“Hey, it may not be perfect, but it is my plan,” I said, looking around the courtyard to see who was already there before turning back to Tessa. “Beats what you’ve got.”
“What have I got?” Tessa asked.
“No plan, dummy,” I said.
“I’m a free spirit. No plan is my plan. I can hear your lacrosse boys starting to holler for you, so I’ll see you later.” Tessa reached up and hugged me. “Seriously, Spencer, you look great. Go get her. At the very least, you’ll provide me with free entertainment.”
That was exactly what I was afraid of.
3
Tessa Martin
I didn’t know what to think of Spencer’s plan. No, that wasn’t true. I knew what to think. He was an idiot. If I were honest with myself, it wasn’t just the fact that he was changing to get Ashley to like him. A big part of it was that I felt like an outsider. He was my best friend, and I couldn’t remember either of us ever keeping a secret from each other. He came up with his plan in June. June! It was the beginning of October, and I was just hearing about it.
That was so wrong. Spencer, Cody, and I had been like a litter of puppies since the summer before we started fourth grade. We’d done everything together . . . until last year.
Last year a group of guys on the lacrosse team had started a bet on who could get a steady girlfriend first. It became a weekly discussion. That’s when I decided I needed to waste less time listening to their dating stories and more time on my art.
So, yes, the fact that Spencer’s new plan had surprised me was all my fault. I knew that, and that fact made this whole situation twice as painful. It wasn’t an exaggeration to say it felt like I’d been sucked into a black hole and dumped in an alternate universe. And I still had the urge to poke him in the arm and tell him he was being dumb.
Ugh. I couldn’t wrap my head around the new Spencer. The new and improved Spencer. Spencer 2.0. But that’s okay for now. I don’t have to understand or even agree with him. I just had to support him and be there for him when “The Plan” exploded. Which it would. When you’re not true to your true self, the universe knows it and acts accordingly. Kaboom.
And I wasn’t mad at Spencer about Ashley. I was mad that he felt he had to change who he was for someone that stuck-up and shallow. Okay, so maybe it was a little about Ashley.
I didn’t have the heart to tell Spencer that even with the new haircut, truck, and muscles, it probably wouldn’t be enough to get Ashley’s attention. Not the Ashley I knew, at least.
The girl was all about status. All about exteriors. She was decked from head-to-toe in all the “right” brands, no matter the cost. Of course, her family lived in The Heights with a four-car garage and a pool house, so it really wasn’t her fault her parents spoiled her. But it was her fault that she was a snob about it. One scathing critique from Ashley, followed by loud whispers and snickers from her posse, was all it took to destroy a girl’s confidence in mere seconds. Been there, done that, as they say.
Spencer was wrong about me, though. I did have a plan. A semi-plan anyway. My plan was to focus on school and nail my senior art project. Figuring out what I wanted to do with my life was still eluding me, but I was narrowing it down.
The part about not taking risks? Okay, he was right about that. The time I won the belly flop contest the day I met Spencer and Cody had been a fluke. I’d never told them that I had chickened out, and then some kid pushed me from behind.
“Looking good, Tessa!”
“Cody!” I jumped up from the bench I’d been sitting on to give my friend a hug. “You have some explaining to do, buster.”
“Riiight. You and Spencer rode together today.” Cody’s gaze searched my face, watching carefully for my reaction. “I guess he told you his new—”
“Plan? He sure did.” I shook my head and shot an annoyed glance at him. “What I want to know is why you didn’t try to talk him out of it? Did you tell him it’s a dumb idea?”
“Oh, come on.” Cody shrugged. “You know how stubborn he is when he gets an idea in his head.”
“True.” That was the thing about Spencer. He’d go all-in on something he loved and believed in, which was pretty awesome. Like he did with lacrosse and his music. But this? Changing for some stuck-up girl? No. This was the opposite of awesome. “Stubborn is his middle name.”
