Chapter Seven
Meaningless Consumer-Driven Lives
I come down to get a drink and Dad's in full blast at Bianca and her bitch- ess friend Chastity.
"Do you know anything about a party?" he asks me as soon as I show my face.
"No," I reply. Lying.
"Why can't you be normal?!" wails Bianca.
"Define normal," I reply; perfectly good retort if you ask me.
"Bogey Lowenstein's party is normal!" she replies. I hear dad ask Chastity, "What's a Bogey Lowenstein?"
Before she can reply, I cut in, with my views on the subject. "Bogey's party is just an excuse for all the idiots at our school to drink beer and rub up against each other in the hopes of distracting themselves from the pathetic emptiness of their -"
"Meaningless consumer-driven lives." Bianca and Chastity join in and chant the last sentence along with me. I smile uncertainly. Bianca drags me to one side. "Please, for one night can you forget that you're completely wretched and be my sister?" Nice way to ask, isn't it? "Please? Please?" She pauses. "Come on, Kat. Please do this for me?"
"Fine. I'll put in an appearance," I say, half to please her, half remembering Club Skunk and Patrick Verona.
They both shriek and hug me, then turn to Dad. He doesn't look so happy. "It's starting."
"It's just a party, Daddy!" says Bianca, cheerfully.
"I want you to wear the belly."
He can't make her do that.can he?! It would be funny, anyway, but completely humiliating for her. Wait a minute.me, caring about her feelings? She doesn't care about mine!
"Daddy, no!" she says, shocked.
"Not the whole night, just for five minutes around the living room," he replies, grabbing this.thing and putting it on her, she consents reluctantly. "You are so completely unbalanced!"
"Yeah," he says, nodding. I sense this could go on forever. "We're going now."
"Wait a minute!" he says, and I pause halfway to the door.
"No drinking. No drugs. No kissing. No tattoos. No piercings. No ritual animal slaughters of any kind. oh God, I'm giving them ideas." He's so stressed out! I roll my eyes and open the door.
And there he is, one hand raised to knock, looking slightly surprised that I opened it - but not half as surprised as I am to find him there!
In response to my look of puzzlement, he says, "Nine thirty, right?" and glances at his watch. "Oh. I'm early."
"Whatever, I'm driving," I say, grabbing my keys and leaving. I hear him say, as he sees Bianca, "Who knocked up your sister?"
I can picture the glare.
Meaningless Consumer-Driven Lives
I come down to get a drink and Dad's in full blast at Bianca and her bitch- ess friend Chastity.
"Do you know anything about a party?" he asks me as soon as I show my face.
"No," I reply. Lying.
"Why can't you be normal?!" wails Bianca.
"Define normal," I reply; perfectly good retort if you ask me.
"Bogey Lowenstein's party is normal!" she replies. I hear dad ask Chastity, "What's a Bogey Lowenstein?"
Before she can reply, I cut in, with my views on the subject. "Bogey's party is just an excuse for all the idiots at our school to drink beer and rub up against each other in the hopes of distracting themselves from the pathetic emptiness of their -"
"Meaningless consumer-driven lives." Bianca and Chastity join in and chant the last sentence along with me. I smile uncertainly. Bianca drags me to one side. "Please, for one night can you forget that you're completely wretched and be my sister?" Nice way to ask, isn't it? "Please? Please?" She pauses. "Come on, Kat. Please do this for me?"
"Fine. I'll put in an appearance," I say, half to please her, half remembering Club Skunk and Patrick Verona.
They both shriek and hug me, then turn to Dad. He doesn't look so happy. "It's starting."
"It's just a party, Daddy!" says Bianca, cheerfully.
"I want you to wear the belly."
He can't make her do that.can he?! It would be funny, anyway, but completely humiliating for her. Wait a minute.me, caring about her feelings? She doesn't care about mine!
"Daddy, no!" she says, shocked.
"Not the whole night, just for five minutes around the living room," he replies, grabbing this.thing and putting it on her, she consents reluctantly. "You are so completely unbalanced!"
"Yeah," he says, nodding. I sense this could go on forever. "We're going now."
"Wait a minute!" he says, and I pause halfway to the door.
"No drinking. No drugs. No kissing. No tattoos. No piercings. No ritual animal slaughters of any kind. oh God, I'm giving them ideas." He's so stressed out! I roll my eyes and open the door.
And there he is, one hand raised to knock, looking slightly surprised that I opened it - but not half as surprised as I am to find him there!
In response to my look of puzzlement, he says, "Nine thirty, right?" and glances at his watch. "Oh. I'm early."
"Whatever, I'm driving," I say, grabbing my keys and leaving. I hear him say, as he sees Bianca, "Who knocked up your sister?"
I can picture the glare.