Sidetracked

by Deb Loughead

  Some of the girls nearby are impressed by them. I’m not. Neither is Shauna, judging from her pissed-off face. She’s standing by the doors, waiting for me as planned. We’re going to keep an eye on things, try to sidetrack Justin if we can. Try to stop any trouble from finding him tonight. I don’t want to pay the ten bucks and get my hand stamped. But I do, and I walk into the gym.

  It’s filled with blasting speakers, loud kids, hot stinky air and teachers who wish they were anywhere else but here. What a waste of half of my weekly allowance.

  chapter twenty

  Shauna and I are on the alert. Even when we’re dancing, we’re keeping one eye on Justin. I dance with Nathaniel and Zack, and a couple of guys I’ve met this year.

  As the evening progresses, Justin and his friends start acting like goofs. It’s almost as if they want to get told to leave. The teachers don’t seem too thrilled with their fooling around, stupid dance moves, loud yelps and knocking into people. They seem to be trying to turn the gym into a mosh pit. Coach Reeves’s face is like a stone. A teacher taps Carter on the shoulder and says something to him. Carter nods solemnly and turns back to his friends, grinning and laughing. Every time I glance at Shauna, she’s watching Justin and cringing.

  At around 9:30, my cell phone vibrates. I whip the phone out of my pocket. It’s a text from Zenia. It says, Changed my mind…on my way now. I almost want to do wind sprints around the gym!

  “She’s coming,” I say to Shauna. But Shauna has no idea what I’m talking about. She frowns and looks at me, perplexed. “Just hang in there,” I say.

  A few minutes later, Zenia walks through the gym doors. She looks amazing! She has on a funky pink dress that practically lights up the room. Justin’s head turns in her direction. His eyes lock on hers. This plan might actually work! Shauna sees what’s going on, too, and smiles.

  Zenia works her way through the maze of dancers and walks up to me. “Thanks for trying to help Justin,” she says. “And for asking me to help. You’re a good friend, Maddy. Even if you are a bit of a chicken sometimes.”

  “Huh!” I gasp, and Zenia starts laughing.

  “Honestly, you rock, Maddy.” She gives my arm a quick squeeze. Then she pushes her way through the crowd, walks over to Justin and asks him to dance.

  Shauna and I watch as Justin and Zenia move closer and closer together even though it’s not a slow dance. Clearly their romance has been waiting to break wide open. There’s a quick kiss from Justin, and Shauna elbows me in the ribs. We’re both grinning madly. The other jackass guys are dancing together, making a scene and being way too noisy. The teachers are gathered together, whispering among themselves and making plans. I can’t watch anymore. So I hook my arm through Shauna’s and drag her out into the hallway.

  “It’s awesome,” I say. “He’s totally distracted by her!”

  Shauna nods. “You planned this whole thing, didn’t you? You’re brilliant, Maddy!”

  “It was Matt’s idea too,” I say. “He couldn’t be here. But we asked Zenia for help. And she came through!”

  Someone stalks out the gym doors. It’s Coach Reeves. He has a scary look on his face, like a thunderstorm about strike. Right behind him is Carter, and some of the other guys. They’re surrounded by the teacher chaperones, who herd them out of the gym, down the hall and toward the school exit.

  “Please tell me my brother isn’t with them.” Shauna’s voice is hoarse.

  “Hang on,” I say, grabbing her arm. “Let’s take a closer look.”

  He’s not there. Justin isn’t one of the guys being escorted out of the school tonight. Our plan actually worked! Shauna’s mouth splits into a wide smile.

  The teachers wander back into the gym after kicking out the troublemakers. Everyone seems relieved. Especially Coach Reeves. He walks over and looks us right in the eye.

  “Carter was the one who told me he saw Justin hanging around the backpacks last Saturday.” Coach sighs and shakes his head. “But I was never sold on his story. It’s a good thing Zenia had the courage to tell us she saw Carter around the backpacks too. Otherwise, Justin wouldn’t even be on the team anymore.”

  Coach puts a hand on each of our shoulders. “Your brother was just about to be asked to leave tonight, you know, Shauna,” he says. “I don’t really believe he had anything to do with the theft. I still have faith in him.”

