The Tragedy of Loving Jamie Clarke Read Online Free PDF Page B

morning but Granny will be there around 8:00 so our house isn’t a proper after-date hang out...you know how your grandmother gets. Have fun and don’t do anything you wouldn’t normally do.
    Love,
    Mom
    I can hear her British accent now teasing me, “Don’t do anything you wouldn’t normally do.” My mother ladies and gentleman; sometimes I wish she’d be more mother than friend, it can be embarrassing when your mother teases you about sex in front of your entire class. And oh yes, it has happened before. She always claims that people from England are far more sophisticated but it’s hard to take her seriously when she says raunchy things to my father or worse, me.
    I forgot that every year on this date the Hills and my parents go out to celebrate the anniversary of their first day working together at The Anchor. They eat and drink themselves silly, which ultimately leads them to getting a hotel room for the evening. I always protest that I don’t need my grandmother to come and stay with me for the night but since I’m not eighteen my parents aren’t comfortable leaving me alone. Tonight I’m glad that Granny will be here when I get back from my Jamie date. This way if it goes as badly as I am expecting someone will be here to pick up the pieces.
    “I forgot about the workiversary tonight,” Amber says as she browses through the fridge. “Looks like Alex and I will have the house to ourselves again!”
    The Hills are far less worried about leaving their 17-year-old daughter home alone than my parents and I don’t even have a boyfriend. Amber has free reign when it comes to, well everything. Her parents gave her only one true rule, “Don’t come home pregnant.” Sounds stupid but I know at least five girls in school who are.
    “Oh come on Amber, I already know exactly what’s going to happen between you two tonight. You’re going to sit on the ratty old couch in your living room and watch Just Friends for the hundredth time then toy with the idea of fooling around.  It’ll never get further than a make out session because by the time the end credits of the movie roll, Alex will be passed out.” 
    But of course, at school tomorrow, Amber will brag that she and Alex did “it,” and I’ll have to play along because that’s what a best friend is supposed to do.
                  Amber slides into the bench at the breakfast nook that overlooks the backyard with the rusted swing set that my father bought for me when I was little. It should probably be taken down but I know that for my dad it’s more of a nostalgia piece than anything else.
    The meatloaf has clearly just come out of the refrigerator because the carrots have an oddly light color but that doesn’t stop Amber from picking at it.
    “This is gross,” my best friend says spitting the piece of half chewed meatloaf into a napkin.
    “Maybe because it needs to be heated up ,” I retort as I pull the lazy Susan away from her.
    She brushes her hands together, jumps off of the bench and heads for the front foyer. “Okay, well we should get going. You have a date on his way over and I need to prepare myself for a night of hot loving.”  
                  “You do that,” I snicker. “But before you go…final thoughts.”
    I twirl like a Princess showing off a lavish gown fit for a ball.
    “Perfecto. Jamie is going to be drooling at your feet in no time.”
    “ Shut up ,” I say and shove them out the door.
    “Can’t wait for all the gory details!” Amber says as she skips down the driveway.
    Gory details? Please. I already know that this date is doomed.
    Jamie should be taking someone like Liza out not Ms. Plain Jane, April the Hunchback Marks. We’re going to spend an hour max together and then he’s going to create an excuse and bail early. I’ll come home feeling like an idiot and tomorrow at school everyone will be talking about the brace girl who thought she was going on a date with the new kid. I