Pyramid of One

by Zoe Evans

  Jacqui shrugged. “Yeah. So I’d say she knows.”

  “I was afraid of that,” I said gloomily. I zipped my cheer clothes into my bag and collapsed on the bench, suddenly feeling totally overwhelmed.

  Tabitha Sue came over looking concerned. “You ok?” she asked.

  “Oh, yeah. Just really tired, I guess.” As a captain, I didn’t want my team to know I was down. As they say in the Spirit Rules book, “Smile through the pain.”

  “So what are you gonna do?” Jacqui asked me, once Tabitha Sue went into the bathrooms.

  “I have no idea,” I said. “I was so distant with Bevan at first. I’d done a really good job of avoiding him, you know? That ended right after the mall date. Now I can’t stop thinking about him.” We closed our lockers and waved good—bye to the rest of the team.

  “Make your rest!” said Katarina, doing her best to tell us to get a good night’s sleep.

  Jacqs and I both tried not to laugh at our friend.

  “Maybe you should just follow your heart,” said Jacqui philosophically. “And stop caring so much about what the Titans think.”

  “That seems to be a running theme lately.” I smiled.

  After dinner I signed on to v—chat with Lanie for a few minutes. She told me the research for her article for the Daily was going really well.

  “I’ve been interviewing some coaches, and I’m really getting some good stuff,” she said proudly. “Luckily, they don’t freak out as much as some people.”

  I knew she was talking about the Titans, but I didn’t feel like getting into it. And I really hoped her interviews weren’t still stirring up trouble. The last thing I needed was more Titan vs. Lanie drama.

  “So what’s your research showing you?” I asked. “Do the Titans deserve all the Benjamins they get?” I really hope they do. I would hate to be dreaming about being on a team that has some kind of unfair advantage. Even though I’ve taken a vow to try to care less about what the Titans think, I’m still hoping that this whole Bevan thing just blows over and my chances of one day making the team, however slim, still at least exist.

  “I’m not gonna say anything right now,” said Lanie mischievously. “I don’t want to put you in the middle again. But you’ll see when I show you the article.”

  “All right.” I sighed.

  I had to keep my convo with her pretty short, though. I have soooo much homework to do, and between memorizing the spirit rules and getting the Grizzlies ready for the Regional Qualifier, I’ve kind of not been putting 100% into schoolwork. Which, if I were a Titan, would probably get me kicked off the team. I bet people don’t realize how much cheerleading and good grades actually go together. Meaning, I have to keep my schoolwork in shape as much as my body. So much stuff to do sometimes, it is kind of overwhelming! And speaking of sound mind and body, it’s time for me to catch some zzzzzz’s.

  OMG to the Nth degree: HUUUUGE news. Katie Parker has a secret crush! I came to school this morning, and as soon as I stepped foot on the school steps, people all around were whispering. At first I thought maybe they were talking about me (weird quirk of mine—guess I always assume the worst). After what Jacqui said yesterday about people possibly talking about Bevan and me, it didn’t seem that crazy a thing to assume. So my heart was practically falling out of my chest it was beating so fast—it was so bad that I thought I’d have to transfer schools.

  I got my math books out of my locker and booked it to Lanie’s locker. Luckily, she was there, painting a red streak into her hair with one of those cool mascara wands.

  “Seriously, Lanes, I think I’m losing my mind. Is it just me or is there some big secret going around about me?”

  Lanie twisted the top back onto her hair mascara. “Whoa, Madison. Ego much?” She lifted a freshly painted lock of hair to examine it more closely. “Ugh-this stuff never works on my hair,” she groaned.

  “Lanes! I’m in a crisis here. So, people aren’t talking about me and Bevan, right?” I asked hopefully.

  “Um, no,” said Lanie. “I mean, they might be, but not half as much as they’re talking about Katie having a secret crush.”

  “Katie?” I asked, instantly relieved. T.G.

  Lanie slammed her locker shut and we started walking to our classes together.

  “Yeah. Apparently she’s been hanging out with some hot new guy but won’t tell anyone who it is. Tracey Mesnick told me right before you got here.”

  Tracey is a total gossip queen. She’s always up in everyone’s grill, collecting rumors and spreading them like wildfire.

