Sidekick

by Natalie Whipple

  “And that is how it’s done,” I say. A pang of guilt hits me. I always thought Garret brought me along out of pity or loyalty, but maybe he thought I made him look cooler Either way, we always made a great team.

  Dallas laughs. “Damn, you’re good.”

  I shrug. I learned it from Garret, so I can’t really take credit.

  “What do we do now? Go and talk to them?”

  “If we were actually going to pick them up, yeah.”

  “We aren’t?” He takes a bite.

  I shake my head.

  “Why the hell not?” He sounds indignant. “All that work for nothing.”

  I try not to roll my eyes. Will hanging out with Dallas be my life now? “Yeah, it was so much work. I’m not interested. I guess you can go over if you want. I’ll catch a movie or something.”

  He glares at me.

  “What?”

  “You are with Mercedes, aren’t you? But you guys are keeping it secret or something.” He crunches his Subway paper into a little ball and shoots for the nearest trash can. He makes it. Damn that perfect aim. “I heard you guys were getting pretty cozy at my last party.”

  I groan. “For the thousandth time, it’s not Mercedes.”

  By his intrigued expression, I know I said the wrong thing. “But there is a girl.”

  “I didn’t say that.” Not good. Just not good.

  “There is! I can tell! You have something going on under wraps.” He laughs. “Who is it?”

  Maybe I didn’t tell Garret everything, but I can’t tell Dallas anything. It feels wrong. I can barely stand the guy, let alone spill my guts to him. “Like I’d tell.”

  That just gets him more excited. “Shit. Do I know her? Is she hotter than Mercedes? She has to be hotter than Mercedes…”

  I smile, thinking of Daphne.

  “Lucky bastard,” he grumbles. “So, what now?”

  “I don’t feel like shopping. Let’s see a movie.” If we watch a movie I don’t have to listen to him talk. I get up and head for the theater, which is all lit up even though it’s not dark yet. The crowd is way bigger than it should be at this time of day. There are also a disturbing amount of people in costume.

  “What the hell?” Dallas says.

  I scan the movie list and immediately know why—there’s this huge epic fantasy movie playing. Nerds have been waiting for this for years. By the looks of it, a horde of dorky teens ran right from school to see it.

  It’s not hard getting tickets, in spite of the giant nerd line. We pick an action movie and head inside, planning to grab some food because the sandwich just wasn’t enough. This is where the real lines are. People push in, the popcorn smell luring us all like bugs to a zapper.

  “Hey, this line looks faster,” Dallas says. “Let’s go over there.”

  “Whatever.” The movie we picked starts in half an hour. It’s probably not even open for seating yet. I don’t see what the rush is. We push through the crowd to get to the other line, and it’s not until I see Izzy’s sparkling princess crown that I realize who we’re standing behind. Of course she and her friends would come to see this movie more than once. They went to the midnight showing, so I stupidly ruled out this possibility.

  Dallas sneers at them. “Well, well, what do we have here? Looks like a freak show.”

  “Dallas.” Garret’s eyes are hard, but somewhere in there I see sadness, too. “Don’t.”

  I can’t stop starting at Daphne, who is less than a foot away and gazing right back at me. She’s not dressed half as crazy as Izzy; she’s wearing a neon purple hoodie that says “Relax, I’m A Ninja” on the back. She would think that’s funny—neon and ninja don’t exactly go together. Her face reflects what I feel. Dread.

  “Kill me now,” I whisper to her.

  She makes a gun with her hand and pulls the trigger.

  “Let me guess…” Dallas taps his pointer finger against his chin, while I search for some way to make this stop. I need a portal or something. Maybe a time machine. “You’re here to see the dopey fantasy movie, right?”

  Izzy glares at him so hard he backs up. “It’s one of the most beloved series ever, dickhead.”

  “Whatever.” His eyes go to Garret. “Where’s the girlfriend? She refuse to be seen with you in public?”

