Shark Bait (The Grab Your Pole Series)

by Cooksey, Jenn

  “Yeah. I’m starting to understand there’re things at play here that could possibly cause the social dynamics of this school to be thrown into a topsy-turvy kind of upheaval. I never-ever thought I’d be a part of some huge teen scandal, let alone be the cause of it though. I certainly feel honored, but sorta unworthy at the same time.” I’m also starting to have a growing understanding of how kids my age take the ins and outs of each other’s lives along with the minutiae of those lives so seriously.

  And now let’s sit back and relax because it’s time to pay attention to what Kate’s about to tell me. And know this, how she put it all together is nothing short of phenomenal...

  “Okay good, you get it. Now, I’m gonna walk you through what I feel to be some very remarkable happenings of today, so let’s start at the beginning… I saw how he stopped you from falling this morning. It wasn’t like he just happened to be walking behind you two, you know. He literally sprang off the stage and practically sprinted to grab that book his cousin dropped. And this part is pretty amazing in itself and I still can’t believe he did it,” she said, shaking her head, emphasizing her disbelief. “He then circled around so he could come up behind you guys and appear nonchalant in an attempt to not only get a closer look at you, but make sure you noticed him too. And you should understand it’s highly unusual for Tristan to draw attention to himself like that.

  “Now Camie, I cannot stress enough how important this next tidbit is...Jeff witnessed it as well. So, keeping in mind there were a good four hours that passed in which he could’ve been thinking about you, that brings us to several groundbreaking things that happened in English.”

  “Oh, you mean the class I’ve heretofore been referring to as heaven?”

  She laughed. “Yeah, that would be the one.”

  “Okay, just checking. You may continue...”

  “Alright well, Jeff is a total flirt, but what he was doing today wasn’t so much flirting with you as it was egging Tristan on. This leads me to believe that Tristan either A, said something about you to his best friend, or B, Jeff guessed at his interest like I did.

  “Either way, there was enough in his behavior to take notice of. I have a hunch Tristan probably said something though, because not only did they have their heads together for much of first period, but it kinda seemed like they were speaking in code during English, as if Jeff was telling Tristan what he thought of you without actually saying anything. So that could mean Tristan might’ve asked Jeff’s opinion earlier in the day. And let’s not forget that Jeff works in the office third period where he could’ve easily obtained pertinent information about you for Tristan.”

  “But what about him thinking I wa—”

  “A guy? And him not seeing a new girl on the roster?”

  I nodded.

  “I think that was bullshit. It’s my belief that Jeff scripted some of what he said and he did it solely to ferret out a reaction from you. I think he took it upon himself to screen you for Tristan, who was paying very close attention to everything being said, even though he did a damned good job of appearing not to be…and judging from the way Tristan looked at you and laughed about what was said, I think Jeff’s statement about you being a sophomore took him by surprise.

  “Next, Tristan put his hand on your knee when he picked up Teresa’s note, making skin-to-skin contact for the second time today, and coming from him, that’s a big clue that he’s attracted to you. He could’ve very easily reached over you without touching or leaning against you like that, or just not picked it up at all. He didn’t want the note…I know you saw his face when he shredded it; he was completely repulsed by even touching it! He did all that with intent, Camie, like a test to see how you’d react. You did very well by the way,” Kate said with a smile, like she was proud of me or something.

  “Why, thank you. I do try to keep my licentious thoughts to myself whenever possible,” I replied, feeling kind of proud of myself too. For being someone who doesn’t normally test well and having passed the one he’d given me without even being aware I was taking it, well, that’s pretty much a cause for celebration as anything.

  Kate laughed at my humble acceptance of her compliment. “You’re very welcome. Oh, and remember what he said as his excuse for asking for her number in the first place?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Well, that was strictly for your benefit, Camie, not mine. He’s very well aware that I already understand perfectly just how much he doesn’t appreciate being treated like that, but you didn’t and he wanted you to know. He was point-blank telling you what not to do. His tone suggested to me that he could’ve even been asking you not to be like that with him. And then there was that whole thing with the book… Good grief, that was a freaking riot, but so completely and totally out of character for Tristan!” Kate said and started to giggle again.