  “According to Tracey,” said Lanie, raising her eyebrow, “Katie won’t even tell Clementine or Hilary.”

  “Whoa, no way. She tells them everything!”

  “That’s the good word,” said Lanie. We stood outside her Spanish class for a moment, pondering who the mystery boy could be. “Well, anyway, I’ll see you at lunch. Can’t keep Senora Hernandez waiting.”

  “Adios,” I said, turning to go to my own class.

  Things are definitely getting interesting, and we’ve barely passed first period! Why such a big secret, though? Maybe the guy is older or from another school?

  On my way to Mr. Hobart’s class, I passed Katie hanging with some of her teammates. They were some of the more novice cheerleaders on the team—and they looked like they were falling all over Katie to find out if the rumor is true. I couldn’t hear exactly what they were asking her, but she seemed to be looking extremely happy with all the attention while she shook her head to their questions. They were all literally dying to know who this crush is, and I can’t really blame them.

  But all I can think is, “I am so, so, so glad she’s crushin’, because that means she’s hopefully, possibly, maybe over Bevan Ramsey!” I mean, if she has a crush, that means she can’t still be dreaming about her ex-bf, right? And that means that it might be ok for me to go out with him again, maybe this time not in secret. Then again, arrggg! Tango uno problem, as Senora Hernandez might say. He hasn’t exactly asked me out on another date! I’m starting to think I should be reading those annoying magazines and following the rules about “How to Make a Guy Fall in Love with You from 20 Feet Away” or something. Or maybe I should ask Clementine for advice (yah, right). She always seems to have twelve guys trailing her wherever she goes. MUCHO annoying.

  LUNCHTIME, SCHOOL CAF

  The plot thickened at lunch! Evan was sketching away on his latest comic, so Lanie and I, being, well, us, started bugging him to show it to us.

  “It’s not ready,” he said, squinting down at the pile of pink rubber left from his erasing frenzy a few moments before. Finally just, like, jokingly, I took the comic from under his nose while he went to reach for a bite of his sandwich.

  “Hey, give it back!” he snapped.

  “Just a minute,” I said in a singsongy way. When I saw the title and the cover of this latest SuperBoy, it took me a moment to realize this issue looked VERY different from the last. THIS cover had an image of a beautiful girl wearing oversize sunglasses, leggings, and a long T—shirt belted at the waist. He had drawn her stuffing a cape into her pocketbook. He Changed the title to SuperGirl!

  Lanie and I read the comic together, and I kept on looking at her like, “Um, are you seeing this?,” but she was kind of acting funny about the whole thing.

  In this issue, there are two bad guys—a boy and a girl—going nuts in a mall and stealing a whole bunch of stuff from people’s bags while they’re shopping. “Help! My child’s precious Nintendo Wii!” yells one helpless mom. SuperGirl does a quick change behind a clothing rack, disguising herself as a store clerk, and does a ton of gymnastics and cheer—type flips to knock the two thieves out and lock them and their stash into a dressing room. She’s waiting for the police to come when the boy evildoer breaks out of the dressing room and whams SuperGirl in the head with a shopping bag full of loot. That’s when SuperBoy launches a sneak attack: He comes out of the dressing room next door, where he’d been tryi
ng on clothes. He quickly sees what’s happening, pins the boy thief—caught unawares—against the wall, and handcuffs him. “What the . . . ?” says the thief. Meanwhile, the girl thief is yelling, “Let me out! Let me out!” Then SuperGirl, all awestruck, shouts, “Who are you?” The comic ends with a “Stay tuned for the next SuperGirl and find out what happens!”

  Something about the characters in the strip looked mega familiar. Like, he based them on people I know. It took me a second or two to realize why: The evildoers look a lot (I’m not kidding!) like Bevan and me. And SuperGirl, with her cascading blond hair, the outfit, and even her tiny little beauty mark above her lip, looks like, get this—Katie Parker!!! I think my first thought was, “Who knew Evan could draw girls so well?” Shrug. And then I was like, “Since when did he start looking at Katie Parker long enough to draw her?” I can’t tell what bothers me more—the fact that he took the time to draw Katie, or the fact that she looks so gorgeous as a comic book hero—way better than the thief version of me. Typical! But worst of all? The whole story seems to revolve around Bevan and me being at the mall. Which means the thing I feared most of all is true: Someone saw us together, and for some reason, Evan knows about it.

