Seriously, Butch?" I said as Buttercup slapped him on the arm.
"What, too soon?" he joked.
"Maybe a wee bit," I said, holding up my fingers an inch apart.
Once we went inside, we sat in the living room and continued to talk, hashing out everything I'd been feeling the past few years. It felt like a huge weight had been lifted off my shoulders. All I ever really wanted was for Butch and Buttercup to understand that it was a whole lot easier to be different in their world than in mine. As for the judge's ruling, it was obvious I would have to quit my job at Tasty Freeze. No way could I get through three hundred hours of community service and hold down a job, especially once school started. I was officially screwed.
Dinner was a calmer affair since I had gotten everything out I wanted to say. The events of the day had taken their toll, and I was more anxious to escape to my room than anything. In the swoop of one event I had lost potential friends, my new job, and even worse, my dignity. After we finished eating, Buttercup and I were in the process of cleaning up the kitchen when someone knocked on the front door.
"Farrah?" I said, surprised to see her on my porch. "How did you find me?"
"Evan told me." She smiled tentatively, peeking cautiously over my shoulder.
"You want to come in?" I asked, holding open the door.
"I can't. I mean, I would, but I'm grounded. My mom said I could come over to see how it went with you today."
"I got a butt-load of community service," I said, leaning on the doorframe. "What about you?"
"A fine. My parents pulled some strings." She looked sorry, like she should apologize for having parents who had the means to get her out of trouble.
"Well, the only strings I have are in my shoes," I said sarcastically.
She looked at me sympathetically. "I'm sorry. It hardly seems fair."
I shrugged. "Hey, it's not your fault. That's life, I guess. Money talks. Evan got off too."
"Maybe with the judge, but his dad went nuts. He's forcing Evan to go back to New York with him. From what Leslie says, he's always been that way. Pretty much runs Evan's entire life like a tyrant. Talk about daddy issues to the max, huh?"
"I guess," I said, digesting her news. Apparently we all had parental issues. Some worse than others.
"Anyway, I better head home before my dad comes and drags me away. Maybe when I'm not grounded we can hang out? You know, without getting arrested."
"Truth," I snickered. "I'll either be here or serving my debt to society."
She grinned before heading down my driveway.
"Who was that?" Buttercup asked, walking out of the kitchen.
"Farrah. She got off with a fine like Evan."
"That's just the way the world works, sweetie," she said, placing an arm around me and dragging me in for a quick hug. "How did she seem besides that?"
"She was cool," I said, flashing my first smile of the day. Maybe I didn't lose all my potential friends.
Chapter 6
For the rest of the week I pretty much hung around the house, reading and entertaining Player. I did stop in to give Fred at the Tasty Freeze the bad news. He was cool about it, stating that if I wanted to try again next summer, he'd be willing to give me another shot. I also heard from my court advocate with the details of my community service sentence. Six-hour shifts per day for the next nine weeks over the summer and then weekends for the final thirty hours once school started.
The following Monday I woke up early and dressed in an old pair of cutoffs and a T-shirt since I had no idea what kind of work I would be doing. Butch drove me to the address I had been given and promised to pick me up later that day.
The nondescript building matched the color of the sand, which seemed fitting considering it sat right off the beach.
"Good luck! Don't pick any fights with anyone bigger than you, and don't drop any soap in the shower," Butch joked, grinning at me.
I rolled my eyes as I climbed out of the van. "You're hilarious. I'll try to hold my own."
"Be careful," he said solemnly.