"Until then, good night. Sailor Girl," she said, and followed it with a laugh that Wally and Ashley quickly joined in chorus. Roger smiled and shook his head.
It was truly as if I had been hit by a dart in the chest. I turned quickly to Posy, who was smiling but directing her eyes toward the stars. I could feel the tears burning under my eyelids, but I would die before I ever shed one because of something Phoebe did or said. That was a vow I quickly took.
"Gee, Posy," I said, and you didn't even have the lowest card."
There was a moment of deep silence, and then Roger burst into laughter,
"Let's get out of here," Phoebe ordered, He began to accelerate but kept laughing and shaking his head. I watched them turn and then drive away. Randy looking back at me as they disappeared around the turn, the music from the car's CD first shattering the night and then drifting off with them.
"Those your new best friends?" I heard, and turned to see Augustus standing in the darkest shadows by our home,
"Hardly," I replied.
He stepped forward into the light spilling down from the front of the condo, his hands in his packets. This time he wore a black T-shirt with a large eye at the center of his chest,
"Don't you ever wear shoes?" I asked him.
He looked down at his feet as if he hadn't realized he was barefoot. "Just forgot." he replied.
"Just forgot?"
"Once I almost went to school without shoes. My grandmother caught me getting into the car and sent me back for them."
I shook my head.
"Where did your not new friends take you?" he asked.
"To the driver's home. His family has a boat. We went water-skiing. Or I tried. I should say. Then we went to Boca Raton and had pizza and hung at a mall for a while."
"Sounds like you're gain! to fit right in after all." he said with some disdain.
"I'm not as sure as you are."
He raised his eyebrows with interest. "Disillusionment is the first step toward rebirth." he quoted.
"Right now I just want to get some sleep and leave my rebirth for tomorrow. How is your project coming along?"
"Today I finally figured out how to dissolve myself, metamorphose into pure energy, and disappear. What I haven't figured out is how to reappear.
"Maybe I won't bother," he added, and retreated again to the shadows. He was gone so quickly I wandered if he had just done what he claimed he could.
Mommy was waiting for me. She turned aff the television as soon as I came into the condo.
"Hi," she sang, dressing her voice in bells, "Was it a nice mall? Was the pizza good? What's Phoebe like?" She fired her questions in machine-gun fashion, which was something she and I used to do to each other all the time. It made me laugh.
"She's a spoiled brat." I said, sitting across from her.
Mommy nodded. 'Dallas as much as admitted that. Wasn't she nice to you at all?"
"She's too concerned with being the center of attraction. She's older than I am. so I don't see myself hanging around much with her anyway. Mommy."
"Well. you'll pick and choose your friends carefully. You always do. Daddy was always impressed with that."
I nodded, and we were both silent.
"Oh." Mommy said. "that nice boy back in Norfolk called for you."
"Trent?"