"Nathan, are you allergic to bees?" Miranda cries out over the commotion.
"No."
There's a sigh of relief that Nathan isn't going to die. I've never heard so many swear words come out of his mouth at one time since I've known him.
I rub his back as he rinses his tongue in the big metal kitchen sink. "I'm so sorry. I tried to warn you--"
"It sthung my tung. Thit," he swears. He sticks his tongue out and points. "Take de sthinger outh."
"Okay." I examine his tongue. "What should I be looking for?"
"The sthinger!"
Is it white? Red? Black? I've never taken out a stinger before. I'm frantic with worry.
"His tongue is swollen," Miranda says. "I think he needs to go to the infirmary."
"Miranda's right," I cry out. "Nathan, I'm so sorry."
"You're thorry? Amy, thath's the lasth thime I'm pinthing your assth."
"Stop talking, Nathan. Your throat might swell up so bad it'll stop the oxygen."
Nathan opens his mouth wide and breathes in and out, proving his throat is letting enough air through.
"Close your mouth, Nathan," Tori says. "You look like a damn fish gasping for air, you dork."
"Uthually I'm thexy," Nathan tells her, then nudges me to intervene.
"The sexiest," I agree, but I don't think Tori is buying it.
Noah leads Nathan, who's now screaming unintelligible obscenities, all the way to the infirmary. Great. Now I've ruined my fake boyfriend's reputation, too.
Tori finishes the task of piling plastic coffee mugs on a tray.
"Hey, Tori. I thought you said these were worker bees that don't sting," I say to her.
"I didn't say they won't sting if you eat them," she responds, then walks back out into the dining area with the tray of coffee mugs.
I follow her with a tray of jam-filled bowls. "It's too bad my boyfriend won't be able to kiss me because of his bee sting."
"Your problem, not mine," she says, attitude dripping from each word.
I set two bowls on each table, wondering how I'm going to make her go out with Nathan after we "break up" and I'm supposedly devastated. "Who do you like?"
"As if I'm gonna tell you."
Seriously, this girl is so one-dimensional you'd think when she turns sideways she'd be as flat as a piece of paper. She belongs on another planet. "You know, it wouldn't hurt if you acted a little nicer."
"Why should I? Acting nice didn't get me anywhere. It sure didn't keep my parents together, that's for sure."
"Are they divorced?"
"That's none of your business. Just leave me alone."
I'm shocked. Tori actually opened up to me. The good part is that I now know what her deal is. She's not mad at me, per se. Okay, so I'm sure I annoy her 10 percent of the time. But the real issue behind her pissy face and bitchy attitude is a daughter who wants her parents to get together and doesn't see it happening any time soon.
"Not that you care, but I know how you feel," I tell her.
"I doubt it. Are your parents divorced?"
"No, worse. My parents were never married. How would you like growing up knowing you were the result of a one-night stand? That's my reality. And no matter how much attitude I have, that will never change."
"But you have friends. I have nobody."
"If you'd act a little nicer maybe we could be friends. If you stop calling me a spaz every two minutes, that might be a start."
""What makes you think even if I wanted a friend, I'd pick you? Besides, you are a spaz." Tori tosses her hair with a flick of her wrist, showing me a flash of dark hair underneath her blond locks, and stomps back to the kitchen.
She ignores me the rest of the time as she busies herself with one task or another. I guess now is not the time to become buddy-buddy with her, especially when she's in charge of the hot coffee. It's not a level playing field.
Avi walks in the door and I almost drop a bowl of jam. I wish I could forget the long talks we'd have on the phone when he was on military leave. Or that his hands are strong enough to dig ditches in record time and gentle enough to caress my skin and make me beg for more.
"Where's Noah?" he asks in a businesslike tone, as if I'm someone he just met.
"He took Nathan to the infirmary," I answer back, just as businesslike.
"Why?"
"Nathan kind of ate a live bee."
"Kind of? How does someone kind of cat a bee?"
"It's a long story," I say, not wanting to get into it.
Tori appears by Avi s side. "He licked it off her. You know, with his tongue." As if Avi cant get the visual, Tori sticks her tongue out and wiggles it up and down.
So much for the conversation staying businesslike. I have a vindictive urge to pull her tongue until it comes out of her mouth.
Avi looks as if he's about to be ill. "I get the picture. No need to demonstrate."
Avi and I meet up again at the tray full of bread baskets. I figure I need to explain, so I tap him on the arm. "When his dark gaze meets mine, I step back. I can't think straight when I'm looking directly into his eyes.
"Um, yeah. The way Tori told you what happened isn't really how it went down."
"I don't need details."