Crushing It

by Joanne Levy

  “Eyes, kids,” Mom said. “Smile. Not torture, remember?”

  I swallowed and looked up into Tyler’s eyes. He smiled, and I could see the corners of his eyes wrinkle a little.

  The phone in the kitchen rang. “Oh, hold on. Keep going, I’ll be right back,” Mom said, jogging away.

  “Thanks for helping me, Kat,” he said once she was gone. He squeezed my waist a bit with his right hand. It made my heart flutter around in my chest.

  “No problem,” I said, like it was no big deal.

  “Sure you don’t want to come to the dance?”

  I dropped my eyes from his. “No. I’d just be in the way.”

  “No you wouldn’t. I promise.”

  “It’s okay,” I said. “I don’t really want to go.”

  “Okay,” he said. “But if you change your mind . . .”

  Suddenly there was a flash. With a gasp I turned and saw my mother standing there in the hall holding a camera aimed at us. “You did NOT just take a picture!”

  “Of course I did. You two are adorable.”

  Which signaled the end of our dancing lesson.

  Chapter 14

  DAD CALLED AND TOLD MOM that we shouldn’t wait for him, so at dinner it was just her, Laura, and me. I was still a bit weirded out about the whole dancing thing, but was trying to get over it and make myself feel better by thinking about all the time I had to devote to my manga this weekend.

  The only sounds around the table were from eating: forks on plates, a glass being set down, the squeak of Laura’s chair as she shook salt out of the shaker onto her food, the sucking squirt of the ketchup bottle as I drew a squiggly red line across my shepherd’s pie.

  No one was talking, but it didn’t bother me, since in my head I was trying to figure out my next illustration for Hector: Ninja Cat.

  Suddenly Mom broke into my thoughts. “Are you sure you don’t want to go to that dance, sweetie?”

  Sigh. “Very sure,” I answered, snapping the cap closed on the ketchup.

  “But Tyler is going.”

  “I know that,” I said, digging my fork into my shepherd’s pie and shoveling the heaping load of food into my mouth.

  “Pig,” Laura said.

  I glared at her, but it wasn’t like I could say anything, since my mouth was completely full.

  “Laura,” Mom warned before turning back to me. “I don’t understand why you don’t want to go if Tyler is going.”

  I sighed as I chewed, trying to figure out what to say.

  “He’s going with Olivia,” Laura said. “Isn’t he?”

  “Oh,” Mom said, her serious tone making me look up at her. “I’m sorry, honey.”

  “Sorry for what?” I asked.

  Mom looked at Laura and then back to me. “Well . . . he’s your friend, and I thought . . .”

  I stared at the red mess on my plate. “There’s nothing to think. They’re going to the dance together and I’m not.”

  “You should go,” Laura said. I thought she was making fun of me, but when I looked at her, she wasn’t laughing or even smirking. “You should. Olivia and Tyler aren’t right for each other.”

  “Opposites attract,” I said, using Olivia’s words, even though I didn’t totally believe them. Still, Tyler had asked her to go, so he obviously liked her.

  “Whatever. You should go.”

  “I have nothing to wear.”

  “You can wear my blue dress,” Laura said. “I’m sure it would fit you.”

  “No thanks,” I said.

  “Kat,” Mom started, but before she could go any further, I pushed my chair back from the table.

  “Can I please be excused?”

  “Kat, we’re not trying to upset you,” Mom said. “We just don’t want you to miss out. If your friends are there—”

  “May I please be excused?” I asked again, hoping I could get away from the table before I started crying. Because my throat was getting tight, and I knew tears were seconds away.

  Mom exhaled. “Yes, you may. But Kitty-Kat—”

  Her using my old nickname made me feel even more like a baby, and I already felt stupid enough. “No! I don’t want to go to the dance, okay? That’s the end of it!”

  She might have said something else after that, but I couldn’t tell, because I ran away from the table and up to my room, where I slammed the door behind me. I cringed at how loud it was and figured I was probably going to get in trouble, but whatever. Laura slammed her door pretty much eighty times a day for no reason at all. Now it was my turn.

