Love, Love, Love

by Deborah Reber

  The group parted as Jake muscled through to join in the questioning. He shrugged off two of his friends who were trying to stop him, because they knew how jealous Jake could be. Apparently, so did Megan, who clung to Peter for support. Laura could see fire in Peter’s green eyes—she knew he would defend himself and Megan. But it didn’t make her feel much better.

  The crowd had taken a few steps away from Laura, too, and she realized that she stood apart. Most of the students had heard about what happened the night before, so they expected some kind of reaction from her, too. I’m the other wronged party, she thought with a sinking feeling. At least that’s what they all think.

  “How long has this been going on?” yelled Jake. “Have you two been fooling around behind my back?”

  “Of course not,” said Peter, trying to sound calm. But then he took his hand from Megan’s waist and balled it into a fist. “You know, you dumped her, remember.”

  Jake puffed out his chest beneath his tight polo shirt. “Are you kidding? That wasn’t serious—how can I be serious about Cupidity? It was just a misunderstanding between me and Megan, and you jumped in like the loser you are!”

  “He’s not a loser,” countered Megan. “He’s wonderful! You’re the loser!”

  Jake roared and took another step closer, fists flailing. But Megan stood her ground and bravely warded off the attack. Jake tried to reach around her, but she blocked his every move; the best he could do was to give Peter a symbolic shove and back off. Peter staggered but stayed on his feet.

  Now the crowd was into it, egging them on. Laura couldn’t get over how ridiculous the whole scene was. And she finally ran into the middle, the mob roaring their approval. “Hey, I was there last night too!” she yelled at Jake. “Peter was my date, so I got dumped the same as you.” Then, realizing how pathetic that sounded, she took a deep breath. “Look, you were clearly with Cupidity last night, so stop whining about it.”

  Jake scowled. “Your friend Cupidity is a skank, a tease … and a nutcase on top of it!” The crowd tittered with uneasy laughter at this Jerry Springer moment.

  Suddenly the group shifted, and a dazed-looking Emma Langdon muscled her way through. She looked like a person dying of thirst who has suddenly seen a lake. “Jake!” she croaked, holding out a trembling hand.

  Along with everyone else, Laura was watching Emma’s dramatic entrance, but she still caught a flash of reflected light in the corner of her eye. Someone grunted, and she whirled around to see Jake stagger forward, as a gust of wind pushed her back a step. The preppy king swayed to and fro and looked as if he would pass out, but Emma Langdon rushed in to catch him.

  From back near the school building, a loud authoritative voice boomed, “What’s going on over there? Break it up now.”

  Everyone realized that the show was over and scattered quickly toward their cars. Taryn tugged on Laura’s sleeve and urged her to move, but she had to hang back for a moment. She could see Emma kneeling beside a dazed Jake Mattson, comforting him. What happened to him? wondered Laura. She hadn’t seen anything hit him, only that vague flash, but maybe Megan had struck him from behind.

  The vice principal was bounding across the lot toward the disbanding group, and Taryn pulled harder on her sleeve. “Come on!”

  Laura let Taryn lead her away, just as Cupidity’s car shot by, tires squealing. As the rear end fishtailed, the yellow convertible made a sensational U-turn to stop right next to Jake and Emma. Cupidity waved them into her car and sped away while the vice principal yelled.

  Students were piling into cars and zooming off in different directions, and Laura had no time to think about what had just happened. When she reached the sidewalk, she saw Megan and Peter in the distance, strolling hand in hand as if nothing had happened. They looked blissful, not even mortified by the fact that they didn’t have a car. Laura slowed down and shook her head, thinking that Megan probably hadn’t walked home since grade school.

  Why do I care so much? she thought. Could I actually be jealous? The happy couple definitely grated on Laura. She could understand how Peter deserved some good luck in love, but Megan Rawlins? The cheerleader always had good luck. Still, being around Peter made her seem more normal, more mellow, almost fading into the background at times. Megan had given up ruling the popular crowd in order to obsess on Peter, which was an improvement, she guessed.

