by Paula Chase
“You know you probably wouldn’t be down here either if you weren’t on Select,” Bo pointed out. He draped his arm on the back of the booth, closing the space between him and Mina. “No license, no chaperone, no road trip.”
He put his fist out for some dap from Chuck, who was only half listening but still automatically touched fists with his teammate.
Mina rolled her eyes. “Not like we can help that we can’t drive yet.”
Bo lowered his voice and leaned his head in close to Mina’s ear. “So, if you’re on Varsity next year who you picking for your Blue Devil bro?” he asked, referring to the cheerleaders’ Big Brother/LittleSister program.
All the Varsity cheerleaders “adopted” two football players. They decorated their locker on game day, left notes of encouragement, candy or other tokens of support.
“JZ,” Mina said without hesitation.
Bo snorted. “Dag it’s like that? You didn’t even think about it.”
Mina laughed. “You know Jay is my boy.”
“Alright, well who else?” Bo laughed. “I know you not gonna say Craig. Not after he straight dogged you.”
Mina’s face burned.
Bo’s voice got megaphone loud. “Craig!”
The people sitting at the mega booth with Craig looked Bo’s way. Mina’s heart leapt. She slunk down in the seat, the prospect of dying of embarrassment very real. She tugged at Bo’s arm as he bellowedCraig’s name once more.
Craig looked up from the mega booth, smiling. “What up, B?” he yelled.
Bo motioned him over.
Mina watched, horrified, as Kim and Chuck chose that moment to leave the table.
“What are you doing?” Mina scream-whispered, not sure if she was talking to Kim or Bo.
She searched the gauntlet. The aisle was full of people, most with their backs to Mina’s booth. She wondered where Sara, Cassidy, anyonewas.
Craig, tall, lanky but sculpted, stood at their table. He didn’t seem to mind that it was elbow-to-elbow people and he was being bumped and nudged right up against the table’s edge. He and Bo exchanged a soul shake as Mina tried to disappear into the cheap upholstery of the booth. Penned in between Bo and the wall, she squirmed uncomfortably.Her bare calves squelched an ugly brrrt against the seat.
“Your girl here still jonesing for a little Craig juice,” Bo said. “You must be dat man.”
Mina felt like smacking the idiotic grin off Bo’s face, but her eyes froze on Craig, taking a seat where seconds ago Kim had been snuggledup with her boyfriend.
The room was suddenly unbearably hot, burning Mina’s throat and face. She sipped automatically from her soda, feeling incredibly alone with no one from the clique to have her back. No one was more surprised than her at the strength in her voice when she said, thickly, “Whatever, Bo.You’re rummin’.”
A flash of confusion crossed Bo’s face, but quickly vanished as he challenged her. “Didn’t you say you were gonna choose him as your Blue Devil Bro?”
“I never got to answer you,” she corrected him. “You called Craig over before I said anything.”
Her chest loosened a bit, as she defended herself. She allowed herself a moment of relief and chanted this isn’t so bad in her head.
“What up, Mina?” Craig flashed a big, pretty smile that had once had the power to make Mina’s knees wobbly. Now she just felt uncomfortable, like someone who had walked into the wrong room and couldn’t backpedal out fast enough.
Her eyes fluttered downward. “Nothing.”
Craig acted like they talked all the time.
Mina’s head swam with the million and one things she’d been wanting to say to him, but didn’t dare.
Determined to be the comic relief in the unfolding soap scene, Bo taunted, “Alright. Well who then?”
Mina scowled, for a second forgetting what Bo was talking about. “I don’t know who else,” she snapped when she recalled the original conversation that had brought Craig over.
“Oh you wouldn’t pick me?” Craig asked, his eyes doing that thing where it seemed like he was looking into her mind.
She squirmed, determined not to let his charm unnerve her.
I have a boyfriend, I have a boyfriend. I don’t care what Craig thinks anymore, she chanted in her head until some of the anger she’d felt earlier returned. “Now why would you want the jock ho to be your little sister?” Mina pierced him with a look, meeting his gaze for the first time. She resisted the urge to fold her arms and taunt, “Huh? Why Craig? Why? Huh?”
