“So are the rumors true?” Drake met me at my locker. “Did you and Rex end it?”
“Yes.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?” he said.
“Didn’t realize I had to run it past you.” I rolled my eyes. “There are some things, I don’t like to discuss with my brother.”
“Del.” He touched my shoulder, his brows furrowed. “Are you okay?”
I took a deep breath and shifted my gaze to my locker combination. “Yeah. I’m fine.”
“You sure? If you want to talk or something, I’m here.”
My mouth twitched at the thought of him giving me dating advice. “Seriously, I’ll be okay. The first couple of days will suck, but I’ll get over it. Things will get better.” I swiped my hair out of my face. “But thanks for asking.”
I grabbed my books from my locker. Down the hall, I spotted Trey carrying a bouquet of black roses. Oh God, he’d really gotten them. Kenadi appeared at my side to watch the exchange as he approached Portia with them.
As soon as Portia saw the flowers, she smiled and gave him a hug.
“What the hell?” Kenadi said. “She totally didn’t react at all.”
“Who didn’t react to what?” Drake peeked around us.
“Nothing,” I said.
“No one,” Kenadi answered at the same time.
My brother looked back and forth between us, shrugged, then walked off.
“Damn, that didn’t go the way I thought it would.” I shut my locker door.
“Yeah. But don’t worry, this was only round one. I’m sure you’ve got lots more ideas.” She tugged her braids back into a hair band.
For some reason, I wasn’t sure if my “ideas” were gonna work. But, I couldn’t give up now. Not if I planned to win over Trey. But did I really want to screw things up for him if he was happy?
***
I sat on my porch swing, watching the bees buzz around Mom’s lilac bush. The steady creak of the swing relaxed me. I remembered when Drake and I were younger and we used to get yelled at for pushing each other in it and ramming into the side of the house. One time, I’d shoved it so hard it actually came off the chain and crashed into the window. Needless to say, that was the end of that. Dad forced us to pick up pop cans for the next two months in order to try and pay for what we did. Along with several other chores he’d concocted as punishment.
I smiled at the thought.
“Hey, hope I’m not interrupting.” Trey bounded up the porch stairs and plopped down next to me, nearly sending the swing into the wall.
“Nope. Just chilling.”
“So, the flowers went over well. Thank you for that. But now I’ve got another dilemma.”
Geez, what was I? Delyla, teen psychiatrist and solver of all relationship woes? I mean seriously. I smiled. “Sure, what’s going on?”
“This might sound cheesy, but I want to bring Portia something for lunch tomorrow. Maybe eat off campus at the park or something. But I’m not sure what her favorite foods are. Do you think you might be able to work your magic again?”
Holy balls. He was going all out for her. And I wanted it to be me he did these things for. Somehow, I managed to keep the smile on my face.
“I’ll let you know what I find out.”
As he stood from his place next to me, his arm brushed mine. Then he bent down to help me up. Trey’s fingers closed around mine. Heat spiraled down my fingertips, up my arm, to my chest. For a moment, I forgot how to breathe. He was so close. I could lean forward and kiss him. But I didn’t.
“I’m sorry to hear about Rex. Why didn’t you say anything?”
I shrugged. “Just trying to keep it on the down low. Besides, you have other things to worry about.” My gaze shifted to his.
“Del, just because I have things going on, doesn’t mean we can’t talk,” he said.
Maybe it was time to come clean. To explain how much he meant to me. How I felt something the other night. “I-I really li … Um, never mind.” Geez, what the hell did I almost do? I can’t run around blurting stuff like this out. “Listen, I’ve got homework I need to get done. But I promise to get back with you on the food thing.”
I rushed toward the door, nearly plowing Trey over. Gah, what the heck had gotten into me? Right. That was easy, Trey.
As soon as I walked in the door, I raced upstairs and dialed Kenadi. “It’s hopeless,” I said when she answered.
“Um—okay, want to fill me in?”
