Flapping her lips, Laura only managed to stammer, “Is … is Cupidity at home?”
“Yeah,” said Jake, turning his dazzling blue eyes to Laura. “I apologized to her, and I’d like to apologize to you, too, for acting like a jerk. Not that I am a jerk—I just act like one sometimes.”
Emma beamed with pride. “That was a wonderful apology, Jakey, and she knows you meant it. Dude, we’ve got to thank Laura for hooking us up with Cupidity. Both of you have been really cool about everything, and Jake and I want to triple-date with you. Don’t we, Jakey?”
“Uh-huh.” He nodded as if he had heard her, but he was too busy casting love-smitten goo-goo eyes to understand anything but the basics.
“To triple-date, I have to find a boyfriend,” Laura reminded them. “I’m apparently the only one who can’t find one.”
“Maybe you’re just looking in the wrong place,” said Emma, grabbing Jake and pulling him possessively to her ample side. He almost drooled on her thick eye makeup. “Walk on the wild side,” suggested Emma as she hugged her preppy prize, whose polo shirt was now dirty and untucked. “Think outside the box.”
Laura wagged her finger at the unusual couple. “You two are so outside the box you’re in … a tetrahedron.”
“We’ll find you a date for Homecoming,” insisted Jake, and he sounded as if he meant it.
“No, thanks!” answered Laura with dread. “I’m still recovering from the last date you arranged for me. I, uh … I’ll talk to Cupidity.” Laura staggered away, thinking that the world had to be coming to an end.
She could accept that a girl might find Peter attractive, and that it might even be someone as unlikely as Megan Rawlins. But Emma Langdon and Jake Mattson pawing each other? This had really gone beyond the laws of physics, romance, and high school order. Not that I should care, thought Laura with a frown. I don’t have any claim on Jake. In fact, I wouldn’t want that jerk, but Emma should want him even less. It didn’t matter that Jake was now dishing out apologies like a sensitive New Age guy—he still had acted like such a jerk. Megan hadn’t really changed, and neither had he. But something had happened to them.
Cupidity … bow and arrows. Laura’s fevered imagination seized on a ludicrous explanation for these two unlikely romances. Cupidity had shot her arrows that fateful night when Megan and Peter fell for each other… .
No, it’s too insane to think that Cupidity is some kind of modern-day Cupid, Laura decided. I’ve got to keep my imagination in check. It’s got to be a coincidence that her name is Cupidity. Come to think of it, it’s a wonder there aren’t more girls with that name. It’s kinda pretty.
Then again, this thing between Emma and Jake was too far beyond normal to have any earthly explanation. But Cupidity hadn’t shown up until it was all over. Or had she?
Laura marched up the steps toward Cupidity’s apartment, determined to get some answers. She rang the doorbell, and the blond girl answered it wearing a towel, her hair all wet from the shower. A cell phone was stuck in her ear, and she motioned Laura inside her luxurious apartment without ever stopping her conversation.
“Yes, yes, Cody, I know I owe you a date!” she said with a knowing wink at Laura. “Well, I’ve found that going out on school nights is not such a hot idea, so why don’t we wait until Friday? It’s only a couple of nights away. But I won’t go with you unless I can doubledate with Laura Sweeney. You’ve got friends who would like her, I’m sure. So find one.”
Laura waved her hands, trying to get out of the doubledate trap, but Cupidity ignored her. “Just find somebody by Friday, and we’ll hang! Later, Cody.”
With a satisfied grin on her face, the blond girl turned off the phone and beamed at her best friend. “It’s all set for Friday night—don’t make any plans. Hang on a second while I get dressed.”
“Wait!” Laura tried to protest the arranged date, but Cupidity rushed off to her bedroom. Laura twiddled her thumbs for a few minutes until Cupidity reappeared in jeans and a T-shirt. Laura marveled at how perfect the fresh-faced girl looked without any makeup.
“Don’t worry,” insisted Cupidity, “we’re going to get you a solid date for the Homecoming Dance. Someone who will make you happy and treat you right.”
“And just how are you going to do this?” blurted Laura. “How are you putting these weird couples together? And come to think of it, why?”
