Frankie returned to the dining room and began clearing the table. Her stomach clenched in knots, and she broke out in a sweat. Did anyone see her snag the hair from Mr. Winter’s coat? How would she explain herself if she had been seen anyway?
“Frankie.”
“Huh?” startled, she dropped a plate, which crashed on the hardwood floor. “Sorry, what?” Everyone stared at her, making her face turn red.
Michael rose from his seat on the sofa and came over to help Frankie pick up the pieces of porcelain that now littered the floor.
“Here,” he said in a low tone. “Let me help you.”
“No, it’s okay. I’ve got it,” Frankie stammered, grabbing pieces of the plate; luckily, the dish was empty when she dropped it. Otherwise, it would have been a major mess.
“Okay. But I don’t mind helping,” Michael offered once more before returning to the living room.
Rachel followed Frankie to the kitchen with the remaining pumpkin pie and eyed her daughter carefully. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you Michael was coming. I didn’t think he would stop by.”
“You don’t tell me a lot of things,” Frankie sneered with a shitty tone but didn’t care.
“We will talk about this later,” Rachel raised an eyebrow at her daughter before returning to her guests in the living room.
“Whatever.”
Franie was eavesdropping with her back turned from the kitchen and overheard Michael telling Mrs. Hubert an anecdote about one of his female student's book reports on A Tale of Two Cities. “The student said she ‘liked them both but preferred Minneapolis because that is where the Mall of America is located.’ I’d say she didn’t read the book!” Everyone chuckled, including Frankie, as she dipped her finger in the whipped cream on the pie.
Once the adults had their coffee and dessert, Michael stood and announced it was time for him to go. Frankie sighed in relief. Each time Mrs. Hubert or Mr. Winters went to the restroom, Frankie ducked in after them to make sure her precious cargo was still in its hiding place in the tampon box. She scolded herself several times that she shouldn’t have hidden it in the bathroom but in her bedroom instead. She was such a dope sometimes.
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Rachel handed Michael and Mrs. Hubert their coats and offered to walk Mrs. Hubert to her apartment. Michael insisted he would see her to her door safely.
“Goodbye, Frankie. I’ll see you in class Monday,” Mr. Winters called to her as he left the apartment, escorting Mrs. Hubert out.
Frankie nodded in agreement, said goodbye to Mrs. Hubert, and waited for her mom to close the door behind the visitors.
“What the hell, Mom?”
“Excuse me?”
“You invited Mr. Winters, of all people, and didn’t think to fill me in?!” Frankie yelled at her mother, clenching her fists. “You’ve got some nerve!”
“First of all, I can invite anyone I please. I pay the rent here, NOT YOU! And I have told you not to use that kind of vulgarity in this house. I won’t tell you again!” Rachel’s anger made Frankie flinch.
“Whatever!” was Frankie’s big comeback to her Mom’s reprimand. She was so mad; she was shaking.
“You were rude to our guests!” Rachel continued. “I have never been so embarrassed in my life! How could you do that to me?”
“How could I do that to you? What about you blindsiding me by inviting my teacher?”
“I didn’t invite your teacher. I invited your father.”
“We’ll see about that!” Frankie yelled at her mom.
“What is that supposed to mean?”
“None of your damn business! I hate you for ruining my life!” Frankie spat, tore through the living room, opened the slider, and jumped off the balcony. The cold air blasted her in the face as soon as she landed on the grass below their apartment. She couldn’t stay outside for long without a jacket but would rather freeze before going back inside with her mother.
Frankie walked through their apartment complex with tears streaming down her cheeks. Her anger had gotten the best of her, and now she was in a bad situation. She had no place to go, cell phone, money, or keys to return to the apartment. She realized running out as she did wasn’t one of her more brilliant ideas. She wished Faith or Steve were back in town; at least she could go somewhere to get warm.
The snow crunched beneath her feet and echoed through the stillness of the night. She couldn’t feel her nose any longer, and her toes were numb. Slowly. She climbed the stairs to their second-floor apartment and thanked God that her mom had left the door unlocked for her. Exhausted and frozen, she silently locked the door and crept down the dark hallway to her bedroom. Rachel’s door opened long enough to see Frankie was home and closed again. She curled up in bed, fully clothed, and tried to get warm again before falling asleep.