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Gina shut the door and listened to the sound of EJ’s car pulling away. What had just happened? Did EJ really just agree to take her to Homecoming?
“Gina?” She heard her mother’s voice calling her from upstairs. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath before replying.
“Yes, mom?”
“Who was that?” There were footsteps descending the stairs and her mom finally came into view, washing basket hoisted on her hip. “I saw someone from the window; who was it?”
“It was no one, Mom, don’t worry,” Gina replied with a shake of her head, willing the conversation to be over. This definitely wasn’t something she needed her mother of all people getting involved with.
“It was a boy, Gina.” her mother wiggled her eyebrows and looked at Gina conspiratorially. “What was a boy doing visiting our house?”
“Okay, fine, he’s taking me to Homecoming, all right? No big deal.” Gina blurted out, exasperated.
“Gina, are you serious?” The younger girl shrugged in disinterested affirmation, prompting a gentle smile to break out on her mother’s face. “Baby, that is wonderful. Come on, when’s the last time you went to a school dance? And with someone taking you, no less? I’m so happy. It’s great, baby.”
Gina’s stomach weighed heavy inside her, knowing how much it meant to her mother that she was doing a normal teenage thing like going to a dance with a boy, and yet also knowing it was all for her own selfish reasons, and the boy didn’t even want to take her. Hell, he didn’t even like her - he was only taking her because she told him to. For their “plan”.
“Look, Mom, it’s not a big thing, honestly,” she tried to brush it off.
“What’s his name at least?”
“EJ.”
“How old is he?”
“He’s a senior.”
Eyebrows went up. “A senior?”
“Yes? I’m serious, Mom, please don’t make a big deal out of this. It’s really nothing. At all.”
“Fine,” her mother relented after a pause. Then, a wink. “He’s cute, though.”
“ Mom , oh my gosh!”
Her mother grinned by way of response, planting a kiss on her daughter’s forehead and picking the washing up off the floor.
Gina watched her mom disappear, letting her mind wander for just a second. It might have been weird hearing it out of her own mother’s mouth, but she wasn’t wrong. EJ wasn’t not cute. Sure, maybe she didn’t wanna hear it be pointed out. But still.
***
The dreaded day arrived quicker than Gina anticipated. Despite Gina’s protests, her mother had insisted she buy a nice dress and go to a salon to get her hair done (Terri Porter was far too busy and important a woman to do it herself, and tender moments like that of the day EJ came to visit were a rarity, but it felt like her mother always had enough money to throw at these shallow wounds, as though her bills were a bandage to wrap around the empty space her mother left). Sitting in that salon chair left a bitter taste in her mouth; knowing the whole affair was tainted with the scent of falsity and ulterior motives made Gina guilty for spending money on making this “special day”, oh so “special”. Now, she sat at the foot of the stairs, doing up the buckles on her heels, when the bell rang.
“Is that EJ?” came a voice from the kitchen.
“I’m checking now, Mom,” she called back.
She opened the door just as she had done a few days ago, to find EJ standing there, this time bedecked in a dark blue suit and patterned tie.
“Gina,” he nodded cordially. “You look lovely.”
Gina knew EJ well enough to detect the nervousness fringing his usually confident voice. It was clear to her that he had absolutely no idea what he’d agreed to do, but was playing the part Gina had given him to the best of his ability. Though she imagined it was quite the challenge to play a part with no clue as to who they are and what actually happens in the plot. That part, she was still trying to crystallise herself.
She was so busy trying to formulate a clear plan that she didn’t notice the presence sidle up beside her. “You must be EJ.” Her mother’s voice startled her out of her reverie. “I’m Gina’s mother.”
EJ took the older lady’s outstretched hand and gave it a firm shake. “That’s me. It’s great to meet you, Mrs Porter, really.” He grinned one of his trademark smiles, all pearly whites and dazzling charm.
“I’m so glad you’re taking Gina to the dance. She doesn’t get to go to a lot of these, what with all the moving, so this makes me very happy to see.”
“My pleasure. Gina is just so...interesting.” Now his gaze turned to her. “You know, she’s got so many things up her sleeve to really...mix things up tonight, I think.” The look he gave her was pointed, silently asking her what the hell was going to happen tonight, and she had to look away before her eyes betrayed her. Thankfully, her mother was too busy chuckling over the wordless communication to pick up on it.
“Well, it is wonderful to meet you, EJ.”
