Covet (Clann)

were all surprised, me most of all. Where had the time gone?
    I pretended to eat the craptastic food until Mom left to find a spoon to eat her own takeout with.
    As soon as she was gone, I hissed, “Quick, save me! Eat this before she gets back.”
    Bethany frowned at my tray of food. “Um, why?”
    “Because it tastes like dog sh—er, crap—and I don’t want to have to listen to everyone’s nagging if I don’t eat it.”
    She burst out laughing. “Oh, but it’s okay to torture me with the bad food? I don’t think so.”
    “Aw, come on, Bethany! Don’t you have any sympathy?” Putting on my best puppy-dog face, I pointedly draped my free hand on my arm cast.
    She ignored my plea while gathering up her things. “Sorry, champ, but I’d better head home before my mom gets worried. She knew I was stopping by here, but it’s later than she probably expected.”
    Mom had left the door propped open. I could hear the determined, steady clacking of her heels returning down the hall.
    “Bethany, please!” I held out the bowl of creamed corn. “At least toss it in the trash for me or something.”
    Biting the corner of her lip for a few seconds, she finally grabbed the bowl and dumped it in the trash under the sink. She was just putting the bowl back on the tray for me when Mom reentered the room.
    “There you go, all salted and peppered as requested,” she said with a bright smile.
    “Oh, men can be such babies when they’re sick or injured, can’t they?” Mom agreed with a smile.
    “Well, I’d better go now. See you tomorrow?” Bethany said to me.
    I nodded, shoving the gelatinous gravy around on top of my turkey while Mom moved to prop up the pillows behind my back.
    “Thank you for coming, dear,” Mom murmured to Bethany before returning to her pointless attempts to make me more comfortable.
    At the door, behind Mom’s back Bethany mouthed, “McDonald’s?” while using a pointer finger to draw imaginary golden arches in the air. I nodded frantically.
    Mom made me lean forward so she could stuff an extra pillow behind me. I craned my head around her and mouthed, “Big Mac!”
    Bethany shot two thumbs up then ducked out.
    * * *
    By the time Bethany returned the next day, I couldn’t tell if I was happier to see her or the McD’s bag she pulled out of her duffel.
    “Oh man, you’re an angel,” I mumbled around the biggest mouthful of Big Mac I could manage.
    She laughed as lettuce dripped onto my hospital gown.
    I scarfed down the food and promised to pay her back as soon as my jailors returned my wallet. She hid the empty trash inside her duffel bag, and then we tackled the day’s homework.
    When Mom showed up later for a visit, she frowned and sniffed the air. “Is that…takeout I smell?”
    Smiling, Bethany put a demure hand up in front of her mouth. “Oh, I’m so sorry, Mrs. Coleman. That was me. I just burped.”
    I covered up a snort of laughter by pretending to sneeze.
    “Oh here, dear.” Mom reached for the box of tissues on the bedside table. “Don’t hold in your sneezes like that. It’ll inflame your sinuses.”
    Mom held a tissue in front of my face. When I stared at it, she gave the tissue a shake. “Blow.”
    “Mother,” I muttered through clenched teeth, feeling my face heat up.
    “I should go.” Bethany gasped, her face turning red as she no doubt choked on the urge to laugh. “See you tomorrow, Tristan.”
    I was still blowing my nose for my mommy as Bethany ducked out the room, leaving a trail of giggles echoing down the hall.
    * * *
    Over the next few days, the routine repeated, thankfully without any repeated nightmarish demonstrations of my mother’s overprotective style of parenting. Bethany’s visits quickly became the highlight of the day, mostly because of the food she smuggled in, but also because she was nice. I’d never really had a chance to talk with her before; at Charmers practice when she would come over, I had always kept the chats short so we wouldn’t make Savannah jealous. And in school we were always in a hurry to get to our next class.
    Other than the occasional teasing about my being a momma’s boy, Bethany actually had a great sense of humor. She also wasn’t afraid to boss me around when I tried to slack off during the tutoring sessions and watch TV instead.
    On Friday Emily finally got over being ticked off and stopped by to bug me. Bethany was still there when my sister arrived. Other than a quick flash of raised