Free The Secret Diary of Ashley Juergens by Courtney Kelley : Turk Ashley; Turk Juergens Page A

him. Amy and I probably won’t stay very long. Maybe Rod Serling can have his own stool there, too, so he doesn’t have to keep carrying the one he has here back and forth. See? I’m capable of thinking of others sometimes.
    I thought Dad moving out would help Mom calm down about things, but boy was I wrong. She’s more on edge than ever. I don’t know why. She’s the one who insisted he move out and now she wants us to report back on all the details of each interaction. If she was so curious, she shouldn’t have made him leave in the first place.
    6:07 P.M.
     
    We’re here. Well, actually, Amy’s out in the living room with Dad, Ben, and Ben’s friend Henry, so I had to escape. I came here to visit Dad, not Amy’s boyfriend and his friend. Thank goodness I brought this journal disguised as homework. The place isn’t as bad as I thought, but something’s not right. It seems like the displays my dad sets up at his furniture store. There are pictures of us, and stuff to sit on, but it doesn’t feel like my dad’s staying here. I asked if it’s his girlfriend’s apartment but he said no. Could have fooled me. There’s so much perfume wafting around here I feel like I’m on the first floor of a department store.
    Something else doesn’t feel right. There’s only one bed in the guest bedroom. This wouldn’t seem odd except my dad owns a furniture store. A pair of twin beds is not hard to come by. So if Amy and I were to sleep over we’d have to share one bed. And since she’s pregnant, technically I would be sharing a bed with two people. Wonderful.
    7:13 P.M.
     
    I started going through the room (which is fine, right? It is technically my room after all) and I found a drawer full of condoms. Dad skimped on an extra bed but made sure Amy and I had enough condoms to get through the year? No way, I don’t believe it. Unless Amy’s pregnancy scared him into submission and he’d rather be safe than a grandfather for a second time. Still, it doesn’t make sense. I looked around for a hidden camera but didn’t find one.
    Gotta go, somebody’s coming—
    7:44 P.M.
     
    That was weird. Ben’s friend Henry brought me pizza. Which was fine except he didn’t leave after he brought it, even after I told him to. He said he was tired of people telling him what to do and he wasn’t going to leave because he’s a MAN . Great, he brings me pizza plus all of his emotional baggage. His girlfriend sure did a number on him. So I let him stay and be a man in uncomfortable silence.
    I like uncomfortable silences as much as the next person but usually people look around the room or at something else while they’re being uncomfortable. Henry stared at me the whole time, so I had to put a stop to it. I said we could either talk or he could continue staring. He actually wanted to continue staring. Things must be really boring in the living room if he’d rather come in here and stare at me.
    You think I drive my parents crazy with what I DO say; you should see how they react when I don’t say things. Case in point: Amy’s pregnancy. Again, that’s why my PROTEST AGAINST PARENTS was so successful. It was a silent one.
     
    He asked if I’m allowed to date since I’m only thirteen. He was flirting with me. Wow, one of Amy’s high school friends was trying to ask me out. A girl can’t even get a slice of pizza from a guy without him wanting something in return. I was glad Dad was still out in the living room so he didn’t hear any of this because he’d just start bragging about how right he is about guys. Then he’d throw Henry out.
    Maybe he asked me out because I’m Amy’s sister. Maybe he figures since Amy gave it up then I might give it up, too. I told him since Amy’s pregnant, I’m probably only allowed to breathe and that’s it. I’ll probably get sterilized before freshman year. He said that would be a shame because I’m really pretty. I might even be the most beautiful girl he’s ever met, he said.