that morning, but it really hadn't even made a dent.
Lexi and I had shared a room our whole life, so it didn't surprise me to see her sitting on the bed when I opened the bedroom door. I hadn't expected to see her friend Tara there, but that really didn't surprise me much either.
"Hey," I said, tossing my purse onto the dresser. I pulled my long, dark hair out of a ponytail and proceeded to scratch my head. I wasn't even looking at Lexi or her friend when Tara said, "Why'd your mom just call you Delaney Rockwell? I thought your name was Laney Spencer."
The walls in our house were paper thin, so it made sense that she overheard my mom.
"Rockwell's her middle name," Lexi answered before I had the chance.
Tara let out an uncontrollable laugh and I glanced at her with a straight face.
"Seriously?" she asked, still unable to contain her amusement even though she tried. "Your middle name's Rockwell ?"
"Yeah, we're both named after soap opera characters," Lexi said. "Laney is Delaney Rockwell Spencer and I'm Lexi Cameron Charles." She paused before adding, "We have different last names because we have different dads."
"Cameron's not so bad for a middle name, I guess," Tara said with a shrug. She stared off into space as if she was thinking about something. "I've heard you call your sister Rocky sometimes, but I just figured you were talking about that boxing movie or whatever."
Lexi and I both laughed at that. I wasn't sensitive about my middle name. Everyone just knew me as Laney Spencer, and no one had ever questioned Lexi's occasional use of Rocky as a nickname. It was only the rare doctors visit or other random filling out of paper work that anyone ever saw my middle name, so I barely ever thought about it.
"I got the rest of the money to pay you for the car," Tara said, changing the subject. "I didn't bring it with me, though, since you said I can't take the car till Sunday. Do you still want to wait?"
"Yeah, I have some errands to run before then. You can come by and pick it up Sunday afternoon if that's okay."
"That's what I told my dad," she said. "I can't believe you're leaving Monday ! That's so weird."
"I can't believe it either," Lexi said. "I'm not even packed."
"I'm not either," I said, glancing at the huge, empty duffle at the foot of our bed.
Lexi looked at it too. "I need a big bag like that. I'm barely gonna be able to fit anything into those little bags I have. I probably won't even be able to fit the lava lamp."
"Ooh, ooh, I want the lava lamp if you don't take it," Tara said.
Lexi rolled her eyes. "You and Kristen are already getting everything else I don't have room for."
Tara shrugged and smiled. "I'm not complaining or anything, but why aren't you taking your car? You could fit a lot more stuff that way."
"I need the money for one thing," I said. "Plus, it's fine for driving around town, but I don't really know if it'll make it twelve hours down the interstate."
"Won't you need some way to get around in San Francisco?"
"Not really," I said. "The apartment we're renting is only half a mile from the studio where I'll be studying and there are tons of places within walking distance for Lexi and me to get a job."
"I can't believe you're hopping on a Greyhound and moving to California," Tara said. Her comment was directed toward Lexi, and it was obvious that she admired her for doing such a thing. Truth was, Lexi had nothing to do with the plans—she was just along for the ride. Obviously, I didn't steal her thunder by mentioning that.
"Speaking of moving," Lexi said in an excited whisper, "I got another graduation card in the mail today. It was from the Vinsons. They gave me thirty bucks."
"That's awesome," I said.
"That makes almost four hundred," she said.
"Good. Don't tell mom."
"I didn't," she said. "She saw me open the one from today, but she didn't see how much was in there and doesn't know about the rest of it."
"I got a little more from work today too," I said. I hadn't meant
Lexi and I had shared a room our whole life, so it didn't surprise me to see her sitting on the bed when I opened the bedroom door. I hadn't expected to see her friend Tara there, but that really didn't surprise me much either.
"Hey," I said, tossing my purse onto the dresser. I pulled my long, dark hair out of a ponytail and proceeded to scratch my head. I wasn't even looking at Lexi or her friend when Tara said, "Why'd your mom just call you Delaney Rockwell? I thought your name was Laney Spencer."
The walls in our house were paper thin, so it made sense that she overheard my mom.
"Rockwell's her middle name," Lexi answered before I had the chance.
Tara let out an uncontrollable laugh and I glanced at her with a straight face.
"Seriously?" she asked, still unable to contain her amusement even though she tried. "Your middle name's Rockwell ?"
"Yeah, we're both named after soap opera characters," Lexi said. "Laney is Delaney Rockwell Spencer and I'm Lexi Cameron Charles." She paused before adding, "We have different last names because we have different dads."
"Cameron's not so bad for a middle name, I guess," Tara said with a shrug. She stared off into space as if she was thinking about something. "I've heard you call your sister Rocky sometimes, but I just figured you were talking about that boxing movie or whatever."
Lexi and I both laughed at that. I wasn't sensitive about my middle name. Everyone just knew me as Laney Spencer, and no one had ever questioned Lexi's occasional use of Rocky as a nickname. It was only the rare doctors visit or other random filling out of paper work that anyone ever saw my middle name, so I barely ever thought about it.
"I got the rest of the money to pay you for the car," Tara said, changing the subject. "I didn't bring it with me, though, since you said I can't take the car till Sunday. Do you still want to wait?"
"Yeah, I have some errands to run before then. You can come by and pick it up Sunday afternoon if that's okay."
"That's what I told my dad," she said. "I can't believe you're leaving Monday ! That's so weird."
"I can't believe it either," Lexi said. "I'm not even packed."
"I'm not either," I said, glancing at the huge, empty duffle at the foot of our bed.
Lexi looked at it too. "I need a big bag like that. I'm barely gonna be able to fit anything into those little bags I have. I probably won't even be able to fit the lava lamp."
"Ooh, ooh, I want the lava lamp if you don't take it," Tara said.
Lexi rolled her eyes. "You and Kristen are already getting everything else I don't have room for."
Tara shrugged and smiled. "I'm not complaining or anything, but why aren't you taking your car? You could fit a lot more stuff that way."
"I need the money for one thing," I said. "Plus, it's fine for driving around town, but I don't really know if it'll make it twelve hours down the interstate."
"Won't you need some way to get around in San Francisco?"
"Not really," I said. "The apartment we're renting is only half a mile from the studio where I'll be studying and there are tons of places within walking distance for Lexi and me to get a job."
"I can't believe you're hopping on a Greyhound and moving to California," Tara said. Her comment was directed toward Lexi, and it was obvious that she admired her for doing such a thing. Truth was, Lexi had nothing to do with the plans—she was just along for the ride. Obviously, I didn't steal her thunder by mentioning that.
"Speaking of moving," Lexi said in an excited whisper, "I got another graduation card in the mail today. It was from the Vinsons. They gave me thirty bucks."
"That's awesome," I said.
"That makes almost four hundred," she said.
"Good. Don't tell mom."
"I didn't," she said. "She saw me open the one from today, but she didn't see how much was in there and doesn't know about the rest of it."
"I got a little more from work today too," I said. I hadn't meant
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