Juli sat in her yard and waited for Sissy’s lime green bug to pull up. She swung a plastic cowboy boot keychain around her pointer finger. The miniature spur on the back of the heel kept hitting her thumb. A mosquito landed on her calf. She slapped it and wiped the guts on Connor, who was on the ground next to her building a stick house.
“Ew! Jules what the heck!” Connor shoved his sister, but he was laughing.
A white BMW turned into their cul-de-sac and bumped up the driveway. Juli tucked the keychain into her skirt pocket. The car screeched to a stop and swayed back and forth. It glowed in the sunlight. Connor dropped the twig he was holding and scooted closer to Juli. Mike McGuire stepped out of the car. His button-down shirt was bright in the sunlight. He waved a stack of lined paper at Juli. She walked to the edge of the yard, stopping three feet from Mike. He seemed taller when he wasn’t leaning against a locker.
“I noticed you weren’t in chem today,” he said. He picked at the peeling paint around a small dent on his hood.
“I had to take my brother to the allergist.” Juli nodded at Connor, who was glaring at Mike. Mike waved at him. Connor didn’t wave back.
“I thought I’d bring you the notes,” he held out the papers. “The notes from class I mean. Because you weren’t there.”
“Sissy’s bringing me the notes—”
Mike’s whole body snapped straight. He jerked the papers back.
“Oh, that makes sense. She’s your friend.” He scuffed his shoe over a crack in the driveway. “She definitely has better handwriting than me. Sister Anne can never read my tests.”
Juli took a step forward. “It’s okay. Two pairs of notes are better than one.” Mike smiled. Juli liked that his incisors were extra pointy. He handed her the papers and she flipped through them. He included drawings of molecular compounds in the margins with flurries of arrows connecting one element to the other. The Aluminum Oxide doodle had an extra oxygen atom. Juli laughed. “These are much better than Sissy’s. She uses hot pink ink.”
She waited for Mike to turn to leave but he lingered. He stuffed his hands into his pockets and glanced over at Connor, who was still glaring. Juli had never seen Mike outside of school. It was odd seeing him without the rest of the volleyball team around.
He bit the inside of his cheek. “You know Maya T? The team’s water girl?”
Juli nodded.
“I wanted to see if—”
A car honked. Sissy’s bug swung up to the curve. She narrowly missed Juli’s mailbox. She waved out the window. Her curly blonde hair was all over her face. “Don’t mind me!” She heaved her purse into her lap and swung her car door open. Her bracelets rattled with her every movement. She blew a kiss at Connor. He dodged it and gave Juli a look.
“Hey McGuire!” Sissy looked between Mike and Juli. “What’s going on here?”
Juli answered, “Mike’s delivering notes. Speaking of—” She raised her eyebrow at Sissy’s empty hands.
Sissy slapped her forehead. “Damn! I forgot. Sister Anne was being a big,” she glanced towards Connor. “B-i-t-c-h today and sent me to Mr. Castillo because I didn’t wear my blazer.”
Connor crane kicked his stick house. “I’m not twelve Cecilia.” He nodded his head towards Mike. “Jules, Mom’s coming home soon.”
Mike took the hint. He backed up to his car. His school tie hung from his rearview mirror. “I was going to say, earlier, that Maya’s having a party Friday.”
Sissy perked up. “Oh yeah, I heard about that.” She leaned towards Juli and added, “Her brothers are home for summer. The hot ones from her Christmas thing. Minus that one who kept hitting on freshman.”
“I wasn’t there for that,” Juli said.
Mike cleared his throat. “Her parents are out of town. They’re going to Colonial Williamsburg.” He said it like an inside joke, but Juli wasn’t aware they had any. He looked at her. “You should come. Actually, I really want you to come.”
Sissy snorted.
“I didn’t mean it like, not like that.”
Juli hugged the notes Mike gave her to her chest. They were warm. She said, “I’ll let you know.”
He got back into his car and checked behind him. He surged forward and cursed. Fumbling with the gear shift, he rolled down Juli’s driveway then turned onto Pythian. Sissy turned to Juli and mouthed oh my god. Connor came up beside Juli and tugged her hand.
“I don’t like him, Jules.”
Sissy rolled her eyes. “Big surprise there.”
Connor ignored her, tugging Juli’s hand harder. “Do you?”
Juli shrugged. “Everyone likes Mike McGuire.”
#
Juli waited outside of Sister Anne’s classroom. The dismissal bell rang hours ago so the hallway was empty, but the air still felt like how it did between classes. The bulletin board on the wall across from her was layered with club flyers. The Norfolk Catholic Parents’ Night poster was printed on bright yellow paper and had a big, poorly saturated stock image of a family directly in the center. The dad wore a thick wedding ring, and the whites of his eyes were clear.
