By Friday, Zadie had been avoiding Trevor as long as she could without incident. The incident happened in the parking lot as she pulled in. He was waiting on the curb.
“What’re you doing here? This is where every teacher in school parks.” She grabbed her purse and shut the door, looking around to make sure no one had spotted them.
“Why haven’t you called me?”
“Why haven’t you called Amy?”
He looked at her like she was high. “What’re you talking about?”
“Amy really likes you.”
“Whatever.”
“I just don’t think you should blow her off so easily.”
He looked at her and shook his head, making little annoyed sighs. “Is this your way of telling me we’re not gonna hook up again?” He looked hurt. Zadie immediately felt guilty
“Trevor, I’m sorry, I just don’t think it’s a good idea. We had a great night, and I think we should leave it at that.”
“But you said you liked it.”
“I did. You have no idea how much. And you’re going to have a million girls who like—it—as much as I do. But I can’t be your girlfriend. You’re my student.”
“I’m graduating in two weeks. We can hook up then. I won’t be your student anymore.”
As Zadie was struggling for an answer, Nancy pulled up in her Miata. Zadie gestured for Trevor to leave and he pulled his skateboard out from under his arm and wheeled across the parking lot, looking back at her as if she were the most heartless woman alive.
Nancy got out of her car and looked at Zadie. “What was Trevor Larkin doing in the teachers’ parking lot?”
“He had a question about his grade.”
“Well, if he needs extra credit, he knows where to find it … .” Nancy elbowed her as if it were just the most natural thing in the world to joke about having sex with Trevor. “I’m kidding. Can you imagine? I’d never be able to show my face here again. Lord, I’d never be able to show my face
anywhere
again.”
Zadie grimaced. Imagining it only too easily.
Grey showed up on her lunch hour. “Did you know about Cancún?”
She was sitting in the teachers’ lounge with Nancy, Dolores, and Mr. Jeffries, the gym teacher, and decided that the conversation might be better suited to the picnic tables on the quad. She rose and excused herself and walked outside with Grey.
“I found out the night of the bachelorette party. Gilda told me in the bathroom at the strip club. That’s when I yanked Helen out by the hair and took her back to the hotel.”
“Three guys?! In one night?”
“When did she tell you?”
“Last night.”
Zadie had been wondering how long it would take. She’d called Grey every day to monitor the progress of the reconciliation. So far, so good. They were talking. She’d spent the night twice. And then there was Cancún.
“So the whole virgin bit, the whole ‘I’ve never had a drink’ bit—it’s all bullshit. She’s a total fake,” he said.
“Apparently.”
“Who the hell does that?”
“Your girlfriend.”
“If she hadn’t made such a big deal about being a virgin, I wouldn’t even care, but she created a persona that’s completely false. Why lie? Why not just omit?”
“Maybe she was trying to convince herself.” Zadie could see Trevor across the quad, watching her. He was playing hackeysack with a group of guys, his eyes glued to Zadie.
Grey sat down on a bench and leaned forward, elbows on his knees. Zadie joined him, keeping one eye on Trevor. “Obviously she was ashamed of what happened, so she decided to start over and do a little reinvention.”
“I guess,” Grey said.
“Did she do anything in this scenario to deliberately hurt you?”
“Not.”
“And given the fact that you’ve slept with at least thirty women, are you really that horrified that she had three guys before she met you?”
“It would’ve been nice if they weren’t all on the same night … .”
“You did say you wished she would loosen up—”
He looked at her. “Listen to you, it’s like you’re negotiating a deal.”
“I’m just trying to keep things in perspective.”
Grey looked up, squinting across the quad. “Why does that kid keep staring at us?”
“Long story.”
“Is that your cover boy?”
“Yes. Stop looking at him.”
“I think he’s got a crush on you. He’s eyeing me like he wants to kick my ass.”
“Like I said. Long story.” She stood up. “Let’s go back inside.”
Grey smiled. “Oh, my God. You slept with him.”
Zadie motioned for him to lower his voice. “I am not going to discuss this at my place of employ.” She dragged him up off the bench and started pushing him toward the visitors’ lot.
“When did it happen? After Deep?”
“Goodbye, Grey.”
“Come on …”
“I’ll tell you another time.”
They got to his car and he beeped his door open. “So, what should I do about Helen?”
“You already know what you’re going to do.”
“I do?”