  “Very, um . . . interesting,” I said with a laugh. I sat in my chair with my arms folded, obviously waiting for an explanation from Evan. But he didn’t say ANYTHING. Instead, when I looked at him, he was staring at me with a funny expression on his face. And when he noticed I’d caught him doing it, he quickly brushed the hair out of his face and looked away.

  “I told you it wasn’t ready for public viewing,” he muttered, grabbing the SuperGirl away from me.

  I was like, “Whoa, what’s with the ’tude?” but I didn’t say that out loud. I figured I’d just wait until after he left for class to talk to Lanes about this. Evan seemed to be a closed book on the subject, and now with the funny looks I was getting from him, I knew I couldn’t push him to talk about it. I actually couldn’t believe Lanie didn’t also realize how freaky Evan’s drawings were. And I was wondering: “Hello? Why is Lanie being so quiet all of a sudden?” Lanes never misses a chance to poke at me or Evan when she senses drama.

  Finally Evan left, and Lanie and I were alone. “Lanie, I must be going to Crazy Town again,” I said.

  “What do you mean?” Lanie stared down at her plate, pushing around the last bites of the cafeteria’s “Fiesta Day” veggie taco.

  “I know it might seem like I think the whole world is about me, but I swear, there’s something about the girl thief in Evan’s story that looks a lot like me-like, totally the way Evan draws me.”

  I waited for Lanes to say something, but she remained quiet. So I continued telling her my theory: “And the guy thief looks like Bevan. And weirdest of all, SuperGirl is practically Katie Parker’s twin! I think the whole SuperGirl story has something to do with me and Bevan being at the mall that day.”

  More silence.

  “What, is everyone giving me the silent treatment now?” I joked, motioning to the empty seats at our table.

  “Ok.” She sighed. “So, before you got to lunch, Evan and I were talking. And I know this is completely crazy and I shouldn’t really be telling you, but . . . Evan’s kinda been hanging out with Katie lately.” She bit her lip, waiting for my response.

  That’s when I almost stopped breathing for the second time today. Katie? And Evan? There wasn’t a stranger pairing on earth!! Evan and Katie together was, like, a peanut butter and salami sandwich. Like putting pickles in your yogurt. Seriously? No. Way.

  “Wait, why wouldn’t he tell me?” I waved my hands in the direction of Evan’s seat at the table moments before. “And were you even going to tell me? I thought we told each other everything.” I was really peeved. How did today end up so weird?

  Lanie met my eyes, and I could tell she felt bad about keeping the secret from me—even if it had been only for a little more than lunch period.

  “Well, you know how you asked me not to tell Evan about you and Bevan? Evan asked me not to say anything about him and Katie. I’m trying to be fair.”

  “So, does this also mean that Katie knows about Bevan and me?”

  Lanie put her hands up in defense. “Seriously, all I know is that Evan told me that he and Katie have been hanging out. Why don’t you just ask him? This whole secret thing between the three of us is gonna get old fast.”

  I am SO confused. What is going on?? Is Katie Parker purposely trying to turn my world upside down??? I need answers, and Evan is going to have to give me some. And soon.

  AFTERNOON BEFORE PRACTICE, LOCKERS

  I waited until the last bell of the day rang, when I knew I’d find Evan kneeling on the floor by his bottom locker, getting his books for the night. As I walked up to him, I saw for the first time that there was something different about him. I couldn’t put my finger on it, but he looked, well, more confident and happier than usual. But when he saw me approaching, he frowned.

  “You shouldn’t have grabbed my SuperBoy,” he said gravely.

  “You mean your SuperGirl?” I baited him.

  “Whatever.”

  “I didn’t realize it was such a big deal,” I said. I still don’t understand why he was so bothered by what happened in the caf earlier—when I’m the one getting drawn into comic books for the whole school to see. I leaned back against his neighbor’s locker, where someone had graffitied a mustache right by the handle. Uh, hello, random? “So, when were you going to tell me you’ve been hanging out with Katie Parker?”

