Blame it on the Stars (The Blame Game) by Jamie Hill

off.”
    She stared at him.
    “ I came to pick up my car.”
    “ Well, duh.” She leaned against her door frame.
    “ Catlin, I—”
    She cut him off. “I think I’ve heard just about enough out of you today. You’re on my turf now, and if you want your car, you’re going to listen to me for a minute.”
    “ Well—” he started.
    S he jumped in again. “No! I’m talking now. Don’t you ever speak to me like you did today. I am not your child, and I won’t be spoken to in that tone.” She poked him in the chest with her finger. “If you want to fight, we’ll fight. I’ll go nose to nose with you. But cut out that condescending bullshit and I mean it.”
    “ If you don’t want to be spoken to like a child, then maybe you shouldn’t act like a child.”
    She shook her head. “Are you serious? I don’t think I was acting like a child. Okay, I made a mistake. I knew better than to listen in. But I did not encourage Dana to do so. She fell into that room on purpose, by the way.”
    Steve looked surprised, and Catlin continued. “And how dare you tell me that your conversation was none of my business? We’ve been together for a month now. Haven’t you figured out that what affects you, affects me? I love you, and I’m tired of that feeling not being reciprocated.”
    He said slowly , “A month is not twenty-one years, Catlin.”
    She looked at him angrily. “It’s a good thing you’re going out of town this week, because you have some decisions to make. You have two women who want you, imagine that. But you have to make a choice, because I’m not waiting around forever. And if you choose twenty-one years...well, I’ll be pissed. But eventually I’ll get over it.” She poked him in the chest with her finger again. “But if you choose me, I expect you to mean it. No more screwing around with my heart. And when we get to that anniversary, we’re skipping from twenty to twenty-two. Because I never want to hear the words twenty-one years again.” She reached in her pocket and pulled out her garage door opener. She pressed the button, and the door went up. “Now get the fuck out of here.”
    As s he walked back into her house, Steve said, “Can I say one thing?”
    “ No.” She closed the door in his face, and locked it.
     
    Catlin felt lousy in school the next day. She was looking over some yearbook layouts when Dana walked in sheepishly. “Hi, Miss M.,” she said quietly.
    “ Hi Dana. How are you doing?”
    “ I’m okay. I’m sorry about yesterday.”
    “ Me too. Did you make up with your dad before he left?”
    The girl nodded. “We cleared things up last night. We’re okay. How about you guys?”
    Catlin shook her head. “I don’t really want to talk about it.”
    Dana looked around to make sure n o one else was there. “Catlin, Daddy’s sorry. He overreacted. I thought he said he was going to talk to you.”
    Catlin shrugged. “I was a little angry, myself. I think we can use a cooling off period.”
    Dana shook her head, and Clint Stewart walked in.
    “Good morning, beautiful ladies.” He bowed to them. “What a delightful way to start each day, viewing the countenances of—”
    “ Clint,” Catlin interrupted.
    It was apparently enough said. Smiling, he walked to the back of the room.
    Dana looked at Catlin and whispered, “Did you know he asked me out?”
    “ Clint?” Catlin raised her brows.
    Dana nodded and whispered , “Daddy freaked because Clint’s a senior. But he’s letting me go.”
    “ Cool. Clint’s a good kid.” She handed Dana the layouts she had been looking at. “Why don’t you see if he can help you with these?”
     
    In the teacher’s lounge after school, Catlin and Jetta were getting ready for a teacher’s meeting. She told Jetta about the events of Sunday afternoon and her argument with Steve.
    Jetta thought the Stooges part was hysterically funny.
    Catlin shook her head. “Maybe I can laugh about it someday, but not yet.”
    Jetta