“Would you really talk to her?”
“Yes.”
Tegan’s face brightens up in a huge smile. “You’re the best.”
“Easy,” I say. “I haven’t convinced her yet. And you still haven’t told me why you were drinking vodka at school.”
The smile disappears, and Tegan removes her hands from under her thighs only to wring them together in her lap. “Well… there’s this boy…”
Of course there’s a boy involved… I am talking to a teenage girl.
“You like him?” I ask.
A shy nod.
“Is this boy your boyfriend, or…?”
“No, gosh, no, nothing like that. But he just broke up with Celia Buchanan a month ago, and I’ve liked him forever, and I thought he didn’t even know I existed. But then yesterday, I went to eat my lunch in the chemistry lab—I do that sometimes when the canteen feels too crowded and I want a bit of quiet. Anyway, Josh was already there with two of his friends. And one of them—Derek—is dating Mykenna Flanagan, so she was there, too, and she doesn’t go anywhere without her sidekick Sydney.”
“Okay,” I say, trying to wrap my head around the complex teenage society.
“They were already drinking when I got there; Josh had stolen a bottle from his father’s cabinet, and he invited me to join.”
“And you agreed?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“It would’ve been super uncool to say no, so lame. And I know what you’re thinking…”
“Really? What am I thinking?”
“That it was stupid. That I shouldn’t have drunk just to impress a boy or anyone. You’re probably going to tell me that I should give up on Josh, because a guy who drinks stolen vodka in the middle of the school day isn’t boyfriend material.”
“It’s not my job to tell you who to date,” I say carefully. “But I agree that you should never do something you don’t want to do in order to impress someone. But clearly you knew that already, so why did you still agree to drink the vodka?”
“Because I have to go to that school for the next two years, and Mykenna is such a viper. Who knows what rumors she would’ve spread if I’d said no? It was easier to take a sip, no harm done. It’s not like I was drunk.”
“And what would have happened if the next thing they offered you was drugs? Would you have said yes, just because it was easier?”
“It’s not the same.”
“Isn’t it?”
Tegan looks away. Point made, message received.
“Is this going on your permanent record?” I ask, wondering just how deep in trouble she is.
“Mr. Wentworth says it won’t, as long as I don’t get into any more trouble. Mom made sure of that. She saved my ass; Mykenna tried to blame the whole thing on me. If Mom hadn’t intervened, I could’ve been expelled.”
I can picture Miss Hessington, Esquire, as a lioness defending her cub with everything she’s got.
“And other than keeping you in school, how did your mother react to the situation?”
“She yelled at me, said I’m grounded indefinitely, and confiscated my phone and laptop, so now I’m stuck with this.” Tegan opens the lower pocket of her backpack and takes out a relic from the early 2000s, waving the ancient flip phone at me. “No internet, no photos, not even a color screen. Only texts and calls, so she can get ahold of me at all times. And she’s promised that if she ever smells alcohol on me again, she’s going to ship me off to a military school for girls only.”
“And what do you think of that reaction? Was it fair?”
She shrugs. “I guess.”
“Did you tell her that?”
Tegan lowers her gaze. “No, I yelled back at her. Hurtful stuff.”
“Do you mind me asking what?”
“I told her I’d steer clear of the booze if that was all she cared about, and maybe instead I’d get pregnant and dumped at nineteen like her.”
And something I’d thought impossible happens: I feel utter and complete empathy for Medusa. My heart goes out to Vivian. Having her daughter throw her mistakes back in her face in a fit of spite must’ve been hard.
“Are you proud of that response?”
Tegan shakes her head.
“Have you apologized?”
“No, but I should.”
I close my notepad. “Yeah, I agree. A heartfelt apology will get a huge weight off your chest, and you’ll feel much better. Ultimately, your mother was right to be upset about what you did. She probably shouldn’t have yelled or threatened you with military school, but you have to remember one thing, Tegan.”
“What?”
“Your mom is only human. She’s going to make mistakes, just like you and me and the rest of the world. It can’t have been easy for her to raise you alone at such a young age, and parents tend to project their kids’ failures as their own, making their reaction exaggerated. We’re always the hardest with ourselves. But what you did was wrong, and you’ve admitted as much yourself, so now, you have to accept the consequences. I’ll talk to your mother about revealing who your father is, but in the meantime, I’d like to keep working with you on how not to succumb to peer pressure, and how to become more assertive without completely ruining your social life. Does that sound good?”
“Yes, it does.”
“Great. So, your homework is to apologize to your mother, and I’ll talk to her first thing tomorrow morning. I’d do it today, but I have to go downtown for a conference.”
I check my watch, and it looks like I’ll have to skip lunch to get there on time. And that’s not even the worst part, as I sure don’t look forward to having the you-should-tell-your-daughter-who-her-father-is conversation with Medusa.
Eleven
Vivian
When I meet Tegan for lunch outside my office building, I can immediately tell something is different. The scowl she’s dutifully worn since yesterday has been replaced by a tentatively open expression. And, if not completely welcoming, at
