“Then why,” he asks, his lips forming a pout, “won’t she answer any of my questions?”
“Just give her time.” I stand up, beckoning him to join me. “Besides, don’t you know what this means?”
“What?”
I grin. “No more of Dad’s cooking for a while.”
Chapter Twenty-Three
It’s hard to focus on school when Monday comes. With Mom being home, the last thing I want to do is spend six hours of my day at school. It sucks. I wish I could just take time off while she’s here, but there’s no way that will fly with Fallbrook or Mr. Saltzman. This week is full of dress rehearsals, and I’ve been warned against missing a single one of them.
Somehow, I manage to get through homeroom, break, and my first set of classes without too much moping. When the lunch bell finally rings, I make my way to the cafeteria. The smell of lasagna fills my lungs, making my mouth water. I grab a tray and get in line.
“Hey, Dot.”
I glance over my shoulder. It’s Mabel, wearing a hopeful but subdued expression. The collar of her uniform peeks out from the neckline of her sweater, and her brown hair is in two braids draped gracefully over her shoulders.
I lift my hand. “Hi.”
“It was nice seeing you atNickel City.” The words hold a soft note of caution, like she isn’t sure if I’m willing to talk to her or not.
“Same here.” I hesitate before continuing. It’s hard to be mad at her for distancing herself. After all, if she’d ditched Meredith to hang with me and Rue, Meredith wouldn’t have had either of them. But that doesn’t mean I liked it. “To be honest, Mabel, I’ve missed hanging out with you.”
At that, the corner of her mouth lifts. An invisible, arbitrary barrier between us seems to fall away. “I have too. It seems like forever since we’ve caught up.”
“I know. My mom came back home for a few weeks. She’ll be here to see the play.”
Her eyes widen. “What? No way.” She reaches up and touches my arm. “That’s amazing.”
Before I can answer, Meredith approaches us, cutting in front of the line that’s formed behind us as she stands next to her sister. Her gaze is somehow both accusing and indifferent as it lands on me.
Mabel elbows her. “Dot’s mom came home to see the play.”
“How nice,” says Meredith. “Especially since you’re playing the lead.”
Mabel claps. “Are you going to the Winter Formal on Saturday? I ordered my dress a while ago, but it’s not going to come in time. We should all go dress shopping after school.” Her eyes flit to a spot at my right. “You too, Rue!”
My eyes dart up to find Rue hovering next to me. I didn’t even see her come over here. Her cheeks flush red, deepening when her gaze flicks to Meredith’s before landing on the floor. “Um, I don’t know. I already have a dress,” she says.
“You should come anyway. It will be fun,” Mabel insists. “Just like old times.”
I want to tell her how much I doubt that will be the case, and I also don’t want to miss out on any time with Mom while she’s here. Shejustgot back.
But the last thing I want to do is stir the pot when things are finally opening back up between us. So instead, I grin. “I haven’t bought mine yet. I’m in.”
I set my lunch tray down between Zayne’s and Lenny’s. Before I can take a seat at our table, Lenny hones in on my side of coleslaw. “Are you going to eat that?”
I remove the bowl of coleslaw from my tray and push it across the table toward him. “I’m going dress shopping with the girls after school,” I tell Zayne.
He arches an eyebrow. “Wow. I thought for sure Meredith would try to have you kidnapped if you talked to her again.”
“I know right?” I snicker. “She didn’t seem pleased but she didn’t protest, either.”
“Wait, dress shopping?” Zayne’s eyes round in feign confusion. “Does this mean we’re going to the dance together?”
I suppress a laugh and pretend to look around. “I could always ask Carlton if you’re not down.”
“Oh, yeah?” He shakes his head, biting back a grin. “That’s too bad. Because I already got our tickets and picked out a corsage for you. Guess I’ll have to give it to Lenny.”