  “Dallas!” I say. They all turn to me with hope in their eyes. I know what they’re thinking. Expecting. I could easily tell him to stop being such a jerk, but then he’d know. He’d know I still cared about them, and he definitely wouldn’t keep it to himself. “Maybe you should go stand in that line over there. It might beat this one.”

  He purses his lips like he wants to call me on it, but I know he won’t. “Yeah, good idea.”

  “Smooth as ever,” Garret says once Dallas is out of earshot. “Avoid taking sides or telling the truth, like usual.”

  I don’t want to fight with him, but what the hell? I did nothing but show up for a movie. It’s not like I deliberately planned to end up next to them. “There’s nothing wrong with keeping the peace, and I did tell the truth.”

  He shakes his head. “Keeping the peace? You mean being a fake?”

  I take a deep breath. “Really, though, where is Keira?”

  Izzy’s eyes narrow. “She had to visit some family.”

  “I see.” What a classic excuse. Vague and yet important sounding. “What family would that be exactly?”

  No one answers because they don’t know. Daphne bites her lip, looking between us like she thinks a fight might break out any second. It’s hard being so close to her. There’s this pull—I want to reach out to her, touch her, reassure her that I still want to be with her more than anything.

  “I know what you’re trying to do, Russ,” Garret says. “It won’t work. You can just keep lying to yourself.”

  “Whatever.” He’s trying to piss me off, but I’m not interested in fighting anymore. Whether they believe me or not, I still want the best for Garret, for everyone.

  Izzy puts her arm around Colin, turning her back to me. “How about you go find your new best friend?”

  “He’s not my best friend. I guess I don’t have one of those anymore.” I’m not about to leave the line just because she doesn’t want me around. Daphne is right in front of me. I am not missing a chance to be this close to her after two weeks of banishment. Besides, I can finally see the concessions counter.

  Daphne bumps into me and it sends a shockwave through my body. I’m pretty sure she did that on purpose. I reach for her fingers, holding them as long as I dare.

  Funny how just the smallest touch can mean so much. It’s still real. Nothing has changed between us, despite being cut off from each other. It doesn’t last long enough. They pay for their food, and Daphne gives me one more glance before they disappear into the crowd.

  “I don’t know how you can stand being next to them,” Dallas says when I meet up with him.

  I’d like nothing more than to kick his ass for saying that, but I just keep walking. There is no way I’m hanging out with Dallas again. It’s okay, but not okay enough to put up with on a regular basis. And he probably thinks we’ll be doing stuff like this all the time now that Garret’s gone.

  I need an out. A change. I need a place where I can be myself, and suddenly I know exactly where that is.

  Chapter Thirty-Three

  The only good thing about my banishment is that I have Puke all to myself. From what I can tell, Izzy forced Colin to con his grandma out of her car. They drive around in this boat-like Oldsmobile, never having to worry about crossing paths with me. Sure, my sister has totally cut me out of her life, but I’ve always wanted the car. Silver lining.

  Ah, the scent of bacon. It comes through Puke’s vents as I approach. I haven’t been to Parker’s since they offered me a job. The burgers called to me almost every day, but I thought it might get their hopes up seeing me come in to eat. I couldn’t do that to Old Man Parker, not if he’s “in mourning,” as Trent said. The pla
ce looks exactly the same, except even better because now it’s a fortress that blocks out the suck. Keira can’t take this away from me. Nothing can touch me here.

  I park in back and get out, but then I feel weird about walking in when I’m not working there anymore. Should I go up front?

  The back door swings open and out comes Trent with two handfuls of garbage bags. He stops when he sees me, and then this big grin crosses his face. “Tell me you’re here to work.”

  “I am.”

  He looks up at the sky. “Thank you, God.”

  “Need help with that?”

  “Sure.”

  As I help him fling bags into the giant trash bin, Trent says, “It seems like every time I try to help you, I get you into more crap.”

  I laugh. “Not your fault, man. I wouldn’t have been able to work here if it weren’t for you.”

  “True.” After we throw the last bag away, he shoves his hands in his pockets. “So…what exactly happened? I’ve only heard the public story.”

