Chapter 38

"You've got a funny look on your face."

I'd just stepped out my front door to meet Tami. I kissed her, slipped my arm around her and my hand into her back pocket, and we started walking.

"I'm trying to decide whether to be insulted or not."

Tami giggled. "About what?"

"Mom and I were talking about Darlene, and she was saying that she was proud of me for bringing home strays, girls who need help."

"And that's insulting?"

"Then she added she'd be prouder if my strays weren't all female and cute."

Tami laughed. So how's Traci getting along with her roommate?"

I suppressed a grin and kept a straight face. "Darlene isn't living in Traci's room."

"She's not?" Tami asked in surprise. "You're still on the couch?"

"Nope. I'm back in my bed." I gave Tami a minute to process. She wouldn't get really jealous, not over Darlene, but there was a little...

"You mean your mom... ?

"Tami, my love, Darlene moved out this afternoon."

"She went home?"

"That's not happening. She moved in over at Robbie's. Robbie's dad said she could stay until she graduated college and not a day longer."

"Good. You think her dad will make trouble?"

"Stepdad," I corrected. "I think he'll make noises. Mr. Tate talked to a friend of his. He's a judge in family court in Seattle. It's not his jurisdiction, but he seemed to think that since Darlene has a good place to live and is a good student and everything, that if nothing else we could drown Reed in paperwork and stall till she turns eighteen in thirteen months."

"So she's never going home?"

"Never say never, but I'm not holding my breath. I can't see Reed changing, and I don't think Darlene's mom is going to stand up to him."

Tami nodded, and we walked in silence for a while. I knew Tami was worried about something, but I also knew she'd talk when she was ready. We were just finishing our third circuit when she asked, "What about her sisters?"

I sighed. It was a question that I'd thought about but didn't have a good answer for. "They'll probably get it worse than Darlene since they're growing up in it. But there's not much we can do unless they rebel like Darlene did. If that happens, Robbie's dad said they're welcome, but it probably won't happen. They're too young to realize they're second class citizens in that house."

"That's sad."

"That it is." We walked some more.

"Think we'll win?" she asked on the fifth circuit.

"The truth or the answer I'll give Robbie?"

"I'll take the truth, and that's what you'll give Robbie too."

"Probably, but she ain't gonna like it. I think we're gonna send Romeo and George to Seattle."

"Why? It was okay, but it wasn't that great."

I agreed. We'd seen the play last night. Carl Troutman had done a good job adapting a story he'd found on the internet, but the group he'd put together hadn't been the best actors. There were a lot of awkward pauses and mumbled dialog.

"The problem is the system. Everyone in school gets to vote, but less than half went to one play, let alone all three. Most of them will vote for a friend's group or whatever. Romeo and George will get a lot of votes just because of the idea of Romeo actually being hot for Juliet's brother."

"What about Detective?" she asked as we passed her house for the sixth time. We'd seen The Accidental Detective tonight after my football and her gymnastics.

"I think Leslie blew it."

"But it was good."

"It was great," I corrected. Leslie's play was much better staged than Carl's. And her actors hit all their marks. Leslie's timing for comedy was as good, maybe better than for drama. "Leslie did a fantastic job, but the play itself was a little too... too intellectual for high school. A lot of the jokes depended on actually knowing some history and current events."

Tami nodded. "I guess. There were times when Robbie, you, and I were laughing, but most of the audience just sat there."

I nodded.

"So, tomorrow?"

I shrugged. "Tomorrow we perform and do great, then lose. Or we blow it completely and lose. No one ever said high school was fair."

"Even with Parker gone," Tami agreed with a sigh.

"I've got a plan!" Tami announced as I tried to kiss her goodnight.

"I'm trying to kiss you here."

"This is more important. I've got a plan."

I shook my head. "So what's your plan?"

"We petition the school board to let the middle school vote too. Since we've got the only play with middle schoolers..."

"We win big time," I finished for her.

Tami nodded.

I kissed her hard for several seconds, then stepped back and bowed.

"Robbie would be so proud."