The Unwritten Rule (5 page)

“Hi, Sarah Are you listening? Brianna said, shaking his hand on my face. Not what I meant as it sounded. Just do not know what to do with Ryan, and keep it with me. And then the thing about Greg … “She turned and rolled her eyes. Never kiss someone else if she kissed Ryan. I shook my head, trying to erase that thought, and my mom played in the door. “Just wanted to see if you both needed something. “We’re fine,” I said, my voice lasts and Mom said, “Well, I was just checking. “I love your parents,” said Brianna, slow voice. I wish they were mine. I shook it and try to concentrate on your hickey. Try not to think about Ryan and how he still turned around to see another. Try not to think about how she felt her mouth with mine. “Hey, my mom took me to see my father today, he said, his voice was still slow. Do you want … you come with me? The look. I was looking at my window now, fiddling with her hair in her fingers. His fingers were trembling slightly. “Sure,” I said, and she hugged me and told me it would be fun. We both knew it was a lie.

Ten

My parents are fine with me going to Brianna’s, but my father reminded me to come home for dinner.

“Well, you have to do it,” says Mom, but as this means for her to cook, so I say, “I will come. She sighs and says, “Well. I want to try my recipe for pizza again. You do not mind do you? I shake my head, because although bread and pizza do not sound like a good diet, it is quite difficult to refuse the pizza, which is essentially several layers on top. Brianna’s house is being cleaned when we got there, and she stops and talks to two women who do, are in the kitchen, scrubbing the countertops. “I thought I would go to Luke’s soccer game,” he tells one, who shakes his head and says, “Our car was damaged again, so …” and he shrugs. The other, which is larger and has a hair has been bleached, with thick black eyebrows are as obvious as it has bangs that fall to meet with them, he says: Thanks for the other day. Brianna shakes her head. “It was nothing. My mother … have seen? The dark eyebrows of shakes his head. “Although I heard it. Has been up since we arrived. Brianna turns and says: “Ready. - So what did you do? I ask as we go straight to his room, and she looks over her shoulder. - What?

“The woman in the kitchen … I thanked Brianna shakes her hand, saying goodbye, - What, Gloria? Only took her and her mother to the doctor the other day. “It was nice of you I say, and Brianna shrugs. “No big deal. I did not want to do homework and really wanted a cheeseburger, so it’s not as if about to leave anyway. This is classic Brianna. She’ll do something nice and then swear that he or she had something else to do, and the nice thing just happened. We became friends because of that, in fact. In preschool, my best friend was Meredith who told me we were best friends in the first day of school and hit the front tooth of someone with a ball-by accident ? Tetherball later. I was afraid of it, that Meredith liked because it meant he could tell me to do all the time, which he did. For when he had been in preschool for a month had gone to the doctor twice, once because I had put a piece of foam in the nose (because Meredith had told me it did) and another because something was stuck in ear (again, foam and Meredith) and was waking up every morning with stomach pain. Classes had gone one day, shivering a bit while waiting I met Meredith and Brianna came to me and said: “I lost my pencil, is a star. Would you help me find it? “No,” Meredith said, coming towards us, and not even looked at Brianna, I just smiled and said, “Please? I turned around, because of course Brianna wanted to help find her pencil. She was pretty. Everyone wanted to play with her. And never, never someone to tuck into foam in the nose. Or in the ear. “No,” Meredith said again, very strong this time, and gave me a look of you-to-be-crushed. “You have to,” said Brianna, and finally looked at Meredith. Ms. Johnson said when asked. “No, he did,” said Meredith.

“Go and ask,” said Brianna, and Meredith frowned, looked at our teacher, who was fond of Meredith and then said: “A pen with a star on it is stupid, like you. “Come,” Brianna said, as if Meredith had not said a word, and when I went to find the pen, she whispered that he actually had one to spare, and that if I wanted. I turned, and when she gave it to me said: - Are you sitting next to me at the time of the story? , And just like that, I did not get back to what Meredith was saying. I was free, and Brianna was the only one he had. She saved me. Once when we were in fifth grade, I asked him why he came to me that day. She looked like she was crazy and then said: Because Meredith was so poor you! And also had a pen to get rid of, remember? I had turned and looked at Brianna’s dress, where he knew, kept the most important things, and I saw the pencil with the star on it with a small stuffed cat her father had given him. I loved her so much then, and still I have my home star pen, tucked in a desk drawer. - Well? Brianna says now, and the look. A girl was nice to me because he saw it needed someone to help me. A person who knows me so well and has been a big part of my life to go out with other people has never seemed important or even necessary. She smiled and she said her neck. - See? “No,” I say, because she has covered the contraption, it has disappeared. No longer. And it is true, not just makeup, but because I think about it again. Nor does Ryan think of kissing again. I will be a real best friend again. “Well,” she says, then quiet as we hear footsteps in the hallway. I turned toward the door, waiting, and I swallow as I step away, going up. “We better go,” he says after a moment, and spin me.