  “The short version? Garret didn’t believe me because Keira made it look like it was my fault, suggesting I was trying to steal her. Then Izzy banished me for being a crap friend, which sucks because…” I stop for a second, wondering if I should say it. I haven’t told anyone about Daphne yet, but hey, Trent knows everything else, so why not? “Well, Daphne and I want to be together, and Izzy’s banned her from talking to me.”

  His eyebrows disappear behind his hair. “Took you long enough.”

  “I’m pretty slow, huh.”

  He smiles. “You two were basically a couple, minus the romantic stuff.”

  I sigh. “Trent, I know I’m asking a lot, but is there any way you could talk to Izzy about this? I mean, you were there with me, you know I’m not lying.”

  He leans on the fence and stares at his feet. “Sorry, man, I can’t face her, not that it would help. If she doesn’t believe her own brother she definitely won’t believe me.”

  “Why not?”

  He runs a hand through his hair, revealing more of his face than I’ve ever seen. There’s pain there. A lot of it. “I thought me and Izzy were friends, you know? She was the first person to ever take my art seriously. Yeah, I had a huge crush on her, but I didn’t think I was doing anything creepy.”

  I tilt my head. “What are you saying?”

  “At the Halloween party I just asked her to dance. She blew up and told me to stop stalking her because it creeped her out. She called me a stalker, Russ, like I was this awful person ruining her life. I wasn’t her friend, I was just her art lackey, expected to draw for her whenever she wanted.” He shakes his head. “I never want to see her again.”

  I stand there, stunned. Trent’s a decent guy and Izzy stepped all over him. She could have let him down nicely, but she hurt him. I never thought of my sister as a mean person. Kooky, yes. But outright malicious? Maybe I chose to ignore it because it was never directed at me before. “Dude, and she says I’m a bad friend?”

  He glances up at me. “Seriously.”

  “You are not a stalker. Sure, it was obvious you liked her, but you didn’t do anything out of line. She shouldn’t have said that.”

  He nods. “Thanks, man. That means a lot.”

  “Anytime.” I’m surprised how much I mean it. Trent isn’t just some guy I kind of know anymore. He’s a friend. Hell, lately he’s been a way better friend than some of my closest friends.

  He pulls away from the fence. “Now, how about we go make my dad’s day?”

  I laugh. “Sure.”

  The moment I enter the kitchen, everyone smiles and comes to greet me. It’s nice having a few people who are happy I’m around. Feels like it’s been a long time. Old Man Parker really does look like he’s about to cry. “It’s so good to see you, Russ. Can you start today?”

  “I can start right now if you want. I don’t have football anymore, so I have a lot of free time.”

  “Son, we are elated to have you back.” He puts his arm around me.

  So he has adopted me. “Glad to be back.”

  “Does that mean I can finally quit?” Trent says.

  Old Man Parker shoots him the death glare. “No, it means you’ll have more time for cleaning and cashier duties and we’ll have fewer catastrophes in the kitchen.”

  Trent’s shoulders slump.

  “Sorry,” I say.

  He shrugs. “Eh, it was worth a try.”

  I work through the afternoon on “dress up,” the time flying by in a flurry of burgers and fries. Pickles on that one. No onions on these. Extra tomato. It’s much busier during the day, and the energy in the kitchen makes me feel alive again.

  Charlie comes in for his late shift, and when he sees me he laughs. “Did the Old Man cry?”

  “Almost,” Buck says.

  “It was the smoke!” Old Man Parker says, and we all bust up laughing.

  Since Charlie’s here, Trent gets to go home. But before he does, he stops by my station. “You know, I was thinking.”

  I smile. “What about?”

  “I have Spanish with Daphne.”

  I stop what I’m doing. “Oh?”

  “Maybe I could tell her about our new employee, in case she wants to come see him. I mean, there’s no harm in you taking your break and saying hi to her, right?”

  “Who?” Charlie jumps between us. “This sounds interesting.”

  “What’s up?” Buck asks. Now even Old Man Parker is listening in.

  My face warms. “It’s noth—”

  “Russ likes this girl, but they’ve been banned from seeing each other,” Trent says. “I thought we could watch his back while they talk here.”

