He rubbed the back of his neck. “Not really.”
How horrible of a person would I be if I went anyway? We’d been on our date for almost two hours. That was a decent amount of time. It wouldn’t be like I was ditching him. After all, I’d already given up the dance for him. How much was I expected to miss out on for a guy I didn’t even know I’d have another date with?
Spence shrugged. “If you want to go, you should go.”
I sat up straighter. “Really?”
“Yeah.” He looked down and his hair fell over his eyes. “I don’t want to make my girlfriend hang out with me.”
My mouth fell open. Had I heard that right? “Your what?”
Spence’s face turned red. “I … um … only if that’s what you want … I just thought … we’ve been hanging out so much these past couple—”
“Yes!” I interrupted. “It’s what I want.”
Spence gave me one of his giant crooked grins, and I melted.
I had a boyfriend again. Everything felt right.
I moved closer to Spence and snuggled up to him. “Let’s watch Ant-Man and the Wasp. I’m not going anywhere.”
Chapter 24
“I talked to Terri. She checked with her parents—the date for the art show works for them,” I told Luke and Grace before the volleyball game on Tuesday. “Looks like we’re good to go. Luke, are you sure your family is okay with this?”
“Yeah, not a problem,” he said, leaning back on the wall of the gymnasium.
Luke had been able to secure a private room at his aunt and uncle’s restaurant for Terri’s art show. He said they’d even comp everything. It was a pretty huge deal. The restaurant was pricey. Normally they required a huge deposit, and a minimum order that was way above our budget, just to reserve the space.
“Thank you so much.”
“And you’ll be okay getting the art?” I asked Grace.
“Yep,” she said. Grace lived a few houses away from Terri, and her job was to collect the pieces for the show while Terri was out. Mine was putting together the presentation cards and booklet.
“I should go sit,” Luke said, “before she gets here and sees us talking. I can’t take a whole game of her trying to pry information out of me again. If she sees us all together conspiring, I’m doomed.”
“Whatever you do, don’t tell her,” I said.
“I won’t.”
I looked out at the stands. No sign of Terri yet; we’d all made a point to get there early.
“Hey.” I pointed to the last bleacher. “Is that Derrick?”
“I guess so,” Grace said, looking away and biting her lip.
“Are you two back together?”
Grace shook her head.
“What’s going on?” I asked. She was definitely not telling me something.
“I don’t know why he’s here.”
“It has to be for someone on the team,” Luke said. “You don’t just come to these things for fun. No offense, Grace.”
“None taken.”
I felt my stomach thud. I really hoped Derrick wasn’t dating one of Grace’s teammates. She didn’t talk about him much anymore, even when I pried, but on the rare occasion that she did, you could tell she still liked him.
“Should we go talk to him?” I asked. Maybe he was here for Grace, to win her back. Wooing her through her volleyball games—that would be so sweet. I could see the rom-com version of it in my head.
“No, I’m fine. Besides, we have to get ready for the game.”
“Okay.”
We went and got changed, me into my badger costume, Grace into her volleyball uniform. The game went smoothly. Not only did we win, but there was no sign of Marc. Fortunately, he’d had soccer today, and as for Lissi, I avoided her at all costs. To my relief, the volleyball season was almost over. It wasn’t that I hated being Brooksy. I actually liked running around and performing in front of a crowd. And I loved that it was beefing up my résumé and college application. It was even a possible essay topic. I just didn’t want to deal with having Lissi around anymore. I was ready to be done with her.
After the game, Grace gave the rest of the team a pep talk in the locker room as I sat on a nearby bench, stuffing my Brooksy costume back into its duffel bag. “Guys, that was incredible,” she said. “We have to keep it up. We’re so close. We win the next one, we’re in the championship. First place, here we come!”
They started whooping it up.
“And thanks to our captain,” Lissi said.
I rolled my eyes. And thanks to our captain, I mimicked silently. Now she was trying to kiss up to Grace? Good luck with that. Grace wasn’t going to fall for it.
