Eve scanned Maggie’s bookshelf. “Hey, can I borrow a book? I have a feeling I’m going to be spending a lot of time at home over break.”
“Sure, take whatever you want,” Maggie said as she got to her feet and began flicking through the clothes hanging in her closet.
Eve ran her fingers across a row of spines until they landed on a thick book. She pulled it from Maggie’s shelf. The Thorn Birds. She read the back cover and decided that she could use a good long book to read over winter break. One that she could lock herself away with and not have to deal with her mom or Nola. One that would keep her mind off Nick.
“You know you’ll probably just get back together with him,” Maggie said offhandedly as she pulled a shirt from a hanger.
“No, I won’t,” Eve said. “Not this time.”
“I’ve heard that before,” Maggie mumbled beneath her breath. “You always go back to him.”
“Not this time. I really mean it,” Eve said with conviction.
Maggie gave a derisive snort.
