Some Kind of Wonderful by J. Minter Page B

morning, and I was feeling guilty about leaving Judith alone for the rest of the night and curious
     about whether Meredith had made the after-party cut. So I dragged myself out of bed and did an SBB-like stumble downstairs.
    The kitchen was empty, save for the navy folder with the jam-packed itinerary reminding me of all the events we were supposed
     to enjoy this week. Had it only been yesterday when we looked through that folder and got totally pumped about the bonfire? That had been a major bust.
    I was just about to leaf through the folder to see what I should avoid today—if I didn't want to feel as insignificant as
     the gunk under Kennedy Pearson's fake nails—when I heard the distinctly metallic sound of a zipper in the next room.
    I stuck my head into the living room and saw Judith, fully dressed and struggling to get all her books stuffed back into her
     suitcase.
    "What are you doing?" I asked.
    "I'm basting a turkey," she said from her crouched position on the floor. "What does it look like I'm doing? I'm going home."
    "You've got to be kidding," I said, feeling for the sofa so I could sit down. I was starting to get a bit dizzy.
    She looked at me but said nothing.
    "Judith, why?"
    "It was a bad idea to come in the first place. Right before finals? Hello, this is, like, the worst week to not have access to the library and the Internet."
    "I saw an Internet cafe on the map," I said. I knew I was flailing and that this was a poor way to convince her to stay. Sure,
     she was a little intense sometimes, but Judith's snarky sarcasm and constant consideration for her friends was a major part
     of what was going to make this week so much fun. She couldn't leave!
    "It's not just that," she said. "You're . . . different on vacation. You made me feel really uncomfortable last night."
    "Judith, I feel terrible about the way I acted last night. I know you didn't need me to remind you that we're on vacation—especially
     not in such a rude way. I was just stressed about things, you know, what with seeing Kennedy again. I didn't mean to take
     it out on you."
    "Don't apologize. It's okay. I'm just getting in the way here."
    "That's so not true," I said, shaking my head. "I never meant to make you feel like that, Judith. I just wanted you to relax
     so you could have some fun."
    Yeah right, like I was one to give out advice about having fun.
    "That's the point," Judith said. Her voice wobbled a little. "I don't want to relax. This place is just not my scene, and
     we both know it."
    "You're seriously leaving?" I said, hugging a white throw pillow to my chest.
    "There's a car picking me up in ten minutes. My parents helped me figure out an earlier flight home." She surveyed her bags,
     giving another fruitless tug at her zipper.
    "Can I at least help you with your bag?" I said. I stood up and crossed the room toward her.
    She held out an arm like a traffic cop. "Don't bother," she said. "I don't need your help."
    "What about Meredith? Did you talk to her? What does she think about you leaving?"
    "You'll have to ask her yourself," Judith said. "She didn't come home last night."
    My face burned. Everything out of her mouth seemed to throw salt on my wounded ego.
    You're the reason I'm having a terrible time.
    I'd rather bust my suitcase than have you touch it to help me.
    Meredith pulled an all-nighter, and you weren't invited.
    Perfectly timed to coincide with my aching head and heart, a car horn blared outside.
    "That'd be my ride," Judith said. She hauled her half-zipped suitcase up over her shoulder and didn't even look at me as she
     walked toward the door.
    "Judith, wait. You can't just walk out on our vacation."
    "Save the breakup speech for Adam," she said. She must have seen the look on my face, because she softened. "Look, let's just
     let each other mellow out. Call me after finals next week. I'll be able to focus on all this . . . drama then."
    Before I had a chance to respond, she turned and walked out the door. In