“Your tie. It looks good.”
“Oh, right. Thanks. I might have worn silver, you know.”
“What?”
“I mean if I’d come with you. I mean—” He looks away and takes a deep breath. “I should say, if Lindsay had worn silver, I would have worn a silver tie. I can see myself in silver. Not red. Red’s too … flashy. Not that you’re not flashy,” he adds quickly. “That dress is super flashy.”
“Okaaay. Thank you? I guess.”
“Yes. It’s a compliment. I mean it in a good way. A perfect way.” He tightens his grip on my waist.
I’m dying to press closer to him, to reach up and touch his chin, his cheek, his earlobe. I wouldn’t have to reach far. Tonight I’m only a few inches shorter than him. “It’s crazy to see me in a dress and heels, huh?”
He shrugs. “Not so crazy.”
“Oh, come on.”
“What?”
“You think it’s crazy.”
“I don’t.”
“You do. Maybe just a little?”
“Why?” Chris laughs. “Why would I think that?”
“Because. You don’t see me as a girl.”
Chris stops dancing so abruptly I collide into him and trip over his foot. He grabs me and steadies me, his face—his lips—inches from mine. “That is not true.”
“But …” I whisper the word. I can hardly breathe with him so close.
“But what?”
“You said so.”
Chris’s expression grows serious. “What did I say?”
I pull away. “Never mind. It’s nothing.” I don’t want to repeat what he said that night in Italiano’s. Not now, not here. Since when are you an expert on girls? It’s almost like you think you are one. I blink back the tears that threaten every time I remember that dagger to the heart. “I should go find Jerod. And I’m sure Lindsay’s looking for you.”
But Chris doesn’t let go. He spins me farther onto the dance floor. “Not until Jason is done singing.”
I sway in his arms, and for the first time, I pay attention to the words of the song. It’s about not giving up on love and figuring things out. With Chris’s arms circling my waist and his chin grazing my cheek, I almost believe that’s possible.
We can hear the band from half a block away. “Wow, that’s loud,” Jerod says. “Bet the cops show up before the night’s over.”
We pull up and watch as a crowd of kids spill out of Briggsy’s front door. “We don’t have to do this. Your head’s already hurting. The death metal won’t help.”
“I’m fine,” Jerod insists for the millionth time. “Don’t worry about me.”
We head in and weave our way through the sea of partiers to the kitchen, where we rummage through a cooler for drinks. Jolene and Brendon are standing in a corner by the refrigerator talking, or rather, shouting, since that’s the only way to communicate. Brendon seems angry. He’s saying something about the band, but I don’t have time to process what’s happening with them, because no sooner do I grab myself a bottle of water than Abi appears at my elbow, her eyes wide and her expression slightly panicked.
She grabs both my arms and leans in to scream into my ear. “You need to get upstairs.”
“What? Why?”
“Just go. Second bedroom on the left.”
“Second? Isn’t that—” Crap. It’s Briggsy’s room. What’s going on? Is he up there with another girl? Abi disappears before I can ask, so I hand Jerod the bottle of water and tell him I’ll be right back.
I want to take the stairs two at a time, but it’s impossible in heels and a gown. Instead, I clomp up them as quickly as possible, muttering under my breath the entire way about how hard I’m going to clip Roland Michael Briggs on the side of his big fat stupid head and how I’m going to give whichever twit he happens to be messing with up there an earful. I hit the landing and push my way through a group of girls waiting in line to use the bathroom and barrel toward Briggsy’s room. I consider knocking but decide that’s better than he deserves, so I fling open the door and— “Oh, my gosh!”
“Ack! You should’ve locked the door!” A half-naked Lindsay glares at me from the bed as a guy in a black tux hovers over her.
“Wrong room. I’m so sorry.” I shield my eyes because I seriously do not want to see Chris’s face at this moment, but as I back out and pull the door shut, I turn to spot a tall guy with blond hair rounding the corner at the other end of the hallway. I blink and take off after him. “Chris?”
