by Dana Monahan
"You're so observant. I guess you forgot to take your stupid pill today." For a second she thought about turning down his offer, but realized how lame that would be.
"Hurry up. We'll have to argue later. I'm late for class too, especially if I have to drop you guys off at school." Leaning forward, he let her climb in back, since Sierra and Kelly already filled up the front seat. Billie screamed when he grabbed her butt giving her a hard shove. After landing face down on the back seat, she got situated and sent what she hoped was a lethal look into his rearview mirror. His dark eyes met hers for a second before he winked and looked away. Minutes later, he was dropping them off.
"Hey, tell Trent and Brad that I'll pick you guys up after school. We'll go to the mall, "he said to Kelly and Sierra as they were climbing out of his car.
"Sounds great," they both said. Then they ran for the hallway for shelter from the rain, leaving Billie behind to get out of the back.
Brody leaned over, rolled down the passenger window when Billie got out, and closed the door. "Have a nice day. Oh, and by the way, you're welcome for the ride, brat." When she gave him the finger, he just smiled.
Before she could reply, he squealed out through a puddle, sending out a spray of muddy water. His cocky grin had alerted her to his intention, so jumping back quickly saved her from a muddy splash that just missed her by inches. Laughter rang in her ears and she turned to see Brad and Trent just hopping off the bus. When she realized she was just standing there in the rain, Billie ran to her friends in the corridor.
Together the five of them walked to first period oblivious to the envious looks of various classmates. The school went from first grade to eighth. Seventh and eighth graders had a row of classes slightly separated from the rest and a completely different recess area.
Billie watched all the students running around in the crowded hallway. Some boys were making spit wads and throwing them against the faded yellow paint of the buildings while the girls stood together in groups, most of them glancing over and whispering when they saw Trent.
This year they were at the top. Next year they had to start all over as freshmen in high school. Billie didn't care. She could hardly wait. Kelly wouldn't have to worry. She made friends instantly. And Sierra, she'd be instantly popular with the guys, especially if she kept filling out. Billie only hoped she would have some boobs by then.
Glancing behind her, Billie saw Karen and Susan. She waved at Susan, who was perky with short hair and a pug nose. A slight smile that didn't reach her eyes was all she had for Karen, whose curly red hair and blue eyes offered an illusion of innocence, camouflaging the bitch inside. Many a girl had been put down by one of Karen's cutting remarks about their looks or lack of style.
Waving a hand to indicate Kelly, Billie and Sierra, Karen murmured to her friend, “God, I hate them. They think they’re so cool with everyone wanting to be a part of their group. When I make cheerleader in the tryouts tomorrow, Trent will notice me." All of the seventh and eighth graders would go to assembly tomorrow while each girl trying out would have to do a cheer by herself in front of everyone. Then afterwards, the student body would vote for five girls. Karen had been in gymnastics since she was six and had no doubts about making the team.
"I think they're cool. They don't hang with me or anything, but none of them one has ever been mean to anyone that I know of,” Susan shrugged.
"Oh come on. Sierra is a stuck up snob, and you know it," hissed Karen.
"Maybe, but I don't have a problem with Billie or Kelly."
They dropped the subject when they entered the classroom. Kelly sat up front next to Brad and behind Trent, while Billie and Sierra sat in back, with Karen on the opposite side of Sierra. After everyone was seated, Mrs. Garrison, the math teacher, wasted no time passing out her test.
Sierra doodled on her scratch sheet while waiting impatiently for Billie to finish her test. When Billie signaled that she was done, she casually switched scratch sheets with Sierra. With little time left, Sierra copied the formulas and finished with five minutes to spare. Mrs. Garrison was circling the room, and they had to wait until she passed before switching back their papers. Glancing up, Sierra gave Billie the thumbs up sign, causing Billie's scratch sheet to slide off her desk. She bent over to retrieve it quickly, but Karen grabbed it first.
"Here. How come you have Billie's scratch sheet?" Karen asked, acting innocently and holding back her smile when Mrs. Garrison walked in front of Sierra's desk.
