"Come watch the High School Idol auditions," Rick said. "You'll see then."
The mention of High School Idol immediately and firmly removed any sympathy I felt for Rick. He would sing about me. He wanted his grandmother to help his band succeed and then the whole world could listen to horrible Chelsea songs.
Rick had been, and still was, the enemy.
"I suppose I could come," The Grandmother said. "But I doubt it will change my mind. Juilliard is the best thing for you."
Rick grunted and leaned back into his couch.
I smiled over at him. "I hear New York is beautiful in the fall."
Tanner's mom popped into the room. "We're all ready. Let's eat."
We sat down at the dining room table, complete with tablecloth and china. At my house we didn't have a dining room or china and I couldn't shake the fear that I would do something wrong.
This feeling wasn't helped at all by the fact that Rick sat sullenly across the table from me. It was just a matter of time before he said something to let his family know that he went to school with me and that he didn't like me. Both of which would make dinner really awkward.
I should have told Tanner how old I was before, but there was nothing I could do about it now. It was one more mistake to add to my long list.
I hoped Tanner didn't act too shocked or too disappointed or say something along the lines of, "You knew I thought you were in college. Why didn't you tell me the truth?"
Was there any way out of this? I didn't want to lose Tanner, and I didn't want to be humiliated in front of Rick.
I ate dinner and smiled and made small talk, all the while feeling stiff, waiting for Rick to blow my cover. Every once in a while I felt his gaze on me, thick with resentment, but he didn't say anything. I guess Tanner was right; Rick really was on his best behavior for his grandmother.
Tanner's mom smiled over at me. "We hardly know anything about you, Chelsea. Why don't you tell us about yourself?"
"I um . . ." What could I say that wouldn't reveal anything about myself? I couldn't even make something up because Rick would know I was lying and call me on it. I glanced over at him. He was watching me. "I've lived in Pullman my whole life," I said and then hurriedly added, "I understand you moved here from California. Do you find Pullman very different?"
"I miss all the sunshine," Mrs. Debrock said.
"I don't miss the crowds though," Mr. Debrock added. "Or the California housing prices."
"I miss the people the most." Rick gazed back in my direction. "The kids at school are all jerks."
I gripped my water glass and didn't answer.
"Rick had to move here during the end of his sophomore year," Mrs. Debrock explained. "He's had a hard time adjusting."
I smiled sympathetically. What else could I do?
"Tanner stayed with me in California to finish high school," The Grandmother said. "Because he was a star player on the lacrosse team, and Pullman High doesn't have lacrosse." She leaned toward Tanner, the pride evident in her face. "Did you tell Chelsea you're in the lacrosse club?"
Tanner glanced at me and smiled. "It never came up in conversation."
"He's quite modest about himself," The Grandmother said. "In California, his team was first in the state. He's a natural talent."
"I'm impressed," I said.
Tanner shrugged off the compliments, like it embarrassed him to have his abilities dragged out and presented at the dinner table. Rick rolled his eyes.
So that's how it was. Tanner was the family's golden boy, the favorite child. It made me feel sorry for Rick, which wasn't a welcome sensation. I didn't want to think of Rick with friendly parents, a critical grandmother, and china at dinnertime. It changed everything and yet it changed nothing. Rick still periodically glared at me like I'd sneaked uninvited into his house. He'd probably incorporate this night into his next song about me. It would be called "Invasion of the Cheerleader."
I put on my best poker face and tried to answer his glares with a confident posture. Go ahead and tell them why you hate me, I tried to say with the tilt of my head. It will only make you look bad in front of your brother, your parents, and the woman you want to finance your band.
But just in case he flunked posture reading, I also put Rachel's advice into full swing. I wouldn't give Rick time to talk. I asked about Tanner's sports accomplishments. I asked about the Hilltop and whether it was hard to run a restaurant. I asked The Grandmother how she'd learned about business, and that topic took us all the way through dessert.
Tanner's grandmother had graduated with honors from college back when most women didn't even go. She'd taken one restaurant and turned it into a successful chain that spanned three states. She'd invested in real estate. She had a wide range of friends in the business world. I found it all fascinating, mostly because it had nothing to do with me.
By the time I was done with my raspberry-drizzled chocolate cake, I not only wanted to tell Rachel she was brilliant but to declare her a dating goddess. She had saved me. Tanner didn't know the truth about me, and his parents and Grandmother adored me.
I might actually be able to tell Tanner about myself in the car on the way home instead of around the dining room table with everyone gasping at me.
After we'd finished with dessert, I asked, "Would you like help with the dishes, Mrs. Debrock?" I figured this was better than sitting around the table chatting.
She looked over at me, genuinely surprised. "That's sweet of you to offer, but you're our guest. Besides, I don't want to take you away from Tanner."
"He can help too," I said. It had never been my plan to leave him alone with Rick.
I glanced over at Tanner to see if he minded being volunteered, but he was already on his feet, picking up plates from the table. "It's fine, Mom. You should relax. You and Dad made dinner."
Tanner headed to the kitchen with his hands full of dishes, and I followed after him, holding several plates. Right before Tanner left the dining room, he looked over his shoulder and said, "Come on, Richard. You grab the glasses."
I held my breath, waiting for Rick to come up with an excuse not to help. After all, the boy was a professional slacker. How hard could it be for him to come up with some place he needed to immediately be?
"Sure," he called back to us. "I'd love to help." And perhaps only I noticed the sarcasm.
In a preemptive conversational strike, I told Tanner how nice his family was while I rinsed dishes off. Tanner took the plates from my hands and stacked them in the dishwasher, agreeing. Rick went back and forth from the dining room to the kitchen bringing us dishes and silverware.
At one point Tanner took the linen napkins to the laundry room and Rick and I were left alone. He dropped the rest of his silverware into the tray and then surveyed me with a "Nice way to kiss up to everyone. You are truly a master to watch."
I smiled at him and leaned against the counter top. "Are those future lyrics?"
"I write it as I see it."
"Maybe you need to take a better look around then."
He shook his head, still surveying me. "I can't believe you're dating my brother." He gazed off in the distance, raised one hand then dropped it. "Maybe I should have seen it coming. Maybe your type just naturally finds each other, like sharks in mating season." His gaze returned to me and he waved a finger in my direction. "But don't think you're going to start hanging out here now, because you're not."