There was a little hiss from Craig, who never stopped grinning, as he said, “Man, I was just trying ...”
“To dog me out?” Mina asked, boldly.
“Basically, yeah,” Craig admitted.
Bo howled at that. “Son, you too honest.” He put his fist out across the table and Craig touched his to it, his smile sheepish yet confident as ever.
It was the smile of someone used to being forgiven for everything,even for being a jerk, and the last straw that broke the back of the crush Mina had on him.
She rolled her eyes. “Shouldn’t an ‘I’m sorry’ follow that?”
“Ohhh, little mama trying come hard,” Bo said.
“My bad. I never apologized?” Craig laughed, confirming he knew good and well he hadn’t.
Jessica stepped to the booth with a wide grin on her face.
“Cozy much, Mina?”
Quickly, Mina processed what the scene must look like: her squeezed so close to Bo they were joined at the thigh and side, and Craig oozing charm across the table. It probably looked like some bizarre dating game.
She pushed Bo away, shoving harder than playful allowed, as she said, “That’s Bo smothering me.”
Bo grabbed her in a bear hug. “You know how we roll, girl.”
Jessica slid in next to Craig. She smiled knowingly at Mina. “Now, weren’t we just talking about this, last night?”
The second Craig looked at Jess, waiting for her to explain, Mina shook her head furiously. She was afraid of what Jess, who was not above ad-libbing a conversation to start drama, might make up about their brief mention of Craig.
Last night Jessica had dared her to make nice with Craig. That was it.
She was relieved when Jess only offered, “I told you everything between you guys was swazy.”
“I wouldn’t say all that,” Mina muttered.
Craig made sad eyes at her. “Why not? I apologized.”
“Actually you didn’t,” Mina said, her right eyebrow arched practicallyto her hairline.
Craig nudged Jessica over, so he could get out, and walked over to Mina’s side. There was a moment of musical chairs as Bo automaticallygot up and joined Jessica and Craig took Bo’s spot next to Mina.
A tingle danced up her arm when Craig brushed against her.
Do not let him play hottie Jedi mind tricks on you, she screamed to herself.
“Okay, seriously, my bad for dogging you out,” Craig said, his eyes flickering sincerity before playfully flirting again.
Losing interest as the scene turned more Oprah than Jerry Springer, Bo began a loud conversation with the mega-booth people Craig had left stranded. Jess watched, a crooked smile on her lips.
Mina pushed through the strange fuzziness settling into her brain. She and Craig hadn’t been this close in months. Visions of where their relationship could have gone and where it had actually ended up flashed, before she abruptly faded the scenes to black and pointed out, “You know, saying ‘my bad’ isn’t really an apology.”
She scooted over as far as the wall allowed, putting an inch betweenher and Craig.With a mix of playfulness and dead seriousness, she added, “ ‘My bad’ means you were caught wrong and are admittingthat you were caught.”
Jessica groaned, “Oh my God. Only you would bother to point out the difference.”
Jess’s voice goosed her. So wrapped in Craig’s web, Mina had almostforgotten they were in a crowded restaurant. She gasped under her bre
ath as Craig closed the inch between them and said in his best, butter-wouldn’t-melt-in-my-mouth voice, “Hey, Mina, I’m sorry for dogging you.” He raised an eyebrow. “How’s that?”
Jess clapped. “Now kiss and make up.”
Mina’s head snapped up, her eyes questioning why Jess would say something like that, then turned to face Craig, meaning to accept his apology. Her face collided with his as he held her chin and locked his lips over hers.
“Cliiiiccckkkkk,” Jessica yelled. She pointed the camera at the kissing couple as the rest of the restaurant broke into a comical riot of people mugging for good shots.
Guilt Butterflies
“You got me tripping, stumbling, flipping, fumbling.”
—Fergie, “Clumsy”
Mina’s mind was in overdrive. Her lips tingled guiltily, but she made a show of pushing Craig away.
“Don’t do that,” she said weakly. She sat up straighter and nudged Craig away with her elbow, raising her voice. “Don’t do that.”
“Am I forgiven by the JV cheerleader voted phattest thighs?” Craig leaned in, pretending to peck at her lips again.
