The Perfect Son Read online

  Jessica, on the other hand, has absolutely embraced the stay at home mom lifestyle. She is the most visible parent at the high school, and her kids are involved in every sport and extracurricular activity you can imagine. In my more optimistic moments, I hope that’s why Tyler and Liam aren’t friends anymore. Because Tyler is just too damn busy.

  “Erika!” Jessica flashes me a bright smile as I slide into the booth across from her. “It’s so good to spend a little time with you. It’s been ages, hasn’t it?”

  Can we dispense with the small talk and you just tell me what urgent thing you need to tell me? I force a smile. “Yes. It really has.”

  “We should do this more often, shouldn’t we?”

  I nod. “Definitely.”

  We won’t. I used to be friends with several of the parents at the school, but I’ve got my reasons for keeping my distance now.

  I flag down a waitress to place my order for a cup of coffee. Whatever she’s got to say will be easier to take after a shot of caffeine. “How is your mother?” Jessica asks once the waiter has left.

  Jessica Martinson should be a politician. She is fantastic at remembering little details about everyone she knows. Even though I know it’s all an act, I feel oddly touched that she remembered to ask about my mother. And the truth is, my mother has been on my mind a lot lately. She is nearly eighty and living all alone in a small house in New Jersey. But she’s tough—my father died when I was very young, and she’s been doing it alone ever since.

  “She’s hanging in there,” I say. “I’d love for her to move closer, but she’s really stubborn. She’ll never leave her house.”

  “I know what you mean.” Jessica takes a sip of her coffee. She has poured so much cream into it, it looks like chocolate milk. “My mother is the same way. We’ve got a room for her in our house, but she won’t budge.”

  “I suppose I understand. She’s got all her friends out in Jersey.”

  Jessica crinkles her nose. “But it’s Jersey.”

  We both laugh, and I remember why I used to be friends with Jessica. She’s so good at talking to people, whether she likes them or not. In that sense, she’s not unlike Liam.

  But she’s not really like him. Not at all. Nobody is.

  I clear my throat. “So what did you want to talk to me about, Jessica?”

  I hold my breath, waiting for her to take another sip from her coffee. “Oh, right,” she says. “I need your help, Erika. Movie night is turning into a disaster. Would you take over the reins?”

  I let out the breath. I should have known that’s what Jessica wanted to talk to me about. Movie night takes place at the high school once a year. They put up a big screen in the football field and charge people three dollars each for entry. They sell pizza at two dollars a slice. It’s a big fundraiser for the PTA, and therefore, it’s on Jessica’s shoulders to get it organized.

  “Rachel was in charge of it,” Jessica says. “But her husband—you know Rob?—he had a minor heart attack. He’s okay, but her head isn’t in the game. The thing is in two weeks, and nothing is organized yet. Is there any chance you could take over? Pretty please?”

  “Of course,” I agree. Unlike Jessica, I could never stomach the PTA. When she and I were close, I used to go to meetings, but they were always oppressively boring. It made me feel guilty that all I wanted to do during the meetings was take out my phone and play Candy Crush. But I try to volunteer for things at the school as much as I can.

  “You are a star, Erika!” She reaches out to take my hand across the table and I resist the urge to pull away. One thing I have in common with Liam is casual physical affection makes me uncomfortable. “Thank you so much. You’ll come to the PTA meeting this week to help organize then?”

  I’d rather eat dirt. “Um, sure.”

  The waitress arrives with my coffee, which gives me an excuse to yank my hand back. I don’t pour in any milk or sugar. I like it bitter and black.

  “We should all get together again,” Jessica says. “Your family and mine. It’s sad the boys don’t hang out much anymore. And Hannah and Emma never really got along.”

  “Yes.” I absently stir my coffee with a spoon, even though I’m drinking it black. This get-together will never happen. Tyler and Liam aren’t friends anymore, and Hannah actively dislikes Jessica’s younger daughter.