He swivels, and I practically run into him as I turn the corner. “Hey, Lexi.” He frowns. “Are you okay? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”
“I … um. No. I mean, yes. I’m fine. How are you?”
His brow furrows. “I’m good. I was looking for Lindsay. Have you seen her?”
“Lindsay? No. Can’t say that I have.” I assume what I hope is an expression of innocence. “I’d know if I saw her. I mean, who could miss her with that red dress and all?” I grab Chris’s arm and pull him down the hallway, past the offending bedroom door, and down the stairs. “I bet she’s in the kitchen or the den or … have you checked the basement? I heard some kids are down there playing that Dance Revolution game. I bet she’s really good at that.”
I practically push Chris toward the basement door and slip away to find Abi. What the heck is going on? Who is Lindsay with?
I’m taller than almost everyone in the room, so I quickly spot her standing by the fireplace with Briggs. I catch her eye and hold up my phone. As she digs her cell out of her pocket, I text her to meet me in the garage. On my way there, I catch a glimpse of Carmella and Jerod talking and laughing in the dining room. She has her hand on his arm. Part of me is annoyed that Carmella is so obviously moving in on my date, but the other part of me is relieved that Jerod might find someone who appreciates him. I might feel less guilty about this whole night. Not that I deserve to.
“Can you believe it?” Abi bursts through the door and launches herself at me. She grabs my hands in hers. “I told you she’s a lying wench.”
“Hold up. Tell me what’s going on.”
“You mean you didn’t see them?”
“I saw Lindsay. In fact, I saw way more of Lindsay than I needed to. But I couldn’t tell who the guy was.”
Abi glances around, making sure we’re alone. “Ty Walker.”
Neither Ty nor Alicea won prom king or queen, but they both seemed to have a blast tonight. Alicea was out on the dance floor—sometimes with guys, sometimes with girls, and sometimes by herself—all evening long, and Ty had a grin on his face every time I saw him. Though come to think of it, I didn’t see him much. He disappeared a lot, and so did Lindsay.
“Are you going to tell Chris about this?” Abi asks.
I lean against Briggsy’s mom’s Lexus. “I don’t know. No. I can’t. I think he really likes her.”
“He deserves to know. She’s making a fool of him. Half the party knows exactly what’s going on.”
I squeeze my eyes shut. How could Lindsay do this? It’s stupid, but I feel a bit betrayed myself. I set her up with a guy—a sweet, gorgeous, amazing, incredible guy—and she cheats on him in front of the whole school on freaking prom night. A dozen images flash through my mind: Chris’s awkwardness in front of Lindsay in Virginia Beach, his smile as he held out that beautiful bouquet of roses on Valentine’s, the two of them kissing at the lunch table, Chris chiding me that night at Joe’s about what a nice person Lindsay is, her coy smile as she confided in me at the bowling alley.
I clutch my stomach. “I’m going to be sick.” I push past Abi, running back into the house and toward the nearest bathroom. It’s locked, and there’s a line, so I turn around and bolt through the kitchen onto Briggsy’s deck. I run to the corner of the deck, lean over the side, and hurl. Gross. I spit a few times to get the taste out of my mouth, then crouch down and hug my knees. I rest my head against the wooden railing. It’s coo
l and hard and feels good against my burning skin. There are a few kids hanging out at the other end of the deck, but otherwise; it’s empty. Thank goodness. I need some time to think.
What should I do? Abi’s right. Chris does deserve to know, but I don’t want to be the one to hurt him. On the other hand, it would probably be better if he finds out from a friend rather than through the grapevine. And I can’t help but feel a little responsible for all of this since I set them up in the first place.
As I’m contemplating all of this, two girls from the cheer squad come out onto the deck. They’re both drunk and are holding each other up. They stumble over to a nearby table and sit down. I should probably stand up or cough or say something so they know I’m here, but instead, I sink farther into the shadows. I don’t need them to see me in all of my post-puking glory.
