The Other Fish in the Sea (Grab Your Pole, #2) Read online

  “Oh good, I’m so relieved. Well, one down… (Oh crap, there’s more.) I know I’ve talked about this subject in an abstract or sort of generic way with you and Jill previously, but I think it’s time you and I talk more specifically as it applies to you and what I’m certain you’re contemplating.”

  I squirmed a little.

  It’s not that I’m embarrassed to talk about sex with my mom, but Jesus, how transparent am I?!

  “I’m assuming you have not had sex yet, is that correct?”

  “No. I mean yes. Crap. I mean correct. Sorry, Mom, I guess I’m still back on the Jill’s gonna be a twelve-year-old freshman page.”

  She laughed sympathetically at my iffy answer. “I understand, honey…so would I also be correct in assuming you are thinking about it?”

  “Correct!” I said like ta-da! I got one right! And then I realized how it came out and felt my face begin to warm slightly.

  Chuckling, she said, “I thought so. Your father and I would, of course, prefer for you girls to wait until you’re married, and in an ideal world, you would. But, I know we don’t live in an ideal world. (No, no we do not.) Also, I know that if you two were to make the decision to have sex, you would no doubt take all the safety precautions (I already know Tristan certainly would.) however, I do not know where you are in your thought process. (Me either. It varies depending on whether I’m sober or not…)

  “And although I like Tristan very much and trust him implicitly with your wellbeing, as a woman, you should in no way ever assume that the man you’re going to be with will have safety or birth control covered (Yeah, that makes sense.) and condoms used alone range anywhere from eighty-five to ninety-eight percent in effectiveness. (Ahh, oh. I wonder if he knows that.) So, what I’d like you to seriously think about and consider is going on birth control pills, which typically take about one month to become effective. That combined with properly used condoms, which you should have in addition to the pill to cover you for STDs and ups the effectiveness of preventing pregnancy as well, and you should be good. (Huh. I didn’t know the time frame thing about the pill.)(Jeez, my mental responses to what my mom is saying are making this whole conversation sound like a freaking after school special.)

  “I wanted to be safe rather than sorry, so I bumped up your annual exam to next Wednesday…you have a week to think about it. Now, do you have any questions for me about sex or what to expect the first time, or are you ready to flee and join a convent?”

  I laughed. Really, my mom has a humorous, yet no nonsense approach that you just have to appreciate and chuckle at.

  “Um, well, I don’t have any questions at the moment, and also, I really don’t think being a nun is for me, especially since we’re not catholic, but I will take you up on the doctor appointment,” I told her while thinking to myself that yeah, I totally don’t need a week to think about it. I don’t see myself waiting until I’m married which means I’ll do it eventually and chances are, that eventuality will be sooner rather than later, so I might as well plan in advance, right? I mean, like my mom said, better safe than sorry.

  “Good. You get to drive. I can’t tell you how happy I’ll be when your learner’s permit becomes a real license.”

  Boy howdy, me too! She’ll be happy because that means we don’t have to depend on my dad to drive everywhere. When my mom is on a round of meds, she’s not supposed to drive and it kind of makes things like gynecology appointments and the like tricky because doctor’s offices are usually closed before my dad gets home from work.

  So now do you understand why I’d rather I didn’t have to sit next to Tristan during dinner tonight? Yeah, I can just hear how my mental dialogue would go… “Hey honey, so, my mom technically isn’t condoning premarital sex but she let me know today that she’s cool with us doing it as long as we’re safe. And it’s not that she doesn’t trust you to not knock me up or give me some incurable disease, but she explained that birth control and safety is really my responsibility. So, next week I’m gonna go get medicated for when the time comes and keep my own supply of condoms handy, but um, is this like my thoughts on gum? I mean is there a particular brand you recommend or prefer? Oh and please be specific because I’d hate to have you say anything will work and then have you be upset because I got the wrong size or something…”

  Actually, I’d kinda like to see what his reaction would be if I said all that. I bet it’d be pretty damned hilarious. After this last weekend, he’d probably quit taking me to parties and stuff where alcohol is available and he’d quit drinking all together. I wonder if he’d go so far as to pour out all my mouthwash too.