“Goodbye, Grey.” She walked back toward the school secure in the knowledge that Grey and Helen would remain a couple. As against it as she’d been all along, now she was their biggest champion. For reasons she still wasn’t sure of. She only knew that the less perfect Helen was, the more she liked her. And that she much preferred seeing Grey happy to seeing Grey miserable.
Sixth period came and Trevor sat down in the last row, brooding. After class, she called him up to her desk. He walked up, feigning indifference. “Was that your boyfriend?”
“That was my friend Grey. He’s marrying my cousin. The one with the strap-on.” The fact that Helen would now forever be described as “the one with the strap-on” amused Zadie to no end.
“Oh. Cool.” He smiled at her. Thinking he was still in the game.
“I have something for you.” She pulled out an envelope and handed it to him. It was Betsy’s letter of recommendation to Stanford. She’d called her at her office and had her fax it over, after giving her a quick recap of the latest on the Helen/Grey situation. Betsy wanted to hunt Jimbo down and press charges, but none of them could remember his last name.
Trevor opened it and read it quickly. “Sweet! This is awesome. You rock.” He put it in his notebook and looked back up at her, lowering his voice, even though no one else was in the classroom. “Can I see you tonight?”
Zadie looked at him and sighed. Knowing she shouldn’t. “There is one more thing I’ve always wanted to do with you.”
Zadie pulled herself up into a straddling position and shook her hair out of her face. They were in between sets and she needed to rest.
“I always pictured you as a shortboarder.”
Trevor was next to her on his 9’0. “Not on these waves.”
It was a perfect afternoon in Malibu. At least, perfect for Zadie. Small enough waves so that it wasn’t crowded with pros, but big enough for her to catch. The water was warm enough for her to wear her spring wet suit, which only went down to her knees. Trevor opted to brave the ocean in just his board shorts, showing off the torso that probably earned him more money in one photo shoot than Zadie made in six months.
“You’re good. Have you ever been in a contest?” she asked.
“Nah. Why get all stressed out about it? I just want it to be fun.”
“That’s a good philosophy.”
“You’re not too bad for someone who just learned how. You’re pretty flexible, though. I guess that helps.” He smiled at her, feeling clever that he’d managed to bring the conversation back to sex.
“Trevor …”
“I don’t see why we can’t do it just one more time. At least.”
“Because I feel like a dirty old woman.”
“But we’ve already done it.”
“Yes, but I’m sober now.”
“We can stop and get a bottle of Cuervo on the way home.”
A set was rolling in and she pointed at it. “Here we go.”
Trevor let go of the conversation long enough to lie down and paddle. He caught a good one, taking him all the way down to the pier. Zadie caught the next one, but some old man dropped in on her and she had to bail over the back side of the wave, giving her plenty of time to come up with an excuse for Trevor while he paddled back out to the break.
“How about this?” she asked as he sat up on his board next to her. “If I’m still single by the time you graduate from Stanford, I’ll be your girlfriend.”
“What if I’m over you by then?” he teased.
“Then it’s my loss.”
“How old will you be?”
“Thirty-five.”
He pretended to consider it, then shrugged. “So I just need to kill off all your boyfriends until then?”
Zadie splashed him. “Besides, you’ll probably come back from Europe this summer with some supermodel girlfriend.”
“Doubtful. Why would I want a girlfriend who lives in Europe?” He was always so logical, Zadie thought. How much easier her life would be if she could share that trait.
She squinted at the beach in front of them, watching as a little kid ran in and out of the water, squealing. “My ex-fiancé came over a few nights ago.” Zadie couldn’t believe she was telling him this. She hadn’t told anyone. Not even Dorian when she called her right afterward. It felt like something she had to process first before she could discuss it. Maybe Trevor was the easiest person to tell because he knew the least about it.
He frowned. “What happened?”
“He wanted to get back together.”
“After he dumped you on your wedding day? What a tool.”
“My thoughts exactly.” Zadie watched as the little kid on the beach flung a handful of wet sand at an unfortunate dog.
“So you told him to go to hell, right?”
“I was probably a little bit meaner than that, but yeah.” Another set came through, but they stayed sitting up on their boards, letting the waves pass.
“So are you okay?” he asked.
“Yeah. I am. It was all so ridiculous. Like I was watching him on TV or something.”