His mother is not down, and cleaning people, who are now collecting their things and preparing to leave, tell Brianna that she is outside. “You look good,” says the woman with a child playing soccer, and the other, eyebrows, he says: You’re right, you look good. “Thanks,” said Brianna. Do you have … everything? The woman turns, and the eyebrows she shakes her head. “Great,” says Brianna. Sorry for the last time. If I had enough money … “he looks. I regret very much that Mom was so busy at work that could not answer my calls. “Do not worry about it, honey,” says the woman with dark eyebrows. You’re not supposed to you should pay us. Do you see you next week? Brianna turns and then heads to the deck that is behind his house, opening the glass door leading to it. I follow and I look as I walk into the sunlight. Brianna’s mother is standing on the deck, carefully inspecting her dress, smoothing the sleeves of black silk blouse is fantastic. I do not think the dry cleaners this properly ironed. These cuffs do not look ironed at all for me. Do they seem pressed for you, Brianna? “They look great. You cool lights, “says Brianna, and her mother shrugs and looks at his feet. - What about my shoes? I bought them yesterday and they looked fantastic in the store, the clerk said they were made for my feet, but now I’m thinking it may be very sharp. I do not want my feet look sharp. “I do not look like this, Mom,” says Brianna. You really look great. Where do we meet with Dad? - Uhmmmm? “Says his mother, and finally looks at Brianna. Oh, Brianna, I told you not use that color of eye shadow. Makes you look tired. “Sorry,” says Brianna. Where do we meet with Dad? “If he comes, we shall see in the cafería in Patterson.

- If you come from? “Well, I had to call the lawyer again,” said Brianna’s mother. Your father is behind on paying your childhood help again, no matter you have raised, in addition to increased work and do not have time to remember their responsibilities. “Oh,” says Brianna. I … I will call to see if it comes. “I may have to go to work then because things are like crazy there, as always, and I have a ton of things to finish before the meeting next week. Call me if he comes and I … well, we’ll see you there because he and I need to talk and he evade, as always, unless she kisses you, “Brianna’s cheek before moving my hand towards the house. Brianna looks on the court, his back very tense, and I know he’s trying not to mourn. I know it takes a minute, because it always takes a minute after talking with her mother. The mere fact of being near his mother makes me feel miserable. I do not know how he supports Brianna. Looking back inside his house, his mother to see reverse your car into the garage and leave. “Better call my father,” Brianna says a moment later, his muffled voice, his eyes never meet mine, and I say, “Okay,” and we went inside, into the kitchen. Brianna calls her father while I sit at the kitchen table. The conversation is quite short. “Hi, Brianna. My father is there? Oh. Do I stop a number? No? Okay, thanks. What? No, I’m fine. Thanks, Kerri. And tell my father that should not make you work weekends! Goodbye! Hangs up and moves his fingers along the kitchen counter. “He’s busy,” he says after a minute. Is showing a lot of homes today. Kerri says it was a last minute thing, looks at me. I bet you anything they finished going to court again. “Oh, Brianna,” I say, getting up and giving him a hug. Sorry.

“Me too,” she says. It’s happening, the only time I see my father’s when my mother makes me go to court for it to show the judge who is raising a teenager alone and not getting anywhere near enough to pay for it.

“We could go look,” I say, and she shakes her head. “If I wanted to see me, I would,” he says. Can we go home? “Sure,” I say, and how life supports Brianna with her mother. How to support the fact of never seeing her father. Has no choice.

TRANSLATED BY: Silvery and will be corrected by: cYeLy DiviNNa

and back in my home, my mother Brianna helps to examine the trays to serve again and I observed, my mother asking about the school Brianna and Ryan, and Brianna glowing attention. “Well, eight weeks will be very soon,” he says. That’s the longest time I’ve been seeing someone. We will make a two-month anniversary! “He seems very nice,” says Mom, carefully inspecting another tray. “It is,” says Brianna. The day after the first time we actually tracked me down here and knocked. Is not that a sweet? I drink and watch the hands. They turned into fists on the table. I force myself to relax them. “It’s delightful,” says my mother. Sarah Bear, what are you doing tonight? -Duties. “You can not do your homework on your own on a Saturday night,” says Brianna. You can hang out with me and Ryan. No. No, no, no, no, no, no. “Okay, because all you need three people quoted saying. “Just going to do homework at home,” says Brianna, and see my mother. I swear, Ryan looks even more than Sarah. Sometimes when I’m around them I can feel that I become more intelligent. So, really, I need around me all the time, right?