The team cheered again.
When it quieted, Lissi kept on speaking. “I know I pushed my way onto the team, but thank you guys for having me. It’s made moving here a lot easier. I love you guys almost as much as my old team.” Then she laughed. “Maybe even more if we get the championship.”
They were all laughing with her. “We’re closer to getting there because of you,” someone said. Then they all started feeding into her ego. My eye rolls quadrupled, not that anyone noticed.
Even Grace started participating. “Glad to have you here,” she said. “Sorry if I gave you a hard time in the beginning.”
I froze. Seriously?! What was she doing? Making peace with the enemy?
I kicked myself. I should have come to the practices, not just the games. I’d given Lissi an opening to move in on my best friend.
“No, I get it,” Lissi said. “I wouldn’t have liked it if the situation was reversed, but I am glad to be a part of the team. Hey,” she added, “let’s go celebrate our win. Scobell’s, maybe?”
Okay, that was it. I flung the duffel over my shoulder and went to my locker. I wasn’t sticking around to watch this. It was too much. First Lissi got my boyfriend; now she wanted Grace? What was next? Was she going to try to mentor my sister? Hang out with my parents?
I shoved the bag into my locker. It barely fit, but pushing it with all my strength was a release. I just pretended it was Lissi.
I felt someone behind me before I heard the voice—Lissi’s voice.
“Cam, can I talk to you for a second?”
I did not want to turn around. What could she possibly want? To tell me how much fun she was having with Marc? To rub my nose in all the things she had that I didn’t?
“What?” I finally asked, hoping there wouldn’t be a response, that I somehow took long enough to answer that she gave up and left.
No such luck. I heard her breathing.
“So, I’ve been talking to Ms. Jackson, she’s looking for people to help on the yearbook, and I told her I’d do it,” she said at warp speed. “She told me to talk to you. I didn’t know it was your thing when I first volunteered; if you want me to back out, I can.”
Lissi was the student Ms. Jackson had been talking about.
Of course it had to be my archnemesis—well, the one in my head, anyway.
How was I supposed to answer her? What was I supposed to say?
I pressed my locker door shut, letting my hand rest there while I thought. I was coming up empty.
I turned around. Lissi wasn’t the only one waiting to hear my answer.
Grace and the rest of the team were watching us like we were some gripping drama on the CW.
If I told her no, I’d look petty and jealous. If I told her yes, then I’d have to work with her. It was a lose-lose situation.
I looked over at Grace. She gave me a little nod. I knew what she was thinking. She wanted me to say yes. Of course she did, she’d apparently already befriended Lissi, but I wasn’t feeling quite as charitable.
I turned my focus back to Lissi. “You know it’s not that exciting, right? It’s mostly just going through pictures and playing with Photoshop.”
She nodded. “I know. I did yearbook back home. I mean, at my old school.”
I took a deep breath. “And you’d have to
work with me.”
A few people around us snickered. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Grace elbow someone.
“If you want me to tell Ms. Jackson I can’t do it, I will.” She didn’t say it cruelly. Her voice actually sounded kind, if that was possible.
Unlike Lissi, who looked all graceful and calm, I had become a fidgety mess. I grabbed on to my locker to steady myself. “Do you want to work on it?” I asked.
“Yeah, I do,” she said.
For the life of me, I couldn’t figure out why. Who would want to take on a thankless project where they would have to deal with someone who hated them?
I wanted to say no, that I didn’t think it would work, that it would be too hard, yet that’s not what popped out of my mouth.
“Fine,” I said, “you can work on the yearbook with me.”
Chapter 25
“You did the right thing,” Grace said, once we got to Terri’s car and away from the rest of the team. I had taken off right after the Lissi debacle, followed by Grace. I hadn’t spoken a word since. “Cam?” she asked, noticing my silence.
I whipped around so that we were face-to-face. “Don’t you have somewhere to be? Like Scobell’s with your new buddy?” I asked her, letting the sarcasm drip from my voice.