  I’m so embarrassed I almost put my hand to my face before I remember I have nasty, food-covered gloves on.

  “That’s a great idea!” Charlie rubs his hands together like this is some complicated scheme. Actually, it might be. I’m not sure how Daphne will be able to get here without Izzy finding out.

  “Really, you guys don’t have to do that,” I say.

  “Yeah, we do,” Old Man Parker says. “If you can get her here, talk to her all you want, you hear?”

  My throat tightens. “Thanks.”

  Trent puts his hand on my shoulder. “Leave it to me. I’ll have Daphne here tomorrow.”

  Chapter Thirty-Four

  I swear when the hot oil hits my forearm. It’s the fourth time today, but I can’t seem to keep my eyes off the clock and on the food. Trent should be here any minute, and with him my fate. I don’t know what I’ll do if he says Daphne can’t come. It’s all I’ve been able to think about since yesterday.

  “Russ, take the grill,” Old Man Parker says.

  If anything can take my mind off how nervous I am, it’s working the grill. It demands total concentration. Grateful, I grab the spatula from him, and he goes to the back where there’s a small break room and bathroom. There are ten burgers on the grill right now, two that’ll be done in seconds.

  “Fred! What’s the next order up?”

  “Two bleus and rings,” he calls from dress-up.

  I let out a breath. “Coming up. Will you read me the others?”

  He reads off the eight remaining burgers, four of which belong to doubles. Those need to be done at the same time.

  “Order!” Mrs. Parker calls from the front. “A number one and a kid’s!”

  After I throw those on, I outfit the four with bacon patties and cheese, flip the next four, and grab buns. It’s crazy. Every inch of my mind has to focus on cooking. Four more orders come in before Old Man Parker comes back, but he takes over without missing a beat. I go back to the fryers, and the jitters start again. I hear the back door slam and Trent comes in. He’s smiling.

  “What’s the news?” Fred asks. “Is the lovely Daphne coming?”

  “Yeah, she is.” Trent heads over to me, and I have to restrain myself from hugging him. “She said she’d drop by after Judo. I told her to knock at the back.”
r />   “Okay.”

  “You’re glowering,” he says. “What’s wrong?”

  I shake my head. “Nothing. Just…Izzy usually takes her to Judo and picks her up. I’m wondering how she’ll pull that off.”

  “Well, she said she could do it.” He leans on the table as I cut more potatoes into fries. “Actually, it was the first time I’ve seen her smile in a while.”

  I can’t hold back my own smile. “Cool.”

  “Trent!” Old Man Parker yells. “Work!”

  He lets out a long, weary sigh. “Yeah, yeah.”

  So the countdown begins. It’s three. Daphne has Judo on Tuesdays and Thursdays until five. The earliest she could get here is probably half an hour after that. The afternoon has never felt so long.

  “Russ,” Old Man Parker says.

  When I turn around, he holds out the spatula for me. I smile and take it. Grilling is just enough to distract me, though I still check the clock whenever I have a spare second. By the time five hits, I have to hand off the spatula. I’m so nervous I can hardly work, but no one rides me for it.

  At 5:16 there’s a knock at the back door. My heart stops.

  “I think that’s for you, lover boy,” Fred snickers.

  I pull off my gloves and the bandana I wear to cover my hair. Suddenly, I’m aware of what a sweaty mess I am. Running my fingers through my hair, I head for the door. It’s just Daphne, I tell myself. Except it’s not just Daphne anymore. It’s Daphne.

  I grab the handle and pull. She’s there. Her hair is up in a ponytail, which for some reason is incredibly sexy. She’s still wearing her Judo uniform under a leather jacket.

  “Hi,” she says.

  “Hi? Hi?” I laugh, mostly because I can’t believe she’s really here.

  She raises one eyebrow. “What?”

  “Come here.” I grab her arm and pull her into me, letting the door shut behind her. She puts her arms around my waist, and all is right with the world. “You don’t have to be all nervous.”

  She looks up at me with relief. “I started to worry I made it all up.”