July 6th
While this is a vacation, we did get in big trouble. So today, we got our first taste of punishment. I got put on baby-duty. I watched Gracie (for free) and I go the light end of the load. Considering that I'm a professional baby-sitter.
I watched Gracie and helped Mary Anne wash all the windows on the inside of the house. (It was Mrs. Bruen's day off, so we took over) Dawn and Stacey did yard work, which makes me really glad that I was inside in the air conditioning. Claudia got out of it by leaving the house really early this morning. Carol mentioned something about the attic crawl space needing cleaning and said something about Claudia, so she'll get her's later.
Mr. Schafer had given us this stupid lecture about how he trusted us and was disappointed in us. And the fact that we got into a club that we weren't allowed in, where alcohol was being sold was just icing on the deep trouble cake.
So we all had 10PM curfews now, no exceptions, unless it was cleared with a parent (like if we wanted to spend the night at Maggie's or something), and we certainly weren't allowed to be just going out without him knowing where we were going. Even though Claudia did that today.
I watched Gracie, I cleaned the bathrooms, and then Mary Anne and I made dinner. We were going to make chicken tortilla roll ups (some recipe Mary Anne found in a box), because we figured that there would be some sort of white meat in the house. Even Dawn will sometimes eat white meat. However, there wasn't any. It was all tofu and I wasn't going to touch more tofu, so we decided it was shopping time.
Dawn and Stacey went and got the stuff we needed for dinner, (and real milk. They only had soy milk.) and Mary Anne and I cooked it, and it was surprisingly good and eating the meat was good. I think over the past couple of weeks I've been eating tofu, and that needs to stop. The vegetable pizza wasn't bad, I guess.
My hand hurts. I'll finish this later.
Later, July 6th/Actually July 7th
Anyway, Stacey, Dawn, and I went over to Ducky's to hang out with him and Justin. We invited Mary Anne to come along, but she went over to Sunny's.
Ducky drove us to the mall and Stacey, Dawn and Ducky compared earrings to tops (It was like coming out let Ducky feel even more free to do the stuff he likes. Like fashion advice.). I went to go over to a sports store and Justin came with me.
"I'm not really that into all this stuff. Not anymore," Justin said. "I do track. I used to play soccer in junior high, but I didn't have time for both. Now, being in the band, I don't have time for much of anything."
"The Baby-Sitter's Club recently disbanded, well sort of. We still do some sitting, but it's not nearly as formal as it was. And then we came here," I said. "I don't know what I'm going to do with my free time when we get back. I'd go out for sports, Stoneybrook High doesn't have a girls softball team."
"What do they have?" Justin asked.
"Soccer, basketball, field hockey, lacrosse, and track." It turns our digging through all of this before school ended was a great idea. "I'd go out for track, but my legs aren't long enough. Plus I like team sports."
"I guess that nixes basketball too. What about soccer? There's a lot of running, sure, but that's not the goal." He paused and thought about what he said. "No pun intended."
I laughed. "No soccer either. My friend Abby plays soccer and, well... we're competitive enough anyway."
"God, you're difficult. Lacrosse?"
"Never played it. I have no idea how to." I figured it wasn't time to be proud. Besides, what was Justin going to do? Laugh at me? Who knows how to play lacrosse?
Well, I was surprised. Justin did. After laughing at me.
"You don't play lacrosse," I said. "And isn't women's lacrosse different from the way men play?"
"The only difference is that you don't wear as much gear because you can't hit people with your stick. And, no, I don't play lacrosse, never have. However, my mother did in college. Back before she became a workaholic, she used to babble on about it for hours. I know what I'm talking about. I promise."
I realized then that this is the most I've heard Justin talk all summer long. I hadn't really thought about him. Turns out to be a really cool guy.
"I'm free tomorrow if you want to come by my house. I could go over the basics with you and maybe do some playing," Justin offered.
Dawn, Stacey, and Ducky came into the store.
"I bought the earrings, but not the shirt," Stacey said. "I was going to get it, but Dawn reminded me that I needed to be able to fit all my stuff in my suitcase when it was time to go home."
"Good thinking," I said absently.
"And since I'll probably be doing more shopping before we go home..." Stacey thought for a moment. "I wonder if I should buy another suitcase."
"No!" Ducky teased. "Because do you know who'll have to carry them around? Me!"
"A big strong man like you can't carry one itty bitty suitcase?" she teased him right back.
"An itty bitty suitcase along with everything else you own."
"It's not that bad!"
I picked up a lacrosse stick and bonked Stacey on the head with it. "Check it out. Justin's going to teach me how to play lacrosse."
