Free Tailspin (Better Than You) by Raquel Valldeperas

of Joshua, and she rolls her eyes. “Whatever. We just want to know what you’re doing.”
                  Dropping to the floor, I let out a long sigh. “Would you believe me if I said I couldn’t tell you, or else I’d have to kill you?”
                  Joshua, who’s been watching our exchange silently, finally laughs. “Are you Spiderman? Or Superman? Cause that’d be kind of lame, because of the spandex and all, but kind of awesome, too.”
                  “Can we not get into the whole super heroes thing, please?” Emily insists.
                  “This is a serious topic, Em. We can’t have a bunch of guys running around in tights and-”
                  “Nathan! Stop trying to change the subject!” I laugh at her expression, exasperation and irritation, and behind it, a tiny little smile because she’s trying so hard not to laugh, too. “We’re just worried about you, alright?” she says seriously.
                  I grasp Joshua’s shoulder and look straight into Em’s worried eyes. “Please don’t worry, okay? I’m okay. My job is…hard…but I’m okay. You just have to trust me on this one.”
                  Emily looks like she wants to say more, but finally nods her head. “Fine. I guess this is the perfect time to tell you that I got a job.”
                  “Awesome, Em. Where at?”
                  “The wine bar down the street from Dad’s,” she says, holding my gaze. It’s a challenge- I can see it in her eyes. She’s waiting for me to freak out. I’m trying really hard not to.
                  “Why there?” I ask calmly.
                  She shrugs her shoulders. Joshua goes back to writing, clearly ignoring this conversation. “It’s a cool place. One of the girls in my Chem class works there and said she makes super good money.”
                  “You don’t need the money, though. I could have given you a job at the bar.”
                  “Yeah, in the office or something. I don’t want to be sitting behind a desk for hours. I want to be out front, talking to people and stuff. I’m good at that.”
                  She’s right. I would insist she stay away from the alcohol and the creeps who come around. The wine bar is a different demographic, though, so maybe it won’t be so bad. “Alright, but we ride there together when we can and I’ll drop you off and pick you up when we can’t. Okay?”
                  She nods excitedly and smiles. “That’s fine.”
                  “Josh, are you gunna get a job at a bar, too?”
                  He laughs. “Yeah, I’ll follow in the family footsteps. Bartenders for life.”
     

10
     
    February 18, 2009
     
                  I’m irrationally excited to get to the bar and refuse to admit the reason. I barely know Logan, didn’t spend more than an hour with her, but I keep replaying everything she said and the way she moved over and over again. She puts up this front, like she’s impervious to the world and the rejection I should have offered, but there’s something in her eyes that says otherwise. I doubt anyone has ever noticed it. I don’t know how I did.
                  I’m ready to leave the house except for the fact that I can’t find my phone. I can never find the fucking thing. There’s so much to do and I need to get it done before Logan gets there but I can’t. Find. My. Fucking-
                  Beep. Beep.
                  And it’s right on the counter, where I left it this morning. I jog over, pick it up and slide my fingertip across the screen. I have two text messages; one from Danny inviting me to yet another party and one from Emily letting me know that she has a shift tonight and will be home soon. Ignoring Danny, I type out a