Mina reared back, bumping her head on the wall, sending Craig and Jess howling with laughter.
“You alright?” he asked, genuinely concerned. He smiled at her, sending guilt pangs to Mina’s stomach. Then, as quickly as Jess, Craig and Bo had joined her at the table, they were gone, leaving Mina alone, a quiet island in the middle of the restaurant’s escalating noise.
Sara bounced into the seat across from her. Grinning and out of breath, she prattled on. “Remind me that I’m not speaking to Andy. He took a picture of my butt crack.” She cackled. “Things are so insaneat Matt Patterson’s table. He ...” She waved at Mina. “Mi, are you listening?”
Mina shook her head. “Craig just kissed me.”
Sara frowned, then laughed. “Ooh, you are so in trouble when Brian finds out.”
Mina winced as a guilt pang pierced her chest.
“I didn’t kiss him. He kissed me,” she said, woodenly.
Sara chuckled and stuffed a piece of crust into her mouth. Crumbs flew as she said, “Let me know if that argument works out.”
“He was just playing around,” Mina said. She frowned in Craig’s general direction. Not a word between them for four months and then he ups and kisses her.
Sara sprung up, disrupting her thoughts. “Let’s go. Everyone’s heading to the beach.” She dug in her pocket, pulled out a few bills and laid them on the table.
Mina did the same and soon they were in the rowdy processional streaming out of Guidos and into the cool, breezy night. The moon lit up the beach. Within minutes, there was a party station in the center of the partyers, complete with speakers and several one-gallon milk jugs filled with something that definitely wasn’t milk.
Surrounded by the squad, Mina sank back into satisfied fascination.They hadn’t been on the beach ten minutes when Bo insisted on proving he could put the cheerleaders up in their complex stunts as easily as the girls stunted with one another.
“Shoot, if she can do it, I know I can,” Bo boasted, thumbing towardRenee, a long-legged brunette with a hearty farm-girl build.
Renee’s usual post was the back of the stunt, the strength and safety net if the stunt came tumbling down. She took considerable offense to Bo thinking her job was easy. She kicked sand at him and sprinted a few yards away when he tried putting her in a wrestling hold.
Mina snickered. It was typical male bravado. Guys like Bo spent just as much time laughing at male cheerleaders as they did proving they could do the same thing.
She watched as Bo knelt down and cupped his hands, beckoning for Cassidy, their tiniest flyer, to step in. Craig stood by his side, his hands in the air, mimicking a spotter.
“Okay. That is not how we put up a stunt,” Mina said. She squinted at Craig. “And what are you supposed to be doing?”
She, Kim, Renee, Sara and Joss taunted the boys’ inappropriate technique.
Cassidy made the sign of the cross, making the girls laugh harder, and stepped into Bo’s hand. He hefted her up, cupping her tiny foot in his large hand. His muscles bulged as he demanded, “Come on, Cass, stand up, girl.”
“No, bring me down,” Cassidy said from above his head.
Seconds later her leg bent and she crumpled into his arms. Determined,Bo regrouped, trying again.
“Male cheerleaders are so much hotter than football players,” Renee scoffed from the sideline. “A male cheerleader can lift one girl by himself, easily.”
“Aw man, they’re a bunch of punks,” Bo muttered, even as he struggled to hold Cassidy in the air for longer than a few seconds. Cassidy nearly tumbled out of his hand and onto his head. “Alright, Mina, come on. I can do you,” Bo declared.
“I’m bigger than Cassidy.” Mina tossed her springy curls, teasing, “You can’t handle this.”
“Come on, C.” Bo pulled Craig into the stunting. They imitated the cheerleaders’ face-to-face stance and squatted so Mina could hop up. “Let’s go, Mina. Want us to toss you?”
“Uh ... hells no,” Mina said, giggling along with the others. She stood, uncertain, in between the boys’ knock-kneed squat. She placed her hands on their shoulders, started to hop into their hands then wagged her finger in Craig’s face. “Keep your lips to yourself. Alright?”
Smiling slyly, he leaned in so only Mina could hear him. “Like you didn’t like it.”
Guilt butterflies fluttered in her belly and she hesitated.
“Come on, girl. I’m just playing,” Craig said, then mimed zipping his lips.
