"God, Shannon, wake up."
Shannon opened her eyes. The light was bright and everyone was filing out of the room. The last buzz of the three o'clock bell diminished in the air.
Ashley poked her again. Shannon sat up straight and gathered her books. She pulled her purse off the back of her desk and stood up.
"You're so weirdly sleepy all the time," Ashley said, as she and Shannon walked into the hall.
"I know. I just...I don't know."
"Is your brother driving you home?"
"Mm-hmm."
"Well, I have student council, so..."
"I'll call you."
She pushed open an outside door and stepped into the sun. The school lawn was crowded as she crossed the grass to the parking lot. She dug her sunglasses out of her purse and slid them onto her face.
Boone's Mustang was parked near the field. Shannon walked to it, glanced inside and found it empty. She leaned back against its hot metal trunk.
"Hey, Shannon!"
Looking to one side, she saw Nicole Schmidt jogging toward her. "Where's Boone?"
"I dunno."
"Will you give him this?" She stuck a folded sheet of paper into Shannon's hand. "Don't read it, okay?"
"Okay."
Nicole jogged away. Shannon watched until she had disappeared and then unfolded the note. I had such a good time after the game...CALL ME! Nicole. A sudden gust of wind blew the paper out of her hand, and she watched it fly across the parking lot.
"God, where have you been?" she asked, when the parking lot was almost empty and she finally saw Boone walking toward her.
"I was making out with Amber Lee."
"Are you kidding?" she said, as he unlocked the car and sat down inside. "Where?" She sat into the car and pulled closed her door. "Where?" she asked again.
"Behind the gym." He started the motor.
"Oh, my God."
She popped open the glove compartment and found her inhaler.
"You're supposed to keep that in your purse," Boone said. "What if you need it?"
She closed her eyes and breathed in her medicine. "Well, what if I don't?"
As he drove out of the parking lot Shannon fiddled with the radio.
"I'm not listening to the Spice Girls," he said. "Change it."
"It's Celine Dion."
"Oh, that's so much better." He changed the station and turned left, onto the Pacific Coast Highway. Shannon rolled down her window and felt the ocean breeze.
When he turned into their driveway, they saw Sabrina outside, carrying a suitcase. She saw them and pointed with one hand, mouthing words. Boone parked behind the Jeep.
"I said not to park there," Sabrina said, as Shannon and Boone left the car.
"Why? What's going on?" said Boone.
"Just go ask Adam."
Shannon carried her books and her purse and her inhaler down the driveway and stepped inside the kitchen door. Her father walked in from the media room, a suitcase in one hand.
"Are you going somewhere?" Shannon asked.
"Your grandmother's having another one of her crises."
"You're both going?" said Boone, as Sabrina stepped in the back door.
"Your mother believes that if she doesn't accompany me I'm going to have an extramarital affair."
Sabrina put her hands on her hips. "Why did you say that?" she began. "Why did you say that in front of them? You're just trying to make me look like..."
Shannon left the room and put her things down on a table. She found the remote and turned on the TV. Her father was talking to Boone. "Don't go anywhere, and don't have anybody over. Mamie will be here tomorrow. Keep your eye on Shannon. If you go swimming, be careful."
"When are you coming back?" Shannon asked, looking into the other room.
"I guess it depends," her father said. He walked to her, put his hands on her shoulders and lightly kissed her forehead. "Be good."
"Adam," Sabrina shouted from the kitchen, "come on."
Her father picked up his suitcase.
"Boone, move your car," said Sabrina. The three of them walked through the back door.
Shannon sat down on the couch and grabbed her purse from the table. She dug out her phone and flipped it open while a sitcom family laughed on TV. She closed it again and heard Boone come in the back door.
"Are they gone?" she asked, as he walked into the room.
"Mm-hmm."
Boone's phone rang, and he pulled it out of his pocket. He left the room, talking, and Shannon slipped off her shoes and lay her head on a pillow.
"Wake up."
Someone poked her shoulder and she opened her eyes. "Wake up," he said again.
"Where's my dad?"
"They left, remember?" Boone said.
"Oh. Okay...what time is it?"
"Eight o'clock."
"In the morning?"
"Are you serious?"
She found her phone in the cushions and flipped it open. 8:15pm, Friday September 25. The smell of popcorn and other microwavable delights drifted in from the kitchen.
Shannon stood and stretched. She walked down the hall to the bathroom. She peed into the toilet, flushed and washed her hands and face. Back in the kitchen, Boone was flipping closed his phone.
"Who were you talking to?"
"Amber," he said, digging one hand into the popcorn.
Shannon got a soda out of the fridge and opened the microwave. Half a plate of veggie burritos sat inside. She picked up the plate and ate with her hands.
"Do you ever think about how weird it is that you sleep so much?" Boone asked.
"I can't help it."
"Don't talk with your mouth full."
She swallowed her bite. "Well, you asked me."
His phone rang again, he stood up and answered it while leaving the room.
Shannon put her empty plate in the sink and went back to the media room, found her phone and turned off the TV. She climbed the stairs to her bedroom, opened the window and lay down. She dialed Ashley's number, and talked while the ocean waves lulled her back to sleep.