CHAPTER SIXTEEN

What was up with me, Mercedes, and bathrooms? It was kind of becoming our thing. Not that I wanted us to have a thing. And we most definitely had already déjàed this vu.

“What’s wrong with you?” I asked her as I went over to wash my hands. “Did you find out that being an evil skank is not a valid life choice?”

She threw something plastic into the sink next to me. “Even better. I just found out that I’m pregnant.”

I looked at the pee stick in the sink next to mine, stunned. “How? What? How?”

“Excellent and insightful questions.” Mercedes went to an empty sink and washed her hands as well.

“How did this happen?” I asked, not able to tear my gaze away from the pregnancy test that said Mercedes was most definitely with child. “I mean I know how it happens.” Not from personal experience or anything, but I had the general gist of it. “Is Scott the father?”

I seriously hoped Mercedes had cheated on her gross boyfriend. Because Scott was such a tool that he should have “Craftsman” tattooed on his forehead. Just to warn off other girls.

“Of course he’s the father.” She dried her hands off, threw away the paper towel, and leaned against a wall. “Although we just broke up for the millionth time.”

Right before prom? I felt a little sad for her until I remembered that she couldn’t have gone to the dance, even if she’d wanted to. And why had Scott gone through the effort to do a big promposal when she couldn’t go and he was just going to break up with her? I asked the only question I could. “Why?”

“Religious differences. He wanted me to worship him, and I wasn’t interested.” I realized that her sarcasm was an attempt at holding back tears. Tears that she now shed as she slid down the wall to sit on the floor. “What am I going to do? How am I going to tell my parents?”

Was Mercedes having a momentary lapse in evil? She seemed almost human. I reminded myself that this was the same girl who had just ruined our prom by blackmailing Mindi. Who had sold off our dresses so that we couldn’t have them. Broken up with Trent from Ella’s phone.

And I was actually feeling bad for her.

Part of me wanted to rip into her and tell her off. The other part held back, unable to do so while she cried in a heap on the bathroom floor.

I mean, what else could I do to her that would even be worse?

In comparison, I had everything in front of me. Jake. UCSC. A summer internship at a manga company. Prom. A supposedly awesome incoming promposal from Jake. All my dreams were about to come true.

And she . . . didn’t have those things. Mostly because of her own choices, but still.

She’d tried her best to sabotage our happiness, but the one person who was hurt the most was Mercedes.

No matter what she might decide to do about her pregnancy or her baby, right now she was terrified. And not even I was enough of a jerk to kick her while she was down.

“I’m sorry.” And I was.

“Is that some kind of sarcastic comment?”

“No. I am trying to be nice here. But you don’t make it very easy.”

“Oh please. You think you’re so innocent in all this. But you’re just as mean to me as I am to you. You talk about me behind my back all the time, don’t you?”

Yeah, it was called manners. “You started it.”

“And you participated. You’ve given just as good as you got.” She rubbed her nose on her sleeve, and I stepped into a stall to grab her some toilet paper. Which I thought was very big of me. I handed it to her, and she actually took it, without a single snide remark.

“Jake likes you,” she sniffled.

Correction, Jake loved and adored me, but now was probably not the time to be splitting hairs.

“He’s always liked you. Ever since we were kids.” Something that I still thought should have been brought to my attention a long time ago. “Nobody else ever stood a chance.”

“Like you.”

She nodded. “Like me. He’s such a good guy, you know?”

I did know. Even if I had temporarily forgotten. And I again felt pangs of sympathy for her. I knew from firsthand experience exactly what it was like to be deeply envious of someone because they were dating Jake. Heck, I’d even been jealous of imaginary women that I thought he was cheating on me with.

“I really am sorry. I hope you figure out what’s best for you and your . . .” I let my voice trail off as I gestured at her stomach. “Do you want me to get someone for you? Ms. Rathbone? Or the guidance counselor or something?”

“I’m fine. I don’t need your help.”

