Free The Guidance by Marley Gibson

how?"
    Her eyes are distant, as if caught up in a memory. "I was close to a boy like that once."
    Intrigued, I say, "Oh yeah? When was that?"
    "Before your time."
    I have so little to go on about Emily's past. She wears something resembling a patient's gown, which makes me think she passed away in a hospital. What did she die of? It's so foggy around her, and I'm unable to pick up anything. She's so pretty ... so young. How tragic that she died when her life was only beginning. "Was he your boyfriend?"
    Emily nods, her flowing hair shifting around her face.
    "What was his name?"
    "It doesn't matter," she says dismissively. "We're talking about you. You and Jason. All that kissing. Things are moving too fast with him, and it worries me."
    I run my fingers through my long, wavy brown hair that's looking pretty stylish tonight, if I do say so myself. "You don't have to worry."
    A sigh escapes from her. The doorbell rings throughout the house.
    "Keeeeeeeeeeeendall!" Kaitlin screams up the stairs. "Jason's here!"
    I grab the black military jacket off the bed and layer it over my Kill City gray hoodie. Then, I snag my Betsey Johnson shoulder bag. (A score off SmartBargains.com .) Emily watches me and I can almost hear the
tsk, tsk
in my head. Stopping at the door, I say, "Can you please give me some alone time tonight with Jason, Em?"
    She stands in front of me with her hands on her hips.
    "Seriously," I insist. "I appreciate everything, I really do. I just want to be as normal as possible tonight, hanging with my friends and going out with my boyfriend. Please promise?"
    After what seems like three years, Emily nods, blows me a kiss, and then quietly disappears.
    Tonight's all about having a good time. Fun and friends and some semblance of
normal
. Tomorrow, Mom and I head to the ATL for my appointment with the shrink, who'll be ready to analyze me to death and possibly diagnose me with all sorts of afflictions.
    Go be with your friends
, Emily says, although I can't see her anymore. Yet somehow I know she's with me, like she has been my whole life.

    Jason shuffles me out the door of my house and toward his Jeep, where Taylor's waiting for us.
    "Your sister's coming on our date?"
    He shrugs. "She's just riding with us to the football game and then she'll hook up with Ryan and go with him in his car to the bowling alley later. You know, once he's showered and stuff after the game."
    Ryan MacKenzie has been Taylor's steady for these past couple of months. He plays on the RHS football team, so I shouldn't be too bent to have her tailing along with us. Besides, it's not like I'm going to attack Jason on the way to the stadium, whether Taylor's in the back seat or not. Puuuuuhleeeeze!
    At the stadium, we meet up with Celia and Clay, as well as Becca and her boyfriend, Brent "Dragon" Dragisich, a kind of biker dude who runs with the rougher crowd at school. More of Becca's rebellion from whatever's eating her. We all get along swimmingly though, and we enjoy watching our team kick a little ass on the gridiron.
    RHS wins a rollicking defensive game of matching field goals, and then we all head off to Radisson Lanes to bowl some balls. It doesn't hurt that they have
the best
local attempt at Chicago pizza. The owner, Brendan McDonough, is a transplant from Chicago himself and knows how to make a mean pie.
    We order a pitcher of Coke Zero (for the boys) and Diet Coke (for the girls) and a large pizza with sausage, pepperoni, mushrooms, and extra cheese. Jason and Clay secure two side-by-side lanes, and we all slip on the ever-so-attractive (not!) bowling shoes that have been sprayed with that alleged sanitizing spray.
    Taylor holds her black, red, and white loafer and scrunches up her face. "I always wonder what kind of possible diseases reside in these."
    "I had a buddy get a plantar wart from 'em once," Dragon says with a crooked grin.
    Taylor's mouth drops open in horror.
    Becca smacks him on the forearm. "You're such a liar." She turns