Mina eyed him a second longer. She had no idea what that kiss had been about or why Craig had done it. She silently chanted Brian’s name to keep her focus as she hopped into the first but not last disastrous stunt of the night.
Road Trippin’
“Let’s make our move and get into a little something.”
—KeKe Palmer, “Keep it Movin’ ”
It’s only a sleepover.
It’s only a sleepover.
Lizzie mouthed the words over and over as she stood watch at the front door.
She peeped out of the side window panels, her body rigid with anticipation. The house’s silence soothed her nerves, momentarily, as she repeated her mantra, “It’s only a sleepover.”
The muscles in her neck loosened and her shoulders relaxed until her mind kicked in its own reminder: A sleepover, over one hundred miles away ... in a condo full of guys.
She smushed her forehead against the pane, pleading with her brain to not go there. The coolness relieved the heat burning through her face. She closed her eyes and took a few calming breaths, the same thing she did when she was preparing for an audition.
In a way, this was an audition. If she pulled off this caper she’d join the ranks of every teen who had ever successfully pulled one—a real whopper—over on their parents. It was the one role she’d never mastered because of that pesky inability to lie thing.
She chuckled bitterly, torn because as nervous as she was, as queasy as she felt, she was also excited.
Nausea rolled in a soft fluid wave.
Brian would be pulling up any second now. In a few hours, she’d be in O.C. spending the night with her crush.
A smile crept across her face and the wave of nausea rolled back out.
The truth was she could beg off, tell the clique the truth—she was scared of getting caught and in trouble. But she hadn’t and wouldn’t because Todd was completely cool if she chickened out. He’d told her so the other day when she admitted being nervous.
“You’re a total rebel. That’s hot,” Todd had said, flashing his goofy grin at her. He was so cute, it made Lizzie’s toes curl. Then he’d grown serious. “But, if you don’t want to, just tell Cinny.” He chuckledas he added, “I’ll have your back when she goes off.”
It made her want to go even more, knowing she didn’t have to pretend to be something she wasn’t, because she
so wasn’t a rebel. But she was ready to live a little.
Lizzie blew her hot breath on the cool window and drew a heart in the steam. She jumped when her cell phone bleated, the loud ring echoing in the silent house.
“Hey Mom,” she said, her heart racing.
“Have you left yet?”
“Nope. Still waiting on Brian to drop me over to Cinny’s.” The half-truth slid out of Lizzie’s mouth surprisingly easily.
“Well, Dad and I are going to the Inner Harbor tomorrow. Do you girls want to ride with us? We can pick you up from Jacinta’s.”
Lizzie’s mouth went dry. She blanked out, brought back only by her mom’s voice calling, “Lizzie? Did I lose you? Stupid cell ...”
“No, I’m still here,” Lizzie answered. “Umm, remember I told you we were going to the movies?”
“Oh, I thought that was tonight,” her mom said.“Okay.Well have fun. Miss Jacqi’s dropping you off on Sunday night?”
“I was sort of hoping that you’d let me stay since Mina will be back on Sunday ...”
“Lizzie, honestly ... the entire weekend away?”
“School’s closed until Tuesday and ...”
“Yes, but that doesn’t mean you girls have to spend every second of the break together.” There was a brief pause then her mom’s hurriedvoice. “We’ll talk about it Sunday. I need to take this call, honey. Have fun.”
Just as Lizzie flipped the phone closed, Brian’s Explorer pulled up. He blew the horn once. A back door opened and Jacinta popped out. But Lizzie already had the house door open. She grabbed her two bags—she’d majorly overpacked, worrying mostly about what pajamas to bring. What do you wear to bed when your crush is in the next room?
She was to the car before Jacinta made it to the sidewalk.
“Ready chick?” Jacinta beamed.
Lizzie only nodded. Her nerves were back in full force.
She’d been fine until her mom called. What was it with parents? Did they have a sixth sense?
“You okay?” Jacinta frowned.
“Fine.” Lizzie took hurried inventory of the seating arrangement.JZ rode shotgun. Kelly was in the second row and Todd was in the third seat. He leaned his long torso over and folded the seat down so Lizzie could climb in the back.