Sierra was burning over Karen's smug look. How nice it would be to cut all that red hair off, but with Mrs. Garrison staring down at her she'd have to put that fantasy away for now.
"Let me see that, please. And Billie, let me see yours." Mrs. Garrison put out her hand to Billie, eyeing both girls with suspicion.
A tight knot formed in her stomach as Billie watched Mrs. Garrison look both tests over. Then crossing over to her desk, she picked up a large red felt marker. With broad strokes, she wrote two large F's on each of their papers then displayed them for the class to see.
"It seems we have two cheaters in the class. I hope this will be the only incident. As for you two," her lips thinned and large framed glasses intensified her disapproving stare and then when she addressed Billie and Sierra, thirty heads also turned in their direction, "you will have a lot of extra homework in the next few weeks to help make up your grade, and this also disqualifies you for cheerleader tryouts. Class dismissed."
Kelly, Sierra and Billie all met by their lockers in the crowded hallway.
"Now I guess it's my turn to say I'm sorry," Sierra said ruefully to Billie. She knew Billie took her grades seriously although she couldn't understand why. It wasn't really her fault anyway. Sierra couldn't help it if Karen were jealous of her.
"Like you said earlier, it's cool. I wasn't going to try out for cheerleader anyway. Can you just imagine me bouncing around in one of those little skirts?" She rolled her eyes, “As if.”
"What's Karen's problem. You've never done anything to her." Kelly said. "Why is she so mean? I don’t think I’ll vote for her.”
Trent walked up behind Kelly. "Me neither. What a snitch! That was totally unacceptable." Trent put his fingers together to make a cross when Karen passed by him. "Stay back. Everyone get back." When Karen put her head down and rushed past, he yelled, "Oh, no. She's going tell on me. I can stand anything but that!" The hallway was filled with laughter and Trent made a sweeping bow to the other students.
Brad came up beside Billie, putting a friendly arm around her shoulder. "Trent will make her miserable. He will give her bad karma and all that."
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When the bell rang signifying the end of another day at school, Brody was waiting out front in his car.
"I get shotgun," Billie yelled and raced Trent to the front seat. She scooted in the middle between Brody and Trent and listened while Brad repeated the story of the morning’s events as they drove off behind the buses at a slow crawl.
"Hey, where are you going?" Billie asked as Brody turned right to follow one of the buses heading in the opposite direction of where they were going.
"You'll see." Brody just chuckled at her confused expression, slowing down at the red flashing lights of the bus he was tailing. When the bus drove off, a lone figure was walking on the side of the road. Brody swerved a little to the left then gunned the gas, sending a wave of muddy water all over a startled Karen. About twenty faces were pressed against the back of the bus window hooting in laughter as Brody passed.
"Did you see the look on her face? I owe you one." Billie wiped the tears off her face when she finally finished laughing with everyone else. "You're the best." She draped her arm across Brody's shoulders and kissed his cheek. He gave her one of those cocky grins reminding her of just why girls fell all over him.
"Good job, old man. You make me proud," teased Trent before turning up the radio.
"We all stick together." Brody leaned over and whispered in Billie’s ear.
"I guess I don’t like anybody messing with you, brat.” To his amusement, Billie blushed slightly. It amazed him how she could be ready to fight one minute and so shy the next. Or how he, of all people, felt so protective of her when he was the one that spent most of his time trying to get a rise out of her. All his thoughts were forgotten when a familiar rock song blasted from the radio. He braced himself for the loud noise of five people singing off key and turned his attention to the road.
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Two weeks later, another assembly was called. Billie sat back in the top bleachers in between Kelly and Sierra while Brad and Trent sat at the bottom with the basketball team wearing red and black, the school colors. Four names were announced for cheerleader, and each time a girl jumped and screamed at the news. At last, the head cheerleader's name was to be called. A hush fell upon the auditorium as Principal Jansen prepared to call the last name. With his short frame, just the top of his bald head was visible behind the podium, but his voice rang out loud and clear.