  I sure felt like I had plenty of reasons, although the last thing I was going to do was explain to them that going to the dance meant I would have a front-row seat to watch Tyler dancing with Olivia.

  Which meant he would not be dancing with me.

  Chapter 15

  AFTER A WHILE, I SNUCK out of my room and downstairs to get a glass of milk. Not only was I thirsty, but if I had to see one more texted picture of Olivia’s hair, Olivia’s nails, Olivia’s dress, Olivia’s shiny, glossed lips, I was going to scream. I needed a distraction.

  Mom was sitting at the kitchen table and looked up as I came into the room. “Honey, I’m sorry about before,” she said. “I didn’t mean to push you.”

  I shrugged. “I don’t want to talk about it.”

  “That’s fine. I understand. . . .” She trailed off. She sounded like she wanted to say more, but she didn’t, so I poured the milk.

  “What are your plans for tonight?” she asked.

  “I was going to work on my manga.”

  “Why don’t you take a break? Let’s watch TV, make popcorn.”

  I didn’t really want to, but the look on her face told me she did. Dad still wasn’t home, and Laura was up in her room, so Mom was probably lonely.

  “Okay,” I said. “But please, no more questions about the dance.”

  “Deal.”

  We had just started an episode of Dancing with the Stars that Mom had on the DVR when I got a text. It could only be from either Tyler or Olivia. I glanced at the clock: It was seven minutes after seven, which meant the dance had started seven minutes ago.

  I sighed, not wanting to deal with the drama. I tried to ignore it, but the texts kept coming and my phone kept beeping. Mom exhaled loudly in a way that let me know she wasn’t going to tolerate many more before she said something. I slid my phone out of my pocket, and it only took one glance of the many texts in all caps to see that Olivia was having a meltdown. A major meltdown.

  I didn’t even get a chance to read one text before the phone rang.

  I jumped off the couch and went into the hall to answer.

  “Hel—”

  “KAT!” Olivia practically screamed into the phone.

  I took a breath because I knew what was coming. “Livvy, what’s going on?”

  “It’s going awful. You have to get here and help me!”

  I was about to ask her where she was, but then I heard a flush, telling me she was hiding out in the bathroom.

  “Olivia, we’ve been through this. Calm down and tell me what’s going on.”

  “Okay, so my whole plan was to dance with him so we wouldn’t have to talk, but Kat, he won’t dance with me! He just wants to sit on the bleachers and talk about those dumb books.”

  I sighed, hoping my shattered eardrums would heal someday. “What do you mean he won’t dance?” I asked, but I was just buying myself time, because I knew what had happened. He’d realized he couldn’t dance and figured he’d be safer on the bleachers. “Even slow songs?”

  “There haven’t been any yet.”

  “Well, why don’t you just talk to him about the books during the fast songs and then slow-dance with him? Compromise, you know.”

  “Kat, I can’t talk to him about the books. I haven’t read any more of the first one. I have the cards you made in my purse, but I can’t exactly look at those while I’m talking to him.”

  I sighed. “Do you want to do the p
hone thing?”

  “My hair is in an updo—there’s nowhere to hide the earbuds!”

  Right. I’d forgotten about that detail. “Livvy, I’m sorry. I can’t help you.” I felt bad, but what could I do? She had asked for this.

  “Yes you can. You can help me; you just won’t.”

  Ouch. That made me mad. After all, I had done everything—and I mean everything—I could to help her already. I took a deep breath to try to not freak out. “Olivia—”

  “Please, Kat. Please. I’m so messing this up, and I know you can help me if you just come to the dance. Please. I’ll do anything you want. I’ll even find a guy for you to dance with. TJ is here and he looks really cute and he—”

  “Livvy!” I interrupted. “I’m not coming to the dance. I have told you a million times that I don’t like TJ!”

  As I was saying this, a text came through. It was from Tyler. My heart pounded, because for half a second I thought of the teeny, tiny possibility that he was texting me to tell me he wished I was there. I took a moment to read the text.

