Tara Kelly - Harmonic Feedback

“You said you wanted me to help you.”

“Yeah, but then Lisa might need to go on maternity leave. Or Vickie might get pneumonia. Or maybe you’ll decide to work those two weeks just because. I’ll need a car regardless.”

He glanced at me before shaking his head. His eyes were a mess of shadows. “I’m not going to do this in front of your friend. We’ll talk later.”

“Yep, it’s always later. What if you wake up and find there’s no tomorrow, Dad?”

He ignored her and climbed the steps with slumped shoulders.

“Sorry about that. He really pisses me off sometimes.” Naomi nibbled on her thumbnail.

“Where does he work?”

“He’s a flight attendant.”

“That seems like a cool job.”

“Sure, if you don’t mind never being home.” She shrugged. “I could scream in that man’s face for hours and he wouldn’t even flinch. He responds to my words, but he never actually hears me, you know?”

“Maybe he doesn’t understand what you’re saying.”

“No, he just doesn’t care. Anyway, enough about him.” She smiled, but her eyes looked darker than normal. “If the pizza doesn’t get here in the next five minutes, I’m going to eat the delivery person too.”

“I doubt that would taste very good.”

She laughed and paused the movie. “It’s nine thirty. I bet Justin is off work by now.”

“So?”

“You should call him.”

“No.”

“Fine, give me your phone. I’ll call him.”

“Use your phone.”

“It’s upstairs charging. Come on, fork it over.” She made a grabbing motion.

I opened my lunch box and fished my black cell out. “Don’t do anything embarrassing.”

Naomi batted her eyelashes, taking the phone from me. “Never.” She pressed speed dial and put the call on speaker. I sank into the couch.

It rang three times before he picked up. “Hello?”

“Hey, baby.” Naomi made her voice higher. More breathy. More like mine.

I tried to grab the phone from her. “Stop!”

She pulled away and ran into the bathroom, shutting the door. “I’ve been thinking about you all night.”

I pounded on the door. “That’s not me!”

“Oh, yeah?” Justin’s voice echoed inside the bathroom. “You’ve been on my mind a lot too.” His voice sounded different. Lower. It made me stop knocking.

“What are you wearing?” Naomi continued.

“A pair of tube socks. What about you?”

“Just some lacy nighty I found in a gutter somewhere.”

I slid against the door, putting my face in my hands. This was a nightmare. He’d never talk to me again.

“Wow,” he said. “That’s hot.”

“You should come over and check it out.”

“Sure—on one condition.”

“Anything.”

“You take me off speakerphone and give Drea her phone back.”

“You’re no fun,” Naomi said in her normal voice. “And that’s technically two conditions.” She opened the door.

“Sorry, Drea’s yelling in the background kind of gave you away. Plus, you’re a shitty impersonator.”

“Hey, I was the prank call queen in junior high. I could do anyone’s voice.”

“It was her idea to call you,” I said. “I didn’t want to bother you again.”

Naomi raised her eyebrows at me. “Again? Oh, my.”

“Did you finish watching your movie?” Justin asked.

“Not yet,” Naomi answered. “We’re getting antsy because our pizza hasn’t shown up yet. Seriously, you should come over. My boyfriend is taking us to a race tonight, and Drea needs a buddy.”

“I’m not going,” I said.

She rolled her eyes. “You’re going. Can’t punk out on me now.”

“A street race?” Justin asked.

“Yeah,” Naomi said.

“Where is it?” he asked.

“Why—you wanna race?”

“No, I just didn’t think it was possible to drive more than twenty-five miles an hour in this town.”

Naomi rolled her eyes. “Oh, I know—people are, like, allergic to their gas pedals here.”

Justin exhaled a laugh. “Anyway, can’t go. I’m babysitting my niece.”

She scrunched up her nose. “Sounds riveting. You going to bake cookies for your grandma too?”

“Probably.”

The doorbell rang, and Naomi’s eyes widened. She tossed the phone at me. “Pizza’s here!”

“Um, hi,” I said.

“You want to take me off speakerphone now?”

I pressed the speaker off button. “Sorry if we bothered you. It… it really wasn’t my idea to call.”

“I know.”

I pictured him with that half smile. “So—”

“Hey, if you don’t want to go tonight, don’t go.”

I watched Naomi take the pizza into the kitchen. “I don’t want to be stuck in a car with her boyfriend,” I whispered. “He’s a creep.”

“Is he a bigger tool than Roger?”

“Yeah.”

“She needs better taste in guys.”

“No kidding. Maybe you can ask her out.”

He chuckled. “Does that mean I have your seal of approval?”

“I like you. I mean—better than Scott.” I rolled my eyes. Why was this so hard?

“Don’t worry. You had me at I like you .”

Naomi poked her head out of the kitchen. “Say bye to Prince Charming. Pizza is getting cold.”

“Sounds like you need to go again.”

“Yeah.”

Naomi ran a hand through her hair, tilting her head back. “Oh, Justin! Your voice is so sexy.”

I covered the mouthpiece, heat creeping up my neck.

“Is she on something again?” he asked.

“I don’t think so.”

Naomi continued to moan his name and roll her eyes up to the ceiling like she was having a seizure.

“That girl’s a trip,” he said. A child’s voice rang out in the background. “I gotta go, but, hey, if you decide to go and her boyfriend gets weird, call me, okay? I’ll pick you guys up.”

The nausea eased some. I really didn’t want to go, but I didn’t want to let Naomi down, either. “I will. Thank you.”

“Anything for my new bandmates. Talk to you later.”

“Bye.” I flipped the phone shut and glared at Naomi. “Do you really need me to go?”

She swallowed a large bite of her pizza. “What else are you going to do tonight?”

“I don’t know.” There was a curious part of me that wanted to be wild and crazy with Naomi. Live the life I’d overheard so many people talk about. The parties, the hookups, the “you just had to be there” moments, and even the hangovers. But so far I’d spent more time being uncomfortable. “Don’t you want to be alone with Scott?”

“He’ll be busy prepping his car. I’ll make him take us home as soon as it’s over.” She stuck out her lower lip at me. “Please? It would mean a lot to me.”

“Fine, I guess.”

She did a corny dance and thrust a slice of pizza in my face. It smelled like cardboard. “Eat.”

The pizza was cold and slightly chewy, but Naomi’s smile made it taste better.

Scott showed up just as Naomi stuck the last pin in her hair. She smelled like a fruity flower, and her lips were the color of red wine.

“What’s up?” Scott said after she let him in. He reeked of cigarettes and aftershave. Naomi threw her arms around him, and he stared at me over her shoulder.

I looked at the stained green carpet.

“How’s it going, Drea?”

“Fine,” I said. My lips were sticky with the brownish muck Naomi claimed looked good with my red hair.

“I brought you a present,” he said in her ear.

“I’ve got something for you too,” she whispered before glancing over her shoulder. “We’re gonna go upstairs for a couple minutes.”

I nodded and sat on the couch. Their footsteps thudded up the stairs, and Naomi let out a squeal after they closed the door. More laughter followed. A few thumps. And then silence. It wasn’t too late for me to get up and go home. Especially if she was going to be girly with Scott all night.