  It was several minutes before she regained control of her giggle-fit and was able to continue, and although I found myself grinning and giggling along with her, I’m kind of lost about why this is so funny to her. I kept my mouth shut, though, because Kate can really tell a story. I feel like I’m watching an Agatha Christie movie and the murderer is about to be revealed.

  “Sorry for laughing so much, but I mean you just have to appreciate this for what it really was, and trust me when I say it was a master stroke of genius how Tristan took outrageous advantage of Mrs. Henderson’s kick-back atmosphere and manipulated his environment the way he did! He actually got you pressed up against him with his arm around you under the guise of reading a book you both probably have memorized and he did it front of everybody!

  “I doubt you noticed this either, but the guy could not keep his eyes off you the whole time, or his fingers from playing with a piece of your hair that he could reach without you becoming the wiser. I bet he was just so tickled with himself for pulling that off without being questioned by a soul…I was really impressed actually. And just so you know, I’ve never seen him do anything like that at school, never-ever!

  “He keeps his little affairs not only pretty private, which I’m not too sure how he manages to do with all the gossips in this school, but they’re also kept strictly for afterhours events like parties and stuff where people aren’t always paying close attention to what he’s doing. And not because he’s shy, because he’s so not. I think it’s just that he prefers to keep his personal life out of public view and he considers school to be a very public fishbowl. Plus, he’s just not a PDA kinda guy. You know, now that I’m really thinking about that scene in English in conjunction with everything else, I’m positive he’s more in to you than even he may realize. Oh! I almost forgot, remember Jeff’s shenanigans in the hall?”

  I nodded. And did you hear what she said? He was playing with my freaking hair!

  “Well I think he was waiting for a verdict, and Tristan gave it to him with that astounding tour de force of his. I like to think of that part where he stuck his tongue out as being an exclamation point, and once Jeff understood that Tristan had reached some kind of decision, he bowed and went on his way. I think Jeff having that knowledge is important to remember too, especially in light of what happened later. So, moving on… I know you saw him by the locker room and you’re also not stupid, but I don’t know if you understood his behavior after dance today,” Kate said and waited for me to give my interpretation of that more recent event.

  “Well, I know he certainly didn’t look happy…not until Jeff showed up anyway.” Interesting, apparently there’s more to that as well. Honestly, I don’t know how Kate can figure people out like this, but really, it’s mesmerizing to watch her run through her thoughts and then listen to her expound on them.

  “Noticed that, did you? Well again, here’s what I think was going on... Tristan and Zack don’t play well together. Normally, they pretty much avoid each other and that’s probably the main reason Tristan stayed so far away from us.”

  “I knew it!” Man, being right feels awesome!

  She n
odded, further affirming my correct assumption. “However, I thought he was gonna break that long-standing protocol when Zack started flirting with you by yanking your hair that way. After all, he’d been doing the same thing a couple hours before that, only Tristan wasn’t flirting. The way it looked to me, he felt compelled to touch you in some way and he’d chosen to give in to that compulsion, but only on the sly because he’s still testing the water so to speak…he’s not about to lay his cards on the table before you’ve even thrown in your ante, you know? And I’ll bet you money he had a contingency plan in place on the off chance you caught him red handed. You know, like a spider crawling on you or something. But then Zack goes and blatantly shows interest in you…

  “Again, this is just my opinion, but watching Zack barely touch you enraged Tristan, because Camie, I was watching him and I’m telling you, he was about to blow. Then when I saw him start cracking up, I knew something was going on behind us and that was right when my stoner ex showed up,” Kate explained, shaking her head and rolling her eyes.

