Chapter Four

It’s Friday and I told my mom I’m going out. She looked at me weird.
“With who?”
“Jonas Whittaker.”
“Is this a date?”
“Hey Jonas, like my doll?” Astor looked up over her spaghetti.
“Kind of.”
“Kind of like her doll, or kind of like a date?”
“Like her doll.”
“Oh. Well, good. Are his parents home?”
“Yeah.” I didn’t know.
“Alright, be home by twelve. Is twelve ok?” I didn’t have a curfew because I never left.
“Sure.”
I showered, and looked at myself in the mirror. I’ve got boring hair, but I think I’m pretty. I have good teeth, at least. A normal nose, big green eyes. I’m at least passable.

This is how my night went, Ms. Bloch.
He pulled up in his car, a really old sedan of some sort, I don’t know a lot about cars. He was playing The Blow, I think for me. I brought one of my dad’s old records, David Bowie, who I like a lot.
“Hey, cool, Bowie rocks.” He really isn’t smart, right Ms. Bloch?
“Yeah. Uhm, what’s up?” I was trying.
“Nothing. You?” I just spent two hours getting ready, Jonas, and my little sister was acting out a date scene with your doll.
“I picked up a dime bag for us.”
“Cool.” I don’t know what a dime bag is.
He was driving fast, and he kept looking over at me. I was supposed to be talking.

We smoked in his basement, where he has his records and his art studio. His art is ok. The pot made me feel more awkward, like I was melting into the couch.
“Can I draw you?” he asked me
“Okay.”
“Sit here.” He pointed to a big chair near his easel. It was white and comfy, and I sat, hugging my knees to my chest. He came over and pulled one side of my shirt off my shoulder, touching my skin kind of.
“You have a pretty collar bone.” He explained.
“Oh.”
He was playing some record I had never heard, and he was quiet as he sketched. I don’t know how long it took, because I think pot makes you lost track of time, but after a while, he showed me. he made me look prettier than I am. We made out on his floor, and I let him take my shirt off. He kissed my collar bone, and traced the indent lightly with his fingers.
“You’re so pretty” he said quietly into my ear. I don’t think I like him anymore. Anyway, it was only ten, I looked over his shoulder and checked the clock. His cell phone buzzed.
“Hey Trav,” He answered, leaving me half naked on the floor.
“Uh, let me check,” He looked up at me, “Want to go to a party?”
“Okay.” I have a lot to tell Astor now, right? She’s going to get so excited by all this. I wasn’t sure if I was dressed for a party.
We got in the car and drove somewhere nearer to the school. The party was big, from the look of all the cars. Jonas held my hand as we walked in. The first person I saw was Mike Healy, he was holding a soggy looking cup of beer.
“You want a beer?” Jonas looked down at me.
“Yeah.” Why not? I still felt all disjointed from the pot, but I had never tried beer and I wanted to see what it was all about.
“Olive!” I heard a voice call out. Taylor was standing by the stereo, holding a beer too. I was disappointed she drank. She was with her friends, Mimi and Tricia, who both waved at me. I waved back and walked over with me own beer in hand.
“You came with Jonas?” Mimi raised her eyebrows
“Are you like, dating?” Tricia added.
“No, I don’t think so.”
“Oh.” They looked like they had nothing else left to say.
“It’s cool you’re here, I’ve never seen you out before.”
“I don’t really go out, I guess.”
“Oh.” I sipped my beer. It was kind of warm, but tasted carbonated, like soda. It wasn’t bad, so I drank more.
“But he’s cute.” Taylor smiled at me. She is so friendly, it’s nice.
“I guess.”
“Oh come on, you two are so dating. You both look all, dark and stuff.”
“I’m just wearing a black shirt.”
“I mean, mysterious. You know, deep?” Taylor looked like she wanted me to agree, so I did.
“Yeah, sure.” Jonas isn’t deep, he’s kind of dumb.
“Olive, come over here.” Jonas called me. He put his arm around me when I walked over to his group of friends, art kids with weird haircuts who were mostly older.
“This is Olive.”
“Hey, I’m Travis.”
“Hey Smokey, I’m Jake.”
“Hi.”
“How come I’ve never seen you out before?”
“I don’t know.”
“She likes good music, Trav.”
“Like what?” I shrugged.
Hey Ms. Bloch, don’t get anyone in trouble for this. I know we’re not supposed to drink, so don’t tell anyone’s parents, ok?
Anyway, the rest of the night was the same. I stood, awkwardly wedged under Jonas’ arm, kind of pinned there. I answered people’s questions all night, which is a good thing. I told Jonas at eleven thirty that I had to go home. He walked me to my door, and kissed my cheek before he left.
“Hey, Olive, how was it?” My mom was still up, at the kitchen counter, waiting for me
“Fine.”
“He looked cute.”
“Yeah.”
“So I guess now we need to talk about some things. Tomorrow we’ll talk about your curfew, drinking, safe sex.”
“Mom. Please.”
“What, Olive? These are important things.”
“Not for me.”
“Fine, Olive.” She looked disappointed in me.
“We can talk tomorrow, Mom. I’m going to bed.”
“Okay, good night, sweetheart.”
I wanted to tell her everything. I never had to lie before, but I guess I wasn’t really lying, right?
Today I played with Astor in our backyard, acting out the party with our dolls over and over.
“Do this kissing part again, Olive!”
“No, come on Astor.”
“Please?”
“Fine.”
I made the Jonas doll hold hands with my doll, showing Astor. She was satisfied.