“What do you mean?” asked Cupidity with a forced laugh. “People doubledate all the time, it’s no big deal.”
“No, that’s not a big deal,” agreed Laura. “But Peter and Megan going together? And now Emma and Jake—that’s like the Alien dating the Predator! They couldn’t stand to be in the same school before this, and now they’re best buddies? It’s not natural.”
“Love is always natural,” insisted Cupidity. “It’s just surprising sometimes. Out of all the people I know, I didn’t think you would complain about people crossing social barriers to go out with each other.”
Laura shook her head and tried to corral her scattered thoughts. “I’m not complaining about it—I’m just trying to figure out how it happened! I saw you pick up Jake and Emma in your car after the fight. Are you saying that you had nothing to do with their romance?”
Cupidity shrugged. “Well, I gave Emma the same advice I gave you—to get out of your rut. If you can’t win at eight ball, switch to nine ball.”
“What?” asked Laura, puzzled.
“What did you do to …” “What do you think I did to them?” scoffed Cupidity, putting her hands on her slender hips.
Laura’s mouth opened, but the ridiculous words froze on her tongue. She couldn’t accuse this cute, ditzy new girl of being some kind of relative of Cupid’s—the whole idea was absurd. Instead she asked lamely, “How did you get your first name?”
The blond girl shrugged and tried to look disinterested. “What excuse do parents need for crazy names anymore? They wanted something like Felicity or Charity, so they picked Cupidity.”
“Have you ever looked up the meaning of cupidity? It means ‘greed, desire, wanting something that doesn’t belong to you.’”
“And your point?” asked Cupidity, her blue eyes narrowing with anger. “What’s your deal, Laura? Do you want to be in love, or don’t you? Do you want my help, or do you want to stumble along in the weeds, getting nowhere? Now you’ve seen that people can find love when they open themselves up to it. If they keep themselves all scrunched and uptight, like you, it ain’t gonna happen.”
Feeling sufficiently sidetracked, Laura sighed. Once again, it had all come back around to her and her deficiencies, which didn’t seem quite fair. Whatever she was going through, it didn’t explain these two strange romances, which had exploded right after the arrival of the strange new girl.
With a sympathetic grin Cupidity reached out and patted Laura’s shoulder. “Don’t worry, it’ll happen for you. Look, you seem to think I can work some magic, so why not give me a chance to help? Cody’s pretty desperate to go out with me; let’s see what kind of dude he scrounges up for you. We know he can’t go back to Peter, so it’s got to be someone different.”
Her pleading smile was so sincere that Laura felt herself giving in. “Okay, whatever. But I’m gonna watch Emma and Jake.”
“Do that. Maybe you’ll learn something,” answered Cupidity. “If you see them, tell them they can keep my skateboard. I’m going to bed early.”
“That’s your skateboard?” asked Laura with surprise.
Cupidity shrugged. “When in Rome, do as the Romans. I’ll see you tomorrow.” The beautiful blond girl sauntered into the living room, where she grabbed a fat cigar from the mantel and calmly lit it. Puffing away, Cupidity disappeared into the kitchen, leaving Laura to show herself out.
Ew, thought Laura with a lump in her stomach, she smokes cigars! And what does she mean by, “When in Rome do as the Romans”?
The perplexed teenager stepped into the bracing fall air; it was almost dark, and lights twinkled in the bare trees
of the apartment complex. If Emma and Jake were still playing with their skateboard, they were awfully quiet about it. As Laura walked down the sidewalk toward the street, she could hear the echo of another pair of footsteps. She looked up to see a slender, well-dressed man with a cane ambling toward her.
He tipped his homburg hat and gave her a crinkled smile, and she had the feeling that he was very old, and very sweet. His wing-tipped shoes paused in mid-step, and he asked, “Miss, may I bother you for directions?”
“Of course,” she answered, happy to help the man.
He looked puzzled as he waved his cane at the different buildings in the complex. “I’m looking for apartment C-17, but I’m not sure which one—”
“C-17?” said Laura with excitement. “Isn’t that where Cupidity lives?”
The old man’s face brightened. “Why, do you know Cupidity? You wouldn’t by any chance be Laura Sweeney?”