“She finally did it,” one of them says. “She’s been after him forever.”
“I know.” The other girl pulls out a pack of cigarettes and fumbles to light one. “I do feel bad for Chris, though. He seems like a nice guy.”
I bite my lip and steady my breathing. So Lindsay’s tryst truly is the talk of the party.
“He’s sweet, but I don’t think she even liked him. She was always so hot and cold with him. She called him a revenge date, whatever that means.”
“It means she was trying to get back at someone by dating him,” says the smoker.
“I know that. But who? As far as I know, Chris never had a girlfriend.”
The girl shrugs and blows out a long stream of smoke. “Who knows? Probably someone who has a crush on him. One thing’s for sure. No matter how much she wanted revenge, she’ll dump him now that she has Ty.” She snuffs out her cigarette and rubs her arms. “It’s freaking freezing out here. Let’s get back inside.”
The two of them scramble to their feet and go back in. I hadn’t noticed the cold before Smoker Girl mentioned it, but now I rub at the goosebumps on my arms. What was that all about? Revenge date? For real?
I close my eyes and bury my head in my hands. They said she was hot and cold with Chris, but I never saw that. She was all over him whenever I was around, and—
Oh, no. No, no, no. Once again, I replay in my head scenes of Chris and Lindsay over the past two months. The way she always grabbed onto his arm as soon as I’d walk up to them in the hallway and how she’d make a point of kissing him on her way past our chem lab table. One day when I came into class behind her, I noticed that she walked right past him and then circled back around after I sat down. Could that all have been a show for my benefit? And if so, why? Lindsay and I had zero contact before she started dating Chris. Why on earth would she want revenge against me?
Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned, or so my sophomore-year English lit teacher said. I don’t know whether Jolene has been scorned, but she’s certainly furious. The glass she throws at Brendon narrowly misses my head as I walk back into the kitchen. It shatters against the doorjamb as Brendon pushes past me, out onto the deck, down the steps, and away into the night.
“What the—” I duck for cover behind the kitchen’s center island as Jolene pulls a cast iron skillet out of the cabinet. “Whoa. Whoa. He’s gone.” I peek up at her and motion for her to set the pan down.
“That idiot.” She slams the pan against the counter.
“Hey, yo. What’s going on here?” Briggs appears in the doorway and surveys the scene. “What broke?”
“A glass,” I straighten up and shoo him out of the room. “Go find a dust pan. We’ll clean it up. No worries.”
As Briggsy leaves, I walk toward Jolene, slowly, carefully, as one might approach a seething tiger. I ease the skillet out of her clutches and push it to the back of the counter. “Tell me what happened.”
Her eyes flash. “He called me a liar. A fake. All because of some stupid song.”
“A song?”
“That noise the band was making earlier? Apparently, it was a cover of some ‘iconic’ metal song.” She makes air quotes as she says “iconic.”
“Okay?”
“I’d never heard it before and had no clue who the original artist was. Frankly, I couldn’t care less. Problem is, he thought I knew my metal. He says I’ve been lying to him. Says I got him to go out with me under ‘false pretenses.’” Again with the air quotes.
“That’s not false pretenses. That’s showing an interest in the things he likes. It’s called flirting.”
“That’s not how he sees it. He says he fell for someone else.” Her voice cracks. “Guess he never liked me for me.”
I put my arms around her and rub her back. “Well then, he doesn’t know what he’s missing. Because, girlfriend, you are smart and beautiful and brave.”
“You know whose fault this is? It’s that stupid Boyfriend Whisperer.” Jolene pulls away from me. “If it weren’t for her, all this never would have happened. She’s the one who told me to say all that stuff about metal bands and video games and things I know nothing about.”
“Oh, well … I don’t know if you should blame her.” I force a casual tone. “After all, she’s trying to help, right? It’s her job. You hire her to whisper the guy, and she does whatever it takes to make it happen. Ultimately, you get the boy you want. It’s the end result that counts, isn’t it?”