  “Thanks, Coach,” Shauna says, smiling. “So do I.”

  I can’t help but think how much worse it could have been for Justin.

  “Come on. Let’s go check on Zenia and my brother,” says Shauna, and we hurry back into the noisy gym.

  Zenia is talking to Kat, Paige and Isabel as Justin pretends to slow dance with an invisible partner. I so wish I could be laughing with the other kids who are watching him. I wish everything could go back to normal between me and my friends. I wish I could vanish into thin air. Kat is staring at me. I can see her expression in the light from the hall door. I turn away quickly. What are they saying about me? Why do friendships have to be so complicated?

  I glance around for Shauna, but she’s dancing with Zack now. I feel so alone. I lean against the wall and wish the night was over and I was in my bed. I close my eyes tight and sigh. Then there’s a tap on my shoulder.

  When I open my eyes, Kat is staring at me with a weird expression on her face. Paige and Isabel are behind her with wobbly half smiles. Now what? Kat wraps me up in a big hug and squeezes me hard.

  “Huh? What’s going on?” I say.

  “Zenia told us what you did for Shauna. To help her brother. I feel so lame for treating you the way I have the last couple of days.” She pauses and gulps. “And for letting you beat me. That was the dumbest thing ever.”

  “I still can’t believe you did that,” I say. “It sucks. I thought I’d caught up to you.”

  “Look, let’s talk at practice tomorrow. We have to save our friendship, Maddy.”

  Kat’s bottom lip quivers, and she blinks quickly. But I’m still bummed that she let me win.

  “Okay,” I say. “We’ll sort it out tomorrow.” I give her a quick hug back.

  Paige and Isabel swoop in. We have this crazy group hug, and they apologize for acting like jerks. I’m so relieved, I can’t even speak. I return the tangled hug as best I can. And I try my best to believe that somehow everything will work out.

  chapter twenty-one

  Kids start trickling out of the gym shortly before the dance officially ends at 10:30. A group of us walk home together, winding our way through the side streets. The farther we get from the school, the smaller the crowd gets. Soon it’s just me, Shauna, Kat, Justin and Zenia. I’ll bet Shauna wishes Matt was here.

  I stop dead when I spot a police cruiser up ahead, parked beside the road.

  The lights are on inside, and broken glass glitters on the road. Three kids are crammed into the back, but I can’t see their faces. A police officer in the front seat is writing something down. Another officer stands beside the car talking to someone who looks up when he hears us. Our eyes meet, and I freeze. I spin around and sprint home, ignoring the shouts of my friends behind me.

  I don’t quit running until I reach my front door. I stop to catch my breath before bursting inside. I can’t let Mom or Abuelo see me like this, or they’ll know something is wrong. Sooner or later they’ll learn Matt was nabbed by the cops. But I’m not ready to tell them yet. Right now, I just want to hide, to pretend it never happened.

  The hallway and living room are dark, thank god. I scuffle down the hall to my bedroom and softly close the door. I flop on the bed and let my tears flow. I’m not sure how long I lie there before I finally fall asleep.

  A while later, a light tapping at my bedroom door nudges me awake. I check the clock. It’s only 1:00, but it feels much later than that. I pull a pillow over my head. If it’s Mom or Abuelo looking for Matt, I’m not ready to face them right now. A finger pokes me hard in the middle of my back.

  “Maddy, you awake?
”

  I roll over. In the light from the hallway, I see my brother’s face. And I have to stop myself from slapping it.

  “Why aren’t you in jail, you jerk?” I manage to blurt before ducking under the covers so I won’t have to look at him.

  “Because I didn’t do anything,” he says.

  I’m not sure I’ve heard him correctly. I lift the blanket to look at him. “What? You didn’t?”

  “Yeah, you heard me, Maddy. I didn’t do anything. Well, anything bad. But I kind of did do something.”

  “You mean you weren’t getting arrested when I saw you with that cop?”

  “Of course not! I was on my way home from work, trying to make it to the gym before the dance ended. I ran into Carter and his friends. They were acting like total losers, trying to push down a stop sign, sitting on parked cars, breaking beer bottles on the road. I tried to stop them.”