  He sighed heavily. “I knew you’d see the resemblance. And I was going to tell you, but I don’t know . . .” He got up from the floor and slung his backpack over one shoulder. “We haven’t really been talking a ton lately, and it just felt weird, I guess, to tell you.”

  I realized with a pang in my heart that it is true—Evan and I haven’t been hanging out as much as we used to. And it seems like both of us are acting weird around each other. But why?

  He buried his hands deep into the pockets of his vintage blazer. “Look, I know there’s tension between you and Katie—especially since you and Bevan hung out.”

  That was strange—I didn’t tell him about Bevan and our mall hangout, and I knew Lanie didn’t either. But before I could ask him how he knew, he started explaining how it had all happened. Turns out that Katie had seen Bevan and me at the food court at the mall—like I had feared all along. I can’t believe I didn’t see her there! (Then again, it is a big food court.) So anyway, she was crying hysterically into her kung pao chicken, and that’s when Evan saw her. He’d been at the mall that day buying his mom a birthday present.

  “I couldn’t stand seeing a girl crying all by herself—and at the food court, no less! A paradise where only good things should happen,” Evan explained with a shrug. “And she didn’t have a tissue—so I gave her one of my handkerchiefs.”

  Of course. Evan seems to have multiple handkerchiefs on him at all times. I don’t know any other guy who carries those old—fashioned things. Lanie and I always bust his chops about it.

  “When she first looked at me, she seemed like she didn’t know who I was. But when her eyes went to the handkerchief, she laughed, and was like, ‘You’re Madison’s friend, right?’ I guess she’d seen us hanging out. Anyway, we started talking.” He smiled just then, probably at the memory of that moment. Gave me the willies, and I DID NOT want to think about why.

  And ever since that day, apparently, they’ve been hanging out. It doesn’t explain why I was cast as a bad guy (er, girl) in his comic, nor does it cover the tons of other questions I still have going through my mind. I’ll have to get to the bottom of those another time.

  “So, are you guys going out now?” I asked him, biting my lip. “Are you her secret crush?” I didn’t mean for it to come out as snarky as it did.

  “Whoa-I’ve only known her for, like, a week. Calm down.” He was trying to act all suave, but there’s no way he wasn’t secretly flipping out ove
r being Katie Parker’s rumored secret crush.

  “I’m not calmed up,” I said. I HATE when he tells me to calm down. It’s just that this whole thing with the two of them doesn’t make sense. But I guess it’s happening. I didn’t feel like being around him anymore at that moment, so I told him I had to run to practice. Which wasn’t just an excuse, but I am really glad to be out of there. A good cheer practice will help me work through this whole thing, no prob. Right??

  EVENING, HOME FINALLY!!!

  So, when I got to practice, Jared was pouting on the sidelines. “I don’t have a roommate for the Regional Qualifier,” he said gloomily.

  I’d totally forgotten about the roomie situation. The accommodations near Regionals were either a hotel or a local college dorm, and Mom had luckily gotten us the rooms in the dorm. Way cheaper. The girls on our team were easy to pair up, since it was just me, Jacqui, Katarina, and Tabitha Sue. But with Ian and Matt being inseparable, Jared was the odd guy out.

  “So? Just bring a sleeping bag and crash with Ian and Matt,” I suggested.

  Matt was doing a set of one—handed push—ups nearby. “Excuse me?” he said, mid-pushup. “Uh-uh. There is no way we’re rooming with him. You’ve heard him on bus rides. He sings show tunes in his sleep.”

  “Madonna’s Immaculate Collection album is not show tunes!” Jared huffed.

  Matt rolled his eyes.

  “Hey, tough guy, why don’t you try sleeping by yourself in a creepy old dorm?” Jared’s voice was getting all wobbly, like he was going to cry.

  “C’mon, Jared, we’ll all be next door to you,” I told him.

  Jared flicked his eyes toward Matt and Ian, as if he was making sure they were too busy to listen to what he was about to say. “I don’t like sleeping away from home,” he said quietly. “I’ve never even been to a sleepover. And now I don’t have anyone to room with.” He had the saddest puppy—dog expression on his face.