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ride. We’re
just getting started here.”
    “Are you sure?” I worried that she’d pass
out outside on the massive lawn and be accidentally plowed over by
a lawn mower in the morning, or worse.
    “I’m sure.” She hugged me again. “I’m so
happy for you. You’re my best friend and I love you.”
    “Um, thanks,” I said, patting her back. This
gushy drunk-talk was embarrassing.
    “Michael’s a nice guy, he really is. He’ll
make you happy.”
    “Okay.”
    I’d agreed only to make her happy,
not because I believed it would ever happen.

Chapter 5
     
     
    Jamie sprinted toward me as I crouched over
the dining room rug, scrubbing at a fruit punch stain. “Taylor, can
you get this untied?”
    I looked up, tossing the hair out of my
eyes. He held up the remote controlled helicopter that he’d gotten
for his birthday. Twisted around its propellers was one of those
little figurines with the plastic parachute attached. I gave up on
the stain and stood up, taking the helicopter from him. “Man,
Jamie,” I said, examining the knot. “I think I’m gonna have to cut
this.”
    “It was Brandon,” he said quickly. “He
wanted to see if he could launch the parachute and then slam it
with the helicopter.”
    Ten-year-old boys gave me migraines.
Especially ones who were hopped up on birthday cake, caffeine, and
video game violence. So far I’d broken up four fights, rescued Leo
from being the stand-in pony for “rides” around the living room,
and pulled chewed licorice out of some poor girl’s hair. Not to
mention the punch explosion on the rug. The party was almost over,
and just in time. I was about five minutes away from curling up
into a fetal position and rocking back and forth in a corner. These
kids were animals.
    As I stood in the empty kitchen, rummaging
through the disorganized junk drawer for a pair of scissors, I was
startled by a loud knocking. I looked over at the sliding glass
doors to see Robin standing on the other side, waving and grinning
hugely. My hand on my chest, I went over to turn the lock and let
her in.
    “You scared the hell out of me,” I said.
    She laughed and rubbed her hands over her
goosebumpy arms. The temperature outside had plummeted that
morning, but she wore yoga pants, a tank top, and flip-flops. Her
long auburn hair was smoothed back into a ponytail. Even
makeup-free, she looked beautiful.
    “What is going on in here?” she asked as a
thunderous crashing sound filtered into the kitchen. It sounded
like the DVD rack falling over. “And what are you doing ?”
    I’d found the scissors and was attempting to
free the parachute guy. “It’s Jamie’s birthday, and I’m going
insane.”
    Lynn bustled into the kitchen then, followed
by half a dozen party-goers in need of thirst-quenching. While my
stepmother filled plastic cups with water, the group of kids—four
boys and two girls, one of them Emma—all stared at Robin. One of
the little boys’ faces turned tomato red.
    “Are you a model?” asked the girl who’d had
the chewed licorice in her hair.
    Robin smiled and struck a pose—hand behind
her head, one hip jutting out. “Yeah, I model swimsuits for
Eskimos.”
    The tomato-faced boy gaped, his mouth
hanging open. You could almost hear puberty setting in.
    “It’s just Robin,” Emma said as she handed
out the cups of water. “Come on, let’s go.”
    They drank quickly and took off out of the
room. Lynn rubbed her temples as she trailed after them.
    “ Just Robin,” Robin said, shaking her
head.
    I worked the scissor blade under the string.
“The little blond boy seemed taken with you.”
    “Tell him to look me up in about ten years.
Here, give me that before you sever your finger.” She took the
helicopter and scissors from me, and in no time at all the little
man was untangled, landing with a thud on the ceramic tile. Robin
unwound the parachute from the propellers and handed it to me.
    “Impressive,” I said.
    “Everyone is talented at