Luke came over just then. “Terri will be here in a few; she’s just grabbing something from her locker.” He looked from me to Grace. “Did I walk in on something?”
“Oh, you know,” I said, “Grace and my ex’s new girlfriend are like this now.” I crossed two fingers together. I don’t know what I was more pissed about—that I was stuck working with Lissi or that my best friend was acting all chummy with her.
“Lissi?” Luke asked. “I thought we hated her.”
“We do,” I said. “At least some of us do.”
Grace threw her arms up. “Cam, come on. You’re not being fair.”
“I’m not being fair?” I whisper-screamed so that no one passing by would hear us. “I got dumped. She took my boyfriend while we were still together. And now you’re advocating for her?”
“I’m not her advocate. I just think you’re taking it out on the wrong person. She wasn’t the one who did this to you. Marc did.”
Luke backed up. He didn’t want any part of this conversation. He was smart.
I could barely even look at Grace. “I can’t believe you’re taking her side. You saw me after the breakup.”
“It’s not sides,” she protested.
“You couldn’t stand her at the start of the year,” I reminded her.
“Yeah,” she said, “I know.” Her voice was calm and even. “I was jealous and worried about my spot on the team. I took it out on her. It was wrong, and you’re doing the same thing. She didn’t do this to you. It’s not about her.”
I sucked in some air. Deep down, I knew she was right. I knew this was about Marc, but it was easier to blame Lissi for everything. She wasn’t the one I’d loved. Who wanted to admit that the guy you would have done anything for was the one who’d made your insides feel like they’d been blended by a food processor? Maybe it wasn’t fair, but why did it have to be? Lissi got the guy; I got the broken heart. She was still getting the better deal.
“Say something,” Grace said.
“Like what?”
“Like that you know I’m right.”
I looked up to the sky. “Fine, you’re right. It doesn’t mean I have to like her.”
“No,” she said, “but picture yourself in her shoes. It’s hard being new, especially for senior year.”
I bit my tongue. That’s what I’d thought when Grace was spiraling out about Lissi, back when I didn’t know about her and Marc being a couple. But I’d never made her feel bad about it. “Fine, go be her friend. Whatever. I’m not stopping you.”
“Cam, it’s not like that. It’s just—I’m the captain; she’s on the team. You’re on the team, too. I want everyone to get along.”
“Then she shouldn’t have started dating my ex-boyfriend.” I held up my hands. “I know, I know.” It wasn’t like I couldn’t see that I was being unreasonable. It wasn’t like I really expected Grace to shun anyone; it was just hard seeing her with Lissi. I’d get past it.
“If it makes you feel better, I’m skipping Scobell’s,” she said. “We can do something instead.”
I shook my head. It didn’t make me feel better—it made me feel like a spoiled brat. “No, you should go. You’re the head of the team; you need to be there.”
“Will you come?”
“Don’t worry about me. I’m good. You can ignore that temper tantrum; I was just being a baby. You’re the captain. I want you to enjoy it.” I made a face. “Even if that means hanging out with Lissi. But,” I warned her, “you can’t like her more than me. Deal?”
“Deal.” She came over and wrapped her arms around me in a giant hug. “That could never happen. Besides, I’m the one who should be worrying about Lissi replacing me. Volleyball’s almost over. You’re the one who is going to be spending all that time with her.”
“Wait, what?” Luke asked.
I’d almost forgotten he was here, witnessing my little hissy fit. I filled him in on the yearbook stuff.
“That’s … that’s … going to be something,” Luke said.
Understatement.
“Need a ride to the diner?” Crystal yelled out from her car.
“Yeah,” Grace called back. She turned to me again. “Please come. You missed Scobell’s the other day; don’t skip today, too.”
“You’ll make sure Lissi and I are at opposite ends of the table?” I asked.
“Promise,” she said.
“Fine, I’ll go.”
