Free Anything Goes on a Friday Night by Sara Daniell Page B

to go.”
    I didn’t give him a chance to respond. I hurried down the gravel road, looking for my car. There were so many vehicles parked alongside the road, and I didn’t pay attention to how far back on the road I had parked.
    I finally found it and got into the driver’s seat. I put my head to the steering wheel and lost it again. I’m not sure how long I had been sitting there with my face plastered against the leather when suddenly I felt a hand rubbing my back. I looked to my right and was relieved when I saw Jane. I sat up straight and took several calming breaths. I wasn’t sad anymore; I was angry.
    Determination began to boil in my blood. I cranked my car and pulled onto the road. I was going to confront them both. I was going to yell until my heart didn’t ache so badly. Channing and Katie were going to know just how much I hated them both.
    “Ummm, where are we going?” Jane asked when I turned toward Fredericksburg at the 4-way stop.
    I gripped the steering wheel and kept my eyes on the road. “To Channing’s.”
    Jane didn’t say anything. She sat in the seat silently. She didn’t try to talk me out of my insanity; she just rode along. Jane was my ride-or-die bitch and had become a better friend to me in just a week than Katie ever was.
    When we pulled up to Channing’s, he wasn’t there. No one was. I’m sure he was out partying or whatever. I had no idea how I’d react if he pulled up or if he had been here. Would I have really said anything to him? Probably not. I kept my hands on the steering wheel and stared at his house. Tears fell down my cheeks, and Jane remained silent.
    “I’ll never forget when he asked me out. Katie and I were at her house, and she told me that some friends were coming over. I didn’t know Channing then. He didn’t go to the same school at the time. Anyway, he came over, and I couldn’t stand him. He wouldn’t stop staring at me, and when he said something, it was flirty and like he was trying too hard. Like I’d be some girl he could just hook up with because it was convenient and because I was there, and Katie was off making out with his friend in her room. Maybe that should’ve been my sign to stay away from him.” I laughed and shook my head. “Well, they ended up leaving, Channing getting absolutely nothing. He called Katie about an hour later, asking to talk to me. He begged me to date him. He begged for two hours straight. I would hang up; he’d just call right back. It was pathetic. So you know what I did?”
    Jane laughed. “What?”
    I smirked. “I told him that if he really wanted to date me, he would have to come back to Katie’s and ask me in person, like a real man.”
    “And he came over and did it, didn’t he?”
     “Sure did. At 3:00 in the morning in Katie’s driveway. I thought I better give him a chance. Guys just don’t do that kind of stuff.”
    “What a jerk.”
    I scoffed. “Yeah. I can’t make sense of it all. I mean, he said he was my forever. He said that kind of shit all the time. He told me he respected that I wanted to wait to have sex. Of course he respected it, because he was getting it from my best friend. He didn’t need it from me.” Tears filled my eyes.
    “Do you want to leave or burn down his house?”
    I chuckled and shook my head. “I like his parents too much to do that. But if it was just his, I’d consider it.”
    She smiled. “And I’d help.”
    “Jane,” I said, wiping my tears, “you’re the best.” I put my car in reverse and pulled out of his driveway, heading back toward Jane’s.

 
     

     
    S HOULD I ARGUE WITH Dad and Nancy, or should I just let her lie to his face? She hit me. Several times. Dad didn’t believe me last week; why should I think he’d believe me today? I listened to Nancy cry and apologize and watched Dad comfort her. It made me sick.
    I stared at my hands until she was finished talking and then looked at her. “Okay,” I said with no energy to argue.
    “So,