Mom doesn't make me explain in front of the whole family at the breakfast table. She waits until we have finished and takes me into the living room to talk alone. It's Nicky and Margo's turn to clean up after breakfast. Mom stares at me with a questioning expression. She's waiting to hear me out before she gets mad.
"How did you know what time I got home?" I ask her, astounded that she knew exactly what time.
"You weren't exactly as quiet as I'm guessing you had hoped." She answers with a sigh.
"So, where were you?" She continues.
She does not snap at me, she just sounds defeated and exhausted the way she does these days when one of us has done something wrong.
"At a party." I respond meekly, not looking at her.
Sometimes I think I'd prefer she yell and make a fuss. Seeing her look of defeat and exhaustion just adds to further guilt for doing the wrong thing. Mom and Dad have had to deal with 8 children for many years, that's no easy feat.
"Why did you think you had to lie to us about that?" She folds her arms and shakes her head at me, I can see the disappointment in her eyes.
"Because I knew you'd get upset with me for going to the party." I feel myself becoming defensive even though I know I have done the wrong thing.
"I'm upset with you for lying to me Mallory, not for going to a damned party! If you had of told me where you were going, it would not have been a problem, at least you wouldn't be being deceitful."
Mom looks as though she's going to cry, I feel even worse. I know she's right I can't think of anything to say to that so I just allow her to continue.
"You never would have done something this thoughtless before, not before you made friends with these girls. I think you should have a good hard think about whether these girls are such a good influence on you." Mom leaves me to absorb her words. She walks out of the living room, leaving me to sit alone with my guilt.
I spend most of Saturday and Sunday cooped up in my room feeling a tiny bit sorry for myself. Even if I did lie to my mom, I didn't deserve what happened last night. No body does.
And if I find out Mara Semple and her big lying mouth at fault, that's going to hurt even more.
I don't know how to confront her or how to find out. I don't want to confront her, I may lose all of them as friends. Without Jessi, I'd have no one if these girls change their minds about me.
As much as I want to avoid it, Monday morning comes around quicker than I'd hoped. I'd have to face everyone. I consider faking sick, but know Mom will see right through it.
Instead, I pull on a pair of old jeans and a purple t shirt that's the same as the red fitted one I wore last week. I don't bother with any make up and just throw my hair into a high pony tail. I don't care how I look today, it just doesn't seem important.
I shove Maria's clothes into my school bag and run down the stairs. I decide not to take a ride with Mom and my brothers this morning, I take a chance and see if Stacey has left yet. I just feel like I need the comfort of an old friend at the moment.
I'm in luck. Just as I walk around into her driveway, she's only just throwing her school bag into the back seat. "Wait up Stace!" I call out and run over to the car.
"Jump in." she offers. And with that, we're off.
"Did you go to Lauren Aronsen's on the weekend?" she asks casually.
"Yes." I reply a little snappishly. I'm already worried about what people have heard.
"Oh, I heard the police showed up around 1.30 in the morning, I was just wondering if you saw it that's all." Stacey ignores my snappish tone.
"I left at 1. I must of missed it, one redeeming factor of the night." I remark sarcastically.
"Not a good night then?" Stacey jokes.
"The less said of it, the better!" I shake my head and turn my head to look out the window. By that stage, she's pulled into the parking lot. We climb out and exchange a quick good-bye. Stacey spies Mary Anne and Claudia waiting for her and quickly runs over to them. I'm alone again.
My first class, as usual is English. With Liz, and even worse, Craig. He sits next to George Weiss. George Weiss gives Craig a high five when I walk in and take my seat in front of them next to Liz. I have no idea why.
"Where did you get to last night?" Liz hisses.
"I went home, Ben Hobart walked me." I tell her matter of factly, without looking at her.
"Well, the cops came and you were no where to be found when we all bailed out. I thought you were coming back to my place." She's annoyed, and she has some right to be, I suppose but she doesn't know what happened and I don't think I want her to.
"I had to get out of there, I went home. Thanks for dobbing me in to my parents!" I snap and open my notes and begin copying off the black board as we've been instructed.
"I was actually worried, ok? For god sakes Mallory." Liz rolls her eyes at me and decides to pull out her notes too.
"So why'd you have to leave all of a sudden? I heard you and Craig were having a great time, yet you left with Ben Hobart?" She quizzes me after about 10 minutes of silence.
"What are you talking about, what have you heard?" I ask, shocked.
"Craig's been telling everyone about you guys getting it on in Lauren's mom and dad's room. Lauren's backing him up, she walked in on you guys, remember?"
I cannot believe he is telling people lies about what happened! Everyone is going to think the worst of me. How can he do this?
"You're kidding! That's not what happened at all, I swear Liz." I am in such a state of disbelief I end up shouting it loud enough for the whole class to over hear. Mrs Simmonds our teacher, is not impressed. She stares at me with both hands on her hips and most of the class is staring at me, some are laughing.
"Are you quite finished Ms Pike?" Mrs Simmonds asks me in a monotonous voice. "Or would you like to tell us what really happened, whatever it was?" She continues dryly with her eyebrows raised.
"I'm done, for now." I reply shooting Craig an icy glare. He just rolls his eyes and he and George laugh again.
During my next class, I can hardly even concentrate. I'm filled with anger and confusion I plot exactly how I'm going to find out why Mara said what she said, and how to get back at her. When the bell rings for the start of lunch time, I actually dread it. I don't want to see Mara Semple, but I decide that it's best to pretend nothing is wrong and figure her out cautiously.
I collect my lunch at the Cafeteria and take my normal place beside Jamie at our lunch table.
"Afternoon girls." I greet them as if nothing is wrong with a fake smile.
"Oh hey Mallory. Gee, you really missed out with the cops showing up at Lauren's on Friday night.. But I guess you were too busy to notice anyway." Mara replies with a strange laugh.
"Good news sure does travel fast, I see." I reply sarcastically with a roll of my eyes.
"Why the sarcasm? From what I heard–" Mara needs to learn to mind her own business, I cut her off mid sentence.
"Well, you heard wrong. And you told wrong." I snap. So much for going about it cautiously, I hadn't expected her to be so smug about the whole thing, it just pushed me to come right out and say it.
"What the hell are you talking about?" I can't believe she's going to play dumb now.
"Thanks to you're misinformation to Craig Avazian, I got into quite a situation on Friday night. How can you go around telling him things like that about me?"
"Hey, you should be thankful, you needed all the help you could get. You always have!" Mara's words are cruel and spiteful. How can she say I should thank her? She should be apologising to me!
"It's not all my fault Mallory, how about those dreadful shorts and that top that left so little to the imagination you wore? Face it, you bought most of it upon yourself!"
I cannot stand to hear any more of her hurtful words. I get up and run, just like Friday night. I run away like a scared child from uncomfortable situations.