“Trey stopped by. Again.” A loud sigh whistled from my lips.
“Now what’s he want you to do?”
“Apparently he’s trying to plan a nice lunch for Portia and needs me to help figure out what he should bring in for her.”
“Dang. What’s he think you’re a psychic chef or something?”
I laughed. “Maybe.”
“Well, we know she’s a vegan. So, I’d say tell him to bring her a big, juicy steak. Maybe one that still moos.”
“Problem is that’s the one thing he knows about her.” I sprawled out on my bed and twirled a strand of blond hair around my finger.
“Fine, then we do the next best thing. Think of the grossest food or vegetable you can,” Kenadi said.
“Maybe I should have my mom cook something for him to give to her.”
She snorted. “You’re trying to split them up, not kill her.”
“Yeah, good point.”
“The only thing I can come up with is spinach. That crap is nasty.”
“Or, better yet. Brussels sprouts.”
“Ew, those things are sick. I can’t even look at them without wanting to throw up,” Kenadi said.
I cringed. “Agreed. They’re like the testicles of the plant world.”
Kenadi laughed on the other end. “That’s just wrong in so many ways.”
“So plant scrotum is now on the menu. Let me call Trey and give him the good news.”
“Tomorrow will be epic. We’ll have to get front row seats.”
“Definitely. So, I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“Wouldn’t miss this for the world.” Kenadi hung up.
With our devious scheming out of the way, I phoned Trey with Portia’s “favorite food” then spent the rest of the night envisioning their break up.
Chapter 24
Kenadi clutched her sack lunch in one hand, while she kept hold of my arm with the other. We made our way to the Veteran’s Park around the corner and found seats under one of the large trees. Beams of sun warmed my skin as I glanced around at the picnic tables, searching for Trey and Portia.
Okay, I know, it was petty and horrible of me to want to watch Trey fail with Portia. But, I seriously couldn’t help myself.
“There they are.” Kenadi nodded at a table situated furthest from us. “Looks like he’s getting ready to bring out the balls.”
My mouth twitched. “You know, if someone other than me heard you say that, they’d think you’re a real perv.” I sat up on my knees to get a better view, while Kenadi unwrapped her string cheese.
“Hey, you’re the one who started the whole plant testicle thing. I’m just adding my own spin.”
Trey set a lunch box on the table, and then took out a bowl. Even from here, I saw the mini-me cabbages. Portia glanced at them, and then back to Trey with a smile. Without missing a beat, she picked up her fork, stabbed it into the ball, and popped it in her mouth.
“Something is seriously wrong with that girl. Who actually likes Brussels sprouts?” I rubbed my temples.
“She must be an alien implant. Or maybe one of those robot chicks from the sci-fi flicks you watch. Either way, we need to up our game,” Kenadi said. “We’re obviously dealing with a professional.”
“I’m almost scared to ask what you mean by upping our game.”
She dangled a piece of mozzarella in front of me. “Don’t be. We’ll figure this out. Besides, you’re way better than her. She’s ditzy
. She needs tutors to pass her classes. She’s dated like every jock in our school. And she’s got an inflated chest.”
I glanced at my own flat chest. “Guys like inflated.”
“Not all guys are like that.” She rolled her eyes. “Anyway, twenty bucks says her parents got her a boob job.”
“Boob job or not, she’s still got a bigger chest than me.”
“Yeah, but Trey likes to have intelligent conversations. Eventually he’s going to get tired of talking about spandex, dancing, and vegetables. And just so you know, fake boobs can’t talk.”
I busted out laughing. I hoped she was right. But at the moment, things didn’t look very promising.
***
“How did the soccer game go?” Mom said as she came into the kitchen, carrying her briefcase.
“We won again.”
“How many goals?” She kicked off her heels and tossed them into the closet.
“Two.”
