Destination Unknown

by Amy Clipston

  “I got a D on a test.” I filled my palm with more popcorn and glanced toward a similar ranch-style house across the street as I spoke. “My mother flipped.”

  “What a minute.” Emily faced me with a few frizzy curls falling past her shoulder. “You, Whitney Richards, got a D on a test. How did that happen? Was it a deliberate way of rebelling against your mother?”

  I grinned. “That’s a wonderfully evil plan, Em, but sadly, no, it wasn’t deliberate. I’m seriously struggling in calculus.”

  “Yikes.” Emily shook her head and then sipped her can of soda. “That’s rough. I know how much your grades mean to you and how hard you work for that 4.0 GPA. I bet your mom did flip.”

  “She also made me get a tutor through the peer mentoring program. I can’t tell you how demeaning it is to be tutored when you’re a tutor yourself.”

  Emily scooped up more popcorn. “Oh, Whitney, I’m so sorry, but just remember you don’t always have to be perfect. We all fail sometimes, but we just pick ourselves back up and keep going.”

  I nodded, knowing that my cousin was right. Yet at the same time, I couldn’t accept my failure. It was just too painful. “How are things with you? How’s Zander?”

  Emily grinned. “He’s doing well. He came home for the weekend for Valentine’s Day.” She pulled a gold locket with a cross on it out from under her T-shirt. “He gave me this and chocolate.”

  I was glad to hear Emily’s relationship with Zander was still going strong. Their friendship shifted into a relationship when she met him while living at my house last year. Zander’s parents lived next door, and Emily and Zander met through their love of working on cars. In my opinion, they were a perfect match.

  “Oh, wow.” I touched the little gold locket. “He’s such a thoughtful guy.”

  “Yeah, he is.” Emily fingered the necklace. “How was your Valentine’s Day? I hope Brett was good to you too.”

  I shared the story of our parking-lot breakup.

  When I finished my tale, Emily studied me, disbelief apparent on her face. “You’ve got to be kidding me. He broke up with you on Valentine’s Day?”

  I nodded.

  “What a creep. I’m so sorry.” She squeezed my hand. “He wasn’t good enough for you. He sounds just like Chad. I’ll never forget how he broke up with you on Halloween. That was terrible. We need to find you a good guy.”

  “Thanks. I knew you’d be supportive. I don’t know what I’d do without you.” I ate more popcorn while thinking about Emily and Zander. “I haven’t seen Zander’s Jeep at his parents’ house much. I guess that’s a sign he’s really enjoying school.”

  “Oh yeah.” She filled her hand with more popcorn. “He loves school. Motorsports Tech is just want he thought it would be. I’m so glad he convinced his dad to let him go.”

  “That’s great.” I grabbed another handful of popcorn.

  “He said he might think about transferring to the University after he graduates from the motorsports program. He wants to continue his schooling and get a degree in business.” She fingered her soda can as she spoke. “Zander keeps telling me he’d love to open a shop with my dad. You know it’s my dream to run a shop with my dad like the one he ran back before my mom got sick. I’d love to see my dad, Zander, and me go into business together, but I think it would be smart for both Zander and me to get our degrees first. Dad and Zander could handle the cars, and I could work in the office until the business grew. And I’d fix a car here and there when needed, of course.”

  “Wow.” I shook my head in amazement. “You and Zander have it all figured out.”

  “What does that mean?” Emily eyed me with suspicion while digging into the popcorn bowl. “I think you’re pretty put together yourself. I’d kill for your grades.”

  I snorted. “Even the D in calculus?”

  She laughed. “Well, no. You can keep the D. I just mean your other As. I was happy just to get one B-plus last semester.”

  “Grades aren’t everything. You know what you want. You know where you want to go to school.”

  “Wait a minute.” Emily held her hand up as if to stop me from speaking. “What are you saying? I thought you were accepted at, like, three schools. What’s going on?”

  “I was accepted at all three I applied to, but my mom is pressuring me to commit to her alma mater. I’d rather go to the University with you, but you know my mom. She won’t listen.”

  “Have you tried talking to your dad?”