“Yeah, well, I watched his show once while I was high and he sucked. So it’s not like you’re missing out on any future Oscar parties or anything, trust me.”
That was the first time anyone had ever made her laugh about anything regarding Jack. Okay, that wasn’t entirely true. Grey had done an imitation of Jack opening his UPS box of dog doo that had made her pee herself. But Trevor’s comments were charming nonetheless.
“You’re the only person I’ve told. About him coming over.”
“How come?”
“I don’t know.” She smiled at him. “Maybe you’ll be in charge of all my secrets from now on.” She nudged him underwater with her foot and he grinned at her.
“I’m sorry if I’ve been brusque with you at school, it’s just—”
“I know,” he said. “It’s cool. I don’t want you to be unemployed when I come back for you in four years.” A piece of seaweed got caught in Trevor’s leash. Zadie leaned over to untangle it.
“Uh-oh. I just thought of something,” she said. “What if your band becomes famous? I’ll look so old next to all your groupies.”
“I’ll have money to buy you plastic surgery by then.”
She reached over to give him a shove as they paddled for the next wave. Riding it in together.
When Zadie got to Grey’s house, there were already a dozen or so people in the backyard: Bill, his law partner and best man, Betsy and her husband, Denise and Jeff and her now eight-month-pregnant belly, Marci and Kim and their sullen husbands, Jane, three of the groomsmen whose names Zadie had never even learned, and of course, Helen, beaming and glowing at the same time.
Every tree in the yard had been strung with white party lights, and bamboo tiki torches were planted in the lawn, sending their kerosene smoke into the night sky. Grey handed her a glass of wine. “Welcome to the reengagement party” Zadie gave him a kiss, then looked around the yard. Grey noticed. “Don’t worry. Mike will be here.”
“I know.” She smiled.
After the official reconciliation, Mike had called Zadie to congratulate her on her powers of persuasion. They’d talked for three hours. He didn’t say a single annoying thing the entire time. He’d called her back four times since then. She’d even been moved to tell her mother about him. Mavis was so excited that she almost dropped the phone.
Grey lowered his voice. “And if you’re nice, I won’t tell him you prefer hairless pretty boys.” Zadie swatted him on the arm.
After reestablishing their Thursday night ritual at Barney’s Beanery, Zadie had kept her promise and told Grey all there was to tell about Trevor. Frequency and girth included.
“Don’t laugh. If it doesn’t work out with Mike, you’ll be double-dating with me and Trevor in four years.”
“Why wait? Maybe he’ll let me be a roadie in his band. I can fill the beer bong.”
Zadie tolerated him. “Go ahead. Get it all out of your system now, before Mike shows up.”
He spotted his brother and walked over to say hello right as Helen caught sight of Zadie and came rushing over to give her a big hug. “Can you believe it? I told him everything and here we are.”
“Of course I believe it,” Zadie said. “He loves you.”
Helen held up her champagne flute. “Don’t worry. Just one glass.”
“No striptease tonight?” Zadie asked.
“Maybe a private one.” She winked in Grey’s direction, then grabbed Zadie’s hand.
“I really owe you.”
“I know you do,” Zadie said. “And I’m still holding you to my earlier threats. Hurt him and I will kill you.”
Helen smiled and hugged her again. “If I didn’t have a sister, you’d be my maid of honor.”
Zadie hugged her back. “Remember all those birthday presents that I never gave you?” She nodded in Grey’s direction. “We’re even.”
“I was always so jealous of you, you know,” Helen said. They’d finished hugging and Zadie looked at her, confused. Helen was jealous of
her
? “You’ve always been so honest. So—who you are—without worrying what anyone thought. I could never do that until now.”
Eloise walked up behind them with a new bizarre haircut and an equally hideous new pair of glasses. “Break it up, you two. It’s too early to get serious.”
Helen gave Eloise a quick kiss on the cheek and rushed off to check the appetizers. Leaving Zadie alone with Eloise.
“Zadie. How are you.” She said it in a way that implied no question, so Zadie didn’t bother to answer. “I suppose you heard I have a new boyfriend.”
No, Zadie hadn’t heard. Contrary to Eloise’s assumption, people did not discuss her.
“He’s a billionaire.”
“I’m sure he is,” Zadie said.
“Sex like you wouldn’t believe.”
“I don’t doubt it.”
“Why are you being so agreeable?” Eloise asked, suspicious.