“That’s great, honey. I promise Dad and I will make your next game. Work’s been crazy the last couple of weeks.” Her blond hair escaped the clip at the back of her neck. “Have you eaten yet?”
“Yeah, I made some tuna casserole. I put a plate for you and Dad in the oven to keep warm.”
“Drake said you and Rex broke up.” Mom grabbed a pair of oven mitts from the drawer and flung open the stove. She reached in and grabbed the plates out.
“Yeah, we did.”
“Are you okay?” Her brows knit together.
“I’m fine.”
“You sure? Because we can talk if you need to.”
“I’m good.”
She set the dishes on the table then put the mitts back in the cupboard. She turned back to me and gave me a hug. “Well, if you change your mind, you know where to find me.”
“Oh, Drake wanted me to let you know he’s at Chloe’s studying and that he’ll be home about nine.”
“He better be, or he’s gonna spend the next two weeks grounded,” Mom said under her breath.
With a grin, I left the room. I scampered downstairs, grabbed my game controller, turned on the TV and console, then flopped onto one of the bean bags. Time to take out some aggression. I slid Dwarves of Iconia in and loaded my last saved game. My mage came onto the screen. I touched the analog sticks and my player ran down a trail into a dark forest. A glowing tree came into view, so I veered off the path. My mage reached inside the hole in the trunk and pulled out a coin purse. My character veered onto the path once more. The music got louder as a troll stepped out from behind ruins.
It tossed large rocks at my mage. I clicked the x and y buttons and shot flaming orbs at it.
“Hey,” Kevin called as he walked into the room. “Your mom let me in.”
“Hi.” I hit the start button to pause the game. “I didn’t know you were stopping by tonight.”
He sat down beside me and grabbed the extra handle. “I wanted to come over and drop off my payment since I didn’t get a chance to this weekend.”
“You could’ve waited. I wouldn’t have minded.”
He smiled. “No, it’s cool. Besides, I wanted to thank you for everything.”
“You did all the leg work. I only gave the advice.”
“Either way, things are going good. I’m glad you pushed us into joining stuff. I actually love Astronomy Club—in fact, I’m taking Melanie out stargazing this weekend.” He ran a hand through his hair then clicked his start button to join my game. “I want to ask her to prom, but I’m not sure how I should broach the subject.”
Once Kevin logged in his character, I hit start on my controller too and he joined the battle against the troll. His mercenary took out his dagger of the sun and slashed into the beast. It instantly turned to stone.
“Be yourself—talk about whatever it is you normally talk about then mention there’s a dance coming up in May and you wonder whether or not she’d like to go.”
“You make it sound so easy.” He glanced at me.
“Because it is.” I nudged him with my shoulder. “You need to have more confidence. Embrace your inner man. Take the bull by its horns and all that crap.”
He snorted. “Is that your pep talk?”
“Why? Did it work?”
“I think you better stick to soccer.”
“Hey, I need a backup plan. I was thinking something along the lines of matchmaker to the stars or some BS like that.”
He chuckled. “Nice. With a catch phrase like that, you ought to get loads of clients. And speaking of clients, where’s Trey? He’s normally over here tearing up Dwarves of Iconia with you.”
My lips turned down and I focused on the TV screen. My mage slammed her staff into the ground, creating a lightning storm. Bolts struck the dark elves, pouring from the cave. “He’s been too busy lately.”
“With Portia?”
“Yeah.”
“Well, if it makes you feel any better, I don’t like her,” Kevin said. “I think she’s a snob.”
Okay, why did he tell me that? Was my crush so obvious? “One thing’s for sure, we’ll have this game beat before he comes over next. Which means, we’ll win the bet.”
“We are abiding by the rules and only playing when another member of The Romeo Club is here. But he’ll be mad when he finds out we conquered DWOI before him.” Kevin kicked his shoes off.
“Then let’s do this.” I leaned back into the bean bag. If Trey wanted to spend time with Portia, then fine. But it didn’t mean I had to sit around sulking after him. I wasn’t sure if Kevin’s only reason for coming over was to pay me or not, but I was glad he decided to stay.
