PART 3
“Where do you live?”
“It’s on the corner of the 96th street and the other one, I forgot the name of it, but it has a view of Central Park.”
“Wow, is your dad a gazillionaire?”
I slightly smile,
“No, really not. He has a good job though; he works at City Bank as a patrimonial adviser. He manages some big portfolios, even more since he’s been here, partly why he came I believe. I think the apartment is half paid by his office or something like that. New York is not a new project for him. Him and mom were talking about it some years ago. I guess he had some good opportunities here, but I don’t think mom wanted to move here. I guess he jumped on these opportunities when they finally split up. Anyway, what about you? Where is your aunt living? Isn’t this making you do a long way around?”
“No, it’s cool it’s on my way, just passing Central Park a little up, we’re in the Bronx, not far from Manhattan.”
“Don’t you have buses or subways or whatever else, I haven’t checked that yet cause I was afraid I'd end up in Philly.”
She smiles,
“There’s plenty of buses, and during winter I usually take line number 6 but I take my roller blades most of the time, cause that way I save the money my aunt gives me for the bus. And besides, it helps keep my body in good shape, sports and diet, always goes good together.”
“Like you need to work on that.” Wow did I just say that looking at her body THAT way. That’s embarrassing, she’s smiling though,
“Don’t tell me you don’t watch your weight either.”
“Well, err, yes, I guess I do. Yes you’re right. I think that’s a girl problem. Aren’t we always on a diet? It feels like we are, doesn’t it?”
“Well, more or less… cause when it’s about chocolate…”
Hey, another chocolate addict! Makes me wanna make some pancakes with hot melted chocolate on them “mmm,”
“What?” She says. Damn I must have said that out loud.
“Oh, sorry, no, I was thinking about chocolate… I’m just like you on that one.”
“Damn talking about chocolate it just makes me wanna make some hot pancakes and heavily spread chocolate on them.”
“Damn, did you read my mind or what?”
“Really? That’s what you were thinking?”
“A hundred percent what I was thinking.”
We both slightly laugh and, ok I kind of really want to do it now, ok, let’s try it,
“Hey, I’ve got everything we need for that at my place, do you want to come over for a while, I could even finish explaining to you that exercise we were working on in detention.”
She looks a little embarrassed, she’s still smiling but she looks hesitant, I think she wants too though.
“I don’t know, I mean, yes, I’d like to, I just… I shouldn’t be getting home late for my aunt.”
“You can call her from my place and I’ll have my dad bring you home so that she won’t have to worry if it’s late. And you can tell her you’re doing your homework with me so she can’t scold you for that either cause everything is done.” I can be very convincing when I want to be.
“Well, yes ok cool. It’s gonna be fun.”
“Come on let’s go, I’m hungry.”
“Me too.”
“No, seriously for real?”
“Yeah, I tell you, forty feet. At least.”
She exaggerating I’m sure. But still,
“And you were jumping from there? You could have hit a rock or something.”
“I wasn’t thinking about that. It was too much fun. And I was the only one jumping from that high, got the others impressed you know.”
“You really like that, don’t you?”
She raises her eyebrows implicitly and we both smile. I checked the wall clock, wow! I didn’t see it was that late, damn, she saw me checking out the clock.
“Wow it’s late, I should be going now.”
“No, wait, I mean, I didn’t mean to make you leave.” This is so true.
“I know but hey, it’s almost 10, and with the time that it'll take me to get home, I’d better go now.”
“I’m sure my dad will be home soon, I’d really prefer that he drive you home, it’s dark outside.”
“Yeah well, I don’t care.”
“Well I do care.” We stare at each other, and we smile.
“Ok.”
“Besides you haven’t finished telling me all the fun things you did in Boston, and I did tell you everything about LA. Ok I know it was pretty boring to you but-“
“I didn’t say that. I just said I wasn’t the cheerleader type of girl, that’s all. But it’s weird cause I… well I don’t get the cheerleader vibe out of you. I mean, you don’t seem… like that.”
“Well, I’m not anymore. I dropped it in the middle of the year last year.”
“That’s about the time you started getting in trouble. You never did tell me exactly why you were kicked out of the school and hey, that’s the kind of stuff I’m interested in cause then I could do the same thing here.” She says as she winks at me,
“Come on, you know you don’t want that.”
“Who knows?” She’s joking I can tell, anyway, what do I say now?
“Come on B. I told you how much of a bum I am. You know my mom is a drunk. I don’t know how it's even possible that I told you so many things but I’m not gonna look into it, I did tell you, it’s done, so come on, your turn now.”
She’s right, we’ve been talking so much, alternating serious stuff with total rubbish, it’s like there’s a sort of connection, trust, I don’t know, ok I’m gonna try like that,
“Well, there were some gangs, not really gangs but groups and I was kind of in the middle, I like to be in the fight as they say, things got dirty during the senior prom and well… a fire started and the boiler room caught fire. They couldn’t prove it but they strongly believe I was the one lighting the fire, even without any real proof I got expelled. I guess that was the last straw for my parents. They sent me to my cousin's in San Francisco for the summer while they were talking about divorce and moving out, plus my dad had already accepted the job here anyway. And here I am. But like I said, my mom is working hard to get me back.”