  Laura turned to look for Taryn and spotted her trailing by several strides. “I’ll see you later!” she called. “I’ve got to talk to someone.”

  Greasy smoke from the barbecue wafted through the back patio of the Mount Olympus Retirement Home. While most of the gods and goddesses lounged by the pool, sipping nectar, three of them stood in the shadows of the patio. They gazed solemnly at a shallow bowl made from the finest black porcelain. Filled with water, it stood on a pedestal, and smoke seemed to gather around the gaunt figures of Mercury, Jupiter, and Vulcan.

  Mercury stood to the king’s right, but Vulcan shook his bushy head and limped away from the pedestal. “I don’t see a darn thing.”

  “Give it a minute,” said Mercury. “It’s a miratorium, not a TV.”

  “There!” croaked Jupiter, pointing into the bowl. In the flickering glow of the bug zappers, Jupiter and Mercury stared at the shimmering portal of blackness.

  After a moment, Mercury saw Cupid, in his sultry guise of young maiden, shoot his magical bow in an evening encounter and again in a large parking lot during the day. The elder god felt an emotional tug on his immortal heart, and he could sense the undying love of the two couples Cupid had united. However, he knew from the shimmering vision in the bowl that Laura Sweeney remained unfulfilled.

  “Twice he has used his powers,” remarked Jupiter with a frown on his droopy face.

  “Twice?” asked Vulcan curiously.

  “But not to aid Laura Sweeney,” added Mercury.

  Vulcan scowled. “Ack, what is that irresponsible imp doing? I swear, that boy can’t be given the simplest task. Those high school students don’t need Cupid—they have raging hormones!”

  “Maybe you made his disguise too good,” remarked Mercury with a disdainful raised eyebrow. “Looking like he does, that cherub could be having too much fun.”

  Jupiter lowered his bushy eyebrows at the messenger god. “Merc, do you know what I’m thinking?”

  The god looked down at his winged slippers and sighed. “You want me to go to Ohio to check up on him … or her. What about asking for help from Venus?”

  “No!” shouted Vulcan and Jupiter at the same time, and they glanced at one another with suspicion.

  “If we alert Venus, the cure could be worse than the bite,” said Jupiter. “And perhaps we’re worried about nothing. All I’m asking you to do, Brother, is take a firsthand look at the situation.”

  “Will you need a disguise?” asked Vulcan. “Perhaps you could be a dog? Kids like them.”

  Mercury gave him an imperious scowl. “A dog? I think not. Besides, I couldn’t disguise myself from Cupid—he’s too clever. But I will have to assume an identity that will get me close to him. Perhaps you could take a few centuries off my face.”

  “Heh, heh!” laughed Vulcan with a wheeze. “You won’t look a day over sixty.”

  Laura tiptoed down the sidewalk, trying not to make any noise as she snuck up on Peter and Megan, who were talking in a low, intimate whisper. She wanted to make it look as if she had just stumbled on them, not that she was following them. From Peter, she wanted to find out how it felt to fall madly in love, and why she couldn’t bring herself to do it. From Megan, she wanted to know how she could throw away twelve years of class consciousness in one brave kiss.

  Secretly, Laura also wanted to make sure Megan was genuine and that she wasn’t pulling the ultimate punk on Peter. Even thinking about such a prospect made her furious, and Laura gritted her teeth as she strode forward. Lost in imagined anger, she accidentally tripped over a crack in the sidewalk and stumbled forward, plowing into Megan’s b
ack.

  “Hey!” shouted the shapely girl, whirling around with fists raised. “You want a piece of me too?”

  “Whoa!” said Laura, jumping back, trying to wipe the envy and anger off her face. “I didn’t mean anything—I just fell forward. I was the one stopping the stupid fight, remember?”

  Megan dropped her hands a little, but she still looked suspicious.

  Laura glanced from Peter to Megan and twisted her hands as she said, “Look, other people are being weird, but I’m not trying to be. I mean, I don’t care that you two are together. Peter, I’m glad you’ve got a girlfriend … even if it’s not someone I would ever guess.”