  “They got kicked out of the dance for acting like jackasses, you know,” I say.

  “No doubt! So then this cop car came flying out of nowhere. I guess it looked like I was part of it all. Until they understood what was going on. They let me go once I explained I was trying to stop them,” Matt says. “Carter tried to tell them I was there all along. He’s such a knob!”

  “I saw those guys in the backseat. But I took off when I saw you with the cop. I thought you were involved with Carter and his friends. I just thought the worst when I saw what was happening, Matt!”

  I reach out and give him a quick hug. Then I tell him how Zenia came through for Justin at the dance.

  “We actually did it. We stopped Justin from getting into trouble!”

  My brother shakes his head. “Wow, can you believe everything that has happened tonight, Maddy?”

  “No kidding,” I say and pull the blankets back over my head to go to sleep. I sleep hard after Matt leaves my room and don’t wake until my clock radio blasts hiphop at 9:00 Saturday morning.

  Before I even open my eyes, I smell fresh coffee and hear home fries sizzling in a pan. Abuelo likes to give his two athletes a good breakfast. What a relief that I won’t have to face Mom and Abuelo with an awful story about their Mateo this morning. In fact, there’s no need to tell them anything, since nothing bad happened to either one of us.

  I stay in bed for a moment, thankful that things turned out last night. Carter and his crew are in for a huge wake-up call. And Kat and I are going to work things out at practice today. This morning, I actually do feel a bit like Little Miss Sunshine!

  In the kitchen, Mom, Abuelo and Matt are gathered around the table. Mom and Abuelo lean forward, listening to Matt tell them about last night.

  “Oh, there she is, the other hero,” Abuelo says as I slip into a chair.

  “Hero? How am I a hero? What did I do? Matt’s the hero—he’s the one who was trying to stop those idiots last night.”

  “Ah, but you. You stopped Justin from being there with them,” Abuelo says, smiling.

  “That was a good plan,” Mom says. “You two. What busy lives you lead. So much going on all the time. I’m so proud of both of you.”

  Matt has a half smile on his face. I decide he’s been hiding his secret life way too long.

  “Mom, Abuelo, how about if Matt and I take you out for dinner tonight? Our treat,” I say. Matt’s eyes grow wide.

  “Dinner? Really? You mean I don’t have to cook tonight?” Abuelo says.

  Mom looks baffled. “Where do you want to take us for dinner, Maddy?”

  “It’s a surprise,” I say. “You’ll have to wait and see.”

  “And you’re coming too, Mateo?” Abuelo asks. “Even though you’re so busy?”

  “Yeah,” Matt says. “But I’ll have to meet you there, okay?”

  Matt winks at me. I inhale Abuelo’s delicious breakfast so I can hustle over to the track and practice. I’ve made a decision.

  I am going to win on Monday!

  chapter twenty-two

  On the way to the track, Matt and I talk about our dinner plans. He’s worried about how Mom and Abuelo will react when they see him behind the counter at Burger King.

  “What if they get mad at me,” he says. “What if they don’t like the burgers? What if they don’t want me to have a job because it cuts into my school and sports time? What if they don’t think I can handle it?”

  “Quit worrying, Matt,” I say. “You’ve been doing it for a few months already. Trust me, they’ll be proud of you. And the burgers will be the best Abuelo has ever tasted, because you cooked them!”

  Matt nudges my shoulder. “Sure hope you’re right, Maddy.”

  I can’t help thinking, I sure hope so too.

  Everyone is already at the track when we arrive. Everyone except Carter and his friends, of course. Justin and Zenia are running side by side. Maybe last night turned out better than they expected. Shauna’s doing laps and gives me a thumbsup as she passes. Kat flashes me a peace sign from across the track. But there’s still some tension hanging between us.

  We’ve just started warming up when Coach Reeves appears. Coach never shows up for Saturday morning practices. As soon as he blows his whistle, we all hurry over.

  He’s more somber than usual. “I’m sure many of you have already heard about what happened after the dance last night. Am I right?” His hands are on his hips, and one foot slowly taps the ground.

