Pat’s Story

After supper, Walter, Melinda and I watched our favorite show, NeoGenesis. It was a Friday night tradition, and I was glad that we could watch one more episode together before Walter and I went off to LA. Her little brother joined us, even though it wasn’t really something he normally watched. I got the impression he just wanted to hang out with me and Walter.

I didn’t mind. He was a fun kid. And I was pretty sure that we had converted him into a full-blown fan. When the show ended, he raced up to his room to start binge-watching from the first season. Meanwhile, Walter went off to read his scripts while Melinda and I stayed on the couch. While she wrote in her journal, the one I had made her for Christmas, I reread the script. When she was done, she turned to me.

After reviewing her mother’s long list of stupid rules—like we were really going to make-out on the living room couch—she asked me what I was reading.

“My agent sent me a script.”

“You’re doing another movie already?”

I loved that she worried about me so much. I tucked her hair behind her ear to reassure her. “Nah. This wouldn’t film till summer. Besides, I didn’t say I was doing it. Just reading it.”

“Can you tell me about it?”

I pulled Melinda close, running a finger slowly up and down her arm as I tried to explain how I felt about this script. “When I read Tomodachi, I knew I wanted to be a part of it because I really cared about the message it was sending. This script my agent sent me today? I feel the same way. The thing is . . .”

Melinda shifted, running her hand along my back. “What?”

“It’s not my typical role. It’s more serious and more . . . adult.”

“Nightshade adult?”

I shuddered as I thought of the script my sister had read over Thanksgiving. Now that my sister was eighteen, our old agent had basically tried to get Meghan to make an NC-17 film. It was why she was no longer our agent.

“No. Thankfully, no. But I would—No. I’m not going to tell you.”

Melinda sighed. “Pat. What happened to rule number—I forgot the numbers. The one where we need to talk to each other.”

A little over a month ago, I had generated a list of relationship rules to help us communicate better with each other. Rule number four stated that whenever something was bothering one of us, we would talk to the other about it. But that rule didn’t actually apply in this situation.

I shook my head. “What I meant was that I want you to read the script. See if you can see me doing it. Then, help me figure out how to explain the more risqué parts to my mom.”

“Risqué?”

Melinda had a horrible vocabulary. I tried to help her out. “Um . . . Almost inappropriate, but not quite.”

“Oh. Like when I say shunk instead of swearing?”

She was so adorable when trying to assimilate unfamiliar words. I kissed the top of her head. “Something like that. Just read it. You’ll see.”

I turned on the tablet and changed the password to something she could remember before handing it to her. “I set the password to your birthday.”

Melinda raised her eyebrows. “Really? That’s something my mother would do.”

“Exactly. No one would ever think of it.”

I watched Melinda enter some random numbers twice before giving me a puzzled look. “What did you do?”

“Month, month, day, day.”

Melinda tried again. “Still not working.”

Seriously? How hard was it? I took the tablet from her. “Watch.” I entered the numbers slowly to make my point. Zero, five, one, three.

“That’s not my birthday.”

“Yes, it is.”

“I think I know my own birthday.”

There was something in her tone. She wasn’t kidding. There was no way I got her birthday wrong, though. Maybe she didn’t see a number correctly.

I swore. “Was I close?”

“No. Whose birthday is it?”

“No clue. I thought it was yours. Here. Set your own password.”

I gave her the tablet a little more forcefully than was necessary. Whose birthday was May thirteenth? I didn’t have random dates etched into my brain. My birthday was in February. My brother was in March. Both my parents were in April. My sister was in June. So, who was in May?

“You’re going to break up with me now, aren’t you?” I asked after an awkward moment of silence between us.

She didn’t answer me. She took out her phone. Probably texting her roommate for advice. A moment later, she turned it towards me. I was looking at a celebrity bio page. With a birthday of May thirteenth. The page belonged to Poppy Sommers.

Of all the mistakes I could make, I mixed up my girlfriend’s birthday with my ex’s. Did they make greeting cards for that? They should.

I swore as I buried my head in her hair. “I am soooooo sorry. I don’t know what else to say.”

“Gimme your phone.”

“Huh?”

“Gimme your phone.”

I had no idea what she wanted with it, but I handed it to her anyway. She played on it for a moment. She wasn’t texting my mother, was she? Tattling on me? She had a smirk as she returned the phone.

I glanced at it before sending her a cautious look. “What’d you do?”

“I set the unlock code to my birthday to help you remember it.”

“But don’t you need to know my code first?”

“Eight, six, two, nine.”

That was my code. It was my first bike lock combination when I was younger and I had never forgotten it. It was completely random and a perfect unlock code. I knew I had never shared it with Melinda.

