CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE
As they pulled into their driveway, Sarah was sitting on their doorstep, as was expected. However, she did not seem very ecstatic. For a while, Jane thought that maybe Sarah was mad at her, but Sarah jumped up and hugged Jane.
"I'm so glad you're back," Sarah said. "I have the most awful news to tell you."
Jane lugged her suitcase up the stairs to her room and shoved it into her closet. She then became aware of the box in Sarah's hands, but said nothing. Sarah sat on her bed and sat the box down.
"Well? What is it?" Jane asked.
"John asked Mum to marry him, and she said yes," Sarah said.
In the back of her mind, Jane was trying to remember what it was about John that Sarah didn't like. It had been this way ever since Ms. Camden had met the poor guy. Jane would listen to Sarah complain nonstop about him, but Jane still didn't really know the reason why. He wasn't really that bad of a person. Of course, Jane wasn't about to voice that in front of Sarah.
"Can you believe that?" Sarah asked. "It's absolutely ridiculous."
Jane nodded along.
This is great, thought Jane bitterly, I'm going to have to tell her about France when she's already upset about something. That's just perfect.
"They're getting married this summer. This summer! Can you believe that?!" Sarah continued.
"When are they having it?" Jane asked, wondering if she was going to have to miss the wedding.
"The end of August," Sarah said. "I can't even stand to be near her right now. She's thrown herself into all of these wedding plans. I almost can't wait to visit Dad this year. I have to leave Monday; I'm staying for two weeks again, but I'll be back soon enough."
Jane silently cursed herself. How could she forget about Sarah's trip to Birmingham?
"Um, I won't be here when you get back from that trip," Jane said slowly.
"Why not?" Sarah asked, confusion registering on her face.
"A girl from school—Lily, I told you about Lily—she, um, invited me to go to France with her and her family, and I leave the last week of June."
"Oh," Sarah said. "How long are you staying for?"
"A little over two weeks," Jane said.
"Oh," Sarah repeated, her face noticeably crestfallen.
"But when I get back, we'll have loads of stuff to do and talk about," Jane said, trying to cheer Sarah up a little bit.
Sarah forced a smile.
"Yeah," she said.
"You're not mad, are you?" Jane asked.
Sarah shook her head, but shrugged as well.
"What is it?" Jane asked.
"Well, it's just, you get to spend so much time with them already, her and your other school friends, and I hardly ever get to see you, and you hardly ever write anymore—"
"That's not fair," Jane replied. "It's been really tough trying to write. I had exams and practice and—"
Sarah rolled her eyes a bit.
"Yeah, but even before all that, you have to admit, you didn't write a lot."
Jane pursed her lips. Even though it was true, she didn't like Sarah saying it.
"Well, there was nothing to write about. You can't expect me to be able write about nothing."
"It doesn't matter. I suppose I understand. I hope you have a good trip," Sarah said, trying to wave off the conversation.
"Understand what?" Jane asked with a hint of an attitude hidden in her voice that startled even herself.
"It's nothing," Sarah said, picking the box back up.
"What do you 'understand?'" Jane asked, using air quotes around the word (a habit she had picked up from Mary and Marlene during the school year).
"Just that, you have new friends now, and that you'd rather hang out with them—"
"That's not true," Jane kind of lied. "I'd pick you over them any day. It's just, Lily asked me to go, and I wasn't going to say no."
"I know, it's just that I never get to see you is all," Sarah said. "You finally come home just so you can leave again. It almost feels like—I don't know."
"Quit being so dramatic," Jane said with a harsh sort of undertone in her voice that reminded her of the way Sirius talked to Peter.
"I'm not being dramatic," Sarah defended, standing up from the bed, box still in her hands. "It's the truth! I never do get to see you. You never write anymore. And you're about to leave again. It's like you don't even want to be here anymore."
"Who in their right mind ever wants to be in Stockbridge?" Jane spat out.
Sarah was taken aback for a split second, but regained her composure.
"People who have friends here," Sarah said in a harsh, quiet voice which stung Jane a little.
Sarah finally pushed the box she had brought into Jane's hands.
"Here's your birthday present. I would have given it to you earlier, but you didn't come home, remember?"
Sarah stormed out of Jane's room.
Jane stood there, bewildered, with the box held in her hands. She looked down at it. Suddenly, Jane's mum was in the doorway of her bedroom.
"Where's Sarah going?" she asked.
Jane didn't feel up for answering questions right then, having just been in a row with the very first friend she had ever managed to gain.
"Home I suppose. Something about helping her mum with wedding plans," Jane lied.
"Oh, of course. I keep forgetting that she's engaged now. To that John Pence; what a nice man. Well, dinner will be ready in a bit."
Her mother walked away, and Jane sat down on the bed and opened the box, inside of which was a black Thin Lizzy tee-shirt along with the April issue of Beat Instrumental, which had an article about the band in it.
Jane sighed. She immediately felt terrible. She was replacing Sarah, but it was hard not to, seeing as how she was hardly ever around her.
But still, Jane thought in the back of her mind, I can't just back out of the France trip. I'll reconcile things later. When I'm back from France, everything will have cooled down.
Jane put away the shirt and left the magazine on her bed for her to read later. She ran downstairs to see what she'd be eating for dinner.