After the waiter left them, they fell into an easy conversation, talking about school and their friends. Soon, Mandy forgot about the elegant room and thoughts of her inadequate dress, and just enjoyed speaking with Dale. He seemed to have changed so much in the last few weeks. His jokes weren’t as crude, and he actually seemed to be listening when she spoke.
“So, you three are just going to fly off to Brazil after graduation?” Dale asked.
“Not necessarily Brazil. We could end up in Europe. I haven’t even talked it over with them yet, but we may not all go to the same college. Then, who knows what’s going to happen to us? We should have some kind of great memory together, you know?”
“Sure,” he said, though he didn’t seem convinced. “What brought all of this up?”
“Nicki mostly,” Mandy said. Of course, she couldn’t mention her chats with Kyle. “I was thinking about all the things she won’t get to do. Then, I started thinking about everything I wanted to do.”
Dale nodded his head, looked at his plate. “I guess we’ve all done a lot of thinking since that night. The first thing I noticed when we got back to school was how nice everyone was being, right? Everyone was kind of quiet and really polite. And I got that, because I felt the same way. The thing is, it’s only been two weeks and school is getting back to normal, like everyone is mostly over it and the kids are acting like themselves again.”
This observation seemed to worry Dale. Mandy thought she knew why. He didn’t want to be the way he was before Nicki’s death. He’d discovered things about himself and his family, and it really changed him. Now though, he was concerned the change was only temporary. She reached out and took his hand, squeezing it tightly.
“She was online that night,” Dale said. “Before that bastard kidnapped her, she was online. I saw her on my buddy list.”
Thinking about Dale on the computer that night stung Mandy. She remembered far too clearly what he was doing. Still, she didn’t remember Nicki being signed on, though by the time she got home to her own computer and buddy list, her fight with Dale was the only thing in her head.
“I always considered my list like a kind of party,” Dale said. “I could just hang out and chat, and it’s like all of my friends were right there, all the time, watching out for each other and having a good time. But Nicki was there, surrounded by all of us, and then she was just gone.”
Mandy held his hand tighter. She didn’t know what to say. She certainly was not going to bring up Kyle and how she told herself he wasn’t real just because she only knew him through lines of text. That was the last thing they needed tonight.
“Wow, that killed the conversation,” Dale said, letting loose another nervous laugh. “Let’s find something a little less Poe to talk about.”
“Well,” Mandy said, “are you doing anything cool this weekend?”
“I don’t know,” Dale said. “Are we?”
They stood on Mandy’s porch, kissing. As always, Dale held her just tight enough, and from his lips and tongue a tingling charge filled Mandy, who held the back of his head, fearing he might pull away. Their date had been perfect, like something out of a movie. She hated that they had school in the morning, hated that it was only eleven o’clock and they were saying good night. She crushed her lips to his, forgetting that her parents might open the door any second. The kiss seemed to go on forever, yet it still ended too soon.
“I’ll pick you up in the morning,” Dale said.
Mandy nodded, not yet able to speak. He kissed her again, a quick peck on the lips.
“Good night,” he said.
“’Night,” she managed.
She watched him walk back to his car, saw him climb in behind the wheel. He waved good night, and she waved back. Then, Dale pulled away, leaving Mandy trembling with exhilaration, fumbling for her house keys.
Upstairs in her room, Mandy looked at her computer. She probably had a ton of e-mails from Drew and Laurel. Both had insisted she call or IM the second she got home to download the details of her date, but she wanted to keep this feeling to herself for a while, felt like holding it close and tight so it wasn’t lost. Instead of signing on, she shut the machine down.
Mandy changed into a nightshirt with a picture of a lamb on the front and lay on her bed. Against the dimly lit ceiling, she replayed her date, seeing Dale in his nice gray suit, and the restaurant with its waiters dressed in tuxedos. It was all so wonderful. Things were back to the way they should be.
Except for Kyle, she thought. She still had to chat with him, needed to cancel their date for Saturday night. She couldn’t go out with him now, and he probably wouldn’t want to chat anymore once he knew Mandy had a boyfriend. The whole mess made her feel queasy. It would be easier to just send him an e-mail, but that was lame. He’d be back from California tomorrow. After school, she would explain things. She knew he’d understand.
Then everything really would be back to normal.
12
In Friday morning gym class, Laurel tried to get as much information as she could between Mr. Lombard’s instructions on Tae Kwan Do techniques. Mandy was still high from the date and wanted to tell Laurel everything, but knew it would have to wait until lunch. In the meantime, she let out a few juicy details—about Dale, about their dinner—just to drive Laurel nuts.
In the cafeteria, once Drew joined them, she told her friends everything, starting with Dale’s phone call after school telling her to dress up, then about arriving at Mimi’s and feeling like a total looz in her dress. She told them about the restaurant and the food and the conversation and the kiss good night. At first, Drew interrupted a lot, wanting to talk about similar moments she and Jacob shared. After Laurel threatened to make her eat her own hair, Drew quieted.
“And you think the leopard really changed his spots?” Laurel asked.
“I do,” Mandy said. “I can’t explain it, but Nicki’s dying really affected him. He’s romantic and sweet, but he’s still Dale, you know?”
“Sounds like we have a winner,” Laurel said. “Now, what about voting the other one off the island o’ Mandy?”
“Ugh,” Mandy said. “I know. I’m doing it tonight after school.”
“What are you going to tell him?” Drew asked.
“The truth.”
“Never a good idea,” Laurel said. “But it’s your life. Do what you have to.”
That night, Mandy stared at her buddy list, more specifically at Kyle’s username. I so don’t want to do this, she thought. How am I supposed to just say ‘Hi, I never want to chat with you again’? Uncomfortable, Mandy shifted in her chair and took a deep breath. Just like a bandage. It’s better to yank and get it over with.
MC9010025: Hey. Are U back?
No, Mandy thought, don’t use webspeak. She wanted Kyle to know that she was serious and using a bunch of symbols in place of words would look lame, like it was just another stupid chat.
Kylenevers: Back. Glad 2 b home.
MC9010025: That’s good.
Kylenevers: I had a great idea.
MC9010025: What’s that?
Kylenevers: Well, we’re getting together tomorrow night, right?
MC9010025: Kyle, we have to chat about something.
Kylenevers: Plenty of time 4 that. I was thinking we’d have dinner in the park. U know, kind of a moonlight picnic.
MC9010025: That sounds really nice, Kyle. But I can’t