Trailer Park Princess (8 page)

“Where’s the nerd herd?” I ask.
             

“They had a sleepover with the boy in lot E4. I just checked on them, and they were out. Where’s Thax?” he asks as he throws the popcorn up and catches it in his mouth.

“Sleepin’.”I push his hand. “Move over, you big lug; I wanna sit, too.” I plop down, forgetting about my uber short shorts and no panty issue till it’s too late. I throw my leg over his and
HELLO SUNSHINE
! I almost pass out I jump up so fast.

“What’s wrong?” he asks.

“Oh, uh, nothing…I am going to grab my blanket.” I make my way to the bedroom. Oh my God, I cannot believe I was just all in his face with my va-jay-jay waving at him. There is no way he did not see that.
None
! I make my way back wrapped up like a double stuffed burrito. Seriously, I’m wrapped so tight I cannot even bend at the knees. I try to lean back and almost trip, which would have landed me face first in Rome’s crotch.
THIS IS NOT MY NIGHT
! Luckily, he reaches out and grabs me, laughing.

“Rory, you are going to kill yourself, you klutz.”
  I know my face is fifteen shades of red right now. He’s right; I’m being ridiculous. It’s Rome for Pete’s sake; he does not even care.

“Sorry, Rome, I wasn’t really in the mood to miss my movie to change clothes, but I did not realize I was going to put on a show when I flopped down. This is my way of making sure I do not violate you again.” I giggle to slice the awkwardness.

“Well, crazy girl, l wouldn’t call you out, but since you brought it up…”
He actually smirks! “
I did not even get to say hello back!”

I smack at him before covering my face. “Ugh, I am so embarrassed!” He moves me around, helping us both get comfortable, and straightens out the blanket over my legs. I continue to hide my face behind my hands.

“Seriously, Princess, it’s fine. No biggie, I swear. It’s not the first time I’ve seen it. Well, not yours, but
it
!” he says, waggling his eyebrows. “However, if it will help you, I can show you mine, and we will be even.” He bursts out laughing as I drop my hands down.

“Holy cow, Rome, what?! NO! Just stop it!” I swat him yet again and turn my face back towards the TV. This conversation is O-V!

I must fall asleep somewhere halfway or so through the movie because I am jarred awake slightly as Rome takes me to my bed. He has been my protector since the first second we met, and it’s a pattern that has continued. He is like a big brother to me, which is why I almost flinch as he tucks me in, turns on my fan, flips off my desk lamp, and kisses the top of my head. “Night, Princess. Sweet dreams till morning.” Then, he whispers very quietly, “By the way, I may have seen a lot in my life, but your peep show tonight was bar none the best ever. Proof of how perfect you truly are.” He tucks the hair behind my ear, pulls the sheet up, and pulls my door shut as he leaves. I know he will lock the door, but I shoot straight up, wide-eyed and panicking just a bit. What the hell just happened?

Me- Mando, we gotta talk!

Mando- Tomorrow? Kinda busy w/ my plastic friend!

Me- EWW MANDO EWW
! Yes, tomorrow.

Me-Do
n’t forget to recharge your man ;-)

Sitting on the half-broken swing on Amandolette’s  gran’s porch, I recap the entire night along with a few other things that have happened lately. Mando has this soured, puckered look on her face. I cannot decipher if it’s a floored look or if it’s an almost pissed off look. Then, she speaks, “Look, Rory, I know you are all torn up over this, but seriously, something has to give. Toby wants you; Rome adores you, and you are stringing them both along.
  I know you don’t mean to, but you are.”
Yep, she is pissed!
“All I can say is, pick one.” She stomps her foot and all of a sudden, I am grabbed from behind. I hear the squeals of the sweetest little nerd herd ever. My eyes jump out of my head. I just know who is behind me, and oh my God…
How much did he hear?
Rome’s standing off the porch behind the swing when I turn. He’s smiling ear to ear but looking totally clueless.
THANK GOD!

“So ladies…what we talking about out here on Ms. B’s porch swing?”
 I let the air seep out of my slightly parted lips and blink, praying to baby Jesus he really didn’t hear. I cannot handle two mishaps in a twenty-four hour span.

“Nothing, Rome, we are getting ready to head out to do our nails for prom!” Amandolette turns to look at me as she walks in. “I’ll be ready in five minutes. Pick one, Rory. You have to.” Pointing her finger and bugging her eyes out at me, she walks away.

I get up and head towards the other side of the park where my dungeon sits. “Rome, can Thax hang with you for a few hours? I shouldn’t be long.”

Of course, he complies.

I love the nail salon. It’s a girly place; it’s quiet; and it’s clean. My natural nails are shortened, rounded, and polished with a clear coat, costing me a whole twelve dollars. It’s well worth it.
  Mando, of course, has pulled out all the stops. She gets a pedi, too, so her nails now match her toes. They are long and squared with white tips, but between the natural color and the white is a swoop of silver with a little fake diamond to the side. That set her back about seventy-five dollars once all was done. She looks magnificent!

