When I got home, I texted with Lyndon, like, a lot. I told him I was looking forward to Friday but that I wanted to have a conversation before the movie. Not just a movie, so we get to know each other. He liked the idea, so no problem there. The movie choice, however, was problematic, so he ended up proposing to have another date instead. He actually used the word date first...
After brainstorming ideas, he proposed something else. "What about a movie, but in my home movie theater? And now, this isn't a trick to get you alone." I didn't say yes right away, but eventually, it felt like the best option.
I still spoke to my parents about it, with Edith pitching in.
"If he does anything weird, I'll hold his left arm while Charlie holds his right while you kick him in the nuts," she proposed.
Mom was outraged, but Dad found it funny.
I did call Olivia first to know what I missed, as she is in more of my classes than Lyndon is, and in the end, I missed nothing.
So I told her. "Lyndon asked me out on a date."
"Oh, are you happy?"
"I guess? I mean, I still don't see it. But if I don't try anything, I won't know."
She laughed at that. "It's how I had my first date."
"You weren't sure you wanted to go?"
"Oh, no, I mean, I was the Lyndon in that situation. I had a major crush on the girl. She was bi-curious, but ultimately, she was straight."
"We can't win them all."
She sighed. "No, we can't."
The next day, Lyndon waited for me at the bus in the morning and walked with me to my locker. He was in a great mood and wanted to know about my snack preferences.
The reality is that I didn't want any snacks, so I proposed "popcorn, no butter, no salt."
He agreed without any arguments.
The morning went on without a hitch, putting almost no memory in my mind. How can I remember what I did the day after my sister's adoption and the day before my first date?
Well, when I got to the dance studio, I didn't find Mrs. Sanchez, which threw me off, until I realized I wasn't in the right place.
I ran to the stage and found her with a senior, placing wooden crates.
"Ah, Julie, so, is Edith officially adopted?"
"She is!"
"Well, congratulations. Yesterday, Victor and I played with the lasers, and I did your routine to find the optimum spots. It might need a few adjustments, but I think we have a winner. And the best is that the lasers will alternate between three phases thanks to motors rotating plastic discs with holes on them. This allows varying the timing. We, of course, all put on protective glasses. Lasers are no joke!
I didn't have my final soundtrack yet, so Mrs. Sancher used the original Everybody Knows to time my routine. I wasn't doing the whole song, but we could just stop it when I was done.
I tried my routine, and we moved the boxes a little simply because Mrs. Sanchez is taller than I am, so when she does the same movements that I do, she moves more on the stage than I do.
For the lasers, it was simple to adjust, but I had trouble with the timing.
At first, Mrs. Sanchez was very patient, but as time went on, each time I crossed one of the lasers, she became more and more irritated.
I couldn't be as consistent with the timing as she was.
Finally, it's Victor who has an idea.
"We selected the timing based on you, Mrs. Sanchez. Maybe I can darken more of the disks to give her more time."
She sighed and agreed. "It's not like we have a ton of time."
"Sorry," I said.
"No, it's not really your fault. We are trying something extremely hard. I blame mostly myself for agreeing to the plan."
This made me sad. If I couldn't keep it, it wasn't her fault, so I decided to change my ways completely.
"What if I used the lasers instead of the song for timing?" I proposed.
Mrs. Sanchez put both of her hands under my chin. "That beautiful brain of yours. Of course, that's what you need to do. I should have thought about it! Wow," she let me go, and I tried again.
This time, it was much better. We needed to alter a few timings, but by seconds. Overall, it was a much better performance, and by the time lunch was ending, we felt we had it right.
Our main issue, however, was the start-up sequence.
At the end of the sequence, we hadn't quite done 3 turns of the wheels. This added an element of randomness to my practice.
Victor solved it by marking the start on one of the wheels of a sideways laser. That way, we could let it go until it returns to the start. This gave me perhaps 15 seconds to breathe and the same delay for Mrs. Sanchez to reset the soundtrack.
Victor left first, but then Mrs. Sanchez asked me something. "Listen, the recital is next week, if you recall. We are almost there, but you still need more consistency. It's my fault. I agreed to this setup when you'd only been dancing for a few weeks. But you are so close, Julie."
"I can do it."
"Oh, I know you can. We will have more practice if you want Saturday, but I won't be able to be there fully. You know, the election."
"I know."
"But would you want to practice Sunday morning here? With Gabriella?"
"Wait, we could come here on Sunday morning and practice nude?"
"I have the key. And we would be alone. I thought it could be a great encouragement to your efforts, you know?"