  “What’s that supposed to mean?” asked Megan, lifting her fists again. Laura recoiled a few more steps, because she could see how Megan’s possessive side had probably driven Jake crazy. It didn’t seem to have the same effect on Peter … yet.

  In fact, Peter took in the whole awkward exchange with a dimwitted smile. “Hey, you two, there’s no point in anyone fighting. They’ll all get used to us being together. They’ll have to.” With that, he threw a gangly arm around Megan and pulled her close to him.

  At the overt show of affection, Megan gave Laura a triumphant sneer. “Yeah, they’ll have to get used to us being together, whether they like it or not. Any other questions, Laura?”

  About a thousand, she thought, stunned. But she could only manage to blurt, “When did you two … when did you realize you were in love?”

  That question brought puzzled expressions to both of their faces, and the love zombies looked curiously at each other. “Well, I always thought Megan was the hottest, the coolest, the most—”

  “Okay, I get the picture,” replied Laura, cutting him off. “What about you, Megan? When did you know?”

  The dark-haired beauty shook her head as if it was an incredibly stupid question. “I guess … I have always liked him. Yeah, that’s it—from the time I was in kindergarten, I liked Peter!”

  “Then how come you never talked to him before our date last night?” asked Laura sweetly.

  Megan bristled once again. “Hey, that’s none of your business, and I don’t even think it’s true.” She turned and batted her eyelashes at her beloved. “Sweetie, I must have talked to you lots of times before that night … didn’t I?”

  Peter scrunched his face, thinking hard. He finally smiled and said, “Yes, you asked me for a pencil once in fifth grade.”

  “No, seriously,” said Megan, looking troubled. “I feel as if I’ve always loved you, but I was afraid to express it. Then when I saw you lying there … in the mud and the paint, knowing that I put you there … my heartstrings just snapped.”

  Laura nodded with understanding, because she had actually seen that happen. Peter had looked pretty pathetic, but there was still something wrong with this picture.

  “I don’t think you knocked him out,” said Laura with a frown. “I can’t remember exactly what happened, but Cupidity did hit you with an arrow, didn’t she?”

  “Right!” Megan snorted sarcastically. “That cow couldn’t hit the broad side of the principal with her stupid bow. I tripped over something, or somebody pushed me—I can’t remember.”

  “Hey, I think we all hit our heads out there,” said Peter, “so what does it matter? It was a dumb stunt, but it worked out great—for us.” He gave Megan another insufferable hug.

  “Sweetie, it wasn’t a dumb stunt,” protested Megan softly, staring up at Peter with puppy-dog eyes. “It started out really funny, and I thought we improvised it like champs. We totally didn’t know what we were going to do to Jake and Stupidity. Excuse me, Cupidity.”

  Laura opened her mouth to defend her absent friend, but she really couldn’t think of any reason to absolve Cupidity. She had shot an arrow at Megan and pointed one at Peter. Clearly neither one of them had holes in them, but they were stupid in love. Cupidity and stupidity, she thought, they do seem to go together.

  She looked somberly at Peter and said from her heart, “I feel like I’m missing something here, but I’m happy that you’re happy. You’ve got to be better for Megan than that jerk Jake could ever be, and I hope she appreciates you.”

  Megan sneered. “What I’d appreciate, Laura, is if you left us alone. I know he used to be one of your friends, but now he’s all mine.”

  “Hey, babe, that’s a little harsh, isn’t it?” asked Peter. “I didn’t agree to give up all my friends for you.”

  Megan put her hands on her hips and stared at him. “Come on, you hardly have any friends. I’ve got enough friends for both of us, so you don’t need this loser.”

  “I’m glad to see you haven’t changed all that much,” cracked Laura as she turned and strode away.

  She got only a few steps down the sidewalk before Peter caught up to her and grabbed her arm. “Laura, please!” he begged. “Stop and talk to me! She didn’t mean it.”

  Laura stopped long enough to look back at Megan, whose eyes were shooting laser beams at her. “She meant it,” hissed Laura. “But maybe she’s right. Maybe she is all you need. Why would you need me or any of your old friends if you have the Homecoming Queen?” She yanked her arm out of his grip and dashed down the sidewalk.