“Why wouldn’t I be?”
Eloise gave her a look and walked away. Zadie marveled at her luck. Jane glided over with her drink and looked Zadie up and down. “You look
fantastic
.”
“Thanks,” Zadie said. She was wearing a tight knit top and a short black skirt. The first sexy outfit she’d put on in months.
“Need a summer job?” Jane asked.
“I appreciate the offer, but I’ll pass,” Zadie said.
When Mike walked out onto the patio, he looked around for a moment before spotting her, giving her time to smooth her hair down and stand up straight. When he caught sight of her, he smiled and walked toward her.
“Okay, good, I wasn’t too drunk at the rehearsal. You’re still hot.”
Zadie raised an eyebrow at him.
“I thought I’d lead with my most obnoxious comment,” he said, “that way, I’ve only got room to improve for the rest of the night.” He gave her a kiss on the cheek and held out his hand to Jane. “I’m Mike, Grey’s roommate from USC.”
“Jane, Helen’s friend from high school.”
Mike looked at both of them. “So what do you think the odds are they’ll make it to the altar this time?”
“Significantly higher if she stays home the night before,” Jane
said. She looked across the lawn and saw Betsy waving her over. “Excuse me, I think Betsy wants to give me a lecture.”
“You might be surprised,” Zadie said. “I think our night out had some lasting changes for her. Maybe she wants some advice.”
“As long as she doesn’t want to work for me.”
As Jane walked over to Betsy, Mike asked, “Is she a broker or something?”
“In a way,” Zadie answered. She turned to smile at him. He was just as good-looking as she’d remembered. Dark, touchable hair. Brown-gold eyes. Dimples. Broad shoulders. Blue button-down and jeans. Appropriate footwear—no visible toes. “How long was the drive up?”
“An hour and forty-five.”
“You must drive like an old woman.”
“It’s one of my best traits.”
When they’d talked on the phone, Zadie had discovered that he lived in a loft in the Gaslamp Quarter and walked to work. Which meant that he wouldn’t be too burned out from commuting all week to drive to L.A. on the weekends. A definite plus. She’d also discovered that he surfed better than Grey, he’d had long-term relationships with three women, all of whom he was still friendly with, and that he’d never seen a single second of
Days of Our Lives.
“So you actually have three months off with nothing to do?” he asked.
Graduation had been last week. She’d made sure Amy was sitting next to Trevor.
“Yep. Any suggestions?”
“I hear Crazy Girls is hiring.”
“You still owe me that lap dance, by the way,” she said.
“I don’t know—I hear you’re a bad tipper.”
“Depends on what you’re worth,” she teased.
“Got a quarter?”
There was nothing more charming than a man who was confident enough to be self-deprecating. “I’ve got a whole dollar if you’re saucy enough,” she said.
“You’re on. Just let me get a couple glasses of cabernet in me and we’ll retire to the garage. My act includes power tools.”
Zadie could not have liked him more at this point. The fact that he had his hand on the small of her back made him even more appealing. She liked a man who wasn’t afraid to touch. Right as she was deciding that he was indeed her next boyfriend, Grey stood up on the steps in front of the patio and called for everyone’s attention. Helen was beaming by his side.
“We realize some of you may be wondering why we’ve gathered you here, since the last time you saw us, we were screaming at each other in the lobby of the Beverly Hills Hotel.”
“Grey!” Helen swatted him. “You’re not supposed to talk about that.”
Grey shrugged. “I figure we owe you all an explanation, since you rented tuxes and bought what I’ve been assured are very tasteful bridesmaid dresses. The situation is—Helen and I are getting married.”
The crowd cheered.
“However—”
The crowd booed.
“We’re going to take it a little slower this time. As some of you may know, it takes time to get a background check.”
Helen swatted him again, as everyone laughed.
“But I’m confident that at the end of this year, we’ll actually make it to the ceremony. So if you can keep New Year’s Eve open, you’ll all have a good party to go to.”
Zadie smiled.
Finally
a New Year’s Eve worth getting dressed up for.
Mike leaned over to whisper in her ear. “Okay, I know it’s short notice, and I know we’re both in the wedding so we don’t really need dates, but I’m pretty much planning on you being mine, so try not to fuck up before then.”
She elbowed him in the ribs and turned back to watch Grey and Helen kiss as everyone raised their glasses.
Love was a beautiful thing.