Juli caught snippets of the conversation between her mom and Sister Anne. We’re doing alright now but December was hard on her. Pushing herself up from the floor, Juli walked over to the row of lockers by the gym doors and pulled at each lock. None of them opened. She craned her neck to peer into the small rectangular window on Sister Anne’s door. Her mom sat facing the nun’s desk. Her side profile was perfect. The loose bun on the back of her head bobbed up and down when she talked. Juli waved her hands around. Her mom didn’t see her, so Juli flicked her off.
Student council met two doors down the hall. They held meetings every Monday to discuss lunch menus and the alarming rise of liquid soap being replaced with urine in the boy’s bathrooms. Amber Dennis, the class president, had said she was disappointed when Juli quit student senate. She gave her a tight hug and whispered in her ear that sometimes, the best way to help yourself is to help others. Sister Anne’s door opened. Juli’s mom held a soft pink cardigan over her arm.
“Sorry that took so long.” She held out her hand. “Keys?”
Juli reached into her pocket to pull out her mom’s key fob. Her keychain fell out.
“You still have that thing?”
Juli swung it around her finger. The familiarity of the gesture was answer enough.
“Sister said you got a sixty-eight on your last test.” Her mom swung the cardigan over her shoulder. “She also said you’re still not talking to anyone in class.” Her phone dinged. She checked the screen and smiled. “But that’s not entirely true, is it Julianna?”
Juli waited for her mom to elaborate.
“I heard about your gentleman caller yesterday. Sister Anne said he’s very popular.”
“What?”
Her mom continued, “That McGuire boy Sissy said came over. She said he was very nice, but you never know with men—”
“No, you never know with men.”
Her mom stared at her. She looked so much like Connor from the nose up it almost made Juli feel bad.
“Well, I guess we’ll have wait and see because I invited him over for dinner tomorrow.”
#
It was close to ten by the time Connor peaked his head into Juli’s room. He had two couch cushions in his hands and a third tucked under his left armpit. Without a word, he dropped the cushions onto the floor and arranged them so the plushy green one was in the middle. Juli tossed him the extra blanket at the foot of her bed. He caught it and turned to karate chop his lumpy pillow.
“Mom still won’t let me do lessons.” He aimed another chop at the pillow.
“You could always join a sport next fall. That’s free you know.”
Connor dropped his arm and turned to his sister. “I heard Mike’s coming over for dinner.” He made a face as if Mike’s name was oversalted.
“Sissy’s a blabbermouth.” Juli propped her elbow on her pillow. “Are you going to Karate chop Mike when he comes over?”
“Maybe. Do you want me to chop Sissy for blabbing?”
“Do you want to chop Sissy for blabbing?”
“I would.”
Juli laughed. “You know, if you’re going to be a high schooler next year you should really work on not hating them so much.”
Connor looked up at his sister. “I don’t hate you and you’re a high schooler.”
“You can’t hate me. We’re related.”
“That doesn’t matter.” Connor pulled at a loose string on his blanket. He reached his hand up and laid it next to her pillow. She linked her pinky around his. From the hall, their mom slid the heavy deadbolt closed and set the alarm. She dialed the code in slow. It was a new system, and no one really knew how it worked yet. Juli turned her bedside lamp off and squeezed Connor’s pinky two times. He squeezed once in return.
“Connor?”
He hummed in response. She wanted to talk their dad. She thought of him standing outside of a Chevron in Texas. It was Christmas eve, and they had been driving for a day straight. His hands stopped shaking in Arkansas and he was having trouble staying awake. Juli got out to stretch. The air was cold; she shivered in her pajamas. Her dad handed her a five-dollar bill. He smiled at her, and he almost looked happy. When Juli was younger her dad was handsome, all of her friends had crushes on him. His eyes were buggy now, and he never washed his hair. Get me a coffee Juliebean? You can even get yourself a Snickers. The gas station had tacky key chains, burnt coffee, and a single mini-Christmas tree by the rotating hotdogs. The cashier had a phone she could use.
“Jules?” Connor’s voice was sleepy, only the sweetest parts of it were left.
“It’s nothing.” She closed her eyes, but her dad was still there. He stood by his truck. His back was turned. She passed the five-dollar bill to the cashier and dialed 911.