  *****

  My sister got her first period when she was really young. In fact, it was like nine days before her tenth birthday and mine happened a few weeks later. That being the case, she and I have always had our yearly pelvic exams close to our birthdays, but since mine had been bumped up, my mom bumped Jill’s up as well to make it easier. So, we were together the following Wednesday when I was squirming around in my seat in the pharmacy waiting room. I know I don’t have a yeast infection or anything else weird because hello, I was just in the stirrups, so I don’t know what the deal is down there, but I’m a tad uncomfortable. I’m guessing it’s just an overuse of the gel stuff though and it’s tickling on its way back out. I know, ew. Ahhh, the joys of going to the girl doctor…

  Anyhow, Jill and I were amusing ourselves by batting back and forth the blown-up gloves she’d confiscated from the doctor’s office while waiting for my prescription in the pharmacy. My doctor did give me two months of pills in the office so I can get started right away, but my mom and I both thought it would be better to fill the whole prescription now instead of asking my dad to pick up birth control pills for his fifteen year old daughter, which would probably cause him to have a brain embolism. Besides, Jillian had a prescription that needed to be re-filled anyway so it was like killing two birds with one stone, and since the place was practically empty, it was the perfect opportunity to talk a little about January, our birthdays, and when she starts high school.

  She didn’t come right out and say it, but I definitely got the feeling that Jillian’s looking forward to it and not looking forward to it at the same time. It was kind of weird. I don’t think she’s concerned with feeling like a freak or an outcast for being so young or anything, I mean first of all, my sister does not look like a twelve or thirteen year old—for God’s sake, her boobs are almost as big as mine. Not to mention that she doesn’t act like one either. And second, she really doesn’t give a crap about what other people think of her, but I could see the trepidation in her. I let it go though. I’ve learned that if I want to have my privacy respected, I should respect others’ and Jill isn’t big on talking about her emotions. If she wants to talk about it, she will.

  The next day on Thursday, Tristan and I were doing homework together in my family room. Well actually, I had my head in his lap while I had another scene from Grease 2 playing in my mind because I was reading about the reproduction cycle of plants, and he was scratching my back for me with one hand while scribbling out the answers to freakishly hard math problems with the other. Anyhow, that’s what was going on when we heard a UPS truck pull up outside. I sat up but before I got off the couch to go to the door, Melissa came in carrying two boxes and she had a huge grin on her face.

  “This is so cool! Where’s Jillian?”

  “She’s in her room…what is that?”

  “Spy stuff!”

  I looked at Tristan and he gave me a “well, she did give me a pass” look. We were about to get up and follow Melissa to the stairs, but my sister materialized from the kitchen, stopping our upward motion.

  Tristan leaned over to me and whispered, “How did we miss seeing her come downstairs?”

  I shrugged in response. Sometimes I wonder if she can teleport or something. Truly, it wouldn’t surprise me.

  “Jillian! You got new toys! Open ‘em, open ‘em!” Melissa squealed, bounci
ng up and down with the excitement of a five year old on Christmas morning.

  Tristan and I watched from the sofa like we were their parents as the two of them opened the boxes and Jillian extracted her GPS thingy from one and the audio surveillance kit from the other. I knew Tristan was gonna get the one, but I was really surprised to see the surveillance stuff, so when I looked at him in question and he responded with a small shake of his head and a look that totally said, “That wasn’t me,” he and I both looked at Melissa like she was Santa. She was gushing over Jill’s new stuff and the two of them looked as thick as thieves going through the manuals together.

