I'm now seated on the floor in Sharlie's room. The girls are comparing notes on how much trouble they've been in at school over the past few weeks. One day when I've known Annie long enough – like three or four-hundred years – I'm going to ask her why she's so hell-bent on self-destruction.
But for now, I'm going to brood. I can't help it, I just don't know how she could pretend to love me for two years. She must have loved me at some point, or why did she stay so long?
The simple argument is that she was seeing someone behind my back. But I like to convince myself that I haven't wasted two years loving someone who obviously doesn't care about me.
"Mendoza! Stop moping!" Annie instructs.
I want to stop moping, but I can't. I've had my heart trampled on and a bit of sympathy wouldn't go amiss.
"I'm not saying that you have to get over it." Annie gets up and drags me to my feet and pulls me over to the bed where she and Sharlie are sitting. "But I'm trying to cheer you up here, and your lack of participation is making it hard for me."
"Sorry." I mutter. She wants me to talk? How can I join in this conversation? I'm never in trouble, except for when Annie gets me in trouble. Maybe I'll grab all my courage in a big bundle and ask Annie why she likes trouble so much. Since I'm still moping she might be compassionate and not kill me. "So why are you always looking for trouble then?"
Annie exchanges a look with Sharlie. Sharlie shrugs and Annie sighs. "Oh, I might as well tell you, it might cheer you up."
An Annie story, this could be interesting.
"It basically annoys my parents, and that's a good thing. Now the reason I like to annoy them is because it's the only time I get their attention. Now, I'm not throwing myself a pity-party here, but I'm only sixteen, they should show at least some casual interest in my well-being."
"You might as well tell the whole tale." Sharlie says. "He is your best friend."
Annie rolls her eyes. "Ok, remember Donna the Bush-Pig? Like you could forget her. Well, a year ago I was just a day-student at Eden Hall, and one weekend Donna stayed over my house. Let's just say my parents walked in at a very inopportune moment…" Annie cracks a smile.
Sharlie and I snigger. Typical Annie.
"I got kicked out on my ass. Literally, I was standing on my front lawn at six am in nothing but my panties and a Mickey Mouse bra while my Mom hurled clothing and stuff at me. Donna grabbed her stuff and scarpered, leaving me to deal with the parental units. Typical of her. Anyway, I packed up as much as I could in a bag and went down to the bus stop to wait for a couple of hours and finally got a bus to here. I stayed for a few weeks, then my Dad called and told me that he'd managed to wrangle a dorm room at the school. That's the last time he spoke to me, he sends his secretary and her husband to Parent-Teacher nights to take notes."
I'm speechless. No wonder Annie's such a lunatic.
She shrugs. "They send me money and stuff, so I'm not completely on my own. They're just using the 'head in the sand' method to deal with this. If I'm not around they forget I'm gay. And I don't have to answer to anyone, so it's not a bad deal."
Yeah, right Annie.
"You forgot to add the punchline." Sharlie reminds her.
"Oh yeah, my Dad's a political hag, so he doesn't want to be seen as a bad guy. So that's a plus, every time he gets mad with me, I threaten to tell everyone that he kicked me out when I was fifteen." She grins big, it looks genuine.
I put my hand on her shoulder and squeeze.
"Hey! No feeling sorry for me!" She says. "I'm fine. I dealt, I'm far too well-adjusted to throw myself pity-parties about it." She grins at me, then Sharlie. "Hon, I'm raiding your wardrobe, I need something to wear tonight."
Sharlie and I exchange a look as she bounds off the bed into Sharlie's walk-in wardrobe.
"Is she ok?" I ask Sharlie in a low voice.
She shrugs. "As ok as Annie gets since then."
*~*~*~*
"Holy mother of god! Your stalker's here!" Sharlie mutters looking worried.
"What? Where?" Annie asks.
"Bush Pig at twelve o'clock. Don't make eye contact."
I look across the crowded bar and see an average looking girl with brown hair, she's got a scowl on her face, it has to be Donna because her scowl gets larger as she spies Annie. She starts walking towards us.
"Dance with me!" Annie grabs my hand and leads me to the dance floor, as we make our hasty exit I hear Sharlie wail pitifully, "What about me?"
I echo Sharlie's question.
"Don't worry about her, she's usually fighting guys off with a stick, and besides, Donna doesn't talk to her. Sharlie really laid into her about leaving me to deal with the parentals, since then Donna steers clear of her." Annie replies in my ear.
I look back to Sharlie and see that there are already two guys talking to her.
I then notice that Donna's on her way over to us.
"Incoming nutcase." I tell her.
Annie curses several times. "Don't take this personally."
I don't get it, then she wraps her arms around me and dances extremely close to me.
Donna glares and takes off in the opposite direction.