  Tyler: Olivia is hiding in the bathroom. What a mess. I screwed this up so bad. Kat? What do I do?

  My heart sank. He didn’t want me to come. He wanted me to help him with Olivia.

  I took a deep breath. I thought about how I needed to get over my crush once and for all. That meant getting them together, no matter what it took. Even if it meant going to that dance.

  “Livvy?” I said into my phone.

  “Yeah?”

  “I’ll be there as soon as I can.”

  Chapter 16

  I ENDED THE CALL AND looked up to see Laura standing right there. “Gah!” I exclaimed, pressing my hand to my heart. “You freaked me out!”

  She grabbed my other arm and tugged me toward the stairs that led up to our bedrooms. “Come with me.”

  I was going that way because I needed to change, so I let her drag me along. “What for? I need to get out of my sweats.”

  She looked over her shoulder at me. “I know. I heard your part of the conversation. And I’m going to help you.”

  “Why? I just need to change my clothes. I have to get there right away!”

  Laura squeezed my arm—not enough for it to hurt, but enough that I knew she meant business. “Not before I help you.”

  “Why are you so interested in helping me?” I asked.

  She frowned like it should be obvious. “You’re my sister.”

  “So? That doesn’t stop you from being mean to me all the time.” I pulled my arm from her grasp.

  “I’m not mean to you.”

  I gave her an Oh, really? look. “You’re crabby to everyone.”

  She exhaled and looked over my head toward where Mom sat in the living room. “Just let me help you, okay? I don’t mean to be crabby; just school is really hard this year. It’s stressful, okay? It’s not about you.”

  “Is that why the lunches you make are so awful?”

  “What?” She frowned. “Awful?”

  “You don’t cut my apple, and the sandwiches are always a mess.”

  Laura sighed and closed her eyes for a second. “Mornings are the worst. Honestly, I’m not trying to make your lunches awful on purpose.”

  My throat got really tight. “I thought you hated me for some reason.”

  “What?” She put her arm around me and squeezed. “Of course not. I love you, little Kitty-Kat. I just . . . ninth grade is really hard. It’s such a big, confusing building, and I have so many teachers and classes. And with Candace gone this year . . .” She took a deep breath, and I could tell she was getting upset, which made me sad for her. She exhaled loudly. “I have a lot going on, that’s all.”

  I thought about that. In a way, I understood. I mean, I was terrified of high school, and I had only just started seventh grade! And one of her best friends had moved away over the summer, which had to make it even harder. Still . . . “You could be nicer to me,” I said. “And to Mom and Dad.”

  “I am trying to be nice to you right now, but you’re not making it easy,” she said, giving me a very wide-eyed look.

  “Fine. But no makeup.”

  “Some makeup,” she corrected me. She took my arm again—more gently this time—and led me up to her room. “You’re going to a dance, not a tractor pull.”

  “Fine,” I relented. “A tiny bit of makeup. And I don’t even know what a tractor pull is.”

  “Never mind. Let’s get you ready.”

  “Okay,” I said. “But about the other stuff. How about I talk to Mom and Dad? Maybe I can make our lunches from now on.”

  She stopped and dropped my arm, looking at me. “You’d do that?”

  I nodded. “I’m sure I can handle it. I mean, I’m not a baby. And that way you don’t have to stress about it or get up so early, and I get what I want for lunch.”

  My big sister threw her arms around me. “That would be awesome.”

  I hugged her back for a second but remembered Olivia and how frantic she’d been on the phone. “Okay, come on, we’d better do this.”

  “Oh, Kat!” Mom exclaimed, jumping up off the couch when I came back downstairs fifteen minutes later. I was dressed in Laura’s royal blue dress that she had worn to her eighth-grade graduation. It was plain enough that I didn’t feel totally ridiculous, but still looked a little glam. It was sleeveless and velvety on top with lace on the skirt—a bit too girly for my liking, but when I’d looked in the mirror, I’d been secretly happy with the reflection staring back at me. Not that I’d admit it to anyone.