  With a small jerk of his chin, Tristan indicated the invoice from the surveillance gear that was lying on the table within my reach. I read it upside down but then surrepticiously turned it around so he could read it too. However, the only name on it aside from my sister’s was Bruce Dickenson. He and I shared a “Who the hell is Bruce Dickenson?” look and then we answered each other with an “I have no idea” shrug. The name sounds familiar, but, I just can’t place it. There wasn’t any other telling information on it like an address or anything. I’m wondering if Melissa just used an alias or something so I wouldn’t get irritated with her for spending a bunch of money on encouraging my sister’s criminal intentions. I don’t know if it’s a good idea for her to be a financial backer but, it’s not like I can really tell her how to spend her substantial trust fund. You know, especially after Tristan basically just did the same thing and I’m not about to say anything condemning about it to him.

  Jillian glanced up at us and with a genuine smile, she winked her thanks to Tristan and then gathered up her new treasures including the boxes and invoices. She was about to take it all upstairs and then paused. “Melissa, do you want to come up and see the other stuff I have from this place?”

  As far as thanks goes for Melissa, this is better than just hearing the word. She jumped up with glee and was almost around the corner when she popped back and said, “OH! I almost totally forgot, I wanted to tell you guys that Brandon’s having a party at his place Saturday night…wanna go?”

  “Uhhh…” was all I could get out. I don’t mind partying with Brandon or anything, although I’m still not quite sure why Melissa likes him as much as she obviously does, but chances are since he goes to school with her, Samantha would show up.

  She heard and saw my discomfort and then quickly added, “Oh yeah, he told me your hooker is having her own party that night so she won’t be there.”

  “We’re in,” Tristan answered for both of us and then pulled me to him for a hug and a quick kiss before he and I went back to our homework and Melissa disappeared upstairs to claim her reward of thanks from my sister.

  They both reappeared about twenty minutes later saying they were going to the store, but since Melissa was giggling and Jill had her backpack—not the one she keeps her school stuff in, the other one—I think they were going to “play” for a bit before dinner. So, apparently Jillian has deemed Melissa worthy and has decided to take her on as an apprentice.

  It might be time to start warning people…

  13.

  A Glimpse Into Darkness

  “Hey Kate? Why do you think Melissa likes Brandon? I mean, they seem like such an odd couple, you know? Like they don’t really have anything in common as far as I can tell and plus, he’s kind of an insensitive jerk,” I said to her Saturday night at Brandon’s party.

  Yes, he’s talented and really damned nice to look at and all, and I’m totally not judging him or anything, but still. I mean I can’t put my finger on it, however there’s just something about him that feels distinctly volatile and almost dangerous to me. Like just when you think you might have a handle on what kind of person he is, he turns on you and becomes something else entirely and you have no idea what’ll set him off. I don’t know, I don’t think he’s a bad guy or anything, but I guess because I don’t know him very well or know what I’m dealing with, he just makes me nervous. Besides, I really don’t think he’s oblivious to how his words affect people, I think he just simply doesn’t care and I find that rather off-putting.

  She looked at them and contemplated Melissa, who Brandon currently has firmly anchored to his side. “You know, I don’t think he’s like that with her. Actually, I think it’s the exact opposite. I mean sure, the guy’s conversation skills are sorta lacking and he’s seriously rough around the edges but, I think he worships her in his own way…and whatever way that is, it obviously works for her. I mean maybe there’s some truth in the saying opposites attract because…look at her…she’s really happy with him. She was never that relaxed or happy with Keith, you know?”

  “Yeah, that’s true,” I agreed, watching Brandon whisper something to Melissa who in turn punched him in the ribs and then giggled through the laughing kiss he planted on her in response to her violence.

  “Camie! You got a minute?” MaryAnn asked, giving Kate a nod along with a smile as she came up to us.

  “Sure, what’s up?”

  “I want you to try out for Varsity Cheer…next month,” she said with a big grin, the same being worn by Kate now as well.

  “Oh! Um, uhh…why?” I’m sort of confused. Cheer tryouts are always held at the very end of the school year so the new squad has the summer to practice and rehearse together.