"And finally, Candy Palm will lead our girls."
Sitting two rows down from Kelly, Billie, and Sierra, Candy covered her mouth in surprise. Kelly leaned forward congratulating her on the victory. Billie saw Trent look up and catch Candy's eye. Candy blushed when he gave her a thumb up sign, causing the girl perched next to her to giggle and nudge her in the arm.
"I thought for sure Karen would make the squad," Billie told Kelly. She turned to say something to Sierra, but her head was facing slightly the other way. Her lips were curved in a slight smile. Billie followed her gaze towards Karen who glared back at Sierra before storming out of the gym.
When the double doors closed behind her, Karen leaned against them. “I’ll get that bitch someday.” She vowed aloud to the empty corridor.
"That was much undignified." Sierra chuckled at Karen’s abrupt exit. "She didn't have a chance though. Brad and Trent spread the word around not to vote for her. We do stick together." She had also learned the power of a few tears, Sierra thought smugly remembering a late night call to Trent. He had been ready to do anything for her, like convincing his friends not to vote for Karen.
As they were all walking back to class, Susan intercepted them in the hall. All three girls congratulated her on making the team. With a shy smile, she looked at Billie and Sierra.
"Everyone thought it was pretty cold what she did to you guys. I didn't even vote for her, but don't tell her I said that." Guiltily she glanced around. Then she ran off with her short brown bob bouncing up and down.
Billie smiled at her retreating figure. "Guess Brad was right when he said Bad Karma and all that."
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A month later, Billie was at Kelly's house studying for another math test. Billie and Sierra had finally made up for their mistake; their two tests still hanging on the blackboard displaying the big red F's, discouraging any other attempts at cheating. Grudgingly, Sierra had taken a more active interest in studying. Mainly, because Billie and Kelly told her they wouldn’t let her cheat anymore. Billie was looking out of Kelly's window when she noticed two black clad figures running up the street towards Brody's house.
"I wonder what they're up to now." Billie asked aloud.
Sierra wandered to the window and looked out over Billie's shoulder, her long black hair cascading over Billie's chest and tickling her arm. "I talked to Trent earlier. They're going to Brody's. We weren't invited to the fun and games. Maybe Brody's still mad over all the little tree frogs you put in his car the other night." She had put about ten of the cute little things on his front seat.
"Hey, you were there, too. I just happened to be the one to think of it." Billie flipped her hair over her shoulder smugly. It was a good one, she had to admit. Sierra fell to the floor in a fit of laughter and Billie couldn't help but join in over the memory. Brody had been so funny the following morning. The three of them were on their way to the bus stop when his car had skidded to a stop beside them.
"That is very funny, Billie. I think those little frogs pissed all over my interior. Now I’ve got slimy little wet spots everywhere." His eyebrows had knit together in a frown when he noticed how hard she was trying not to burst into a fit of laughter at his expense. All of a sudden, one little frog jumped from the top of his seat onto the back of his head. "Jesus!" he exclaimed. Then he brushed it off his hair with a swipe of his hand. "How the hell many did you put in here?"
"What're you talking about?" Billie had asked innocently. "Was that a frog in your hair? You know, I think they have some kind of shampoo for that, don't you, Sierra?" She turned to Sierra, who was also doing a poor job of concealing her humor.
“Let me see, dandruff shampoo, lice shampoo, yes, I’m sure they have something for frogs." She turned to Brody, suppressing her lips in a tight smile.
"Just look for the green bottle," Kelly said seriously, and they all fell together in a huddle of laughter. When they pulled themselves apart, Brody had already driven off in a cloud of smoke.
"Aren't you afraid of pay back?" Kelly asked, breaking into their mirth. Closing her book in her lap, she took one look at her friends and knew study time was over. Billie and Sierra were matching, each in a pair of old sweats, lying on her floor and holding onto their stomachs from laughing so hard. It was funny, but she was worried about retaliation. Brody was never one to turn down a challenge, especially if Billie were involved.
