We Belong: Chapter 26

563 words

4 minute read

BAKING & A BIG OOPS

(Jesse)

I make it into a game.  That’s the only way I can keep not talking to Lexie about what's really going on.  

It’s been fourteen days.  

Every day I go without talking to her about the secret club, I get ten points.  The more points I get, the stronger I imagine my courage to talk gets.  So far I haven’t told Lexie about the secret club for two weeks.  I’m not so great at math, but I use a calculator, and that means my talking courage has gone up more than one-hundred percent.  I should definitely be able to talk now.  It’s a good thing, too, because I’m about to be put to the test.

Dad took Lexie and Seth to the latest Disney movie.  Mom is at home with me.  I didn’t feel like going to the movies.  Mostly, that’s because I’d really want to talk to Lexie during the movie, and I can’t risk my secret spilling out.  

I have to keep reminding myself that I’m mad at Lexie.  First she was mad at me but now we are both mad at each other.  She didn’t even help when Sophia was picking on me in Sunday school.  If she doesn’t care about me, then I won’t care about her.  But it’s really hard not to care about someone who’s actually your best friend.  So why is she acting so mean?

“What do you say we bake some cookies?” Mom asks.

“Sure,” I say, but I’m not even that excited.  When I bake with Mom, there’s usually a disaster.  Like, one time she added way too much baking soda, and the cookies tasted like Dad’s socks.  I’d always rather bake with Dad but I don’t want to hurt Mom’s feelings.

She’s getting stuff ready in the kitchen when she glances at me.  

“Jesse.  Is everything okay?  You seem quiet lately.”

I shrug.

“I haven’t seen the boys around here for a while.  Did you guys have a fight?” 

“No.”

 “Oh.  Well, why don’t you call them and ask if they want to bake some cookies with us?”

I swallow.  My family calls Connor and Shane “the boys.”  I haven’t seen them for fourteen days either.  It feels like forever.  But Mom will know something is up if I don’t call them and at least ask if they want to come over.

The first time I call, somebody picks up and hangs up right away.  I think it must be a mistake and I call again.  This time, I can hear Shane arguing with Connor.

“Don’t, Connor!  We don’t have to do everything she says!  Jesse, are you still there?”

“Yeah…  My mom wants to know if you guys wanna come over.  We’re baking cookies.”

I hear noise on the other end, like Shane and some other people are talking.  Then the phone gets picked up again by Connor.

“Okay, but Sophia’s here, too, so she’s coming with us.”

Uh-oh, I think.  What did I just do?

[Image: A yellow Post-It says OOPS in blue letters]

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Questions for Discussion:

If you had the choice between movies or baking, which would you pick?

Have you ever accidentally invited someone over who you did not want to see?  How did you feel?

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