  “Of course…” Jessica shrugs. “Tyler spends most of his free time these days with girls. You must know how that is. I’ll bet Liam has a million girlfriends.”

  My mouth feels dry. Olivia. I’ve got to find her. “Actually, he hasn’t really been dating yet.”

  “No?” She raises her eyebrows. “That’s surprising. Liam is… Well, I’ve always noticed how much girls like him. I’ve even heard Emma and her friends talking about him. She had the biggest crush on him for a while.”

  “Yes…” It makes me sick just to talk about it. Knowing deep down that I can’t really stop this. It’s like a freight train barreling down a track. You could throw a few big rocks on the track to possibly slow it down, but it’s going to get through eventually. I look down at my coffee, and a wave of nausea overwhelms me. “I’m sorry, Jessica, but I just realized I’ve got an appointment to get to.”

  “Oh.” She blinks her pretty blue eyes. I wonder what kind of eyes Olivia has. “Well, it was good seeing you again, Erika.”

  “You too.” But I’ve already gotten up from the table and I’m hurrying out the door.

  Chapter 8

  Olivia

  I’ve never had a boyfriend.

  I’ve never even kissed a boy. Well, that’s not true. During a game of Truth or Dare in middle school, I exchanged a few kisses on the cheek. But I don’t count those. They weren’t real kisses. Not like the kind Madison has had.

  Madison has had two boyfriends already. Right now, she’s dating a guy named Aidan, and the two of them are always making out. It’s like I can’t do anything with Madison anymore without Aidan coming out and kissing her in this gross, slobbery way. It doesn’t even look like a good kiss. If that’s what kissing is, I can wait.

  But I have a feeling Liam Cass won’t kiss like that.

  I think a lot about what Liam’s kisses will be like. Not just during math class, but all the time.

  Madison is prettier than me, but not by a lot. On a scale of one to ten, she’s probably a seven and I’m probably a six. My hair is mousy brown, and people tell me I have pretty eyes, but I know I have way too many freckles. I had a lot of freckles on my face when I was a kid and I read they’re supposed to fade when you get older. But my stupid freckles won’t do what they’re supposed to. Yes, they’re lighter than they were, but I still have these tiny little spots all over my face. Even though I smear sunscreen all over myself whenever I go out and I have this giant hat with a brim that my little brother makes fun of me for wearing.

  That’s why I don’t have a boyfriend. All my stupid freckles.

  Not that I haven’t been asked out before. This one guy asked me out earlier in the year and he was kind of a jerk about it when I said no, but I didn’t really like him. I don’t want to go out with just anyone so I can have a boyfriend. I want to go out with a guy I actually like.

  “There he is.” I nudge Madison as we sit in the audience of the giant high school auditorium. I convinced her to come with me to the debate today, and she agreed only because Aidan has football practice so she has to wait around anyway. A smattering of students and parents came to watch, but the audience is pretty sparse. I’ve never seen a debate before, so today will be my first. Maybe I’ll learn something about…

  Well, whatever it is they’re debating.

  Madison follows my gaze to the stage, where our school debate team is assembled. And he’s up there. Liam. Oh my God, he looks so handsome in that nice blue button-down shirt. Once again, my heart does this weird thing in my chest. If I didn’t know better, I’d think I should go see a doctor.

  “He is so hot,” I murmur as I lean back
in my seat.

  Madison crinkles her nose, which is totally free of freckles. Madison doesn’t have one freckle, but she always complains about her double chin. “I don’t know, Liv. I don’t like him.”

  “You are so weird. What don’t you like about him? He’s, like, perfect and gorgeous.”

  “He’s…” Madison’s gaze travels back to the stage. “I don’t know. He just seems really… Like, when he talks, he seems so fake.”

  “What does that even mean?”

  “It’s hard to explain. I feel like everyone else is real, like they’re really living life. But Liam is, like, this actor who is being paid to hang out with us.”

  I stare at her. “What the hell are you talking about, Mad?”

  “I’m just saying. I feel like I don’t trust him entirely. He’s a phony. You know?”

