I smile. “Yeah, I’m fine. Just tired.”
“Okay, well let’s get you home then.”
I giggle to myself. He’s so predictable.
When we get to my house, which is only a short distance from DeeDee’s, he puts his arm around me and kisses me on the cheek. “Good night, sweetheart. Pick you up at seven tomorrow?”
Oh gosh, I completely forgot about the dance… and the fact I made homecoming court. “Yep,” I say with a smile. “I’ll be ready with bells on.” For a moment I am happy again, but then I think about my dress—the one Mom absolutely loved—and I think about her again. I’ve got to be upbeat. I can’t let her see me worry. “Good night, Danny,” I say as I open the car door. “Thanks for the ride home.” I get out of the car and walk toward my door. He really is a nice guy, but he doesn’t make my heart go pitty-pat.
I walk into the house, and of course, Mom and Dad are waiting up for me. They always do. It’s not they don’t trust me. They just can’t sleep until they know I am home safe. But Mom should be getting her rest and not staying up so late because of me. I’m about to scold her when I remember what her doctor told us when she was sick the last time.Don’t treat her like she is sick or that she is less than what she normally is. Nothing should change in the way you interact with her.She is right, and I am glad I remembered.
“There’s our homecoming queen,” Mom says.
I smile. “I just made the court, Mom. We don’t know if I’ll be queen until tomorrow night.”
“I know, hon. I just can’t see how you won’t be queen. You’re beautiful, get good grades, and are nice to everyone. People naturally like you. It’s why we weren’t worried when we moved here so abruptly. We knew you would adapt and make friends quickly, and you did. Why, look at you and Jake.”
“Yeah, he was my first real friend here, and for a long time, he was my only friend.”
“Yeah, but remember how upset you were when we told you we were moving? Think about it now. If we hadn’t moved, there would be no Jake, no homecoming court, no Dan…” The way she said “Dan” was in an “I know he’s your boyfriend” kind of way.
“Yeah, I guess it worked out for the best.”
“You sure did put up a fuss though,” my dad says, taking his eyes off the evening news for a moment, to add to the conversation.
I laugh. “I sure did.” I sit on the couch next to my mom. “What have you two been doing tonight?”
“We left right after the game started. Your dad had to get home to watchDallasandFalcon Crest.”
I laugh. My dad is addicted to those shows. I have to admit, I watch them too when I am home. I swear, they have a way of leaving you hanging, needing to know what happens next. I wink at my dad. “Kristin shot JR, Dad.”
He laughs. “I know that, but it’s getting good now.”
“You thought it was good three years ago.”
“I did and it will be good until it’s not good anymore.”
That’s my dad. He loves his nighttime soap operas. But he will be the first to make fun of Mom and me for watching daytime soap operas, likeAll My ChildrenandGeneral Hospital. Mom and I fight overGeneral HospitalandGuiding Light. She is definitely aGuiding Lightfan and I am aGeneral Hospitalfan, just like every other teenage girl I know.
We chat for a few minutes like nothing is wrong. I do my best to put on my happy face until I can’t stay awake any longer. “I’m sorry, guys, I’m tired. See you both in the morning,” I say as I get up and give both my parents a kiss good night. I don’t care what people say. I will never be too old to kiss my parents good night.
I brush my teeth and wash my face, put on moisturizer and my pjs, and crawl into bed. I say a silent prayer for my mom, and before I know it, I am fast asleep.
I wake in the middle of the night from a horrible dream. They don’t get the cancer this time, and before I graduate, I will lose my mom. I shake my head.No! It’s just a bad dream.I try to convince myself the only reason I dreamed this bad dream is because I am worried about my mom. She said the doctors are hopeful. Both Mom and Dad are hopeful. I need to be hopeful. It was just a bad dream.
I lie back on the pillow and think happy thoughts.Mom gets better.Yes, that is a very happy thought.I become homecoming queen.Yes, another happy thought.Jake asks me to prom.Wait, what?Where in the world did that come from?Not Jake, Dan. It’s Dan I want to ask me to prom. Jake is dating Susie, and we are just friends. I close my eyes. I need to stop this late-night thinking. If not, it is gonna get me in trouble.
***
I spend the next several weeks at home as much as I can. I am still cheering football and fall soccer as much as I can. I concentrate on my schoolwork and don’t hang out with my friends, even Jake. He still doesn’t know about my mom. We never talked about it after homecoming. Speaking of homecoming, I did make homecoming queen, but somehow, when I put it in perspective, it’s not that big of a deal. I think about how much I wanted it, but there are things I want so much more. I want my mom healthy. I want to stop feeling so helpless. I’m the type of person who likes control, and I hate it when I have no control.
Mom’s first chemo treatment is today, and I’m nervous for when she gets home. Dad was able to take off work and go with her. They wouldn’t let me skip school. I look at the clock. Five more minutes until the final bell. I can’t wait to get home.
Finally, it rings. I grab my books and walk out of class as fast as I can. I drive to school now, so all I have to do is get my stuff from my locker and head out to the parking lot. Thank goodness I don’t have to wait for the bus. As I’m closing my locker, Jake walks up.
“Hey, JJ. What’s going on with you?”
“Nothing, Jake, just have some stuff going on.” I turn the tumbler on my lock and turn to leave. Jake grabs my shoulder, and I stop walking and turn back to face him.