  “I have in the past, and he’s always talked to my mom and gotten her to back off.” I tilted my head. “I guess it might be a good idea to talk to him again. He always knows how to calm her down and remind her that I need the chance to live my own life.”

  Emily shrugged. “It’s worth a shot.”

  I contemplated trying to explain my reasons for wanting to go to the University to my dad, but my thoughts were interrupted by the sound of a loud engine approaching. I glanced down the street just as a motorcycle carrying a tall driver and a smaller passenger steered into a driveway across the street and a few houses down from Emily’s house.

  The driver of the motorcycle climbed off and then helped the passenger down. The smaller person turned toward Emily and me and waved.

  “Hi, Vanessa!” Emily waved back.

  Vanessa removed her helmet and waved again. “Hi, Emily!”

  The driver removed his helmet, and when I realized it was Taylor Martinez, my eyes widened. He waved to us before putting both of the helmets on the back of the bike.

  “Taylor Martinez is your neighbor?” I asked with surprise.

  “Yeah. They’re a really nice family.” Emily nodded toward Taylor and Vanessa. “Vanessa is coming over to visit. She’s in eighth grade. We chat all the time. She’s like my surrogate little sister. I guess we have a lot in common, since I lost my mom and she doesn’t have a dad. I love talking to her. She tells me all about her middle-school drama. I’m so glad those years are over, you know?”

  “Oh yeah. I know.” I began wiping popcorn crumbs off my hoodie. I had no idea why I was worried about my appearance, but I suddenly felt grungy. I touched my hair, hoping my ponytail was still intact. Across the street, I spotted Taylor moving his motorcycle into the small one-car garage attached to the house. His house looked to be the same model as Emily’s, only the burgundy paint on the shutters was peeling, and the vinyl siding was a faded yellow.

  “Hey!” The girl approached. “I’m Vanessa.” She was about five foot six, with long, dark hair and milk-chocolate eyes that mirrored her brother’s. She wasn’t thin, but she wasn’t fat either. She was what my mother would call “average.” She stuck her hand out, and I shook it.

  “Hi, Vanessa. I’m Whitney. Emily is my cousin.”

  “Great to meet you,” Vanessa said.

  “How’d you do on that earth science test?” Emily asked, clasping her hands with anticipation. I assumed they had discussed the test previously.

  “I got a B-plus!” Vanessa held up her hand, and Emily gave her a high five.

  “Great job! Want some caramel popcorn?” Emily held out the bowl. “I know it’s your favorite.”

  “I shouldn’t.” Vanessa paused and then grinned. “You know I can’t resist.”

  Taylor sauntered up the driveway, and I touched my hair again. I briefly wondered if I was obsessed with my appearance all the time or if this was a new trend because of him.

  “Hey, neighbor.” Emily greeted Taylor. “You’re just in time for some caramel popcorn.”

  “Thanks.” Taylor grabbed a handful and nodded at me. “Hi, Whitney. Fancy meeting you here in Great Oaks. I guess you actually do have a friend in this neighborhood.”

  I spotted Emily giving me a questioning expression out of the corner of my eye.

  I knew he was making a reference to our earlier conversation, and I refused to let him see my irritation. Instead, I smiled. “I told you I knew people on this side of town. You do realize Emily is my cousin, righ
t?”

  He looked confused for a moment and then held up a finger. “Oh, right. I did forget about the family connection.” He ate a piece of popcorn. “Did you start either of those books I recommended to you?”

  “I did.” I sipped my Diet Coke. “I started the one by Brantley Morgan. It’s really good.”

  Taylor gave me a thumbs-up. “I told you it was. Let me know how you like it.”

  “What are you two talking about?” Emily looked confused.

  “Books. I recommended a few authors for Whitney to try.” Taylor fished another handful of popcorn from the bowl.

  “Oh my gosh!” Vanessa’s eyes rounded, and I was certain they might pop out of her head as she stared at my chest.

  “What?” I followed her glance toward my hoodie, wondering what the excitement was. Did I have a revealing hole in my hoodie? Was there a giant spider on my chest? I shivered at the thought.

  “Are you a varsity cheerleader?” Vanessa continued to look as if she might burst with excitement at the revelation.