  And I don’t know about you, but Kate has me totally rapt. I’m listening really intently to what she’s saying because I’m not only fascinated, but I’m also realizing that I have SO much to learn about the little nuances of people’s actions and their motives for doing things. Jeez, when I said Kate was insightful before, I’d no idea how discerning she really is.

  “Jeff would’ve totally seen what was going on from where he came from and I’m positive that whatever he did behind our backs, rescued Tristan from having to make a scene, which he wouldn’t want to do…especially at school and Jeff would know that. As a bonus, it also cracked him up. And another thing Jeff knows all too well is that a laughing Tristan is a happy Tristan, which is important to keep in mind because of that moody issue.

  “Jeff’s little stunt that he intentionally included you in was a statement that Zack read loud and clear. He essentially meant it to say, ‘These two are ours, so back the fuck off.’ What I’m saying is this, even though he can be a jerk and he’s definitely a clown, Jeff was watching over his best friend’s interests as well as his own, meaning you and me. That’s also how I know Tristan won’t abandon Jeff to make rotten choices. The two of them watch out for each other more than the closest of brothers.

  “So to break this all down and make it simple, Tristan has displayed some very rare and exceptionally indicative behavior today that I’ve never seen him do all in one day and in regards to one girl… He made a concerted effort to make himself known, he shared something personal with his best friend, he dropped a major hint on the one thing that really turns him cold, he went out of his way to make an obscene amount of physical contact at school, and the coup de grace…he was totally jealous, which I believe is a first for him. So, now do you understand why I think you have more than a snowball’s chance in hell?” Kate finished in a flurry, her face beaming with pride.

  “Wow, that was spectacular! You could totally be a lawyer or an FBI profiler or something…seriously impressive, Kate,” I said after applauding her extraordinarily detailed outline of today’s events by clapping and whistling.

  She laughed, made a bowing motion and then said, “Thank you. It was actually a lot of fun. I was dying to tell someone about all of this and you were the most likely to appreciate it, seeing as how it all revolved around you. And that’s something else…aside from Melissa, there aren’t gonna be many girls who’ll support your campaign to land Tristan. In fact, if you end up taking him out of the running, one of two things will probably happen. One, you’ll be able to write your own ticket socially. Or two, you’ll be hated with a passion by every female in this school and many from some other neighboring schools. I can probably get Melissa on board though, and if she backs you, chances are it’ll be the first. Are you up to it?”

  “Um, I’m not sure yet, and I don’t wanna sound rude, but why are you so gung-ho about this? You seem kind of invested.” This whole time I’ve been engrossed in what Kate has been elucidating, and I believe her reason for wanting to be friends with me, but now I’m wondering why she’s trying to get her lifelong friend together with a girl neither of them knows. It just seems...odd.

  “Well, for a few reasons… I really do like you and think you’re cool. You showed compassion to a stranger this morning with Paul, even when you realized being friends with him wouldn’t be of great help to you in fitting in. So that means you’re brave, too, which you’ll need to be if you decide to go for the school’s most popular, self-prescribed bachelor. But, the main reason is I care about him. You see, Camie, even though we’re not as close as he and Jeff are and our friendship has kinda changed over the years, Tristan is still one of my very best friends and honestly, I don’t think he’s all that happy. In fact, I think he’s sorta lonely, the way he flits from girl to girl, you know?”

  I don’t really know, but hoping her question was more rhetorical than anything else, I shrugged my shoulders and nodded anyway.

  “It’s just that, there’re tons of really great looking and popular guys in this school, who date all the time and get involved in relationships, but none of them are as unattainable as he is. He’s done it by choice, too, which I think is kinda sad. I mean I know he’s remained single on purpose, but I think he deserves to have something special with a girl for once. Try to remember what his voice sounded like when he was tearing up that note, Camie…I swear, the more I think about it, it sounded like he was pleading. Even if it’s only on a subconscious level, I think he’s desperate to feel valued for more than being a gorgeous face and great kisser.