“Ok, I’m gonna ask you something, well, two things in fact and you gotta promise me you’ll tell me the truth, and I promise you I'll never repeat it. So, did you start the fire? And second question, was there a boy involved in the groups you were hanging with?”
Now these are questions I don’t wanna reply to.
“Come on, I won’t tell, I promise.”
It’s not the problem, it’s… ok,
“Well, ok, it’s, well it wasn’t my fault but… yeah, I kind of did, but it wasn’t intentional.”
“You did it?! Wow, there you go, B.”
“Hey, remember, not intentional? OK?”
“Ok, but still.” She smiles, never thought I would be esteemed by anyone for doing that. Can’t complain, right? Ok, now she smiles the kind of teasing smile and I know she wants the answer to the second question. She keeps on smiling; she knows I’m thinking about this. She’s waiting, she’s waiting and smiling.
“Stop looking at me like that Faith. Ok, yes, there was a boy.”
“I knew it, what’s his name? Is he cute?”
“Well, yes, he’s name is Pike.”
She frowns,
“That’s a name? Well, not worse than Buffy, anyway.”
Huh**^ùù$$? “What’s wrong with Buffy?”
She looks embarrassed now and yes I am kinda mad at that comment, why do people always criticize my name?
“No, I didn’t mean Buffy’s bad, it’s just an uncommon name, and so is Pike, I like ‘Buffy’. Nothing’s wrong, didn’t mean it that way, sorry.”
She looks sincere, and sorry now, “It’s ok.” I tell her as I smile.
“So, I guess he’s a good reason why you want to head back there, right? You think he’ll still be waiting for you?”
“No, I broke up with him when I went to San Francisco.”
I can tell she wants more details,
“I wanted to start clean, new life and such, he didn't. I think he took his motorcycle and hit the road.”
“Wow, he had a motorcycle and you let him go?!”
We both smile, she looks curious again,
“Did you and him… you know?” She raises her eyebrows. Huh, Oh, why am I always so long to understand these kind of things. Oh damn, reply fast, otherwise she gonna believe that we did.
“No, not at all.”
“Really?”
“Yes, we just kissed. I’ve-” Ok why am I telling her this, oh the Hell with it, “I’ve never done it yet.” I’m wondering if she’s surprised or thoughtful, she moves closer,
“Really? Not even once, I won’t tell I promise.”
“No, I swear. Haven’t dated much in fact.”
“K.”
Now my turn to be curious, and Hell I AM! “And you? I mean, dating some already?”
“Of course I have.” She looks expectant and embarrassed at the same time, waiting for the other question that I can absolutely not NOT ask,
“And, have you already done ‘it’?”
“Hell yes! I mean, yeah, did it a couple of times.”
It’s strange this disturbing vibe I get from her when it comes to this subject, and she’s not looking me straight in the eye. I don’t mean to call her a liar but… I don’t think she’s telling the truth… But strangely, I don’t take it bad. I mean, who am I to take it bad? She can lie to me I guess. We’re barely friends in fact but somehow I feel like we have a good connection, and we’ve been honest with each other… But I don’t take it bad anyway, just got this weird vibe. But I smile at her and she relaxes again. I hear a key in the door. It’s dad. I guess he’s a little surprised to see us sitting at the kitchen table. There’s still the pancake smell… mmm those were good,
“Hi dad, this is Faith, a friend from school.”
Good, he gave her a nice smile, I was afraid he'd get a little annoyed.
“Hi miss, hi Buffy. Sorry to be back so late, I had a last minute meeting. I see you’ve eaten already?”
“We did pancakes, hope you don’t mind?”
“No you did well, but it’s getting a little late and you still have school tomorrow. Where does your friend live, Buffy?”
Good thing he asked,
“Well, not that far, over to the Bronx, but with the night…” I give him the pleading eyes but I guess it was his idea already.
“I’m gonna drive her home.”
“Thank you, Sir.” She says
“Thanks, dad.”
He smiles then look at me a little more seriously,
“Did you do your homework?”
“Yes, I did them in det-, in the classroom, there at-at the school and here. That’s what we did here.”
“Yes, Buffy helped me with my school work.”
He looks very stunned.
“Really?” Could he sound more unconvinced?
“Thanks.” I sarcastically say before looking at Faith, “See? School thing, really not my thing.”
“Sorry Buffy, I’m just surprised, happily surprised. I’m glad to see you getting new friends and good influence friends.”
She raises her eyebrows to me in a joking way, yeah, I raise my eyebrows back at her. She takes her jacket.
“Well Buffy, thanks for the math and… stuff. See you tomorrow maybe…”
“’K. Tomorrow.”
She leaves with my father. He’s probably going to ask her a ton of questions, where she comes from, if she likes school, what grade she's in, if we really did our homework and explain he just wants to know cause ‘my daughter had some trouble and we’re all trying to put her back on her feet’ and yada yada and I so don’t wanna hear that. I think she won’t mind. She won’t freak out, this I know. She already knows what’s to know… And the slayer thing didn’t even come up and it wasn’t needed… I’m glad.