“Yes!” she answered. “But how do you know my name?”
The elder chuckled. “Oh, Cupidity has spoken of you. She says that you’ve been a very good friend in her new school situation. I must go and surprise her.” The old man shuffled off.
“Excuse me,” said Laura, “who … who are you?”
“Oh, I’m Cupidity’s father,” he answered with another crinkled grin. “It’s been some time since I’ve seen her.”
Laura stepped forward and lowered her voice. “Listen, you may smell cigar smoke in her apartment, but that wasn’t her. It was the … dishwasher repairman.”
The elder’s smile looked pained as he replied, “I know Cupidity smokes cigars. That’s one bad habit we’ll be sure to break. Anything else I should know about my lovely daughter?”
For a moment Laura considered telling him about the bow and arrows at school, but decided against it. Instead she chirped, “She’s, uh … she’s quite a girl.”
“Yes,” answered the old man doubtfully. “A girl … to warm any father’s heart. Thank you for your help, Laura. I’m sure we’ll see you again soon.” He tipped his hat and ambled down the sidewalk, relying on his cane.
He must’ve been about fifty years old when she was born, thought Laura, but she wiped that thought out of her mind. So Cupidity has a real father, she mused. That rules out any crazy idea about her being Cupid’s evil spawn.
With a sigh Laura hurried into the street and down the sidewalk, anxious to get home in time for dinner.
The next morning Laura lingered in bed, not really wanting to go to school, which was unusual for her. After her mother had to call her three times to get up, Mom sweetened the deal by telling Laura that she could take the car. Knowing she would be driving herself and not depending on Cupidity for a ride was enough to get Laura crawling out of bed.
Still Laura moved so slowly that she was nearly late to school. Pulling the white grandma-style sedan into the parking lot, she grabbed her books and dashed toward the main doors. She thought she had avoided most of the gossip and hoopla, but then Taryn ambushed her right inside.
“Did you hear? Did anyone tell you?!” she shrieked as she grabbed Laura’s arm. “Emma and Jake are … together!”
“I know,” muttered Laura.
“Like together together. They’re holding hands!” exclaimed Taryn.
“I heard they exchanged notes!” whispered Ashley, who grabbed Laura’s other arm. “In the middle of the hallway!”
“I know, I know,” repeated Laura as she tried to muscle her way through her friends. The whole corridor was abuzz.
Taryn shook her head and grumbled, “Jake’s gotta be punkin’ her out. It’s a goof.”
“No goof,” answered Laura. “Think back, Taryn. I told you about this on the phone yesterday. It was after the fight.”
“Crazy!” blurted Taryn. “You did! You’re like … psychic!”
Ashley frowned in worry. “You know, my dad says they’re putting too much fluoride in the water. Maybe it’s causing us all to go crazy.”
Laura sighed. “Tell your dad to give me a web address—I’m looking for an explanation.” She charged ahead and ran into a muscular body looming in her path. He was dressed in really baggy pants and had multiple bandannas tied to his bag and his clothes. “Oh, sorry, Chester!” said Laura with a gulp.
Chester was one of the toughest guys in the school, but he jumped back in embarrassment and looked past her. “Excuse me. Uh, Taryn, can I talk to you?”
“Sure, Chester,” she answered, walking up to the looming presence, a curious look on her face. “You have chemistry before I do, so the test is whatever—”
“It’s not about chemistry,” he replied, gazing down at her with extreme earnestness. “It’s about the Homecoming Dance.”
Whoa! thought Laura. Where did that come from? Before she could hear more, Ashley grabbed her arm and dragged her away.
“Did you hear that?” she whispered. “Chester is asking Taryn to Homecoming. I know it’s the fluoride!”
“No,” answered Laura in a daze. “It’s just the end of high school as we know it.”
The warning bell went off, and the crowd in the hallway began to dissipate. On instinct, Laura wanted to hang back to see what was happening with Taryn. But she knew that it was a Homecoming invite, and she didn’t want to get in the way—even if it was from as unlikely a source as Chester. Still, she thought curiously, she could chalk up one more unlikely match in this romantic dimensional distortion they were all suffering at Fimbrey High.