“Well, I think you are so clever,” says mom, and Brianna smiles, with a high gloss, so happy. - Really? “Of course. But if you want Sarah to go with you, on my right, and thanks for helping me with the inspection of all trays. “I like to do things how are you,” says Brianna, and smiles at me mockingly. See? Your mother wants you to come, gets up and pulls me to my feet. Let us go to your room. I need to fix my eye shadow and stuff. “Okay, why want me around again when you’re supposed to Ryan? “I say when we are in my room and she takes borrowed some of the shadows of my mother’s eyes. “I just thought it would be fun for us to hang out like we did last night. “But not really hang out last night, I say. We went to a party, try not to look at his neck. I try not to think about anything at all. “We did more than hang out. First we saw a movie, remember? And it’s not like you had not gone before us. Even came to bowling with us on our first date, remember? Well, not our first official date, but you know. Were there. “Everybody was there, Brianna. It was the feast of the founding of the school. Even my parents were there! I remember that night …. Brianna remember how he came to us because his mother was working late, as usual, so she and my father and I had been bowling. My parents even played pretty well for them, and then he came and greeted Ryan. “Hey, Sarah, Brianna, had said. How goes it? “Well, I had mumbled, recalling the party where we had been last night. How he talked to me and then had gone with Brianna.

How had called my house this morning and I thought for a crazy second, he had called to talk to me, but then, when Brianna heard me say - Ryan? ? Had grabbed me by the arm, grinning, and whispered:

-Sarah, called me here! And after that you just mentioned above that you probably would today. Completely liked. So i had said, “Wait, Brianna is here,” and handed the phone to it, capturing a smile on my face when Brianna had laughed and talked and concluded: “Well, maybe I’ll see you tonight at the site of the skittles “and he swung round with a trip after he had hung up. “Everything suddenly looks a lot better,” Brianna Ryan had told then, when Dad rolled the ball on the other bowling alley and had seen Ryan blush and say, “Oh. Am, thank you, “before I got up and pretended that he wanted to see my mother trying not to land his ball on the channel as well. Had ended spending most of the night virtually glued to my parents, pretending he did not see Brianna and Ryan talking about just a few paces away. Ryan had tried to act like he was not there just for Brianna, which was nice of you, but your silly questions (How are you, you’re having fun? You have fun last night? I could not speak This was not a question and he was just being nice since the end going with Brianna as soon as she had arrived and had seen) were all that said, as if it had Brianna so shy he could not think of anything say the same thing over and over again. Finally, Brianna had said, “Oh oh. See how Sarah’s face is all wrinkled, Ryan? It only seems so when you are upset. Sarah, you’re ruining the concentration in bowling? “Oh,” Ryan told me. It was not my intention, that is, obviously was talking about, but I did not mean to bother you. “I’m fine,” I said as carefully as I could, and saw Brianna whisper in the ear of Ryan. Ryan was blushing, but then turned to Brianna. She smiled her smile, the smile was for him, and when they left a few minutes later, I pretended it was fine. Had embraced automatically but did not hear what I whispered in his ear. I could not bear to hear it.

Had pretended it did not take Ryan’s arm and went with him.

She had cried for what felt forever that night, but it was not forever. He had learned when Brianna came the next day and told me what had happened. I was sitting there, listening to her talk about Ryan until I was sure it was a thousand years old and the universe was on the verge of death, but only an hour had passed. Only a little time, and when Brianna was preparing to meet with Ryan, who was going out with her for a pizza (- just him and me! ?), I got a ball in my bed and waited to mourn again . I never did. I was too sad for tears, a deep wound and unnamed form that made me feel ashamed (Brianna was my best friend) and angry (I had talked to him first! Why had not wanted to continue talking to me? Why ?), and finally, everything just turned away. “Hey, you have to fix you to leave now,” says Brianna. Oh! You should wear your purple shirt. Looks good. “I really do not think you should go, say, sitting on my bed. Last night was rare enough … - Odd? Why was it funny? Ryan and I seem strange? “It looks like it rare? “No,” I say automatically, to stop the worry in his voice. “Something was strange, I know,” he says, “Your face is all tense and I know what that means. Are you sure you do not say anything about me? - Does it really matter? “I say, my voice rising. That is, hello, it’s not like you’re thinking of him all night, Brianna. You were with Greg, remember? “I was not with him,” she says, her voice shrill. It was just … you know how things happen sometimes, right? Dresser-away and sit by my side. Okay, you may not know it, but you’re dancing with a very nice guy and I were saying how great you are, would not you like? A part of me wanted to scream, “No, no I would! Because I would be happy with Ryan! ? But another part of me knew exactly what he was talking. Remember how he wanted things that should not last night. As I did things I should not have done last night.