  “Yes, I am.” I nodded slowly. “Why?”

  “Vanessa …” Taylor cautioned.

  “Taylor, I have to ask her.” Vanessa grabbed his sleeve. “You know what this means to me.”

  “What does she want to ask me?” I turned to Emily, hoping she knew the answer, but she only shrugged.

  Vanessa stood up straight. “I’m going to ask her.”

  The sullen expression I’d seen on Taylor’s face during our tutoring session returned as he stood behind his sister. I wondered if he was always this moody. His mood seemed to change so often that I couldn’t keep up.

  “Whitney, it’s my dream to become a varsity cheerleader.” She folded her hands as if to say a prayer. “Would you please help me train for spring tryouts? Please, Whitney. It would mean the world to me.”

  I studied her puppy-dog eyes for a moment and then looked up at Taylor, who had his eyes fixed on me while he shook his head in disapproval. It was apparent to me that Vanessa had her heart set on getting my help. And after Taylor’s sarcastic comment about my having friends in his neighborhood, his disapproval only made me inclined to help her.

  “Sure,” I said. “When do you want to start training?”

  “Yay!” Vanessa jumped up and clapped her hands. “That’s awesome! Thank you so much, Whitney.”

  “Wait a minute.” Taylor held up his hand. “We need to discuss this with Mom first. You know how Mom wants to know where we are at all times. She may not want you out training.”

  I wondered if Taylor was serious or only making excuses to derail my plans. “Why would your mom be upset if I came over and showed Vanessa how to do a few cheerleading moves? I can work with her at your house if you need me to.”

  Taylor shot me a warning glance that killed the joy I’d felt at the idea of training another prospective cheerleader. It was obvious Taylor was overprotective of his little sister and was worried about my influence over her. I wondered if his mistrust was only aimed at me or if he mistrusted everyone.

  “Vanessa,” he began, “I need you to go home and start supper. Mom is working late, and she’d appreciate it if we have supper done for her. Can you do that?”

  Vanessa snapped her fingers with disappointment. “But I want to talk to Whitney about cheerleading. Can’t you give me a few more minutes?”

  “You can talk to her another time.” Taylor’s tone warmed a little.

  “Fine.” Vanessa looked disappointed. “It was nice meeting you, Whitney.”

  “You too, Vanessa. I’ll talk to you soon.”

  “You keep up the great work with your science tests!” Emily called after her.

  “Okay! Bye!” Vanessa turned and waved one last time and then hurried down the street.

  Once Vanessa was out of earshot, Taylor turned to me. “Just drop the whole cheerleading thing, okay? Please, just let it go.”

  “Why? What have you got against cheering?” I challenged.

  “It’s not personal.” He held up his hand as if to surrender. “I just don’t want you to make a promise to my little sister that you can’t keep. She’s had enough disappointment in her life.”

  “What’s that supposed to mean?” I sat up straight, preparing for an argument. I’d had it with his attitude and comments about cheerleaders and people like me. “If you’re saying I’m going to disappoint your sister, then it is personal. How do you know whether I keep my promises or not? You don’t even know me.”

  “No, I don’t know you. But I know cheerleaders, and my sister isn’t going to be one of them.” His expression told me he meant business, and it really ticked me off.

  “That doesn’t even make sense, Taylor.” I shook my head. “Why are you so negative about cheerleading?”

  “I have to go.” He nodded toward Emily. “Thanks for the popcorn. See you guys at school.”

  I watched him head across the street, and the frustration inside me welled. “I don’t understand that guy at all. One minute he’s super-nice to me and recommending books I might like, and the next he’s upset with me and accusing me of disappointing his sister. What’s his problem?”

  “He’s always been nice to me.” Emily held up the bowl to offer me the last of the popcorn, and I shook my head. “I don’t know why he reacted to you that way about the cheerleading. It was as if it hit a nerve with him.”

  “He’s prejudiced against cheerleaders,” I muttered into my soda can.

  “You’re so silly.” Emily laughed and swatted me with her hand. “I doubt that. I know he’s very protective of his sister, though.”