  We all nod.

  “Carter will be out of commission for the rest of the season. He and a couple of his friends were picked up by the police last night after getting kicked out of the dance. There’s something else you should be aware of—Justin Halstead had nothing to do with the theft last Saturday. His name has been cleared thanks to someone brave enough to come forward and tell us what really happened.”

  When I glance over at Zenia, she gives me a subtle smile. I think she’s finally forgiven me for not helping her when Carter and his friends pushed her around.

  Coach’s voice becomes more serious, and his eyes lock on Justin. “Would you like to add anything, Justin?”

  Justin clears his throat. Zenia gives him a little nudge, and he nods. “I just want to say sorry to all of you for acting like such a jerk lately on the track and in school. That’s over. It’s all about the team now. I promise.”

  Zenia smiles at me again, and I give her a thumbs-up. Shauna is standing next to Matt and beaming. Everything has turned out better than I expected.

  Practice goes really well. It’s as if now that our minds are free of the problems that have been hanging over us, we’re in top form. Before leaving, Coach told us he’ll be making his decisions after Monday’s practice.

  Kat and I don’t even try to race each other that morning. I still can’t believe she’s been letting me win all along just for the sake of our friendship. Halfway through practice, she walks over to me wearing a forced smile. I know it’s time to get this settled once and for all. If I can’t beat her on the track, I decide I’m going to beat her to the punch.

  “So why did you do it?” I ask as we walk over to sit under a tree away from the rest of the team. “It doesn’t make any sense. I dealt with your wins last year. I would have been able to again this year, you know.”

  Kat heaves a huge sigh and shakes her head. “With so many other kids on the team this year, I was afraid of losing you as my closest friend. So I let you win half my races. Just so we’d keep laughing about it instead of competing seriously with each other. I wanted us to stay close. And in the end, I really did want Coach to make the decision so it wouldn’t be me beating you. So you wouldn’t resent me.”

  “Wow,” I say. “Kat, we’re best friends. But it’s okay to have other friends too.”

  “Yeah,” she says. “I finally figured that out. But it took Zenia to convince me. She told me how you helped Shauna and Justin. You’re a way better friend than I am.”

  “That’s not true,” I say. “And here’s how you can prove it.”

  And that’s when I tell Kat what she
can do on Monday to save our friendship.

  By Monday morning, my head is swimming with all the crazy things that happened on the weekend. Nothing was more hilarious than Abuelo telling the whole restaurant that his grandson is a top chef and cooked the burger himself. Which cracked up everyone who heard him! Mom and Abuelo were incredibly proud of my brother. And Matt was relieved they finally knew about his job. He even thanked me.

  After school on Monday, Kat, Zenia, Shauna and I, and some of the other runners, crouch at the starting line. Everyone is intense and focused. The winner of this race will represent the school in the 100-meter sprint. The four runners with the best times will make up the relay team. The fifth will be the sub. Ahead of us, the finish line is a blur of color. A crowd has gathered to watch. Everyone is anxious to find out how this will end.

  My toes press into the starting block, and my heart hammers. My eyes are focused straight ahead. The other girls crouched along the starting line don’t matter right now. This is between me and Kat. No more giving up races on purpose. This time, I want a real competition. I want to find out if I really can beat her.

  “Set!” Coach yells.

  My whole body tenses. Every muscle is waiting to snap.

  Bang! The pistol goes off, and we churn up the track, sprinting for the finish line. I blast forward as fast as I can, powered by adrenaline and hours of training. I push harder than I ever have. I imagine my legs as a couple of pumping pistons. The steady beat of running shoes pounding against crushed gravel and my heart thumping in my ears are the only things I hear.

  I am determined to beat Kat, my best friend.

  I sprint across the finish line with my arms in the air. Kat has hers in the air too. Our eyes meet.

  Coach yells, “We have a winner!”

  Now, at last, we’ll know.

  “Congratulations, Shauna. You won. Zenia, you’re third. And you two…”

  Kat looks as shocked as I feel.

  Coach smiles. “You two tied for second place.”