CHATROOM LOVE
Chapter Thirty-Eight
December 20, 2001
Edmonton, AB
“You guys! You didn’t have to do this!”
Helga exclaimed, looking around the brightly lit room. “I’ll be back in a few
weeks, you know.”
“Yes, but we wanted to,” Dawn
told her.
“Besides, it gives us an excuse
to have a party,” Tommy added, putting an arm around Dawn.
The room was decorated with
tinsel and Christmas lights. A large, decorated fir tree stood in one corner,
and poinsettias sat on the tables. Rose looked around, smiling proudly.
“It was Jack’s idea to use all
those poinsettias,” she told Helga, “and my idea to use my house, because I
have the best family room.”
“Where’s your mom?” Jack asked,
looking around. Some of the guests were beginning to arrive, but he saw no sign
of Rose’s mother.
“She’s around here somewhere, and
so is the housekeeper, Mrs. Bourdais. They promised not to interfere unless
there’s trouble, though.”
“Well, what are we standing
around for? Let’s party!” Dawn hurried over to turn the music on.
Fabrizio was one of the last
guests to arrive. “Sorry,” he apologized. “I couldn’t get a ride.”
“You should’ve called!” Rose told
him. “One of us would have gone to get you.”
“Anyway, you’re here now,” Helga
said, grabbing his arm. “Want to dance?”
“I don’t know how.”
“Neither do I! Just go with it!”
Jack shouted after them.
They gave him a strange look, but
he ignored them, turning to Rose. “Come on!”
“What?” Rose giggled, a little
giddy after drinking the champagne-spiked punch.
“Let’s dance!” He leaned closer.
“And don’t let your mom know there’s alcohol here. I don’t know about your mom,
but my parents would have killed me if I’d ever had alcohol at a party.”
“I didn’t bring it.”
“I wonder who did?” Jack spun her
around, laughing.
“Don’t know. But it sure makes
the punch good!”
They’d been dancing for about ten
minutes when Rose caught sight of an unwelcome guest in the corner, watching
them dance and whispering to her friends.
“Who let her in?”
“Who?”
“Stacey. She’s right over there.
Remember—she wanted my spot on the cheerleading squad? She wants you, too.”
“Don’t worry, Rosie. You’re the
only girl for me.”
“Jack…she isn’t supposed to be
here. She wasn’t invited! Neither were her snotty friends.”
“What do you want to do?”
“Let’s go talk to Dawn and Tommy.
They helped plan this party.”
They found Dawn and Tommy standing
next to the refreshment table. Tommy handed Dawn a cup of punch, which she
sipped and then set aside, making a face.
“Tommy, go get me a Coke, will
you?”
“What’s wrong with the punch?”
“It tastes funny.” Dawn looked up
to see Jack and Rose approaching. “Oh…hey, guys. Having fun?”
Rose gave Dawn a funny look. “I
thought you liked champagne.”
“Not in punch.”
“Really? Since when—“
“I’ll tell you later, okay?” She
took the Coke Tommy brought her and opened it. “Anyway, you look worried.
What’s wrong?”
“Stacey and her friends are
here.”
“Stacey’s here? Who’s she with?”
“Her friends. Did you invite
them?”
“Of course not! She’s a snob.
Maybe she came with one of the guys on the football team.”
“Not that I know of.” Tommy
looked in the direction Rose pointed in. “I know all those guys, and they’re
all here with other girls, except Paul, who never brings anybody. Besides,
she’s got a crush on Jack.”
“I didn’t invite her!” Jack gave
Tommy an annoyed look.
“I know. Rose would kill you if
you did.”
“So we know she’s crashing the
party, then?”
“I don’t think Fabrizio or Helga
would have invited her or her friends, either.”
“I know they wouldn’t,” Rose
spoke up. “I overheard them making fun of Helga and Fabrizio because they’re
foreigners.”
“And yet she has a crush on Jack,
who’s American.” Dawn frowned. “She is such a—“ She cut herself off, taking a
sip of her Coke. “I’m going to be nice. I’m not going to lower myself to her
level.” She set her drink down. “Let’s throw her out.”
The other three looked at each
worriedly, but followed Dawn across the room to confront Stacey.
Stacey looked a little scared
when she saw them coming, but quickly hid it under a big, fake smile. “Nice
party, you guys,” she said, smirking. “Enjoying the punch?”