“It is? I thought his middle name was—” Cody pointed at me with a smile. “Oh, you almost got me there.”
“Yeah, I’d have to get up real early to get you, Cody.”
“Not really since I usually oversleep on school days.”
“Man, Code, it’s a good thing you’re good looking,” I said, reaching out to ruffle his wild mop of hair.
“Girls tell me that all the time.” He scratched his head. “A lot. I try not to let it go to my head, though.”
“You are completely adorable.” He was, too. He may not be the smartest guy around, but he was the sweetest. And a loyal friend.
“Where is Spencer anyway?” he asked.
I glanced around at the students in the courtyard. The computer nerds had already staked out the picnic table, the theater kids were standing around under the oak tree, and my band friends were heading to the band hall. No sign of the jocks and cheerleaders yet or the crowd they hung with. And no Spencer.
“Hmmm. It appears to be uncool to come to school on time,” I said. “So maybe he’s off to turn in a form for some club his mom is making him join.”
“Right. His highlights.” Cody nodded. “Hey, silver linings; if Spencer’s plan works, then I might have a shot at one of Ashley’s friends. There are some very fine-looking cheerleaders. And there are rumors that a couple of them really love jocks. Which is great because I’m a jock.”
“Argh.” I dropped my head back to stare up at the beautiful Carolina blue sky. This was the challenge of having guy friends: guy talk. Most of the time, I liked having a special window into the lives of boys. And I loved that my guy friends didn’t get mad as often or hold grudges the way girls could. But sometimes—it was gross. If I had a nickel for every fart joke I’d heard, I could buy all my art supplies for life.
“You’re forgetting one thing, Cody.” I quirked an eyebrow at him.
“What?”
“Most kids at Sweet Mountain High still don’t know we have a lacrosse team.” This was only the team’s second year. It probably didn’t help that our school’s star quarterback was so good that football was about all kids talked about. “Those jock-loving cheerleaders have no idea you exist.”
“Darn it, I forgot.” Cody slumped, a look of consternation on his face. “Our team is trying to figure out how to fix that. Are you sure you can’t help us?”
“I’m a little short on time right now.” I wasn’t sure it was a problem they could solve quickly. Besides, I might have told Spencer that watching him try to attract Ashley would provide me entertainment, but that had been a big fat lie. You couldn’t pay me to watch that from a front-row seat. With my deadline looming, I was already stressing enough. “If I don’t come up with my senior art project idea soon, I’m going to be in real trouble.”
Our senior portfolio for advanced art class was a semester-long project which would decide our entire grade. We had to create and implement an ad campaign, but Ms. Coltrain had shot down three of my ideas already. I was beginning to think she didn’t want me to graduate.
“If your schedule lightens up, we could use your help. We need to figure out something soon if we want support from the student body this season.”
“It’s a spring sport,” I said. “You’ve got time. But I’ll try to come up with an idea or two that might help. I can’t promise anything, though.”
“Thanks, Tess.” Cody wrapped an arm around my shoulders and steered me toward the school. “About Spencer, I know you’re a little upset with him, but the thing is, he did warn us.”
“When?” I sifted through all our recent conversations but came up empty. “I have
no recollection of him saying ‘Hey, guys, I’m going to go completely crazy and turn myself into something I’m not—all for the shallowest girl in school.’ Did I miss that conversation?”
“Ha! You two are a pair. Remember that conversation we had at the end of summer? The one about things changing? Taking risks since it’s our senior year?”
“Vaguely. I might have tuned it out a little.” Because I hated change. I was pretty sure my fear of change had started with my mom’s battle with breast cancer. Cancer turned our family’s life into a minefield for four long years. The good news was my mom had been cancer-free for over three years now. The bad news was that cancer always lurked in the background of our lives like a shark in dark water, circling a raft of stranded survivors.
“All I’m saying is don’t be too hard on him.” Cody gave my ponytail a light tug. “Knowing him, he’ll get exactly what he wants. But if he doesn’t, we’ll be there for him, right?”
