Go talk to Kris

You leave your little ambush spot and head upstairs, joining Kris. You lean on the railing as she turns to look at you.

“You look nervous,” you say.

“I’m still worried about Sissy.”

“Me too.” You both watch the chaos downstairs. Girls shouting at each other and tossing each other things. Many are carpooling together, so there’s a lot of coordination going on. Most of them aren’t very good at it. They should’ve asked you for help.

“When are you heading back?” you ask, looking up at Kris. She’s so tall. This is a good chance to get to know her. There are so many CCL girls, and you are so busy with your schemes most of the time that sometimes they slip between the cracks. Kris is one of those. You know so little about her.

“I’m not,” she replies, her eyes on the girls downstairs.

“What?”

“I’m not leaving. I’ll stay here,” she says.

“Oh.” You frown, but you better read between the lines here. If she’s not going home, she must have a good reason. But… the only other girls who will be here will be Karen until Monday, and then… Lisey. But Lisey is leaving Monday too.

Kris will literally be alone in this place. It’s the saddest thing you’ve ever heard.

“Might be kind of cool,” she says.

No. Not cool. Just sad.

“Come home with me,” you say. It’s an impulsive offer, but not really very risky. Kris is sweet, and even if you aren’t close friends with her, you know enough to be confident that she’s not a troublemaker. “It’s a two-hour drive. It’s a little cold to put the top down, but it’ll still be nice,” you assure her. You drive a red Mercedes-Benz SL. The short trip will be a dream.

“That’s sweet,” Kris says, turning around and leaning her back against the railing. She looks across the hallway at the framed photos on the wall. “But we don’t even know each other. I can’t do that to your family.”

“Oh, my family deserves it,” you say, mimicking her position and slipping your arm around her waist. She’s surprised, but the much taller girl doesn’t pull away. “Besides. We’re neighbors, right?”

“Yeah,” she replies, looking embarrassed.

“Then I’ll bet you know all about me,” you say with a playful smile.

“Oh my gosh. Stop it,” she says. “I don’t try to listen.”

You laugh. “I like listening. Karen’s my neighbor.”

“Oh my gosh.”

“Come on. And now I’ve seen you without your top,” you say. “So I know you.”

She puts her face in her hands, trying not to laugh. You rub her back. “If you’re too shy for my room, we have a guest room. It’s nicer than anything here, I can tell you.”

Face covered, she shakes her head. She’s cute. You let go of her.

“Well, think about it,” you say. You do have all weekend. You can easily convince her. Your family really does deserve it. Bringing home a girl like Kris? Your dad will freak out so much. “How do you feel?”

“I’m OK,” she says, touching her tummy.

“What are we going to do about Alene?”

“Nothing. It’s fine.”

“It’s not fine,” you reply. “It’s not just about you. CGH won’t give us a break. We’ll have to do something.”

Kris just waves a hand. So she wants to turn the other cheek? You respect that. A lot of the time, that’s the right decision. It’s always correct when the aggressor isn’t going to be around, but CGH isn’t going anywhere. And… you are a freshman. You are going to take over and lead CCL, and even if it takes you another year to do it, you’ll still have CGH and their dumb girl jock bullshit to deal with. It’s never too early to start.

That reminds you. You should check the answering machine and see if the French girl called. Wait. You’re here for a reason.

You turn around and look down at the foyer, which is now quiet and deserted. The exodus ended while you were flirting with Kris.

“Shit,” you mutter. “Did Sissy get by us?”

“We should’ve told someone,” Kris frets.

Maybe. Maybe not. The house is quiet now. Suddenly it’s the weekend. It’s still light outside. You can’t blame everyone for running home. It’s been a crazy semester already.

You take Kris’ hand and give it a reassuring squeeze. “I’m going to take care of this,” you assure her. “I’ll order us some pizza. And I’ll go check in with Sissy. She probably came back, but hasn’t taken off yet. You should take a bath. Relax. It’s the weekend.”

She gazes down at you.

“Thanks, Jenny.”

“Don’t mention it.” You pull away and blow her a kiss, then pause to decide what to do.

Go to Sissy’s room?

Or go order the pizza?