“You too, Mrs Porter.” There went that smile again.
“Gina, if you’re ready…?” He gestured towards his car parked out neatly on the road.
“Oh, sure, just gotta grab my phone, gimme a sec.”
Gina’s mother followed as she stepped inside the house. “He is even cuter up close,” her mother noted, the grin infiltrating her voice. “And very charming, too.”
“Mom, please.” Gina didn’t have time for distractions, especially not if they entailed her own mother being enraptured by EJ Caswell.
“Fine, fine, I’ll stop. Have fun, okay?”
A kiss on the top of her head later, Gina waved bye to her mother and stepped out of her house. EJ held the door open for her, ever the gentleman, and she slipped inside. If she hadn’t been so preoccupied, she probably would have chuckled at what she imagined her mother’s reaction to be to such a chivalrous act. Swooning, probably. But she was rather more engaged in trying to come up with a real, concrete plan. Because she needed one - fast.
***
The doorbell rang and Terri Porter looked up from her suitcase, wondering who it could be. She put down the half-folded t-shirt and opened the door only to find EJ Caswell standing there, bathed in the dim, golden glow of the setting sun. This was odd, to say the least. The last she’d heard of EJ was when he came to pick Gina up for Homecoming, and nothing after that. She returned home from work after her daughter, and the seemingly innocent inquiry of how the dance went was met with an incredulous look and an immediate disappearance up the stairs. So to now have EJ standing at her doorstep was...strange.
“EJ,” she greeted, a little confused. “What a nice surprise.”
“Hi, Mrs Porter,” he smiled warmly. “How are you? How’s the packing going?”
“Honestly? Not perfect. You’d think we’d be total pros at this after all these years, but let’s just say it’s still got its challenges.”
“Yeah, I bet. I hope it’s not too stressful, though. Is there anything I could do? To help?” He was earnest, and Terri almost shook her head in disbelief.
“No, thank you, it’s okay, but I appreciate it very much,” she half-chuckled, still taken aback by how...helpful he was. “If you’re looking for Gina, she’s out right now. I don’t know when she’ll be back. She’s not been spending a lot of time in the house recently.”
EJ scratched the back of his neck nervously. “Actually, I was hoping to talk to you? About Gina.” His words cast a shadow of worry across Mrs Porter’s face. “It’s nothing to worry about, she’s totally fine, as far as I know,” he clarified quickly.
She breathed a sigh of relief. “Thank goodness. In that case, would you like to come in? There’s suitcases everywhere, but we still have space to sit.”
“Thank you for the offer, but I really don’t want to cause any trouble.” He continued before she could object. “No, I actually, um…” EJ wrung his hands nervously, only now realising he hadn’t actually planned how best to communicate this idea of his. Perhaps he should have thought this through more meticulously. “Basically, I just wanted to ask for your permission for Gina to be there on opening night. Because right now, she’s not going to be. Well, she’s not gonna be there for any of the performances, but opening night is maybe the most special and she deserves to be there. She’s worked as hard on this as any of us, no, harder, and it’s only right that she’s there and she gets to be onstage with us. Just...one final time.”
He watched as Mrs Porter steeled herself to explain that it was not possible, list all the reasons why they really had to move, why this was non-negotiable no matter what the motivations to stay; it was an expression he imagined Gina had seen far more times than he could fathom, but one she probably didn’t see much anymore (too hardened and wise to object any longer every time they had to uproot their lives and set their roots in the shallow soil of elsewhere, only to pull them out and repeat the process a few months later). But he wasn’t going to back down.
Before she could set off on her well-practised, gentle-but-firm explanation, he began to clarify. “Wait, I don’t think I’m expressing this very well. I’m not asking you or Gina to stay. I know that’s not an option. I was thinking something more like…” (now she was looking at him, interest piqued, and he was nervous to actually say this idea out loud for the first time after thinking about it so many times), “buying her a plane ticket. Just so she can attend opening night. And be there. With us. It just…doesn’t seem fair for her to miss it all.” The words landed and he had no choice but to let them simmer, bubble as Mrs Porter turned the idea over in her mind.
The pause felt like it lasted a lifetime. Then, finally, she smiled. “EJ, that is a lovely idea. I think Gigi would really appreciate it. But I just wanna make sure you know we do have the means to buy a ticket for ourselves.”