“Right.”
“We’re not the Three Musketeers for nothing,” Cody said. “All for one, and one for all.”
“Thanks for the reminder.” He was right. Even though I’d pulled back to focus on me—and avoid listening to their dating exploits—the three of us had an unbreakable bond.
“You would have remembered. Eventually.” Cody grinned. “I think Spencer has the right idea. We’re one month into our senior year, Tessa. We only get this once, so why not take chances? Let’s do it right and have no regrets.”
No regrets? I’d already had five since I woke up this morning.
“Sounds like a plan.” A plan destined to give me hives. Take chances? It was like my two best friends had copied from each other’s notes or something. Sure, I liked routine, but was I really that much of a stick-in-the-mud?
Get real, Tessa. You eat the same breakfast before school every day (eggs and toast). You order the same ice-cream at Toppings every time and order the same meal from Skippy’s Diner (bacon cheeseburger and onion rings). You arrive early at the movie theater in order to get the same seat in the same row and always buy the large buttered popcorn, even if you go by yourself. Right.
Magic 8 Ball says: All signs point to yes.
“Change of topic: have you given any thought to our Halloween costumes this year?” Our moms had started us on trio Halloween costumes back in the fourth grade, and we hadn’t missed a year yet. “I sent you our options in a text.”
“I forgot to look at it.”
“Well, look. This is our last year we’ll do this.” I had so many fun, crazy, and hilarious memories from Halloween with my two best friends. “The end of our long nine-year run.”
“I’ll look and let you know.”
“I’ve got to go run another idea by my art teacher.”
“Good luck.”
“Thanks.” I really, really needed it.
I gathered my confidence on the way to the art room, thinking it might be the presentation of my ideas she was saying no to each time. Maybe if I sold my idea with more confidence, she’d finally give me the green light. I’d be the first to admit that pitching my ideas made my palms sweat. The risk of failure and rejection sped up my heart until it felt like it was trying to beat its way out of my chest. It was the reason I’d changed my dream job from advertising to graphic arts. I’d trade a lifetime supply of frozen peanut butter cups for just half of Spencer’s persuasive powers.
Stepping inside the art room, I summoned some of Spencer’s confident attitude.
“Ms. Coltrain, do you have a minute to listen to my latest idea for my ad campaign?”
“Miss Martin, I am dying to hear your latest idea.” She set down the box of supplies she was carrying and sat on the nearest desk, giving me her undivided attention. “Hit me with it. Wow me.” Did she just use jazz hands?
“Right. Picture this: A kitten, shivering and cold. A lonely old woman, sitting alone in her house. A video of the two meeting, each providing what the other needs. Love. I want to build my ad campaign to promote pet adoption from the animal shelter. It’s an immensely important cause, and there’s a desperate need for this and—”
“Let me stop you right there . . .” Ms. Coltrain held up her hand like a crossing guard. “It’s too easy. Who doesn’t want to save cute little kittens and puppies? You’re one of my most talented art students, but you’re not challenging yourself. Dig deeper, Tessa. You can do this.”
I was becoming less sure every day. She’d now shot down four of my genius ideas. Gah. With each rejection, I was beginning to think I didn’t know what it even meant to dig deeper.
Someone hand me a shovel. Please.
4
Spencer
It was time to set my plan in motion. I hadn’t seen Ashley or any of her friends yet, but it was still five minutes before the first bell, so all wasn’t lost. I’d dropped the form for the club I’d chosen on Mr. Nelson’s desk in the media center.
I still couldn’t believe my mom had “strongly suggested” I join a club. I knew she was right that a wide variety of extracurriculars would strengthen my college applications. The school counselors had been drilling that into us since we were skinny, wide-eyed freshmen. But it was going to cramp my style. Mainly because the only club that interested me and didn’t take up too much time was the Star Wars Role-Playing Club. Might as well call it the Super Geeky Club of Neato-keen Nerds-to-the-Tenth Power.