#
Mike and Juli sat on her living room couch and waited for dinner to be ready. They stared at the broken TV in front of them. Her mom used it as a display shelf for her succulents. There was a round hole on the wall leading into the kitchen. Juli couldn’t think of a single thing to say to him. Her thighs were sweating, and she was afraid to stand up. Connor came into the living room and huffed out a hello. He sat down between them. His elbow knocked against Juli’s.
Connor turned to Mike. “What do you know about Karate?”
Mike thought for a second. “I know my dad likes to watch old eighties movies about it.” He glanced at the hole in the wall then back at Connor, as if trying to see if Connor’s fist could make a hole that large. “And it’s good for balance?”
Connor jumped up. “I’ll show you a move.” He scooted the coffee table over and spread his feet apart, putting his right foot slightly in front. He bowed towards Juli. “This is called a Kin Geri.” He kicked his left leg up through the air then brought it back down. “It’s a groin kick.”
Mike looked at Juli. She pinched her nose bridge. “Connor—”
“I’m an unofficial green belt, by the way.” Connor sat back down. “I’m not in lessons yet. But I’ve been doing my own training. The color green represents a seedling breaking through the ground.”
Mike nodded. “And you’re the seedling?”
“Obviously.” Connor clenched his fists, “Mike. What exactly are your intentions—”
“Dinner’s ready!” Juli’s mom walked into the living room. She looked at the three of them squished on the couch. “Well, aren’t you three comfy.”
Mike sat at the dining table across from Juli, in what was normally Connor’s spot. Connor, for once, didn’t seem too bothered. He got bumped to their dad’s old chair at the head of the table. He pushed his shoulders back as far as possible. He looked so small. Juli’s mom cooked salmon because Victoria Beckham once said it kept her skin smooth. She didn’t plan on Mike being allergic to most forms of seafood, so his plate was mostly wild rice and a hamburger hot pocket dug from the freezer. Her mom slid into her chair and thanked God for the food and the company. Mike’s cheeks got red the way men’s always did around her mom. Juli mashed her salmon with her fork. Her mom asked how everyone’s day was and said they could go around the table and share. Connor told them how Sister Sharon told a girl in his class dogs didn’t go to heaven and she cried so much her dad had to come pick her up from school. Juli shared that her day was mostly boring, but Sissy was dating Derick Hughes now and she swore he only had one nipple.
“Julianna!” Her mom turned to give her a look. Connor laughed.
“That’s actually true.” Mike looked up from his hot pocket. “He’s on the team, yeah it’s just the one.”
“Which one?” Juli asked.
He grinned. “The left.”
Her mom cleared her throat and asked, “What about you Mike?”
“My day was pretty good. My older sister’s car broke down, so I drove her to dance lessons.”
Her mom said, “That’s nice of you, what kind of dance does she do?”
Mike reached for the salad; his neck was a little red. “She does ballroom.”
“With a partner and everything?”
Mike nodded.
“He couldn’t give her a ride?”
“Oh no, they met in college, he’s from out of state. I actually—,” Mike glanced at Juli then back down at his plate. He swallowed. “Was her partner before she left for college.”
Connor whipped his head around to look at Juli. His eyes were wide, and his face was smug.
Mike continued, “My stepmom put us in lesson when we were little. Celine really liked them, so I didn’t have much of a choice.” He pulled at his ear. “I used to drink pickle juice before every performance so I’d puke and we wouldn’t have to go on stage, but she’d drag me out there anyways.”
Juli’s mom leaned forward; she glowed. “I’ve always wanted to learn.”
“Mom, stop.”
Her mom waved her daughter off with a hand. “Could you teach me? How about a waltz? I’ve heard that’s pretty basic.”
Mike glanced between Juli and her mom. He looked like a salmon, red and flustered. Juli crossed her arms and sunk down in her seat. She stared at her plate.
“Sure, I guess. It’s pretty easy. It’s that’s okay with—”
Her mom clapped her hands together and pulled Mike into the living room. Juli and Connor stared at them from the dining table. Mike’s shoulders were tense. He wiped his palms on his jeans before touching Juli’s mom. The arm he had around her upper back was straight and unbending. He started counting 1,2,3,4 and together, Mike and her mom moved in a little square around the living room. Connor’s hand was over his mouth, attempting to cover his grin. His shoulders were shaking in quiet laughter. Juli elbowed him. “Cut it out, it’s not funny.” Connor attempted to look less amused. Her mom laughed at something Mike said and squeezed his arm. She winked at Juli from over his shoulder. Juli pushed herself out of her seat. Her silverware clanked against the table. Mike faltered and stepped on her mom’s foot. He was staring at Juli.
“I’m clearing the table.” Juli announced, grabbing her and Connor’s plate.