I smiled. This was completely unexpected.
"You have the keys?"
"Ellie does. We've become good friends. I'll check with her. It might not work, but she offered it to me."
I smiled and thanked her.
The rest of the afternoon also went on in a blur, for a different reason.
That evening, I went to Marge's house, where I told her about my date. She was thrilled for me! Truly happy.
Edith also came to see her boyfriend, but unlike Marge and me, they both stayed dressed.
The four of us did homework, mostly in silence, at the kitchen table until Ellie arrived.
"Wow, I can clearly see who came to see which of my children," she said, laughing.
Ellie undressed in her room and came back to offer drinks. Edith took some water, but that was it.
When my sister and her boyfriend left, Ellie joined us at the table.
"So, girls, how are you?"
"Good, Mom," said Marge.
"Good, Ellie. Actually, I had something to ask. Did Mrs. Sanchez talk to you about Sunday yet?"
"Oh, right, so you can practice. Sure, I can unlock the school for you both. I often do it for teachers."
"She proposed we practice nude since we could be alone. Do you think that's wise?"
She thinks. "If in the morning, sure. The janitor and the principal are Baptists and spend all morning at church. The three of us have the key. Sure, the school district does too, but, like, why would they come over the weekend?"
"You know about their weekend plans?"
"Julie, I am the school secretary. I know about everyone's plans. People talk to me or in front of my desk."
"Right."
It's Ellie who dropped me off because she needed to talk to my mom about the election. I took the opportunity to tell my parents about the Sunday practice in front of her, in case they had questions.
My mom decided to compromise by attending the practice but would remain clothed to stand watch, just in case.
Ellie stayed long enough to actually undress, but I went into my room to recenter myself.
This was a big week. The adoption, the practice, the election, my first date.
So I called Olivia.
I didn't have anything to talk about. I guess I was just, well, nervous or overwhelmed. I had just seen Marge, and Edith was with Charlie. My parents were with Ellie. It would have felt weird to call or text Lyndon. He would have my Friday evening; tonight was for me.
As it turned out, Olivia had plenty to say.
"I might get more hours at work."
"For real?"
"When they hired me at the shop, I was working only a few hours, and only because, well, they had no one. I was there to pick up the shifts no one wanted, and it suited me. It was in the evening after school, during the week."
"Right. Perfect for you."
"But I was 14. Now, I am 15, and, well, I have more experience."
"Wait, did I miss your birthday?"
"I don't celebrate my birthday, Julie. It's too painful."
"We can't have that! You are my friend."
"Yeah, and each birthday reminds me that my parents don't take care of me and that soon, I won't even have a roof over my head."
"Ok, I get that. Are you saving some money, at least?"
"Well, yeah. Especially thanks to your lunches."
"Hey, my pleasure. And I am losing weight, but I think I might continue the intermittent fasting. I feel great."
"If you need your lunch, just eat it. It's yours. But you are helping me a lot. I have almost $4000 in my bank account and another $1500 in the house. Not enough to be on my own, but with more hours, I might just make it, you know?"
"I am sad about your situation."
"Well, the best I can do is accept it and then do what I can to help. I'll deal with the pain when I have money for therapy."
"I like how pragmatic you are. I hope you will come to the recital."
"And miss your debut? I wouldn't. It's after school, right?"
"Well, it's a lot later than school, but yeah. I am staying for the last repetition."
"I think I will stay too."
"Hey, my parents will bring food. Maybe we can share, or I can have them make some for you. I'll say you are my moral support."
She laughs. "Moral support. I like that."
We soon hang up, and I realize that I missed Ellie's departure. I took a bath and shaved my legs and armpits again.
Yes, I need to do that now! The joy of puberty!
The one thing I can't convince myself to do is shave my pubic hair. I waited so long to get more of it; I am never shaving them, and if I get a boyfriend who only likes the smooth look, well, he can get himself another girlfriend.
Instead of just a story, I got a double team of parents giving me safety tips for my date. I didn't need them, but I realized something.
Olivia didn't just go on dates; she actively dated girls without her parents knowing anything. Who would have been there for her if she got a toxic girlfriend?
Edith had both our parents and Ellie (and later Richard too) if Charlie misbehaved. Mindy has her parents and James if Billie does. Marge seemed to have decided to remain silent about her dating history, but it was her decision. She knew she could count on her parents.
Olivia had no one.
Edith came home during this talk and undressed on her own. She came to wish me a good night, giving me a hug, and then went for a shower while Dad read me my actual story.
One more day, and I have a date!