Before third period Laura met up with Cupidity outside biology class. The new girl looked a bit subdued and was dressed more demurely than usual; her belly button hardly showed at all, as befitted a teenager who had an actual parent at home. “Hey, I met your dad last night,” said Laura. “You didn’t tell me he was visiting you.”
“Yeah,” grumbled Cupidity. “I didn’t know he was going to pop up. Quite a kidder, my dad—always likes a surprise. Look, we’ve got to get you fixed up. Have you seen Cody today?”
“I don’t exactly travel in Cody’s circle,” admitted Laura with a puzzled expression. “But I usually see him by now, and I haven’t.”
“I think he cut school today,” muttered Cupidity. “He probably heard about Jake and Emma, and he didn’t want the competition for attention. I didn’t know Emma and Jake would turn out to be such a high profile pairing.”
Laura nodded sagely, while she tried to figure Cupidity out. “Yes, they sorta took the spotlight off Peter and Megan, who are even weirder if you think about it. Before you got involved in these people’s lives, you didn’t know them very well.”
“Hey, I didn’t make any of these people what they are,” said Cupidity, sounding defensive. “Jake drooled on me before I pushed a single button—he can act like such a sleaze. Emma Langdon is tough enough to actually stand up to that big head of his. Maybe it will work out.”
“Yeah, okay,” admitted Laura, bowing her head. “They did look pretty happy together when I saw them yesterday.”
Cupidity winked at her, suddenly full of the old spirit. “Don’t worry so much. You just be ready for our double date tomorrow night.”
Laura tried not to shiver, although another double date sounded more like a threat than a good time. Somehow she summoned the courage to smile and say with a sigh, “I’ll be there.”
By lunchtime Laura was moping through the hallways, trying to ignore the gossip and the buzz. Were two people falling for each other really worth all this excitement? The fact that it was Jake Mattson had a lot to do with it. She couldn’t wrap her brain around any more surprises or unusual romances, so Laura tried not to talk to anyone. As she climbed down the central staircase, headed to her locker, she didn’t realize someone was walking beside her until he spoke.
“I’ve got to talk to you,” he said.
Laura lurched to a stop and stared at Peter Yarmench. He immediately bolted two steps ahead of her, as if he feared she would escape to the bottom floor. She could still turn around and run back upstairs,
but she was too surprised to move.
“Where’s your girlfriend?” asked Laura snidely. She instantly regretted her snippety tone, but it was already out.
“I ditched her,” whispered Peter with a smile. “It wasn’t easy, but I had a decoy lure her to the computer lab.”
“Is that really a healthy relationship,” asked Laura, “when you have to sneak around just to talk to an old friend?”
“No, it’s not okay,” he admitted, casting his troubled eyes downward and showing her a shock of unruly red hair. “I don’t really understand this thing with Megan. It’s … a little scary.”
“Yeah, you look scared all right,” said Laura, laying on the sarcasm. “She’s Miss Popularity—isn’t that what you wanted?”
He shook his head and lifted his startled green eyes to peer into hers, and he seemed to beg for understanding. “You know, it’s really weird. I like … love Megan and all, and I mean, it’s great having a girlfriend. But I really miss you. I mean, I miss us hanging around. You know?”
“I don’t think Megan misses me,” replied Laura. “And you can’t be giving me the ‘I just want to be friends’ speech, because that’s all we ever were—friends.”
“I know.” His shoulders slumped.
“Besides, you’ve got a girlfriend,” she insisted, “and she obviously doesn’t want to share you—even with your old friends.”
Peter held out his hand and touched her forearm, and a chill flew up Laura’s shoulder. It reminded her of the night she was knocked out, the night Peter had woken up in Megan’s arms. “I don’t want to lose you,” he said in a husky voice. “For some weird reason, falling in love with Megan has opened my eyes … and made me realize … well, how much I need you around.”
Laura couldn’t speak, there was such a knot in her throat. She didn’t realize how badly she had wanted to hear this, but Peter’s timing couldn’t be worse. “Okay,” she blurted, “so break up with Megan!”
“I can’t do that.” He grimaced and balled his hands into fists, as if he was being torn apart by internal conflicts. She felt sympathy for him, but she also hated him at the same time.
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