At the end of the night, Juli walked Mike out to his car. They stepped onto the front porch. Moths fluttered around the flickering light hanging above their heads.
“Thanks for dinner. It was fun.” He put his hands in his pockets.
Juli smiled but her chest hurt a bit. Mike McGuire was too nice to be honest.
She said, “Yeah, I’m sorry about my mom she’s, well she’s like that.”
“No it’s fine, she’s cool.” He shifted his feet. “For a mom, I mean.” He reached out and put his hand on her arm. “I had a good time, really. I mean it.” He smiled at her. All of his pointy, perfect teeth showed. She was aware of the fact that for the first time ever she was alone with Mike, and that the porch light made his hair look soft.
She let herself smile a bit. “Even with the hot pocket?”
“Even with the hot pocket.” He laughed. “If you’re that concerned though, you could make it up to me.”
Juli’s skin felt prickly. His hand was clammy on her arm. “Huh?”
“Maya’s party, remember? You never told me if you were going.”
Juli’s face was hot. She thought about the way the backs of his arms looked when he waltzed and the little doddle of a covalent bond he left in her chem notes. “Yeah okay.” She surprised herself with how sure she sounded. “I’ll go.”
#
Sissy parked down the street from Maya’s house. She told Juli it was in case the cops came, and they had to make a run for it. Juli doubted police even came to Larchmont. Sissy insisted they wait out in the car until they could be considered fashionably late. She applied a second coat of glitter to her eyes. She twinkled in the overhead car lighting. She puckered her lips and turned to Juli.
“You really need to seal the deal with Mike tonight, especially after that thing with your mom.” She pointed at her glovebox. “Can you grab my perfume?”
Juli handed her the half-empty bottle. “I don’t think it’s that big of a deal.”
“You’re kidding, right? Mike McGuire is a big deal, Juli. Maya said he’s probably going to be team captain next year.” She sprayed clouds of perfume in the air. She smelled like a rose after it sat in the vase for too long. Sissy pulled out a small gold flask. She had written on it in black nail polish SISSY’S SIPPY. She held it up to Juli.
“You want a sip?”
Juli eyed it. “My mom said that liquor—”
“Your mom also out gamed you with Mike at your own house so screw her.” Sissy shook her head. “It’s wine anyways. You can’t get sick from drinking wine.”
Juli took a swig. The wine was thick and hot. She gagged, splattering wine onto her shirt.
“Boooo! Party foul.” Sissy leaned over the driver’s seat and dug through the pile of clothes on her floor. She pulled out a shiny black shirt. “Here. It should fit you. My boobs are too big for it.” Sissy waited for Juli to switch shirts then fixed her bra strap and asked, “You ready?”
#
Maya’s house had tall ceilings and an open concept. The sliding back door was open. Smoke leaked into the living room. The walls were full of family pictures. All her dad’s medical degrees hung above their fireplace. The biggest one was from Columbia. Clusters of Juli’s classmates loitered in the living room. She didn’t see Mike. A group of freshmen huddled by the stairs, clutching bottles of beer. Juli recognized the Budweiser neck from old trips to her recycle bins. She knew exactly what each bottle sounded like when it shattered.
She asked Sissy, “Where’s the bathroom?”
“Upstairs, it’s by a really ugly painting. I need to find Derick.” Sissy squinted into the crowd.
Juli slammed the bathroom door shut behind her. She held onto the edge of the sink. There was a red plastic cup floating in it. She closed her eyes and took one deep breath. Someone groaned from the floor. Juli jumped. A boy was slumped in front of the toilet, his head in the bowl. He gripped the sides of the toilet seat.
“Mike?”
Mike turned his head. Spit stringed out his mouth. He was sweaty and pale. “Juli?” He blinked at her. “Are you okay?”
“Are you okay?”
Mike rested his head on the toilet set. “No.” He spit into the bowl. Juli grabbed the cup from the sink and filled it with water. She handed it to him and sat on the floor. He finished the whole cup in one gulp and tossed it into the bathtub behind her. He poked her knee. “Julianna.” He hiccupped. “That’s your real name.”
“Yep.”
“Your mom calls you that a lot. Julianna. It’s pretty.”
Juli nodded. Mike didn’t seem to notice her silence, he continued.
“And your brother hates me. By the way.” He laughed. “I mean that’s obvious. And I lied, that hot pocket sucked.” He stopped. His eyes bulged and he threw his head back into the toilet. He dry-heaved three times. Pulling himself back up he said, “False alarm. You’re late, by the way. I thought you weren’t coming.”
Juli leaned away from him. “I should leave.”
