The People in the Park Read Online Free

their way.”
    I couldn’t say anything. I nodded. I didn’t want Mom and Dad involved. I didn’t know how I felt about Dad showing up.
    The parking lot was almost empty when the police and my parents arrived. Dad and Mrs. Clancy talked to the police. Mom thanked Callie, Melanie, and Stacie for staying with me. She told them they could go home.
    After the police had finished their report and taken the handwritten note with them, Mom drove my car, with me in the passenger seat, and Dad followed us to make sure nothing else happened between school and home.
    When we got home, tension filled the air. “I’ve been embarrassed once again,” Mom said. “It’s one thing after another. When is it going to end?”
    “I’m doing my best to deal with this,” Dad said. “It takes time!” He went off to his study and closed the door.
    I was right on his heels. I went straight to my room. I didn’t want to talk about anything with anybody, not even Mom and Dad.
     
     
     
     

3
     
    My room was wrapped in color.
    Pale butter yellow striped wallpaper with bronze pin striping covered one wall. The other three walls were painted yellow, enveloping my room in sunny easy-to-live-with color. Detailed in yellow, my white dresser and white bed created a striking contrast in a room that had been my personal refuge. Now it seemed to be my prison. When I wasn’t at school or in the park or hanging out with my friends, I was here. I used to love my room because it was a symbol of life and youth and vibrancy and energy.
    Now I wished I could paint it dark blue or black to match my mood. There was emptiness deep inside me. It felt like I had nothing to hang on to. To make matters worse, the posters my friends and I had made for my run for senior class treasurer were lined up against the wall, mocking me.
    Lying across my bed, I checked my iPhone for text messages. The first was from JayVonne, my boyfriend. Everybody called him Jay. Only his parents and relatives called him JayVonne. I hadn’t seen or heard from him in a couple of days, ever since the scandal broke.
    He said he was in Atlanta. His grandmother had died suddenly, and his family went for the funeral. He wouldn’t return until next week.
    Hearing from Jay made me smile. At least something good in my life was still happening. But I wished he were here.
    I could hardly wait until prom. I hoped to escape into fantasyland on that magical night with Jay as my prince and I as his princess.
    Mom and I were supposed to go shopping for prom dresses next weekend with Aunt Ira and my cousin, Tiffany. We were both eleventh grade except she went to Lincoln Prep, a public school in Kansas City, and I went to Fairfield Oaks. Tiffany and I got along well enough, but we didn’t hang out.
    I went back to checking my text messages. Callie had sent one. She was worried about my car.
    That was just like Callie to be worried about my car. If only that was all I had to worry about. I sent her a text back to let her know that Dad was putting it in the shop tomorrow.
    Another text message came in. From Tiffany. She said she didn’t believe the news. Just a one-word reply to Tiffany.
    Thanks.
    Since we were family I didn’t think more was needed.
    I wanted to talk to Jay but didn’t want to intrude on his family, so I dashed him a quick text. Sorry about Grandma. Glad you are AAK. I want to go into airplane mode but can’t IRL. H&K.
    A text came in from Steffy. IMHO ur OM is corrupt.
    What’s wrong with her? I replied, DEGT.
    Steffy responded PMJI.
    She was getting on my nerves. My family and our affairs didn’t concern her. Even if she was supposed to be my friend. I threw my iPhone across the bed. At that moment, Mom called me to dinner.
    Take-out again. Chinese this time. Boxes of shrimp fried rice, moo goo gai pan, chancho, chicken lollipops, egg rolls, and noodles. Mom absently ate from a box while she watched the muted pictures on TV. She seemed to be obsessed with the coverage of