Wesley rolled his eyes but obeyed and left me standing in the smoky living room with his mother. I looked around nervously while Mrs. Carroll took a pack of cigarettes from her purse. They were ultra slim and about six inches long.
“What class is your project for?” she asked, the cigarette bouncing up and down as she spoke.
“It’s for history. We’re doing it on the Chinese Exclusion Acts,” I answered.
“The what?”
“The Chinese Exclusion Acts of the 1880s,” I repeated quietly.
Wesley returned with four plastic bags of groceries draped on his arms. He and Mrs. Carroll talked in the kitchen while I stood awkwardly in the living room. Wesley came back and sat down on the sofa, patting the cushion next to him. I sat down and Wesley picked up his math book and smiled at me.
Mrs. Carroll stepped into the living room and gasped. “Holy shit. Wes, are you doing homework?” Wesley rolled his eyes and nodded sarcastically. “Well, I’ll be damned.” She laughed and then coughed into her fist. She took a hit on her cigarette and coughed again. “Toren, you wanna stay for dinner?”
“Um, thank you, but I don’t think I—”
“Oh, come on. I’m just making chicken and green beans. Why don’t you stay? I won’t take no for an answer.”
“All—all right. Thank you,” I conceded. Mrs. Carroll smiled triumphantly and returned to the kitchen. Wesley smiled at me, and I already began to feel nervous.
Wesley’s dad came home while his mom was setting the table. He was a tall man, thick with muscle. He was wearing custodial blues and had dirty hands. He stared at me and I smiled awkwardly. Wesley introduced us and then Mrs. Carroll called us to the table to eat.
The conversation was typical of a family meal. I ate politely, though the chicken was burned and the green beans were bland. I realized I made better dinners than this and then felt guilty for not appreciating her effort.
“What was your project on again, Toren?” Mrs. Carroll asked, picking at her chicken.
Everyone’s focus turned to me and I felt my cheeks get hot. Wesley tapped my shin with his foot under the table and smiled. I looked down at my plate and swallowed hard.
“Um, the Chinese Exclusion Acts of the 1880s,” I answered quietly, cutting through a tough piece of chicken.
“Oh, Frank! You won’t believe it,” Mrs. Carroll said, slapping the table. “Wes was actually doing homework when I came home!”
Mr. Carroll laughed hoarsely and when he smiled, it seemed crooked and strange, like he had trouble doing it. “Now that’s rare,” he murmured, looking at Wesley. His smile was gone.
“Yeah, about as rare as Mom actually cooking,” Wesley chided.
Mrs. Carroll laughed, Wesley smiled, and Mr. Carroll dropped his fork on his plate. His face turned sour again, an expression that looked more natural on him.
“Watch your mouth,” Mr. Carroll warned, narrowing his eyes at Wesley.
“Frank—” Mrs. Carroll began, but stopped and glanced at me.
“Apologize to your mother,” Mr. Carroll said.
“I was just joking around.”
“Didn’t you hear me? I said, apologize—”
“All right. Sorry, Mom,” Wesley said quietly, lowering his eyes.
It was awkwardly quiet, and I stared at my plate. Mr. Carroll continued eating as if nothing had happened. Wesley glanced at me and Mrs. Carroll sighed. She asked if anyone wanted seconds and the unanimous answer was no.
“You wanna go shoot some pool?” Wesley asked, finally breaking the silence.
I looked up at him. “But it’s a school night.”
Wesley laughed and Mrs. Carroll chuckled quietly. My cheeks grew red.
“So? Let’s go. I’ll make sure you get home at a reasonable time,” Wesley said, and I eventually nodded.
“Help your mom with the dishes first,” Mr. Carroll said and then retired to the living room.
Mrs. Carroll told Wesley that it was okay, that we could go. I said goodbye and retrieved my book bag from the living room. Mr. Carroll stared at me in his rigid way and I felt really uncomfortable. Wesley pushed me forward and followed me outside. I took a deep breath in the warm air and sighed with relief.
We went to Cue again and found a table in the back. We played a few games, Wesley winning all of them. He made me bet again, a kiss in the parking lot being the prize.
“Sorry about my folks. They’re a little weird,” Wesley said, leaning over the table.
“They seem nice.”
Wesley looked at me from the top of his eyes and grinned. “You’re too nice sometimes.”
I laughed and conceded in my mind that I didn’t really like Mr. Carroll. I didn’t like the way he treated Wesley. I didn’t like the way he looked at me. I felt inadequate; one of the first times that I felt… girly. I tried to push it out of my mind, and Wesley’s hand on my rear end quickly made me forget all about it.
“Hey! What are you doing?” I asked, looking around. The place was pretty empty, but there were still some people at other tables.
“I doubt anyone saw. But I just couldn’t help myself,” he said with a smile. “You’ve got a cute ass.”
I rolled my eyes and Wesley apologized sarcastically. I excused myself to use the bathroom and took a deep breath. His touch was intoxicating and I had to concentrate to keep myself calm. When I returned to the table, Wesley was talking to two girls. They didn’t look like Kate or Lissa and when I neared, I realized that it was Jen and Olivia. I shyly walked up to the table.
“Oh, Toren,” Jen said. Wesley rolled his eyes at me. “I didn’t know you were here.”
“Um, hi,” I said quietly.
“Well, we’ll see you at school tomorrow,” Wesley said, twirling his cue in his hands.
Jen looked at him and then glanced