He grabbed her ankle. “No wait!”
His body was clumsy. She shook him off of her.
He pulled at his face. “I’m sorry. I’m drunk and I’m messing it—”
“It’s fine.”
“You’re mad at me.”
“I said it’s fine.” Her voice was shaky. She wiped her hands on her shorts. Her pocket was empty. “Shit!”
Mike swayed. “What?”
“It’s nothing. I lost my keychain.” She stood. Mike grabbed onto the sink and pulled himself up.
“I can help!” Mike followed her down the hall. He knocked an orange abstract painting off the wall.
Juli sped up to walk down the stairs. She took three steps down and turned. Mike attempted to rehang the picture wire around the bent nail.
The downstairs was thick with smoke and the floor vibrated from the music. Juli paused at the last step. She couldn’t see Sissy anywhere. She pushed through the crowd to the front of the house. The foyer floor was littered with purses and shoes. There was a one pair of red underwear hanging out of a black purse. Sissy’s sequined clutch was at the bottom of the pile.
Outside, the air was foggy and quiet. Juli’s arms were cold. She dug through Sissy’s purse. The car keys were at the bottom of the bag. There was no sign of her keychain on the road. She got to Sissy’s car and opened the back door. She bent over to check behind the passenger seat. No keychain. She ripped out the Velcro floor mats and threw them behind her. Still no keychain. Juli reached for the driver’s door and flung it open. There was a hard smack.
Mike McGuire was doubled over. He clutched the side of his face. “Jesus Christ, what the shit?”
“Oh my god! I’m so sorry—”
“You just slammed my face with a car door!”
“I didn’t hear you! I was looking for my keychain.”
“You mean this?” Mike held his hand out to her. Her little plastic cowboy boot sat in his palm. “You walked right past it. It was like three feet back. Fuck! Am I bleeding?”
“You should probably sit down.” Juli grabbed his elbow and helped him sit on the asphalt. He moved his jaw around. His eyes were a bit unfocused, and his breath smelled like stale beer.
He asked, “What’s the big deal with it anyways?”
“My dad got it for me.”
“Your dad?” Mike blinked. “And you wanted it back?”
Juli froze. “What?”
“I watched the news every day until they found you. I didn’t even know parents could kidnap their own kids.” He put a hand to his head. “And I thought my dad was bad. Am I concussed right now?” Juli reeled back. Mike’s eyes bugged. “No! I just mean, after all that he did, I mean—,” He looked down at the keychain still in his hand. “It’s just kind of morbid that you keep it with you, I guess. Shit, that sounds bad. I’m drunk and my face—”
She shoved him. Hard. He fell backwards and landed on his elbows. Her keychain fell out of his hand and landed on the road. He didn’t say anything. He just stared at her.
She pushed herself up and said, “Remember to sleep on your side tonight, Mike. You can thank my dad for the tip.”
#
Juli sat on her front porch and stuck her toes into the sun. Her stomach hurt. When she used to get stomach aches as a kid her dad would let her have one of his Alka-Seltzer tablets. They’d drop it in a cup of water together and watch it bubble. Sometimes he’d throw in a second one just for the hell of it. She never wanted one more than she did right now. A bell dinged. She looked up. For the third time that week, Mike McGuire was at her house. He walked a bike up her driveway. His shoulders were slumped. He had a dark purple bruise on his left cheek.
“Hey.” He stood in front of her. His lips were chapped and peeling at the corners.
She didn’t answer. The front door behind her opened and Connor stepped onto the porch. His arms were crossed. “What do you want?”
“Listen, I don’t remember much from last night.” He exhaled, “But I do know I upset you and I’m sorry.”
Juli looked down at her feet.
He continued, “I shouldn’t have said anything.”
Juli shrugged. He was right but it didn’t matter.
He reached into his pocket and pulled out her keychain. “You should have it.” Connor ripped it from Mike’s hand and gave it to Juli.
“Where’s your car?” Juli asked.
“My dad found out about last night. I sort of puked all over his TV chair.”
Juli looked up at him. “He’s a good dad.”
Mike stared at her. He opened his mouth to say something but closed it. He swung a leg over his bike. “Are we good?”
Juli closed her hand around her keychain. “I’ll see you in chem.”
He lingered for a second then kicked off his bike and rolled down the driveway. He looked back at her before turning onto Pythian.
Connor sat down next to her and laid his head on her shoulder. Juli turned the keychain around in her hand. The little spur on the back of the heel had fallen off at some point last night. She tossed it into the yard as far as she could and then laid her head on top of Connor’s.
END
Rachel Loring 