EJ’s momentary relief turned to horror. “No, no, I didn’t mean to imply that you couldn’t! Or offend you! I just-I really wanna do this by myself. Not just for her, and everyone, but for me, too.” He sighed. “I don’t have the best track record when it comes to doing the right thing, like, not at all, and, I don’t know, this feels like a chance to change that. I want to change that.”
He met Mrs Porter’s gaze, one of maternal sympathy.
“Then I respect that,” she said decisively. “But are you sure I can’t convince you to let me cover some of the cost? I know last minute plane tickets from Washington are not cheap.”
“I’m sure. I wanna do this - myself.” Then EJ added: “I thought it might be nice if I bought it as a surprise.” Mrs Porter gave him a knowing grin. “Basically, if you could... not tell Gina about this, any of it, I’d really appreciate that,” he finished anyway, just for clarification. He was taking no risks with this one.
“Lips sealed. Got it,” she mocked locking her lips and throwing away the key, still grinning, and EJ let out a gentle laugh. “Actually, why don’t you give me your number, just so you can send me the flight details, and I can let you know when she’s on her way, all that kind of stuff? To be on the safe side.”
“That’s an excellent idea, Mrs Porter.” He punched his number into her phone. “You really think of everything. No surprise you’re in such high demand.”
“That’s very kind, EJ. I’ll message you so you get my number, too.”
“Cool. I’ll see you around. Thanks for letting me do this, by the way.”
He moved to walk away, and was halfway to his car when he heard “Hey, EJ?” He turned. “Thank you for doing this. It’s gonna mean a lot to Gigi. I know it.”
He nodded and turned back, mindlessly going through the motions of unlocking and getting into his car. Then he sat, for just a minute, to let the lightness currently occupying his body wash over him like a wave of light, fill his being with its warm glow, almost lifting him out of the seat of his car. This feeling, he could get used to.
***
Amongst the racket and chaos at their table in Denny’s, EJ had checked his phone to find a text from Gina. It was simple and to the point, but sincere - very Gina.
‘ Thank you, wonderstudy. ’, it had read.
He’d spent the night recovering from the mess that was opening night, though looking at with fondness as well as confusion, and when he woke in the morning, had received a few texts from Gina’s mother.
They were mostly updating EJ on Gina getting home safe, and a few were thanking him. He tapped out a quick message back, and immediately got a response. He frowned.
Can I call you? Gina mentioned something and I need some advice.
This was strange. But…sure? He said as much, and put the phone on speaker to talk while he was getting ready.
“Hi EJ.”
“Hey, Mrs Porter. What do you need?”
“Firstly, I wanna say thank you for buying those plane tickets. Gina appreciated it a lot – I hope she told you as much. I did tell her to thank you.”
He interjected to reassure her that he had been duly thanked, so Mrs Porter continued. “I’m glad. I mean, she was a little…put out when she came home, but when I asked about you and the show, she said it was all ok so I’m sure it was fine. But anyway, thank you.
“I actually wanted to ask about something Gina mentioned. She said that one of her friends, Ashlyn, I think, offered her guest room for Gina to stay in. And at first I thought she meant for the night, but Ashlyn’s offered to let Gina stay for the rest of the school year, and that’s a pretty big commitment. A pretty big thing to put on someone else’s parents, too. Gina’s giving me their contact details so I can get in touch personally, but I was hoping for another perspective first. I know East High is the first place Gina’s ever really wanted to call home, and if there’s a way for her to stay then I am more than willing to take it, I just need a little information first. Anything you could tell me about them or…?” She tailed off.
“Honestly, I had no idea Ashlyn had offered that, but it doesn’t surprise me. That’s the kind of person Ash is. I would know, I mean, she is my cousin.”
“Oh! Ok, that’s good to hear. Is it?”
“Yeah, it is,” EJ chuckled, pausing to pull his t-shirt on. “She’s one of the best people I know. Trust me, Gina’s in safe hands with her. And if you’re worried about space, their guest room is big and—their whole house is pretty big actually, and Uncle Dennis and Aunt Debbie are super welcoming. I can’t give a reason to say no. They’d be more than happy to have her.”
“That’s…great. It’s all I needed. Thanks, EJ, for giving up your time and…everything else.”
“No problem, I’m happy to help. Let me know if you need anything else.”
She laughed. “You are very charming, you know that, EJ? But I will do. Thanks again. Have a good day at school. Bye!”
