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of “compromising” positions. But when I discovered Timothy and Shawna in the master bathroom, of all places, and actually doing it right there in the sunken tub, I thought I was going to literally die. Without even saying a word, I just turned around and went downstairs in a state of shock.
    “What’s wrong?” asked Ashley when she saw me. “It looks like you saw a ghost. Oh, crud, please tell me you didn’t find a dead body up there somewhere!”
    I just shook my head and, in the same moment, Timothy and Shawna came flying down the stairs, the last ones to leave. Timothy hadn’t even bothered to fasten his belt, and Shawna had her new sweater on backward. They were barely out the door when I started to sob all over again.
    Then to my complete surprise, Ashley put her arms around me and gave me the warmest hug. “Oh, poor Jordan,” she said soothingly. “Those two are such total jerks, I think they deserve each other. Just forget about them, Jordan.”
    And finally I stopped crying, and feeling just a teeny bit better, I offered to help her clean up.
    I could tell it was going to take a long time, and not wanting to get grounded on top of everything else, I decided to call my parents and actually tell them the truth. Okay, part of the truth.
    “Ashley’s party got totally crashed by a bunch of rowdy kids,” I told my dad. “They brought alcohol and really trashed the place, and I want to help her clean up. But I think it’s going to take a while. Maybe I should just spend the night.”
    “Now, where exactly does Ashley live?” my dad asked. And I could tell he was trying really hard to believe me. So I told him the address, fairly certain that before the night was over, he’d be driving his old Volvo by to make sure I was really there.
    We worked until around two in the morning just to get rid of all the “evidence” of illegal or illicit activities, and let me tell you, it was totally gross. I was convinced by then that I would never throw a party when my parents were gone. At that point, we were so exhausted that we decided to call it a night and pick up where we’d left off in the morning.
    Even though I was totally exhausted, both emotionally and physically, I stayed awake long after Ashley had crashed. All I could think about was the horrible scene I’d stumbled upon in the master bathroom. I think I cried myself to sleep.

six
     
     
     
    S OMETIMES THERE’S NOTHING LIKE GOOD HARD WORK WHEN YOU’RE depressed. And believe me, I was seriously depressed the following day. It was probably a good thing that I spent most of the day helping Ashley put her house back together. It probably kept me from doing something else, something totally regrettable, like ramming my car into Shawna’s.
    “You’re really good at this,” Ashley told me as I helped her glue a lamp base that had been broken.
    “It’s my obsessive-compulsive side,” I told her. “I like to make everything perfect. It’s pretty sick, really. You should see my room.”
    She laughed. “Yeah, Shawna told us about it once.” Then she got this startled expression. “I’m sorry, Jordan. I shouldn’t have mentioned her.”
    “It’s okay,” I tried to reassure her. “I might as well get used to it.” I studied Ashley for a moment. “So, did Shawna make fun of me when she told you about my impeccably neat room?”
    Ashley kind of shrugged. “She said you have to keep everything in its place or you totally lose it.”
    I sighed. I should’ve known I couldn’t trust Shawna, not even on the most basic levels. “Well,” I said, “that’s not completely true. But I am kind of a neat freak.”
    “Hey, I’m not complaining, Jordan. I don’t know what I would’ve done without you. I owe you big-time, girl.”
    So, perhaps I’ve made a friend through all this. Although it’s a small consolation, considering what I’ve lost. Mainly Timothy. I’m pretty sure that I’ve lost him. Now, I know I shouldn’t care, since