  “Do you think he’s afraid I’ll be mean to Vanessa? I do my best to be nice to everyone, but maybe I haven’t done as well as I should. Oh no.” I clutched my soda can and contemplated how I’d treated him and his sister. “Do you think I’ve given him the impression that I’m not nice at all?”

  “Oh, stop it, Whitney.” Emily waved off the comment. “You’re always too nice. The issue might be something that has nothing in the world to do with you.”

  “Taylor drives me crazy. He’s my calculus tutor, and it’s really obvious he doesn’t like me.”

  “He’s your tutor?” Emily looked surprised. “Wow. I knew he was super smart. I heard he’s in the running for valedictorian. I also heard he got a perfect score on the SATs.”

  “Wow.” I ran my fingers down the plastic chair arm. “He sure is super smart. Mr. Turner was right when he said Taylor was a genius.”

  “He’s like the Albert Einstein of CHS.” Emily swiped the last piece of popcorn from the bowl. “But I get the impression he doesn’t have it easy. His mom works really late, and Taylor has a lot of pressure on him to take care of his sister, work, and also get good grades. I don’t think his attitude is a reflection on you. He’s just distracted.”

  “Distracted.” I repeated the word and hoped she was right. The idea of helping Vanessa haunted me, and I couldn’t let it go. I felt as if I was supposed to help her strive for her dream of making the CHS varsity cheerleading team. Somehow I would convince him to let me teach his sister how to be a cheerleader and help her prepare for tryouts.

  chapter six

  The following Tuesday I sat across from Taylor at the conference-room table while he examined and discussed the assignments I’d completed over the weekend.

  “I think you’re starting to get the hang of it.” He looked up at me. “What’s wrong? You’re looking at me as if I’m speaking French. Am I going too fast? Have I lost you?”

  “Why don’t you like me?” The words sprang from my lips, and awkwardness surged through me. My shoulders tightened as I waited for his answer. For some inexplicable reason, I couldn’t handle the thought of being rejected by this boy I barely knew.

  “What?” Taylor shook his head. “You’ve lost me, Whitney. Why do you think I don’t like you?”

  “Isn’t it obvious?” I gestured widely with my hands. “You act like you don’t like me.”

 
; He paused and studied me. “Why do you worry about everyone liking you?” He regarded me with confusion, as if I were someone certifiably insane. “You’re going to encounter people in life who don’t like you, and there’s nothing you can do about that.”

  “So that means you don’t like me.” The realization weighed heavily on my chest. I briefly considered packing up my books and leaving, but instead I was cemented in place, determined to figure out why this kid didn’t like me.

  “I only said that you shouldn’t worry about what everyone thinks of you. I never said I didn’t like you. You came to that conclusion on your own.”

  “You accused me of being a snob, and you won’t let me spend time with your sister.”

  “You’re still putting words in my mouth,” he said with annoyance. “I never said you were a snob.”

  “Yes, you did.” I tapped the table for emphasis. “You said I never noticed you at the peer mentoring meetings because you don’t wear a varsity jacket, and you accused me of not having any friends in Great Oaks.”

  “I didn’t mean it that way.”

  “So then how did you mean it, Taylor?”

  He paused and folded his hands over his notebook. Agitation brewed in his eyes.

  “You can’t answer because you know it’s the truth.” I stood and packed up my books. “I gotta go.” I picked up my phone from the table.

  “Wait a minute.” He leaned forward in his chair. “I don’t have a problem with you spending time with my sister, but I don’t want you to get her involved in cheerleading.”

  “Why?” I sank back into the chair and placed my phone on the table.

  Taylor paused as if to choose the right words. “Look, I know the score around here. My sister is sweet and naïve. She mistakenly thinks everyone is genuine and wants to be her friend. I know she won’t fit in with the cheerleader types, and I’d rather shield her from that pain.”

  “Why won’t she fit in? I know I can train her. I’ve been helping cheerleaders since middle school, and have been leading camps since I was fifteen. I took gymnastics for years, and I even competed. You should see my shelves filled with gymnastics and cheering awards. I know I can help her. Even if she can’t do a cartwheel, I can help her make the team if you let me.”