  “Laura!” Peter called after her, his voice filled with confusion and guilt. But Laura didn’t stop again. She didn’t want him to see her crying.

  Laura’s run eventually mellowed into a walk, and she called her parents to say she would be late. It was unusually cool for an early autumn afternoon, and she kept going for miles, letting the cool bracing air shake her into reality. She hated to admit it, but even Megan was right—she had to accept what had happened even if she couldn’t explain it. And Peter was still Peter—though clearly a bizarre in-love version of himself.

  Laura sniffed glumly but held her head up as she walked. One good thing had come from talking to Megan—she realized that the girl hadn’t changed. If anything, being in love with Peter had made her more nasty and controlling than before, only now it was directed at one person instead of her hand-picked group. It was Megan and Peter in a very exclusive club: them against the whole school. Maybe love doesn’t turn you into a different person or a better person, she decided, just a more obsessed person.

  Laura scowled, because outside of their classes she knew she’d never see Peter alone anymore. But why do I want to see Peter at all? she asked herself. I never thought about him like this before Megan came along. Cupidity is right—there are lots of other boys out there. I can certainly find one of my own. After all, love is in the air.

  Though she was walking a roundabout route, Laura realized she was heading toward Cupidity’s apartment. She was going to ask the new girl for advice and find out what she had seen in the parking lot or heard from Emma and Jake in the car. Maybe Emma had told Cupidity what had freaked her out so much during the fight. It was truly amazing that Cupidity had rescued Jake like that after all the unkind things he said about her, but she was a bighearted person.

  The more Laura thought about it, the more she realized that Emma and Jake must have been freaked out at the same time—maybe by the same thing. They had not really been together after the fight, they were just frozen in the same spot. Laura laughed at herself for thinking the pair could ever have been together in any other way.

  As she rounded the high wall of hedges that separated the sidewalk from Cupidity’s apartment complex, Laura heard giggling. It wasn’t little kids, because one of them had a very deep voice. Then she heard the unmistakable clatter of a skateboard, and she realized it was just skaters, probably middle schoolers. She kept walking and turned the corner to approach the guardhouse, where there was actually a guard. For Denton, Ohio, these were very swank apartments.

  Suddenly she heard a cry of alarm, and a skateboard shot across her path. It rumbled across the road and skittered to a stop against the curb, as a car had to squeal its brakes to keep from hitting it. “Oh, you silly!” cried a voice. “That’s not how you do it!”


  A darkly dressed figure with pale skin skipped across the driveway and retrieved the skateboard, while the driver looked on with annoyance. Laughing, smiling—even giggling!—Emma Langdon grabbed the board and rushed back to her friend, who Laura was shocked to see was Jake Mattson.

  “Let me try it again,” said Jake, taking the board from her. “What do you call that move you do? An ollie?”

  Emma giggled again. “First, dude, you’ve just got to learn to keep your balance. Maybe you’re a goofy foot—try leading with your left foot.”

  “Emma?” asked Laura with amazement. “Jake?”

  “Hi!” called Emma. They both smiled at Laura as if the goth chick giving the preppy king a boarding lesson was the most natural thing on earth. “Okay, Jake, try it again with your left foot, more perpendicular to the board. Hold your hands out to keep your balance.”

  Jake gamefully leaped on the board and promptly fell off again, but he laughed as he landed in a pile of dirt. “Hey, this is hard! I’ll never knock skater dudes again.”

  “You’d better not,” said Emma, giving him a warm smile. “I’m going to get you a skateboard for your birthday. When is that?”

  “Not until March,” Jake answered sadly.

  “Then I’ll get you one just for being sweet.” Emma unleashed a mushy smile on Jake, and he gazed at his pale gothic princess with a goofy grin.

  Laura rubbed her eyes, certain she was seeing things. Before now, these two hadn’t simply ignored each other as Peter and Megan had, they’d actively hated each other. To see them acting cozy and sharing a skateboarding lesson was even more shocking than seeing Peter and Megan together. Once this became common knowledge in school, all the social classes would be flipped upside down.