Saving Face (a young adult romance) by T.J. Dell Read Free Book Online

who, Alyssa, tell me about the carnival at the hospital.  I hear
it is going to be even bigger this year.  What a wonderful thing you are doing
for those kids.”
                “What carnival?”  Brent’s eyes were wide as he listened
to his mother ramble.  “I didn’t know you were doing something at the
hospital.”  He turned to Alyssa.
                “Oh.  Well we did it last year too—the Varsity
club at school that is.  But you were already at your dad’s for the holidays
so...Anyway we are doing it earlier this year, tomorrow actually.  Umm.  I
thought you might want to come with me?”
                “Shakespeare paper my ass.”  Brent mumbled as he
went back to his dinner.
                “That’s a great idea!”  Ms. Carter took no
notice of the tension at the dinner table as she continued on about what a
great contribution they were making to society and what socially responsible
adults they were growing into.  Alyssa hardly tasted her stew.
     
                “Really, Lyssa?”  Brent finally spoke again
after they’d finished the dishes and he was walking her to her front door. 
“This is getting outrageous.  You never needed bribes or excuses to talk to me
before.  I would love to help at the hospital.  I would have done it anyway you
know.  Even without the boyfriend pretense.”
                “It wasn’t an excuse.  You know how bad I am
doing in that class!  If I don’t keep my grade up I won’t be able to cheer in
the spring.”  Alyssa shuffled her feet and refused to look him in the eyes. 
She shouldn’t have asked him.  She could have thought of something to tell
Beth.
                “Don’t split hairs Lyssa.  It was an excuse. 
Not in all of our lives have you ever needed an excuse to come over before.  Is
this really how you want to spend our senior year?  Everything is going to
change soon, and you are missing what’s left of high school.  And now you are
making me miss it too.”
                “What are you talking about!?”  Alyssa was
pretty sure she would be embarrassed later for shouting in the middle of the
street.
                “You.  Us.  This whole juvenile
I-have-a-boyfriend nonsense.  You are so important to me Lyssa, but this fake
boyfriend bit is getting old.  And it is making things weird with us.”  Brent
started pacing a small circle in front of her walk.  “Maybe, it wouldn’t be so
bad you know if you didn’t cheer in the spring.”
                “What!  What is it you have against
cheerleading?  You weren’t happy when I got chosen for head cheerleader, and
you’ve never bothered to come to my meets.”
                “I would come to the meets if it mattered to
you, but it doesn’t.  You don’t even like cheering!  Why aren’t you playing
softball, or soccer?  I would be at every game.”
                “You don’t know what you’re talking about.”
                “I know enough.  I know this isn’t really you.” 
Brent held up a hand ticking off his points on his fingers.  “You hate
cheerleading.  You had a boyfriend you never liked, you have a crowd of friends
you can’t even trust to still be your friend if you’re single, and…”
                “Enough!  You don’t get to say that to me.  You
don’t go to my school.  You don’t know my friends.  And next year when you are
off at college I am going to need my other friends.”  Alyssa stomped off
towards her own front door.
     
                Much later that night Alyssa heard a knock on
her window.  When she pulled the cord to raise the blinds she saw Brent’s
rather large frame crouched on the low roof.  Oddly, the first thought to come
to her mind was how much bigger he looked now than when they’d been ten and
finding him outside her bedroom window was a daily