Audre & Bash Are Just Friends(14)

Bash blinked in confusion with his absurdly long lashes. “Sparrow? A self-heating toilet? And wait, I’m… not a type.”

“Neither am I!”

“I feel like I’m in trouble. And why am I justifying my life to an eleventh grader?”

“Twelfth, as of today.”

“Exactly, so why are you even out here? You should be partying instead of worrying about what I’m doing.” He tilted his head to one side, studying her. “You have narc energy.”

Audre flinched. “Narc energy?”

“Yeah, like you’re pretending to go to Cheshire but you’re an undercover cop.”

“I know what a narc is. Look, I’m just looking out for my girlfriends. Maybe I’ve just had it up to here with guys making my friends cry.”

“Or are you just nosy?” Bash’s tone was jokey, as if trying to defuse the tension.

Audre didn’t skip a beat. “Boys who call girls nosy generally have something to hide.”

This caught Bash off guard. He glanced away. “I don’t have anything to hide.”

“Okay, well. You should get back to your party before Gideon Mathison pillages your mom’s panty drawer. He’s famous for it. Have a great summer.”

Aware that this conversation made her look unhinged—and that her life was over, anyway, so it didn’t matter—she realized she had to get away from Bash, immediately. So, she gave Bash a quick wave goodbye and began to walk away.

But then he called out to her.

“Audre.”

She whipped around so fast, her braids almost smacked her in the face.

“You want to know how I commit? I don’t overthink it,” he said.

Confusion flashed over Audre’s face. “Overthink what?”

“My tattoos. Sometimes, when people’s aesthetics or interests change, they hate their old ink. Not me.” He shrugged. “Everything changes. Nothing’ll be the same a year from now. But my tats will. They’re like reminders of things I loved once. Even just for a day.”

She nodded but couldn’t say anything because, inexplicably, she felt near tears. Bash’s words had hit her somewhere—some melancholy, yearning place that longed for things not to change. For everything to go back to the way it used to be.

In a move that would embarrass her every time she thought about it for the rest of the summer, she ran off. She ran before the tears spilled. Before she revealed anything about herself that she’d regret.





1, 2, 3, 4… THRIVE!

A Teen’s Rules for Flourishing on This Dying Planet


By Audre Mercy-Moore


Rule 3:

Stay alert around suspiciously hot joggers in the park. For safety reasons, first and foremost-but also because they sometimes drop pearls of wisdom.





Chapter 7


A week later, Audre’s Dadifornia devastation had worn off—a little. Eva and Shane, of course, weren’t sympathetic. Quite the contrary. They were thrilled they’d have extra hands while they searched for a new nanny. Which was why she was spending her Saturday grumpily babysitting Baby Alice while her mom and stepdad were out at book signings in Manhattan.

Audre was so lost without her planned summer. It was the only time she had unobstructed, IRL access to her dad. Maybe he would’ve tried harder to make room for her if they had a closer relationship. If he wasn’t her “vacation” parent.

Audre was trying to accept her new summer reality. But she hated change. What had Bash said to her? Everything changes. Nothing’ll be the same a year from now.

Bash Henry, the accidental philosopher. Audre stiffened, remembering how nuts she must’ve looked to him that evening in the park. Without hearing his side of the story, Audre believed all the rumors about Bash—and had been judgmental and rigid. Two things she prided herself on not being. Besides, who he chose to hook up with (and why) was absolutely none of her business. No matter what sketchy insider details had been revealed to her in confidence.

That was another thing! In her race to put him in his place, she committed a cardinal therapy sin. She revealed the secrets of a client.

I’m trash, she thought, groaning out loud and disturbing Baby Alice, who was finally dozing off. Baby Alice jerked upright, spit out her pacifier, and began scream-crying.

“Why are you even mad?” Audre complained, carrying Baby Alice over to her vibrating baby rocker. “You have no problems. No homework. No acting a fool in front of a popular guy who’s done nothing to you. No divorced parents who are sick of raising you. What kind of person shrieks for no reason?”

Audre strapped her into the chair, covered her with a thin blanket, and sat on the hardwood floor next to her. She copied what she’d seen Eva do a million times and placed her hand on Baby Alice’s thigh and lightly jiggled her. Her sister grabbed her index finger in her chubby fist and squeezed hard, her baby nails digging into her skin. Audre grimaced, gulping down a yelp. The assault was worth it, though. The baby was asleep in under five minutes.

A relief. Audre grabbed the baby monitor walkie-talkie and zigzagged her way through the construction materials piled throughout the apartment till she reached the back window. She climbed out and sat on the fire escape. With a soul-clearing sigh, she texted her best friend.