“How did you—”

Instead of explaining, she gave me a quick kiss. Before I could even put my arms around her, she was off the couch. When she reached the living room door, she glanced over her shoulder.

“You have one month to figure it out.”

I watched her disappear down the hall. One month to figure it out. What was that supposed to mean? With a shrug, I picked up my phone and headed upstairs. Walter was lying on the bed with his tablet. I tossed my phone beside him.

“Melinda locked me out of my phone. When’s her birthday?”

Walter raised his eyebrows. “Shouldn’t you know that?”

I gave him the abbreviated version as I searched for my running shorts. When I explained how she changed my unlock code, he smirked.

“Excellent. Evil, but excellent.”

I glared at him. “I’m glad you approve. So, when’s her birthday?”

Walter shook his head. “Nope. She already told you. Use your head and figure it out.”

“You’ve been so helpful.” I grabbed my toiletries bag and headed to the downstairs bathroom. I mulled over Melinda’s words as I brushed my teeth. One month to figure it out. Why one month? What happened then?

 I smacked my forehead with the palm of my hand as I headed back up the stairs. Melinda was in her room, so I couldn’t go apologize. I sat on the bed and picked up my phone. Zero, four, zero, two. Exactly one month from today. The phone unlocked.

I texted Melinda her birthday, but she didn’t respond. How mad was she?

Melinda’s Story

After dinner, my brother joined me, Walter, and Pat to watch our favorite television show. Joey hadn’t been watching it this season, so he was probably a little lost. But we did our best to help him understand what was going on.

When the show ended, Pat and I stayed in the living room while our brothers headed upstairs. He read something while I wrote in my diary. Eventually, I finished reflecting on the beginning of my vacation and turned to him beside me.

“So, did my mom give you guys the lecture when we got home?”

Pat flashed me his famous smile as put down his tablet. “No, she just asked if we would be comfortable sharing the airbed.”

“Well, you’re not allowed in my room.”

“But you and I have always had that rule.”

I shrugged. “I know. But my mother found the need to remind me. Let’s see. You two are only allowed to use Joey’s bathroom or the one down here.”

Pat nodded. “Oh. Yeah. Your mom may have said that.”

“No joyriding.” When Pat smirked, I just rolled my eyes. “Her words, not mine.”

“Sweetheart, where would we even go?”

“No idea. I’m just telling you what she told me. Um, what else?” I bit my lip, trying to remember. “I swear. It felt like she was lecturing me for an hour. Oh. Try not to wake her up when you go for your middle of the night runs.”

“Walter and I always wait for dawn.”

I shrugged. “Again, her words. Oh, my favorite rule: no making out on the couch.”

“She didn’t say that.”

I shook my head. “No, she said other things. I’m summarizing it for you. While we’re in the living room, we can’t shut the door.”

“I can’t abide by that.”

“I have no idea what you just said.”

Pat gave a small laugh. “Abide. Um . . .”

“I need Walterpedia.”

Pat looked offended. “Hey, I can help you just as well as my brother can. Just give me a chance. Abide by means to submit to your mom’s demand.”

“So, you’re not going to follow her rules?”

“Just that last one. We had to shut the door when we watched NeoGenesis.”

“Oh. I don’t think that counted because Walter and Joey were here. Oh. That was another thing she told me. If Joey starts pestering you, let my mom know.”

Pat shook his head. “Yeah, I think it’s more like Walter is going to be bothering Joey this weekend. I swear. As soon as we got here, Walter started obsessing over your brother’s video games. Then again, he does have the mentality of a twelve-year-old.”

I hit Pat playfully. “Hey. Watch out what you say about my best friend, Red.”

He raised his eyebrows. “Red?”

I could feel my face growing warm as I bit my lip. “I want a nickname for you. I was thinking Red because of your hair. But it doesn’t work, does it?”

Pat shook his head with a smile. “No. But feel free to keep trying.” He pulled me close, kissing me gently. I was filled with a warmth that extended from my belly to the rest of my body. My heart stopped beating. I never wanted this kiss to end.

But I knew my mother would flip out if she ever walked into the room.

I pulled away gently, gesturing to Pat’s tablet. “So, whatcha reading?”

“My agent sent me a script.”

“You’re doing another movie already?”

Pat had been filming Tomodachi at the beginning of the school year and had missed half a term. How would he manage to keep up with his schoolwork if he went off to film another movie?

Pat tucked a hair behind my ear. “Nah. This wouldn’t film till summer. Besides. I didn’t say I was doing it. Just reading it.”

“Can you tell me about it?”

Pat lightly traced his hand along my arm. “When I read Tomodachi, I knew I wanted to be a part of it because I really cared about the message it was sending. This script my agent sent me today? I feel the same way. The thing is . . .”

I turned so I could trace my hand along his spine to soothe him. “What?”