“Bye!” he called back, just as she hung up.
Well, it was nice to hear he hadn’t lost that charm he was famous for along with his confidence. At least he still had one thing going for him. He put the fuzzy feeling in his stomach down to the fact she’d just complimented him, and he’d always loved compliments. Nothing to do with the prospect of anything else she’d mentioned, right? Right?
***
EJ pushed the door open and hung Gina’s house key on the hook in the hallway. A bundled up Ashlyn padded over to see who it was.
“Hey, EJ.” Her brow was furrowed with confusion.
“Hey, cuz. Special guest,” he gestured towards Gina who was pulling her suitcase into the house behind him.
“Gina, oh my gosh, hi!” Ashlyn attacked Gina with a hug as EJ mumbled something about being a second class citizen. “I thought you were gonna be ages!”
“I was supposed to be. Until this one stepped in and saved the day,” Gina gave him a grateful look.
Ashlyn snorted. “Oh, yeah, he’s a regular superhero, that one. Saving days, saving lives, every day. But seriously, thank you for taking care of my roomie!” Gina was engulfed in another hug and a squeal, but then released and told to “go upstairs and get comfy for the Chick Flick marathon. Oh, I’m sorry, you thought you were getting out of that? Not on my watch, Miss Gina Porter.”
As Ashlyn went to the kitchen to start warming popcorn for the Chick Flick marathon she’d just signed Gina up for, EJ sat back on the sofa. Suddenly, his phone started buzzing. He picked it up.
A face appeared on the screen. “Hey, Mrs Porter.”
“Hi there, EJ.”
“How are you? Is everything ok?”
“Yes, actually, everything’s better than ok. Gina told me what you did for her, picking her up from the airport and taking her home.”
“Oh, it’s, uh, it’s nothing.” EJ waved it off, rubbing the back of his neck.
“It’s not nothing, actually. It’s very sweet of you. I know that otherwise she would have had to catch an Uber, and it would have taken her much longer what with the waiting and everything, so it was very kind of you to save her the trouble."
“Honestly, it’s no problem.”
There was a pause, and EJ wondered what else she might have to say.
“I suppose I just wanted to thank you - for everything. You’ve always taken excellent care of Gina - and trust me, I know you’ve had your ups and downs. I mean, Gina doesn’t tell me everything, but you don’t leave for Homecoming in one car and come back in another and tell me nothing went wrong.”
She chuckled, but EJ bristled a little. He’d known, of course, that something had changed between Ricky and Gina that night, but now he couldn’t help but wonder exactly what.
“But regardless, since you came to me that night asking if you could buy Gina a plane ticket and insisting you pay for it yourself, I know you’ve been there for her. I mean, she told me you brought a granola bar to the airport for her. If that isn’t a sign that you know her, I don’t know what is. Not many are truly aware of Gina Porter’s frightening love of granola bars.” They both laughed.
“You’re a good egg, EJ. And the truth is, being so far from her is hard, but knowing she’s got you around makes it a little easier. So…thank you. For doing so much for her.”
“Mrs Porter, I'd do anything for Gina,” he found himself saying with a shrug, before he could stop himself.
“I can tell,” came the immediate response. He’d had half a mind to take it back, but when he saw the older lady smiling back at him through the phone, he decided he’d let this little slip go. “And please, call me Terri. Goodbye, EJ. Take care.”
“Bye, Mrs P—Terri. See you.”
He leaned into the sofa with a pensive smile. Something about the Porter women always had a way of lifting his mood.
Suddenly his phone dinged thrice in rapid succession.
3 new messages from: Mrs Porter
Forgot to mention - if hopefully I’m still here when Gina comes to visit during summer, you better be coming too!
And bring Ashlyn.
And don’t worry…I’ll pay for the tickets this time. :)
He could just laugh.
“I heard voices!” Gina sounded from upstairs. “You’re not starting without me, are you?!”
“No chance!” he called back, hearing her run down the stairs. He added softly: “I’m always gonna wait for you, Gi.”
They settled down as ‘Kids in America’ blasted through the speakers in Ashlyn’s living room, and ‘Clueless’s opening titles rolled.
He wasn’t even paying full attention to the film, too distracted by thoughts of summer. But as Gina made some endearingly corny joke beside him, he couldn’t help but think that yeah. He owed a lot to the Porter women.
To Terri, because she let Gina stay.
And to Gina, because she stayed.