Lissi had already taken so much. I wasn’t giving her this, too.
Chapter 26
A lot of my free time had been devoted to Spence, but Thursday night was all about my friends. We were having a girls’ night at Avery’s house.
Her cousin had a tiny part in a movie that had just dropped on Netflix, and she’d invited a bunch of us over to watch it. Nikki, Meg, Naamua, Grace, and Terri were all going to be there.
“Cam!” A chorus of calls greeted me when I walked into Avery’s basement.
“Sorry I’m late. Something happened with my mom.” It was a little white lie. Spence had wanted help with his history report, and I was running behind schedule. I’d wanted to be at the party on time, but I couldn’t run out on Spence when he was freaking out about finishing. So I stayed until he was in a good spot. I would’ve done the same for anyone; it wasn’t like I was choosing Spence over them. It was just work versus fun, but I wasn’t sure they would see it like that, and I wasn’t looking for a lecture.
“Don’t worry,” Avery said, “we haven’t even started the movie yet. We got a little distracted.”
“Sit, sit.” Terri patted the spot next to her. Everyone was in a circle on the floor, gathered around Avery’s laptop, laughing.
“What are we looking at?” I asked.
“Pictures from the dance and the diner,” Avery said.
Nikki pointed to one and squealed. “I can’t believe you got that.”
“I can’t believe you did it,” Avery countered.
They were all doubled over in laughter.
I glanced around. They were all in on it but me. “What?” I asked. “What happened?”
“We may have played a little game of truth-or-dare,” Grace said, grabbing a handful of popcorn from a bowl in front of her.
“More like just dare,” Terri corrected her, and they all started laughing again.
“Yeah?” I picked up a kernel that had fallen on the carpet and rolled it between my fingers. Inside jokes were great and all, unless you were on the outside.
Once the laughter subsided, Nikki said, “At the dance during one of the slow songs, when things were quiet, I had to sing my heart out.”
“And we did the backup,” Avery said, pointing to herself and the other cheerleaders. “Bu
t you know that’s not what we’re talking about. We wound up continuing the game when we went to Scobell’s, and she … we…”
It was hard to even make out what she was saying through her giggling fit, but it wasn’t just Avery; they were all having a laughter attack.
“You went to Scobell’s? What’s so funny about that?” I put on a forced smile. I felt like a spectator at a game I knew nothing about, with no one to explain it to me. I knew it was my fault—they’d invited me to hang out, and I was the one who’d chosen not to go because I’d made plans with Spence—but I felt like an outcast in a group that I’d formed. Terri and Grace never would have been this close to Avery if I hadn’t merged us into one unit.
Terri flung her head back. “It started with this one.” She pointed to Grace. “She made me go to a table that had ordered pancakes and ask if I could have a bite since I was thinking about getting them myself.”
“You didn’t,” I said.
Grace fell over, her head landing on my shoulder. “Oh, she did, and then she got payback.”
“I made her go back over to them,” Terri explained, “and ask if she could have a bite, too.”
“But this, this…” Avery couldn’t even speak she was laughing so much. “This is where it gets good. The guys sent over a plate of pancakes, and…”
“What?” Getting this story out of them was excruciating.
“Okay, you know that old rom-com you made us watch?” Terri asked.
No. There were millions.
“The one where they’re friends,” she continued. “Harry and somebody.”
“When Harry Met Sally?” I asked.
She tapped her nose. “Ding, ding. Well, you know the scene in the restaurant?” I did. The lead, Meg Ryan, a romantic-comedy staple, fakes an orgasm from eating a sandwich in the middle of the restaurant.
Nikki put her hands over her face. “I did it.”
My jealousy over missing out was replaced by shock. “You didn’t!”
“I did.”
“They asked us to tone it down or leave,” Terri said, and they all started cracking up again.
“You guys almost got kicked out of Scobell’s?” No one got kicked out of Scobell’s, not that I’d ever seen.
Finding Mr. Better-Than-You Page 13