“It’s not my typical role. It’s more serious and more . . . adult.”

I couldn’t help but remember the script his older sister had told me about over Thanksgiving break. Meghan’s former agent had thought—incorrectly—that turning eighteen meant she would be interested in a movie that required her to have her clothes off for at least half the scenes. I hoped Pat didn’t mean that this movie was like that one. But I had to be sure. 

“Nightshade adult?”

Pat shuddered. “No. Thankfully, no. But I would—No. I’m not going to tell you.”

I sighed. “Pat. What happened to rule number—” I frowned as I tried to remember. About a month ago, Pat had come up with a set of rules to help us communicate with each other better. I knew them all, but I sometimes had trouble with the order. “I forgot the numbers. The one where we need to talk to each other.”

Pat shook his head. “What I meant was that I want you to read the script. See if you can see me doing it. Then, help me figure out how to explain the more risqué parts to my mom.”

“Risqué?”

“Um . . .  Almost inappropriate, but not quite.”

I smiled. “Oh. Like when I say shunk instead of swearing?”

Pat kissed the top of my head. “Something like that. Just read it. You’ll see.” He turned on the tablet. After fiddling with it for a moment, he handed it to me. “I set the password to your birthday.”

I raised my eyebrows. “Really? That’s something my mother would do.”

“Exactly. No one would ever think of it.”

I took the tablet and tried to unlock it, but it wouldn’t work. I tried again. “What did you do?”

“Month, month, day, day.”

I tried again. “Still not working.”

“Watch.” Pat took the tablet and slowly entered the numbers. Zero, five, one, three.

I was amused and annoyed at the same time. I wasn’t sure which emotion was winning at the moment. “That’s not my birthday.”

“Yes, it is.”

“I think I know my own birthday.”

Pat swore. “Was I close?”

“No. Whose birthday is it?”

“No clue. I thought it was yours. Here. Set your own password.”

I could sense Pat was irritated, probably by the way he nearly shoved the tablet in my lap. I couldn’t blame him. I was just as frustrated with him. Ignoring our temporary breakup, we had been together since November. How could he not know my birthday?

Pat’s glum voice broke through my musing. “You’re going to break up with me now, aren’t you?”

I said nothing as I pulled out my phone. On a hunch, I searched for the birthday of Poppy Sommers, Pat’s celebrity ex-girlfriend. The date matched the password Pat had set. I showed him the phone. He swore again, burying his head in my hair.

“I am soooooo sorry. I don’t know what else to say.”

“Gimme your phone.”

“Huh?”

“Gimme your phone.”

Pat did as instructed. I played with it for a moment before returning it to him. He gave me a look of distrust.

“What’d you do?”

“I set the unlock code to my birthday to help you remember it.”

He sent me a look of confusion. “But don’t you need to know my code first?”

“Eight, six, two, nine.”

“How did you—”

I didn’t respond. I climbed out of his lap, gave him a quick kiss, and headed to my room. As I left the living room, I called back over my shoulder.

“You have one month to figure it out.”

I left Pat sitting dumbfounded on the couch.

After getting ready for bed, I spent the rest of the night in bed reading Pat’s script. I had read a few plays in middle school and assumed the format of the script would be similar. But it wasn’t.

Like the plays I read in high school, the script began with a cast of characters, although most had much more description than Alice in Wonderland. But most of the story read like a book, and not a very good one.

There were no descriptions. No emotions. Just a recitation of what the characters were doing. RICK shoves PATRICK. PATRICK pushes him back. They scuffle. COACH ELDON breaks up the fight.

I couldn’t believe Pat and Walter read through these things all the time. It took a lot of effort.

Eventually, I reached a page that showed the dialogue between two characters. It was formatted almost like a play, except the character names were in the center of the page, not on the side. Still, it was much easier to read. Unfortunately, when the scene ended, the boring summary resumed.

Ultimately, there were only four detailed scenes in the entire script, so it took me less than an hour to read through the entire thing. I could easily see Pat playing the main character, a runner preparing for the Olympics. I also easily found the parts of the script that were causing him hesitation, including a few scenes where he would be making out with his female costar.

After turning out the light, I tried to imagine watching the movie I had just read. It was easy to picture. Too easy. My mind fixated on one of the kissing scenes.

I had always known this day would come. Pat would go off to film another movie where he would kiss his costar. I tried to remember that while Pat Evans was my boyfriend, Patrick McGregor was the actor making the movies. I could see him embracing some faceless girl while a ton of people stood around watching.

Somehow, that made me feel a little less jealous as I drifted into sleep.

Attention Hammerheads

Melinda is always trying to build her vocabulary. What were some words in this episode that were new to you? She will add them to her vocabulary journal.