  “Well, we’re losing Candace…she’s moving to Georgia in a couple weeks and we need to fill her spot before the competitions in the spring. Technically we have to hold open auditions, but even though you’re a sophomore, you’re a shoo-in for her spot.”

  “Huh. What’s involved in trying out?” It would be a blast to cheer with Kate, Melissa, MaryAnn and the rest of the girls and I’m not shy about performing, but again, I’m not great at testing and I have a feeling that’ll spill over into trying out or auditioning for something and I really don’t want to embarrass myself, you know?

  “Well, we’re gonna announce it next week, and then when we get back from break we’ll take a few weeks to teach some routines to the girls who are interested and then hold the tryouts at the end of the month. Whoever decides they wanna tryout will be split up into groups of three or four to perform what we’ve taught them in front of the judges. And then the judges vote.”

  Ugh. Judges. “Judges?”

  “Yeah, but don’t worry about it…you know most of them anyway. The captain of every Varsity sporting team sits on the judging panel along with me, Melissa and our ASB advisor. Oh, you know what? Tristan might have to opt out of voting, though…huh. I forgot about that. I wonder if Mrs. Kingston will ask him to name alternates if she thinks him being your boyfriend is like having an unfair advantage. He does have two votes…I’ll have to ask. So what do you think? Wanna join us?”

  Two votes. Unfair advantage indeed. Not to mention that Pete is the captain of the baseball team and even though we’re not buddies like Pete and I are, Keith and I get along fine and he’s the captain of the football team. And then there’s Zack…he’s the basketball team’s captain. He could go either way, though.

  “Yeah, sure…I’ll try out.” Really, why not? She’s right, I do know most of the judges at least a little so maybe my nervousness about my poor test-taking skills won’t come into play here.

  “Great! Okay, watch for the bulletin this week and make sure you sign up…I’ll see you later.” MaryAnn gave Kate a mini high-five and then left us to go find Derek.

  “Camie, are you nervous or something?” Huh? I swear I was just thinking I wasn’t nervous!

  “No, why?”

  “Well, you’re scratching your hands like mad…”

  “Oh yeah, I know. I’ve been kinda itchy lately. I think it’s just dry skin from the massive moisture deficiency in the atmosphere. I swear, it almost reminds me of how dry Arizona is.” I feel like that commercial where the woman with dry skin is being compared to an alligator. And like how yawning is contagious, since Kate called attention to my hand-scratching, the itchiness, of co
urse, spread to my arms, legs, and well, basically everywhere. Seriously, it’s making me nuts!

  “Oh I know, tell me about it! I swear I could power a low watt lightbulb with all the static electricity I’ve been creating by brushing my hair, but you’re gonna scratch yourself raw if you keep that up.”

  “Nah, I’ll be okay…Tristan should be back from the store with lotion anyti—OH! Gotta go!” Just then, I saw Tristan walk through the front door. I made a mad dash for him and again, because I wasn’t really paying attention to my surroundings since I was so focused on the tube of Aveeno in his hand, I ran smack-dab into someone.

  “Oh! I’m so sorry!” I told the vaguely familiar guy as I went to edge around him.

  “We gotta stop runnin’ into each other like this. Scott, remember? From the bowling alley…?”

  “Oh yeah…sorry, Scott,” I called over my shoulder as I hurried through the crowd to close the distance between myself and the gorgeous bearer of itch relief.

  “Oh my God, I love you, you’re such a life saver!” I said, grabbing Tristan by his free hand and dragging him back out the front door.

  He chuckled at me and allowed me to tow him along but asked, “Baby, where are you dragging me?”

  “To your bus.”

  “For why?”

  “So no one will see me take my clothes off of course.”

  “Mmm, can I help you take your clothes off?” His suggestive tone of voice caught my attention and it was then that I realized how what I’d said had to sound.

  “Sure, but don’t get your hopes (or anything else) up too high…I’ve had like three beers and I’m feeling ‘em.” He wasn’t gone all that long, but I allowed myself to get bullied into using a beer-bong for the first time while he was.