  I’m not going to point out to her that between Aidan and Liam, it’s clear who is more trustworthy. Liam is a straight-A student, and he’s a star on both the debate team and the track team. Whereas Aidan is built like a bull, he’s failing two classes, and he almost got expelled last year for getting into a fistfight in the hallway at school. If anyone makes me uneasy, it’s Aidan.

  Liam catches my eye, and maybe it’s my imagination, but his whole face seems to light up when he sees me and he waves enthusiastically. Is it possible he likes me as much as I like him? I mean, he invited me to come today. So maybe he does. The thought of it is enough to make my heart start beating faster again. Liam Cass. God, he’s so cute.

  But then he starts talking to another girl, who is on stage with them. That’s Olivia Reynolds. She and I share the same first name, but that’s where the similarities end. She’s on the debate team, like Liam, and she’s really gorgeous. She has silky blonde hair that looks professionally styled, and she’s totally stacked. Unfairly stacked, given how skinny she is. When she’s talking to Liam, the two of them look like a really attractive couple. Between the two of us Olivias, she’s clearly the superior one.

  How could Liam like me when she’s around?

  I try not to think about it.

  By the way, Liam is totally brilliant during the debate. I don’t even entirely understand what they’re debating. Something about transportation between different states. It’s all really boring, honestly. But Liam is such a good speaker. He should become a politician or something. Whenever he talks, everybody is paying such close attention to him. Even Madison looks up from her phone for, like, two seconds.

  The judges deliberate at the end, and our home team wins the debate. I applaud as loudly as I can. Madison just rolls her eyes. She isn’t into extracurricular activities, and to be honest, neither am I.

  “So are you going to go talk to him now?” she asks me.

  “What?” My eyes fly up to the front of the room, where Liam is now talking to Olivia Reynolds. Again. God, she’s really pretty. It’s so unfair. “Now?”

  Madison huffs. “You made me sit through that whole stupid boring debate and you’re not even going to go talk to him? Seriously, Olivia?”

  “He’s busy.”

  “So? Interrupt him.”

  “I can’t just talk to him out of nowhere.”

  “Why not?”

  “It would be weird.”

  “Seriously, Liv.” She holds up a hand. “I can’t even.”

  Maybe if Liam weren’t talking to Olivia Reynolds, I could go up to him. But I’m not wrong. It would be weird if I went up there now. I mean, he’s going to think I’m some total stalker or something.

  I start to explain that to Madison, but she’s not listening anymore because Aidan has burst into the auditorium to find her. He’s still wearing his outfit from football practice, and he stinks of sweat. God, couldn’t he have taken a shower or something before coming here? The first thing he does is plant his lips on Madison’s and they kiss for like five minutes straight. It’s so gross. I try not to look. They probably wouldn’t even notice if I left right now.

  “Hey, Aidan.” Madison separates from Aidan for a split second, probably because she needs to breathe. “Tell Olivia she should go talk to Liam.”

  My face burns. I’m not surprised Madison told her boyfriend that I liked Liam, but I still hate that she did it. Can’t Madison and I have any secrets anymore? Plus Aidan is like the worst person to know. He has a big mouth and he’ll tell everyone.

  “Liam Cass?” Aidan makes a face. “I hate that guy. He’s such an asshole.”

  “Why is he an asshole?” I say. “He’s really nice.”

  Aidan snorts. “Yeah. Nice to you. Anyway, you could do better, Olivia.”

  “That’s what I said,” Madison chips in.

  “Whatever,” I mumble.

  “Anyway.” Madison grabs her backpack off her seat. “Aidan and I are heading out. Want a ride home?”

  I absolutely do not want to sit in the backseat while Aidan drives erratically because he has to make out with Madison and touch her legs while they’re driving. I’d rather walk the two miles home.

  Aidan and Madison take off through the back exit while I sit back down in my seat. I really must be a stalker, because I’m still looking at Liam. He looks so good dressed up. Part of me wants to snap a picture with my phone so I can look at it later. I’m totally staring. It’s awful. But I can’t stop. This is why I’m failing math.