  Thanks to Laura, I was also lightly makeupped (just brown mascara and a tiny bit of liner to make my eyes stand out under my glasses) and lip-glossed (light pink and shiny).

  Mom looked from me and then to Laura and back. “Does this mean you’re going to the dance?”

  I couldn’t exactly tell her why I needed to go, but it didn’t matter, because obviously she was excited. That meant she would drive me. “Yes. For a little while. You can pick me up at eight thirty.”

  “You look beautiful,” she said. “Laura, you were right; that dress does look great on her. And the shoes . . .”

  Thankfully, the sparkly silver ballet flats didn’t have heels. I didn’t think there would be any chance I wouldn’t fall down if I had to walk in high heels.

  “We have to go,” I said. “My friends are waiting for me.”

  “I’ll go get my keys,” Mom said, hurrying past me toward the kitchen.

  I turned to my sister. “Thanks for this,” I said with a grin. “You’re not such a horrible big sister after all.”

  “You aren’t such a bratty little sister either,” she said, but she was smiling. She leaned toward me and tucked a piece of hair into the fancy-looking ponytail she’d done. It had only taken her a minute to put it all up, but it looked really good. “You look awesome, Kat.”

  “Thanks to you.”

  “And a little makeup.” She smirked.

  Mom came back from the kitchen with her phone in her hand. “I need a picture.”

  “No, Mom,” I said, holding my hand in front of my face. “I have to get there!”

  She put her hand on her hip. “I’m not driving you until I get one. So we can do this the easy way or the time-consuming way.”

  “Fine, but hurry up!”

  Laura snickered but stood back so Mom had a clear shot of me.

  I stuck out my tongue, but Mom laughed and took the picture anyway. Then I remembered when we’d been upstairs and Laura had turned me around to see my dressed-up self in the mirror. I’d been shocked at how good I looked. Maybe a picture wasn’t a bad idea.

  “Okay,” I said. “Take another one.”

  Mom nodded, and instead of sticking out my tongue, this time I smiled when she aimed her phone at me.

  We were almost out the door when my sister said my name. I turned and looked at her. “Yeah?”

  “Go get him,” she said with a wink.

  All I could do was stare a
t my sister, because no words would come. I knew what she meant, but I was only going to the dance to help my friend. Well, technically, both my friends. Even if there had ever been even the teeny-tiniest chance that Tyler might like me, it was way too late to do anything about it now. He and Olivia were basically a couple. Tonight would clinch it; I was only going to the dance to make sure it happened. That was the only reason: for my friends.

  So I told myself in my head. Loudly.

  “Come on, Kat,” Mom said, putting her hand on my shoulder to guide me out the door.

  Chapter 17

  I WALKED INTO THE GYM but stayed in the shadows near the door, scanning the room to see if I could find Olivia and Tyler. There were groups of kids standing around the perimeter, and some were sitting up on the bleachers. Loud music was playing—a fast song—but not many kids were dancing. In fact there was just one group of five girls on the dance floor. I could see right away (thanks to her being so tall) that Olivia was among them, along with Jasmine and Zoe.

  They all looked really comfortable on the dance floor. Like a herd of gazelles who probably didn’t have to get their moms to teach them how to dance.

  Another eye sweep of the room and I noticed Tyler sitting by himself on the bleachers, looking really unhappy as he watched Olivia. Poor guy. But as I was watching him and trying to figure out what to do, he stood up and started to walk to the side of the bleachers, toward the stairs. I ducked deeper into the shadows, suddenly not wanting him to see me.

  He came down to the gym floor and almost passed me. He took one last look at Olivia and then headed out into the hallway. I sidestepped over to the doorway and peeked out just in time to see him turn in to the boys’ bathroom. I rushed over to Olivia.

  “Kat!” she squealed, right before she threw her arms around me. “I’m so glad you’re here.”

  She made way for Zoe and Jasmine to give me hugs too, but I quickly pulled away from them: I was there to do a job and didn’t have a lot of time.

  “I just saw him go to the bathroom,” I said. “Why was he sitting by himself?”