“Mando, do you have a date for the prom yet?” I look at her. She’s no longer mad at me and swears she never was, but I saw the death rays. Something is up.

“No, I figure I will go alone this year. Those high school guys are a joke!” Walking out of the nail shop, she winks and bursts out laughing. “Besides, I need to woman-hear-me-roar, ya know.”

We make our way towards the food court. She informs me that she is treating me to frozen yogurt before we head home.
Yum!
They have the best sugar-free, fat free, strawberry yogurt ever. Licking my spoon like a happy child, I ask, “Do you think you could ask Rome to go with you? I mean, he’s not in high school, and there is no way he would cramp your style.”

Her eyes bug out, and she drops her spoon with her t
ongue hanging out. “OH-M-DOUBLE-EFFING-G, did he say he wanted to go with me?” I smile going with my ‘If I do not talk; I cannot lie’ rule. “Oh, wow…um… you know, Rory, would you be OK with that? I know we are all friends, but is that pushing it? I mean, he is sort of yours…”

I am stunned stupid at that statement. “He is so not mine, Mando; you know that! He is one of my best friends
, who just happens to be around a lot. He is like a brother to me. I would love y’all to go together. We can be a group, and it would do Toby some good to spend some more time around Rome. You know, maybe he could figure out for himself how we are. I hate the mess going on. I love Toby more than living. He needs to comprehend that.”

I miss Toby dearly, and the more I talk with Mando today, the more I start to understand what she was saying. It still sucks monkey nuts, though. I love them both so differently. They do everything opposite of each other, and I could not live without either of them. I refuse to ever have to choose. If either of them ever thought I had to, then that would be the one who would lose.

After a little butt kissing on my part, Rome agrees to go to prom with me… I mean us. He looks so debonair standing in my living room waiting for me. I can see him pacing nervously while he waits for me to finish. Mando needs to hurry with picking us up, so we can head over to meet Toby…
At The Diner, of course!
I will never set foot in his house again as long as I live.

“
Ready or not, here I come. Do NOT laugh!” I say as I slowly start to open my door. It does not escape me that Rome is the one picking me up for my prom, not Toby. I swear…he could have done this one thing. I get it, though. Actually…I do not. Just once, could he not suffer through it for me? I do lots of things I hate for him. I am starting to see with my eyes wide open. He refuses to do much of anything for me if it inconveniences him.

“Come on, Princess, before I have a heart-a-stroke already.” Rome’s honey voice melts me
, coming from the other side of the door.  I open it  slowly and slide out. His eyes start at my feet, and he smiles at my shiny black shoes. I am sure he has no clue they are from Walmart, and I am positive, even if he did, he wouldn’t care. Slowly his eyes make their way up my naked legs. I swear he is drooling. I get a nervous twitch and rub my hands together.

“Did you know that rubber bands last longer if you put them in the fridge?” I blurt out.
Why do I spout off when I freak out?!

“Princess, you don’t have to be nervous. I’m not even your date. But if there was a God, I would be.” He walks over to me, and I notice he has a box in his hand. “Despite the fact that I am not your date, please accept this. It feels right to me.”  I open it, and it’s a beautiful single red rose wristlet with a few pieces of baby’s breath all wrapped in black ribbon.

“Rome, you shouldn’t have. It’s beautiful.” He wraps it around my wrist, and I smell it and almost cry; although, I am not sure why.

“Princess, this dress is going to get you in trouble. I am so glad I will be close by because you are going to need me.” I guess the high front/low back was a good pick. “Your hair is beautiful, and you smell like the sun,” he says sniffing—
yes sniffing--
my hair. I cannot help but giggle at that statement. “Don’t take this wrong… You’re stunning tonight. But your face doesn’t need all that makeup on it to be so… perfect. Everything about you is simply perfect.”

I step back from him in awe. He is being so sweet. I cannot figure out where it’s coming from, but it feels perilous. So I defuse the situation the only a way I can.

“Dreamt is the only word in the English language that ends in -mt.”

I close my eyes and scrunch up my face like I just saw a horrible car wreck. He knows me, and he will know I feel weird. His hand brushes mine, and when I open my eyes, he is just smiling. He continues holding my hand as he turns me to walk out and wait for Mando.

The prom is stunning. They went with the whole classic Baroque look. There are twinkling lights strung everywhere, even in the fake trees. Concrete benches are spread far and wide to sit and chat upon. White and black balloons are all over the place, and the DJ is killing it with something you would hear on Jersey Shore. I cannot help but pretend it’s Pauly D up there.

Toby is dashing in his white tux with black accents. He looks so very handsome. He wasn’t happy when he saw the wristlet Rome had given me. He just dropped that hand, grabbed the other one, and muttered a bunch of crap I chose to ignore. The corsage he bought me is pretty, too, but it does not match at all. It’s an off-pink carnation. Doesn’t he know pink is a fri
end color? No way would it be OK unless I had on a pink dress…which I do not. Oh well, nothing is raining on my parade tonight. For the first time ever, I feel like I may even be prettier than Amandolette, but I would never say such a thing out loud.