And here I thought we were having kind of a moment. “Okay. I have to get to class.” I started to walk away and then stopped. I didn’t have to be mean, but she deserved to get called out on her behavior. “You shouldn’t have blackmailed Mindi and nearly ruined the prom. It’s one thing to go after me and Ella and take away our dresses or whatever, but you almost destroyed one of the most important nights of everybody’s lives.”

“I know. I shouldn’t have.”

I nearly fell over from the shock of her admission. If she’d apologized, it might have led to an actual heart attack, and I would have died. And missed the prom, which would have been terrible.

And even though I knew she’d never ask for forgiveness for her actions, I forgave her anyway. Maybe it was because I’d made up with Jake and was feeling generous and happy, but I didn’t want to keep being angry with her. The school year was almost over, and I didn’t plan on ever seeing her again.

“Right.” There was nothing else to really say, and I did need to get to class. “So . . . yeah. Bye, I guess.”

“You’re going to tell everyone, aren’t you?”

Her words again made me come to a stop. “What?”

She wiped her nose with the toilet paper I’d given her. “That’s what I would do if I were in your shoes. Tell everyone.”

“I’m not you. And I don’t plan on telling anybody. It’s none of my business.”

I could tell from the look on her face that she didn’t believe me. But it was the truth.

And I got the feeling she was about to become intimately acquainted with having to tell the truth to some important people in her life.

I did as I promised and kept my mouth shut. Especially since Mercedes seemed to be dealing with a lot of crap. Mindi had spread the truth of what she’d done far and wide, but she gave most of the blame to Mercedes.

Which led to Mercedes being so ostracized by the other kids that, once again, I felt really sorry for her. I even said hi to her when I saw her in the hallway.

She ignored me and my attempts at niceness.

My sister couldn’t help but notice.

Later that afternoon, I was heading out to our car to drive over to Kenyetta’s school for our last tutoring session. Ella was going to catch a ride with one of the girls from cheerleading. “Why are you being nice to Mercedes? Have you forgotten what she did?”

“I didn’t forget. And it’s kind of a long story. I’ve just come to realize that when people are awful to you that it usually means that terrible things are happening in their personal lives. Maybe instead of getting mad and lashing out it would be better if I remembered that everybody has their stuff that they’re going through and it’s better to try and be kind.”

“Huh. So when did you get all enlightened and become a better person than me?” she teased.

“Not hardly.”

She grinned. “Give Kenyetta a hug for me!”

I told her I would and waved goodbye. I drove over to Kenyetta’s school and found her waiting for me in our spot in the library. Since this was our last session, we’d mutually decided that we would not do homework of any kind but would spend our time talking and playing cards.

I brought Uno and Go Fish. I thought Dr. Drummond probably wouldn’t appreciate it if I taught his little girl how to play poker.

“Are you excited for your recital tomorrow?” I asked her.

She nodded. “My dad scheduled time off so he could be there. He’s even working late tonight, trying to get everything done.”

When you were one of the best oncologists in the state, it made sense that you didn’t get much free time.

“I still wish you could come, too.”

“I know. But I have to set up for prom, and it’s at the same time.”

“What’s a prom?” She asked me for a four, and I told her to go fish. She took another card from the top of the deck and added it to her hand.

“It’s like a big ball.”

She raised one eyebrow at me. “A ball?”

“Not the bouncy kind. The Cinderella kind. Like a big dance.”

Her eyes lit up. “So you get dressed up? Are you going with Jake?”

“Yep. Do you have any sixes?”

“Go fish.”

I grabbed a card and realized that Kenyetta had put her hand down and was rummaging through her backpack. “I have something I need to show you. I found it in my dad’s drawer.”

She took out what looked suspiciously like a ring box. She opened it up, and the huge rock perched on top of the tiny band nearly blinded me. I didn’t know a lot about jewelry, but this thing looked like it cost more than Jake’s car. Now I’d be having nightmares about her losing it and not returning it.

At first I wanted to ask her why she was going through her dad’s drawer, but instead, I closed the box and handed it back to her. “Put that in your backpack. Zip it up tight. And as soon as you get home, promise me you’ll put it right back where you found it.”

She returned it to her backpack and said, “I don’t want to put it back. I think he’s going to propose to Bahati.”