"Oh, Brody's a big boy now. He doesn't pull pranks anymore," Sierra said. Then Kelly giggled and all three of them had a good laugh again at Brody's expense, unaware that a plan of pay back was already in the making.
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A mist clung to the ground obscuring the path to the rock from view. Trees became ominous twisting shapes as rain clouds shifted, blocking the moon’s natural glow and casting the area into darkness. Trent’s loud oath broke the silence, when he lurched forward, just catching himself before falling on his face. Brad’s footsteps made a loud sloshing sound on the wet ground, causing him to complain about getting his shoes muddy and making Brody roll his eyes at all the racket the two were making. With all the noise, they would never find what they were looking for.
"Over here, guys," called Trent, shining his flashlight behind a rock. "Let's hurry. I don't want to get caught up here when the rain starts coming down again."
Brody started in his direction when he heard a deep low sound. He'd given up on finding his quarry when it leaped right in front of his feet. "Hold on. I got one, too." Bending down, he lifted the large bull frog into a paper bag. "Check out the size of this baby. He must weigh about ten pounds," he called out, holding up his bag in triumph. "And he's got Billie's name written all over him. Even as a kid she wouldn't go near one of these things." He smiled wickedly, resembling a pirate in his black sweats with his black hair blowing away from his shoulders to display the small gold hoop dangling from his ear.
"Okay, give him to me and I'll make sure it's taken care of." Brad reached for the bag, but Brody held it away.
"No, I've changed my mind. I can't wait till tomorrow for Billie. She deserves a personal touch." For a moment he was silent, and then his lips curved up slightly. "Come on. I'll do all the dirty work. You guys stand guard. We need to hurry before she gets home from Kelly's." He strode off expecting Brad and Trent to follow.
Shrugging his shoulders, Trent looked at Brad and then followed behind. Ten minutes later, three black shadows crept up to the tree under Billie's bedroom window. With ease, Brody lifted himself onto the first branch then reached down for the bag. A glance in the front window revealed Billie's dad, Dr. Braddock, watching television on the sofa. While scaling the large oak, Brody took comfort in the fact that Billie never locked her window.
"Hurry up, dude." Brad paced nervously under the tree. "This is breaking and entering." A large bellow emanating from his paper bag was the only reply. Pulling his black beanie lower over his eyes, he stepped behind the tree with Trent. Brody's descent, after mission accomplished, seemed
awfully loud in the silence, but Billie's dad never budged from his seat. Not even when Billie entered the house fifteen minutes later did he bother to look up.
Taking the steps two at a time, Billie raced up to her room. After discarding her books on her dresser, she pulled on a long T-shirt and turned off her light. She was burned out and ready for sleep. It would be nice when school was out. No homework or studying for three months. With that thought in mind, she climbed in her bed, stretching out to let the blankets warm her chilled bones. Her body stiffened when something wet and cold rubbed against her right arm. In her hurry to escape, legs and arms got twisted in the blanket, throwing her off balance and onto the floor. Now flat on her back, Billie looked to her bed just in time to see a large shadow leap off her bed and land with a wet thud on her chest. For a second she was paralyzed in fear; then her loud scream reverberated throughout the house until her light came on and she saw her dad’s tall frame blocking her doorway. Brown eyes watched her curiously beneath his small reading glasses.
"What is it? Are you all right?" He stopped short at her sprawled figure on the floor. Billie followed his gaze to her chest and looked right into the eyes of the biggest bull frog she had ever seen.
"Get it off me!" she screamed.
"Just hold on. You scared this poor thing to death with all that yowling of yours," he chided, ignoring Billie's agitated state. With irritating calm, he walked forward, plucked the frog off her chest, and left her room without a backwards glance.
Billie swallowed hard and willed herself to calm down. Hopefully no one else heard her freaking out over a frog, she thought to herself, embarrassed now and unaware of the three shadows below her window still cracking up over her shrill screams of terror. Vowing silent revenge on her friends, Billie yanked the sheets off her bed.