  “For whatever reason, he picked you and I agree with his choice, I think you could be really good for him. And if I’m being honest, I’m kinda hoping if Tristan has a girlfriend he’ll settle down, and then maybe Jeff will follow his lead. I mean you’ve seen him…it’s like he’s a giant kid and he refuses to grow up. But because they sorta play off each other, they both do a lot of asinine stuff, only Tristan usually knows when to say when. Jeff doesn’t and sometimes I think he doesn’t even care about the consequences. I guess I’m hoping if Tristan isn’t out there ruling the playground with him, Jeff won’t be so inclined to play, you know? I just… I just really don’t wanna see Jeff waste his life…does that make sense?” Kate asked seriously and wiped away a small tear from her cheek.

  “Yeah, that makes sense. If you really think I’m the one who can accomplish all this, then I’ll give it my best shot. If I’ve understood everything correctly though, it sounds like it’ll be next to impossible,” I replied solemnly. Even though I am one, I’d no idea that this emotionally heady current runs unseen in the deep water of a teenager’s life. It’s pretty sobering to consider.

  “Well, I think it’s worth a try. If you don’t actually land him exclusively, there’s still a really good chance he’ll wanna be friends, and that’s not such a bad thing. Tristan really is a good guy and he can be a powerful ally when it comes to other guys you might be interested in, that is, if things with him don’t work out like we’re hoping. That’s essentially how Melissa and Keith got together. She and Tristan went out a couple times at the beginning of our freshman year and didn’t hit it off, but because they’re friends, he was more than happy to influence Keith for her when she asked a while back. He’s a senior and not only quarterback for the football team, he’s the team captain and he’s almost as difficult to pin down as Tristan is. I’m not sure how Tristan did that either, but he’s responsible for a couple matches that probably wouldn’t have happened without his involvement.”

  Did I mention what an overflowing fountain of information she is? Holy cow! This girl knows everything! And now that I’ve made a decision and I’m armed with a slew of information, I think it’s time to get down to brass tacks and figure out what the strategy is for this mission. “Okay. I’m sold. What do I do?”

  “Well, this is probably gonna be the hard part, I know I’d have difficulty with it…if you wanna hook him and truly reel him i
n for good, I suggest you do nothing. He’s gotta come to you…it won’t work any other way. Oh and you need to be prepared, there will be attempts to get away, because I’m sure he’s not gonna come quietly. He can be stubborn to a fault and sometimes even to his own downfall.”

  “His downfall?” Jeez, this guy sounds like he’s more complex than the Pythagorean theorem. (Blechk…math.)

  She laughed and then enlightened me on her meaning once more. “This is just an example, but it’s kinda funny… You probably don’t know this yet, but both Tristan and Jeff should actually be seniors this year. However, back in third grade Jeff came down with a really nasty case of chicken pox and had to miss almost half the year.”

  “You’re kidding? That’s crazy!” I guess I never thought about having to miss school because of illness. It was never an issue, we were already home.

  “Yeah, he was super sick. Here’s the really crazy part though, Jeff was gonna be held back because he couldn’t make up all that work in time, so, because he and Tristan didn’t wanna be separated, they came up with a plan that resulted in Tristan being held back too. The downfall came when Tristan missed out on a perfect attendance award he’d been competing for since he’d been in kindergarten,” Kate told me, shaking her head like she still couldn’t believe they’d done that.

  “Um… I don’t even know how to respond to that. It’s extreme, that’s for sure,” I said, stunned once again. I think maybe I’ve underestimated what a best friend actually does…

  “Yeah. You know the saying ‘blood is thicker than water?’ Well, not between these guys. That’s partly why Jeff will be key in this whole thing too. It’s imperative he does everything he’s capable of doing to influence Tristan, but we have to be ultra-careful that he doesn’t find out what we’re really up to. Since that’ll primarily be my job, it looks like I’m gonna be getting back together with the love of my life once again,” she said, revealing part of her master plan with a smile.