None of the popular kids joined clubs. No, it was pretty much football and cheerleading that produced the Homecoming Queen or the Guy Most Likely to Succeed or Best Smile superlative winners each year. Not that I wanted any of that, but to get on Ashley’s radar, I had to up my coolness factor.
The main problem was that I didn’t play football. I was on the varsity lacrosse team, which hardly anyone at school knew existed. Granted, SMH had only added a lacrosse team last year, so the lack of fan support made sense. Our goal was to figure out ways to publicize the team so the kids at SMH would cheer us on.
We hadn’t figured out how yet, but it had to be done. It was time. Sure, football and soccer were the popular sports at school, but lacrosse was as fun as football and even faster-paced. Heck, not only could you hit people, but you could hit them with sticks. How much more fun could you have without getting in trouble?
I slung my backpack over my left shoulder and made my way toward the senior rock where Ashley and her friends often hung out. The senior rock was huge. It was waist high and about as long as a bathtub. Four or five kids could easily sit on it. Big, oversized football players even, just like they were now. I always wondered if a big bulldozer brought it in and unloaded it, or if it was already here when they started building the school and was so big they said, “Never mind, leave it. We’ll just build the school around it.”
Today it was painted blue and white. Someone had tagged it in silver spray paint with “Seniors Rule.” The rock usually ended the school year with fifty different coats of paint on it. As I stood there looking at it, I silently vowed this year one of those coats of paint was going to be from our lacrosse team.
I decided to hang out in the front courtyard until the first bell rang. Since the rock was already staked out, I leaned a shoulder against one of the awning pillars and checked my phone. I laughed at Cody’s emoji-filled text over forgetting to do his homework for Mr. Klaton’s class, the hardest teacher in the math department. Cody had the worst memory. He’d started writing notes on his forearm in ink for all the important things he had to remember. And it worked great—when he remembered to check his list before he showered at the end of the day.
I looked up from my phone and saw her. Her. Ashley. She was walking straight toward me. Her long curls of brown hair bounced softly around her shoulders as she walked. She had a luminous glow—no, wait. It was the morning sun reflecting off her gold necklace and earrings. She also wore some shimmery makeup giving her cheeks and lips a soft sparkle. Not too much sparkle. Just the right amount. Of course, she wore her cheerleading outfit, which sh
owed her long, tan legs.
I was taking in Ashley Marks’s physical perfection when it happened. “It” being I finally became a blip on her radar.
Her gaze flicked my way, making my whole body go on high alert. Want to know how hard it was to look casually relaxed while your muscles contracted with tension? Impossible. My brain scrambled with what to say to her when her gaze finally reached my face.
Only they didn’t. Her big brown eyes had risen to my T-shirt when her friend said something to steal her attention, and I was left standing there like a love-sick fool, watching Ashley walk away. Huh.
Crash and burn. I guess if attracting the most popular girl in school was easy, everyone would do it—time to recalibrate my plan and try again.
There was nothing I could do about not being a kid from The Heights. But if we could make the lacrosse team popular, that would help. I texted Cody to let him know putting the team on the map was now at the top of our list.
Me: No more messing around. We need a plan to publicize the lax team ASAP.
Cody: I asked Tessa to help again. She basically said she doesn’t have time. You’re going to have to ask her, dude.
Me: I’ll see what I can do. In the meantime, put your thinking cap on and come up with a brilliant idea or five.
Cody: thumbs up emoji, light bulb emoji, cheeseburger emoji
Knowing Cody the way I did, I interpreted that as: Okay. Will think. I’m hungry.
I headed inside to class while I wrote a mental to-do list for my new amended plan to attract Ashley.
My Totally Off-Limits Best Friend: A YA Sweet Romance (Sweet Mountain High, Year 2: A Sweet YA Romance Series) Page 2