“You’re the one who put the champagne
in the punch!” Dawn accused. “Now you’ve ruined it for everybody!”
Stacey shrugged. “It looks like
most people are enjoying it.”
“That’s not the point!” Rose
sputtered angrily. “You weren’t invited!”
“Everybody goes to parties like
this one.”
“Not at my house.”
“Oh, so you’re better than
everybody else?”
Rose clenched her fists. “Leave!”
She pointed to the door.
One of Stacey’s friends spoke up.
“Why don’t you leave her alone?”
“Because she wasn’t invited!
Neither were you!”
“We’re not hurting anything.”
“Go away!” Rose’s voice was
getting louder. People turned to stare at them, some yelling encouragement and
laughing.
“What is going on down here?”
Everyone looked up as Ruth came down the stairs, her attention focused on the group
in the corner. “Rose, what’s going on?”
“They were just leaving, Mom.”
Rose glared at Stacey and her friends.
“I don’t know why you invited us
if you were going to be so rude.” Stacey put on an innocent look.
“You weren’t invited! You crashed
the party! Now, leave!” Rose’s face was turning red.
“Rose, calm down.” Ruth came up
behind her. “Girls, I’m going to have to ask you to leave.”
Stacey shrugged. “Who cares? This
party sucks anyway. You’re just a bunch of losers. Who invites their mom to a
party, anyway?”
“Leave, girls. Now.” Ruth stared
at them coolly.
“We’re going. Come on. We’re
wasting our time here.” Stacey got up and headed for the door, followed by her
entourage of friends.
“Sour grapes!” Helga shouted
after them, drawing laughter from a few partygoers.
“And don’t come back, bitch!”
Rose shouted at Stacey, sticking out her tongue when Stacey turned and gave her
the finger.
“Rose! There’s no need for such
language,” Ruth reprimanded her. “Now, before I go upstairs, are there any
other problems? Do you need anything?”
Rose thought about the champagne,
but decided not to mention it. “No, Mom. Everything’s fine.” She smiled weakly.
“You can go back to whatever you were doing. We’ll clean up when everything’s
over.”
“All right. But, Rose, if there are
anymore problems, call me, okay?”
“Sure, Mom.”
*****
In the early hours of the
morning, after the party ended, Jack and Tommy were putting the family room
back together while Rose and Dawson washed dishes and put away the leftover
food. The punch had all been consumed, and fortunately Stacey had taken the
champagne bottle with her, so Rose wasn’t worried about getting caught with
alcohol.
As she washed out the empty punch
bowl, she turned to Dawn, lowering her voice. “So, since when do you not like
champagne in your punch?”
“Since…Rose, you have to promise
not to tell anyone what I’m going to tell you. Not your mom, not Jack…nobody.”
Rose nodded. “Sure. I can keep a
secret. Dawn, what’s wrong?”
“Remember the trip to Las Vegas
last month?”
“Yes.”
“Remember how I was sick and
couldn’t go to the concert, and Tommy stayed with me?”
Rose nodded, then clapped her
hands over her mouth. “Oh, my God! Don’t tell me he sneaked in some champagne
and you got caught with it!”
Dawn looked at her like she was
crazy. “No, of course not. Where would he have gotten champagne? Everything
went on my parents’ bill, and he’s underage. He would have had trouble getting
any champagne or anything even if he’d tried.”
“So what’s wrong?”
“My parents and your mom went out
during the concert and left us by ourselves, and…uh…”
“And what?”
“I…uh…I think I’m pregnant.”
“Oh, my God!” Rose’s voice was
louder than she intended, and Dawn winced.
“Rose, shut up! I don’t want
anybody to find out.”
“Does Tommy know?”
“No, and you’re not going to tell
him, either. I’m not even sure yet.”
“Have you been to the doctor?”
“No. I don’t want my parents to
find out.”
“If you’re pregnant, they’ll find
out eventually anyway.”
“And if I’m not?”
“Why don’t you go to the Medicentre
for a pregnancy test? Then you won’t have to tell them unless you’re sure.”
“I don’t know, Rose…”
“I’ll go with you. What are
friends for? Just make an appointment and I’ll come with you so you can find
out. I won’t say anything unless you want me to.”
Dawn was silent for a few
minutes, thinking. Finally, she turned to her best friend.
“Okay, Rose. But only if you come
with me.”
“I will. You can count on me.”