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“Just do it. It’s not like you have anything more important going on. You don’t even have a personality.” Shauna rolled her eyes.
Melissa shot her a look. “Says who?”
“Like, everyone.” Shauna sighed. “Come on, I’ll give you fifty bucks.”
“A hundred.”
“A hu—?! What are you even gonna spend it on?” What did Melissa even like? Burgers? Backwards hats? Cardboard? “Fine.”
“We have a deal? Sick.” Melissa grinned and bobbed her head as Shauna handed over the money. Melissa counted it carefully. All one hundred. “You’ll pick me up. I don’t drive.” She headed for the door.
“Wait! We should get our stories straight—”
But Melissa was gone before Shauna could convince her.
—
“You two are … dating?” Jackie looked back and forth between Shauna and some random girl she’d never seen before.
“Yep.” Shauna’s smile was tense.
“Hot,” Jeff said. Jackie elbowed him immediately.
“Sorry, what was your name?” Jackie stared down Shauna’s date.
“Uh, Melissa? We were on the same soccer team.” Melissa shot Jackie a weird look.
Like she was the odd thing here.
“You were literally my captain?” Melissa tried again.
“Right, of course. Melissa. The singer, right?” Jackie tried to smile pleasantly.
“That was Kristen.” A hint of annoyance slipped into Melissa’s voice. They didn’t even look anything alike.
“Who?” Jackie looked even more lost.
“Uh, I think everybody called her Crystal,” Shauna supplied unhelpfully.
“Oh.”
“You’ll have to excuse my daughter,” Mrs. Taylor said kindly. “She’s not the best with names. Great face, not so much behind it.”
Jackie’s cheeks burned as she poked at her food. She stole a single glance at Shauna, but where she would usually find a sympathetic gaze she found her best friend too busy gazing at Melissa. She was completely alone.
“So Shauna, you’re bisexual, then?” Mrs. Taylor asked, leaning forward invasively.
“Uh, yeah, I guess so.” Shauna shrugged. “I don’t really feel like putting a label on it.”
“I’ve always thought it might be fun.” Mrs. Taylor smiled. “I’m too old to be bisexual like you kids—”
“I’m fully gay,” Melissa said, offended.
“—but a break from men would be so nice.”
“Mom.” Jackie froze. She just might die from mortification before this dinner was over.
“What? Like you don’t agree?”
“I …” Jackie looked over at Shauna as she gripped at the necklace around her throat. “I don’t.”
“Please, you never want a break from Jeff? You never just want to take a floozey—”
“Oh my god, Mom, you can’t say that!” Jackie tensed so much she thought her muscles might snap.
“God, you kids and your political correct-ness.” Mrs. Taylor rolled her eyes like the idea of being conscientious of what you were saying in front of people was absurd.
“You can’t say that because it’s embarrassing!” Jackie cried.
“I think it’s cool that your mom is so open,” Shauna said, staring at Jackie. She held her fork so tightly the metal bent in her grasp. Jackie gulped.
“See? Your friends like I’m cool, honey.”
“That is not what she said.”
“I think you’re cool,” Jeff offered.
Jackie turned to glare at him. Elbowing him wasn’t enough. She wanted to grab her dad’s old baseball bat and—
“I think you’re alright, Mrs. Taylor,” Melissa said around a mouthful of food.
How she still had an appetite in all of this was unfathomable to both Jackie and Shauna.
“Shauna you should have brought her around sooner.” Mrs. Taylor beamed under the praise.
“I’m gonna be sick.” Jackie stood up, her chair scraping across the floor.
“Do you want me to hold your hair back?” Jeff asked hollowly. Despite his offer, he never stopped shoveling food into his mouth.
Jackie shuddered. “No.”
As Jackie disappeared up the Taylors’ grand staircase to her room, Shauna and Melissa high-fived under the table.
Mission Jealous Jackie, accomplished.