  Liam goes up to talk to the debate teacher, Mrs. Randall, and then he talks to an attractive woman in her forties that has the same dark hair and eyes that he has and also a similar nose. I think it’s his mother. He looks a lot like her. He seems to be really polite to her, which is good. I read online that it’s a really good thing when boys are nice to their mothers. I don’t know what Madison was talking about. How could she say she doesn’t trust him?

  It isn’t until most of the people in the auditorium have a filtered out that Liam looks into the audience and our eyes meet. He gets that smile on his face again, and I feel this warm tingle in my whole body. I’m sure Liam doesn’t give slobbery kisses like Aidan. I bet he kisses really well.

  Oh my God, he’s coming over to me.

  I stumble to my feet, trying to temper the dopey smile on my lips. How do normal people smile? It’s like I forgot how. God, he’s going to think I’m such a loser.

  “Hey, Olivia,” he says.

  “Hey,” I say.

  That sounded good. Casual. My voice didn’t squeak and I didn’t spit when I talked. Score.

  Liam rubs at the back of his neck. When he was up there on that stage, he looked so confident. I’m terrified of public speaking, but he didn’t look even the slightest bit nervous. But now he keeps rubbing his neck and shuffling his feet. “So, um, you saw it?”

  “Uh huh.” I squeeze my fists together. They seem abnormally clammy, like I’ve got a fever. “You did a really good job. I mean, I think so. I’ve never seen a debate before.”

  “Thanks.” He coughs and smiles. “It went really well. We won.”

  “I know.”

  “Oh.”

  And now we’re both just standing there. I wrack my brain, trying to think of something interesting to say before he walks away. “Did you get to your math homework yet?”

  That’ll do.

  He shakes his head. “No. I’ve been busy with the debate since school ended.”

  “Oh. Right.” Duh. Obviously. God, why do I sound like such a moron? “Well, I did it, and it wasn’t too bad.”

  Actually, that’s a total lie. There was no way I could focus on math homework when I knew I’d be seeing Liam shortly.

  “Okay, good.” He coughs again. “Hey, listen, Olivia, me and some guys from track are going to Charlie’s tomorrow after school, just to hang out and get some food. Would you… I mean, do you want to come with us?”

  I stare at him. Is he asking me out? “I…”

  The smile on his face falters. “It’s no big deal. Either way.”

  “No, I mean… yes. I would like to come. That would be great. It so
unds like… fun. You know.”

  His brown eyes light up. “Yeah, it’s going to be a lot of fun.”

  “Yeah.” My mouth feels almost too dry to speak.

  “So… do you want to meet in front of the school at four-thirty? It’s after practice, and we need time to, you know, shower and stuff.”

  I nod. “Okay. I’ll be there.”

  Okay, maybe it isn’t an official date. But I really think Liam might like me. I mean, he seemed really happy when I said yes. And he wants to shower beforehand so he smells good. So, these are all a good signs.

  Oh my God, I’ve got a date with Liam. I’m so happy!

  Chapter 9

  Erika

  Liam is a brilliant public speaker. He’s always been good at getting in front of a crowd and doing his thing. If he were different, he would be perfect for politics. He speaks well, he’s good looking, and he’s incredibly smart. My son is so many good things.

  Before the debate begins, Liam is deep in conversation with a beautiful girl. She seems to also be on the debate team, but she looks like she could be a model. She has blond hair that appears professionally styled. And given how skinny she is, it’s amazing how large her breasts are. Do sixteen-year-old girls get implants? I’m horrified by the idea of it.

  There’s a woman next to me who is fiddling with her cell phone. The gray laced through her hair makes me think she’s about my age—probably another parent. “Excuse me,” I say.

  She looks up and smiles pleasantly. “Yes?”

  “Do you know the name of the blond girl on the stage? The one in the yellow blouse.”