but Kayla's parents are out of town and didn't want her to stay alone. The girls are talking as they lie in the dark, Angela in her bed and Kayla in a sleeping bag on the floor.
"So how's life, anyway?" asks Kayla. "I feel like I haven't seen you in a while."
"What do you mean?" says Angela. "I see you all the time, at school."
"Yeah, I know. I mean, I see you, but we don't hang out and talk like we used to. You're always with Joe. I just miss you is all."
"I'm sorry," says Angela. "He just…he likes to see me every weekend night. That's what we agreed."
"Okay, I understand," says Kayla. "I don't mean to put any pressure on you. I'm wondering though"I don't know. You haven't seemed very happy lately. Not like your old self. It's like you're tired all the time. Is everything okay?"
"Everything's fine," Angela says—but she thinks about what Joe said to her that afternoon. "You embarrass me, Angela," he told her. "You might as well forget about getting into a good college, because every day you get dumber and dumber. I can't even listen to you anymore."
"You know you could tell me if everything wasn't fine, right?" Kayla says, staring up at the dark ceiling.
"Of course. I'm just a little stressed out about school and getting my grades up to get into college. I don't know. It's hard to make time for everything—school, work, friends, Joe. But I'll figure it out."
"What about Joe?" asks Kayla.
"What about Joe?"
"Well, how are things going with him? It's just that...When we were all hanging out in the cafeteria and he started making fun of you, and saying that you're ugly when you don't have makeup on—I just didn't like it. I didn't like the way he was treating you."
"I'm sorry. It's really not a big deal," says Angela. "He loves me, he really does. That's just the way he talks." She remembered the conversation, though. He has started doing this thing where he tells her she looks ugly without makeup, and then he tells her she looks like a slut when she puts too much on. It's gotten to the point where it takes her an hour just to put her makeup on in the morning, trying to get it right.
"Yeah," Kayla says, "but you shouldn't have to apologize for what he does. You shouldn't have to make excuses for him."
Angela blinks back tears as she remembers sleepovers she and Kayla used to have when they were little. Videos, junk food, talking all night—everything seemed so simple then.
"I know," she says. "You're right. Sometimes it does feel like it's gotten a little out of control. Sometimes...sometimes he doesn't treat me very well."
"What does that mean, he doesn't treat you well?" asks Kayla. "What do you mean, it's gotten out of control?"
Angela starts to cry. She feels the tears roll down her cheeks as she lies in bed. "It just gets out of control, that's all. Sometimes I screw up and he loses his temper and it gets a little crazy before I know what's happened. He's an emotional guy. He gets upset sometimes."
Kayla sits up in her sleeping bag. "What happens when he gets upset? Does he ever do more than yell?"
Angela sighs. "He doesn't mean to hurt me."
Kayla turns on the light on the bedside table. She looks at her oldest friend. "It doesn't matter what he means, Angela," she says. "You don't deserve to get hurt. It doesn't matter if he's mad or if you've done something. It's wrong." She hands Angela a tissue. "What do you want to do about it?"
Angela sits up in bed. "I don't know. I don't want to do anything. I just feel trapped. I can't break up with him. He'd drive off a cliff or something. And even if he didn't, I'd have to see him every day at school. Everyone thinks we're such a cute couple—all our friends, the teachers, my parents. You're the first person who has even asked me how it's going. Everyone just thinks it's going great. No one would understand."
"You shouldn't have to handle this all on your own," says Kayla. "Maybe we should talk to the school counselor, or talk to your parents. Isn't there a hotline we could call? I would go with you, you know."
Angela looks over at Kayla. "You would?"
"Of course I would, Angela." Kayla climbs up on the bed and gives Angela a hug. "You're my best friend." |