"Lacrosse?" Dawn asked. "What about softball?"
"No girls softball team at SHS," I said.
"How is that SMS has an archery team, but SHS doesn't have a softball team?"
I rolled my eyes. "I know."
"You play lacrosse?" Ducky asked Justin.
"I think it's a great idea," Stacey said. "You can channel all that rage you used on yelling at us for being late to meetings."
"Har Har," I said, rolling my eyes. Dawn thought the comment was very funny, however. Justin was busy explaining the lacrosse story to Ducky.
We got back home and Justin gave me the directions to his house. We walked in the door just after ten. Mr. Schafer didn't say anything.
"I wonder how long this curfew thing will be until he forgets about it," Stacey said.
"Is Claudia back yet?" Dawn asked. "She's been gone all day."
"Not yet," Mary Anne said from the rec room. Sunny was sitting with her on the floor with a huge box of makeup open, sprawled out everywhere.
"She better get home soon," I said.
"Again, how long will the curfew thing last?" Stacey asked.
"Well, at least today. I mean, we were ten minutes late," Dawn said. "But if Claudia is much later, there probably will be some trouble."
Just then, Claudia burst into the rec room. "I lost track of time," she said. She flopped down on her sleeping bag, pulled out her hair clips and took off her shoes. She crawled into the bag.
"Claudia, are you okay?" Stacey asked carefully.
"I'm fine. I'm just sleepy."
"It's only ten."
"I'm sleepy."
"Don't you want to wash off your makeup?"
"No. I just want to sleep."
We all exchanged a five way look (it's really hard to do) and let it go.
I'm going to bed now. I need sleep before I go over to train with Justin.
July 7th
When Justin said he wanted to teach me lacrosse I didn't realize he was a SLAVE DRIVER FROM HELL.
Okay, really, he's not that bad, but I'm worn out. We went over the rules, and he taught me some maneuvers.
"Lacrosse for women is non-contact. I think it's stupid and unfair because men can," Justin said. "However, that doesn't make the game any less aggressive. Actually, it's probably more aggressive. But anyway, the key is the check the crosses, hitting it out the opponent's net and then getting it into yours to make a goal."
"Got it," I said.
After about an hour, we finally took a break. I hadn't worked out so hard in ages. It felt good, even though my legs were killing me and I was sweating like a pig. It was a blast.
Justin is REALLY cool. He may not talk a lot - until you get him onto a subject he likes. We talked sports (lacrosse and baseball mostly), music (Vanish compared to other bands), and then we somehow got onto the subject of Ducky.
"I don't even know him that well," Justin admitted. "We've been at the same school for five years now? We're not in the same grade, even. But... The past few months, it's like. I dunno." He seemed kind of embarrassed, but he was smiling.
I took a swig on my Gatorade. "Justin, how did you... you know? Know?"
"What the bi thing?" He shrugged. "I'd caught myself thinking things I hadn't really thought before. About guys. Mostly about Ducky, though. That's where it really came from. Why do you want to know, Kristy? You're not...?"
"No," I said, laughing. "Believe me, I've thought about it. When you're a tomboy, when you like sports, play hard, they all ask about it. I first heard the word 'dyke' in sixth grade and it's been following me around ever since, but I figure I'm straight. But then again, I'm thirteen. Who knows."
"That's a great outlook. Keep an open mind."
"But... I know what I know," I added.
He nodded.
"I went to Europe and kissed a guy in front of the Eiffel Tower."
"Impressive," Justin said, smiling.
We chatted on, and then got into conversation about divorce and remarriage.
"Both of my parents got remarried," I said. "My mom last year, and my dad, not long ago at all. But my dad... not really someone I care about a lot. He walked out on us when I was six. Right after my younger brother was born."
Justin swore. "My Dad left us, my mom, Mike, and me. He only went to Oakland, though. He used to come and visit us once a month, but that faded into every other month, then just holidays, and now... I saw him last summer, but it was an accident. We just ran into each other at the state fair."
"That happened to me too. I saw him at a baseball game when I was on a cross-country trip with my friends."
"A cross country trip and a trip to Europe? In, what? A year?"
I shrugged. "But yeah. My Dad wasn't really... around. But when he was... you'd think he was father of the year. My step-father, Watson, he's more of a father than my real dad was. Dad was a father when it was fun, when it wasn't the tough times. Watson, he... sticks through when it's tough."
"You're lucky. My mom probably won't get remarried. I'd be shocked if she did. She's married to her work now."
Okay. My hand's cramping. I guess I'm done.