We had entered dangerous territory, and I needed to be careful about where I stepped. “That would probably make your dad really, really happy. He’s probably been lonely since your mom died.”

“He’s not alone. He has me.”

“I know he does. But it’s not the same. Think about how much you like Jake,” I told her, putting down a pair of eights on the table. “Grown-ups feel that same way, only a thousand times more. They like having a partner, somebody who can help them out and that they can count on. And that they can kiss and stuff.”

“Ew.”

“I think Bahati is really nice. And I’m kind of a stepmother expert since I’ve had almost as many of them as I have fingers on my hands. Most of them were terrible. But my dad’s girlfriend now? Jennifer? I really hope he marries her.”

“Why?”

“I’m in the same position as you. My parents can’t get back together.”

“Oh.” Her brown eyes looked so sad. “Is your mom dead, too?”

“Nope. Just evil. Anyway, Jennifer makes my dad happy, and I want him to be happy. I don’t want him to be alone. Bahati wouldn’t take your mom’s place. She could be a friend to you. And who can’t use more friends?”

She drummed her fingers against the table, thinking. “What if they have a baby and they forget all about me?”

“You, my dear, are unforgettable. When you add more people to your family, the love just grows bigger and bigger. And if they have a baby, you might get a sister. And having a sister is the best.”

Kenyetta shot me a skeptical look.

“I’m serious!” I protested. “Did I ever tell you about how I didn’t used to get along with Ella?”

“Why? She’s awesome.”

“That’s why. Because she’s awesome and does everything right and everyone loves her and it annoyed me. But the thing was, she was there for me. Ella showed up. She helped me. Even when I was awful to her, she did her best to be my sister. And it made me realize how much I loved her and how important she was to me.”

I put down another pair of cards and realized that Kenyetta wasn’t paying attention to the game, but to what I was saying. “It’s okay if you start out not liking someone and then change your mind.”

She nodded, her focus back on the cards. “I’m going to be sad when you leave and won’t tutor me anymore.”

“We’ll always be friends.”

“You’re going to college in the fall,” she protested.

“I won’t be too far away. And you can call me or text me any time you want. I’ll always be just a phone call away. You’re going to have to work a lot harder than that if you think you’re going to get rid of me so easily, Kenny-the-Pooh.”

“Ugh,” she said and rolled her eyes. “I never should have told you about that.” It was the nickname her father had given her as a baby because of her big, rolly tummy. Just like Winnie-the-Pooh.

“Too late. It’s in the vault now. At your wedding, when I’m your matron of honor, I’m going to announce it to the entire room.”

“You are so embarrassing,” she mumbled, but I saw her secretive smile at me promising to be a part of her life for a long time. Her phone buzzed, and she looked at it. “I gotta go. Bahati’s waiting for me out front.”

She gathered up her things, and I stayed quiet, not wanting to beat a dead horse. I’d done my best to nudge her toward trying to work things out with her potential future stepmom.

“I’m glad we got to work together and become friends. I’m going to miss being able to hang out with you every week,” I told her.

Without warning, she threw her arms around my neck, almost knocking me out of my chair. She didn’t say anything, just squeezed. And when the hug was over, she ran from the room. I found myself having to fight back tears, and I gulped several times, trying to keep them in. I’d known it would be hard to say goodbye to her. Just not this hard.

The thing that made me feel better was that I’d been like her Yoda. Not small and green, but more of a mentor since I could help her given that I’d been where she was. Who knew that playing Musical Chairs: Stepmothers Edition would make it so I could help someone else? Like the pain and annoyance had all been worth it just so that I could try and help Kenyetta down her path.

It made me wonder if someday I’d meet someone else with a terrible mother, and I could tell them been there, still haven’t murdered that.

I mean, assuming that I hadn’t.

I gathered up my things and headed home. As I pulled into the driveway, my phone chirped at me. It was a text from Ella.

YOUR DRESS IS COMPLETE. REPEAT, YOUR DRESS IS COMPLETE. YOU’RE GOING TO DIE, AND JAKE WILL LOSE HIS EVER-LOVING MIND. OVER.

Now this I had to see.