“How was school?” my mom asked.
“Good. I guess.” I wanted to tell her my misgivings about Joy, but she and Joy were friends and I wasn’t sure if she would just shrug it off.
“Uh-oh. That doesn’t sound so good. What’s wrong?” Mom had a way of knowing what I was thinking even when I didn’t. I hadn’t been able to get by with much over the years, mainly because she kept pretty close tabs on me and my sister. I liked to gripe and complain to her that she had OCD when it came to us, but I secretly appreciated the fact that she cared so much.
“I’m not sure,” I admitted. “Do you think it’s wrong for someone to talk about someone else behind their backs and not have anything specific. Like to just say ’so and so gave me a dirty look’?”
“Are some of your friends in a fight?” Mom signaled to change lanes and pointed to the local McDonald’s. “Want a soda and we can chat about this before we go home?”
“Sure.” I breathed a sigh of relief at knowing I could share my concerns with someone and not have to worry about it going any further.
After we’d ordered our pops and found a seat away from any prying ears, my mom gave my shin a gentle nudge with her foot. “So, what’s up?”
“Joy said Tabitha was giving her dirty looks,” I blurted.
My mom blinked a few times. “That doesn’t sound like Tabitha. Joy must have misunderstood.”
“But she was telling me, Savannah and Brooke about it. Sort of like we needed to be mad at Tabitha too. It made me really uncomfortable.” I couldn’t really explain the underlying sense that Joy wanted to turn us all against the other coach.
“I love Joy, Kate, but she isn’t perfect. She was wrong to put you girls in the middle of her disagreement with Tabitha. It obviously made you pretty uncomfortable.”
“Yeah,” I agreed.
“Do you want my advice?” Mom usually didn’t ask if I wanted her advice, but just gave it. But I did want it.
“Yes.”
“Forget what she said. It probably is a problem between the two of them and they’ll work it out. I do think Joy is a good person. She just made a mistake because she was angry.” My mom reached across the table and patted my tightly fisted hands. “And if Joy says anything else, just tell her it makes you uncomfortable because you love both Joy and Tabitha. Maybe it will make her realize what she’s doing.”
“Maybe.” I wasn’t so sure, but my mom seemed to know what she was talking about and her advice sounded solid. Hopefully Joy wouldn’t say anything else, though, because I really didn’t want the confrontation.