Chapter 25
For the next couple of days, it seemed like I ran into Trey and Portia everywhere. In the halls at school, in the cafeteria, at the library, and even at the movies, when Trey decided to invite her to come along with the Nerd Herd and me to our midnight premier. I tried hard to be the better person. To ignore her annoying laugh. The way she always had to latch right on to Trey’s arm whenever I was around. But I swore, if I had to spend one more second with her, I might have to pop her inflated chest and see if she flew away like a balloon losing air.
Mom carried a ceramic bowl into the dining room and sat in on the table in front of me. My nose wrinkled. Spinach with ham chunks in it. How the hell did she come up with these dishes?
My gaze flicked to one of the pictures of an antique truck on the wall. What I wouldn’t give to hop into one and drive away about now.
“Something smells good,” Dad said. He slid into the chair across from mine.
Probably his cologne because it sure wasn’t dinner. Yuck.
“I think Carver’s supposed to come home from school in the next week or so,” Mom said to Dad, who’d picked up a copy of today’s paper.
Now that got my attention. Carver Foster was the king of shirtless carwashes. The crush of my elementary and junior high years. Not to mention the star of many, many fantasies. He was three years older than me and two years older than Drake. And he’d been the one to teach me how to play soccer. Hard to believe Jimbo belonged to him—or rather his family since he’d been away at college.
“Um—why’s he coming home?”
Mom glanced up from scooping blobs of green glop into Dad’s bowl. “His mom’s been sick.”
That explained the last time I saw her. “Is she gonna be okay?”
“I’m not sure. We haven’t really heard what’s going on. All I know is they’ve been gone a lot lately.”
My parents changed the subject and talked about a part they needed for their computer and where the best place was to get it. At that point, I zoned them out and focused on rescuing my ham bites from the green, mushy mess Mom called spinach. It looked more like someone had scooped algae up from a swamp or sneezed in my dish.
The phone rang from the kitchen and I hopped out of my seat, carrying my dinner with me. I turned my body so Mom wouldn’t see me with it
. “I’ve got it.”
When I got in the other room, I grabbed the cordless phone and brought my food over to the trash can and scraped it out. “Hello?”
“Del, hey, it’s Trey,” he said. “I hate to keep bugging you. But I need your help again.”
No, if he hated it so much then he’d quit doing it. But instead he tortured me with calls about Portia. And how he couldn’t figure out how to impress her without my help. Hell, it was beginning to feel like I was the one dating her, not him.
“What’s going on?”
“Do you think you can stop in for a few?”
The word ‘no’ sat perched on the end of my tongue. But for some, stupid reason, I couldn’t say it. I clenched my fist at my side and squeezed my eyes shut. “I’ll be there in a few.”
“You’re a lifesaver.”
I hung up then poked my head into the dining room to tell my parents I was leaving. However, when I caught them in a lip-lock, I decided to just go. A minute later, I stood inside Trey’s living room, watching him pace the floor. His faded jeans sat low on his hips, the black T-shirt he wore stretched tight over his broad shoulders and biceps. Something I seemed to focus on way too much, as of late.
“Here’s the thing. I want to set up a special date to ask Portia to prom. And I thought you might have some ideas?”
My throat thickened. No. This wasn’t happening. Tell him to figure it out on his own. Or better yet, tell him how you feel. That you two are perfect for each other. You like the same bands. The same video games. You’re in National Honor Society together. You have the same circle of friends. Come clean and admit that you’re in love with him. And that you’re stupid for not seeing it before. I cleared my throat and grabbed a mint from the jar on the coffee table.
“Let me think this over for a second.” I fell back on the couch, drawing my legs up to my chest.
Right then, his cell buzzed. He glanced down at the number and smiled. “Speak of the devil. Hey Portia … ” Trey made his way out of the room.
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