“Agh…muh…gawd, Rory, everything is so perfect! The room, the music…and thank you for setting up this whole date. I swear to King Kong, when we are dancing and I run my ass across him, I can feel his mother freakin’ dong like it’s about to ram through my ass! No joke. He is all up on me. I swear
, if it keeps up, Imma give that juicy, yummy, hunk o’ man something to ram into.”

I cannot believe the jealousy that rips through me. I have to contain myself from reaching over and slapping this bitch. I mean, my friend.
What is wrong with me?

“You’re welcome,” I say with as much politeness as I can muster. But she sees through it.

“Hey, are you OK? I asked you, Rory. I asked, and you said it was OK. Do not do this. Don’t make me feel guilty for wanting to rub on a little piece of heaven. That boy right there is as good as it gets. He is my Zac Efron!” I know she is serious because she would cut off her left boob to get her nails into Zac.

As much as it pains me, I shrug her off. “It’s not you
, Mando, I swear. I am glad you and Rome are having fun. Just wish I could say the same.” I point over to the table two down from ours.

“Are you kidding me? Has he been down there the entire time? Why is he sitting by plastic bitch Ashley? Oh, hell to the no, I am about to go gangsta superstar up in this bitch.” She says, stomping over towards them before I can even say anything to her. She already has her earrings out, and her shoes are being kicked off by the time she gets to the table. This is why I love that girl to Uranus and back.

“Tobias Sorry Ass West, are you fuckin’ serious?” Mando swings her hands around the table and lingers on Ashley. “You over here all chitty-chatty with bitch McCatty? Dude, you are about to get stole on! Do you hear me? Seriously, like, I am about to go all Chula fuckin’ locoooo. Do you hear me, motha fucka?”  I struggle to contain my snicker. She is so mad she has gone through every persona she has and wrapped it up marvelously in her crazy Mexican lingo. She really is pissed, though. About the time she grabs Toby’s arm to jerk him up, Ashley pipes in.
Oh no…

“Amandolette, why are you being so crazy anyways? You know he belongs over here.”

Dear night, Ashley is asking for it. Amandolette is the only girl in the whole school higher up on the totem pole than Ashley. She is the only one who rules the halls without a clique because everyone loves her. Snapping her hand over towards Ashley in a ‘close it’ motion, Mando rips into her.

“Ain’t’cha ugly ass got knocked the fuck out enough this year, you frumpy looking, douche d
ischarge, umpa lumpa, twat snot? I swear you will never learn. If Rory wasn’t over there, deciding how to break up with Toby right now, she would have came over here already and snatched a knot in your twat. Which may be a good thing because then the guys would stop coming up missing after their dates with you. I already told you tie a rope to them before they jump off in that.” Mando throws her hands down towards the middle of her legs.

I burst out laughing at Ashley’s facial expression.
Served!
I notice Toby is staring at me teary-eyed and scared. To be honest, his attitude is kind of getting old. He acts as if he can’t survive without me, yet never seems to be around. He is like a weak strong man, an oxymoron if you will, or some crazy bi-personality ass hat. I am starting to think it’s a ploy to mess up my head.

By this time, the ever-present Rome is standing behind me with both hands on my shoulders, rubbing them. “Don’t be upset, Princess; you deserve better. Wanna dance?”

I roll my eyes at Toby and turn to take Rome’s hand, heading to the dance floor. Mando will finish what she started and be back to steal him soon. This may be the only dance I get with him tonight or with anyone for that matter, since Toby has been at that table for the entire forty-five minutes we have been here. I have a month left with Toby, and this is all he gives me.

 
It’s dark out when we leave. It’s a good thing because I do not want to see Toby’s face. He decided to take me home after Mando came and stole Rome away, before the end of the song, telling me she fixed the problem. I just smiled and made my way over to where Toby waited with a clenched jaw. I could tell Rome didn’t want to let me go. Just like I could tell, he did not gush all over Amandolette in her dress like he did me. Now that I think about it, Rome always gushes over everything I do. I huff and roll my eyes at the memory from thirty minutes ago. This night has definitely not gone the way I’d hoped it would.

“Aurora, are you hearing anything I say?” I turn to look at Toby for the first time since I got in the truck.

“What could you possibly have to say to me now after nothing all night? Don’t give me your crap either. I kinda think I’m sick of it. Obviously, nothing about me appeals to you unless it’s inside this truck with your hand up my shirt.”

It’s a low blow. I know he cares, but I’m pissed. He passes my turn-off, and I know he’s headed to the old billboard. Our spot. We haven’t been to one of our spots in weeks. He wants to either fix this or end it, but either way, I will know how to move on after tonight. I don’t even know if I care anymore.

That’s when I realize Rome is my crutch. All I can think is when Rome gets home, he will come over and lounge around with me, and I will never really be alone. Toby or no Toby, I will always have Rome, my best guy friend eva.