“Yeah, well, this is the end result.” Jolene points to the broken glass scattered across the floor. “Two months of my life wasted, not to mention the hundred twenty-five dollars I paid her, and another three hundred for this dress and the shoes and the prom tickets. Ugh! What a scam. What a freaking scam! If I ever find out who she is, I’ll—”
“Did someone ask for a dust pan?” Abi appears in the doorway, a pan and sweeper in hand.
“You!” Jolene rushes Abi, pinning her against the wall. “You did this. You and your idiot boss.”
“Hey, now.” I pry her away from Abi. “Easy. She hasn’t done anything to you.”
“She took my money. She’s part of the scam.”
A small crowd has started to gather. The band is on break, so Jolene’s ranting is now officially the loudest thing at the party. “Tell me who she is.” Jolene is straining against my hold, her face inches from Abi’s. “I want a name. Tell me who the Boyfriend Whisperer is.”
Abi widens her eyes at me but doesn’t say a word.
“Calm down, Jolene. You’ve had a stressful night. Things will look better in the morning. Besides, if Brendon doesn’t appreciate you for you, he doesn’t deserve you. There are lots of guys out there who will.”
Ugh. Why am I suddenly spouting every breakup cliché in the book?
Jolene’s eyes flash. “What do you know?” She reaches up and grabs a lock of my hair. “Miss Super Star. You have it all—beauty, brains, talent. A free ride to any college you want. You have no idea what it’s like for us mere mortals.” She tugs at my hair.
“Ouch. Stop it. What are you even—”
At that moment, both Chris and Jerod arrive at my side, pulling Jolene away. I blink back tears, partly from the pain of having my hair pulled but mostly from shock at what Jolene said. Is that really what she thinks? Is that what everyone thinks? That I have it all? Because it sure as heck doesn’t feel that way to me. I look at Chris, so gorgeous in his tux, his cowlick starting to show despite his spiking gel. I don’t have the thing I want most.
“What’s going on?” Lindsay appears in the doorway with Ty. Her perfectly styled hair is now a mess around her shoulders, and a dark spot is starting to form about two inches above her collarbone. Seriously? She’s not even going to pretend to be a decent human being? Guess Jolene and Brendon is not the only break-up going down tonight.
“Lindsay, I’ve been looking everywhere for …” Chris’s face darkens as he notices Ty’s hand on her arm. I can see the realization sinking in, and it makes me want to do to Lindsay what Jolene was about to do to Abi. My stomach twists. I should have told Chris right away what was happen
ing. It would have sucked, but it would have been a lot better than watching him humiliated in front of everyone like this.
“I’ll tell you what this is about.” Jolene pulls away from Chris and Jerod. Whether she is oblivious to the new source of drama that has entered the room or is simply determined to keep center stage, I’m not sure. “This is about a vicious scam that’s been going on at our school, and we’ve all just gone along with it. We’ve even encouraged it. This is about the Boyfriend Whisperer, who’s been playing us for fools. She convinces us to tell guys what they want to hear as though that’s the secret to love, without a care for what happens when they find out it was all an act. She’s a fraud and a thief, and I want to know who she is.”
“Well, that’s simple,” Lindsay says as she turns her gaze toward me and smirks. “You’re standing right beside her.”
No. Way. Did Lindsay just out me to the entire school? I barely have time to process the implications of what’s happened, because Jolene lets out an ear-piercing shriek and rushes me again. I step away, and my heel catches on the swirl of fabric at the bottom of my dress. I tumble backward as though in slow motion, and I’d land flat on my butt if it weren’t for Abi, who reaches out and breaks my fall. Everyone else steps away as though I’m some sort of pariah.
Chris, Jerod, and Briggsy all grab onto Jolene and hold her off. The three of them can barely contain her. “I want my money back!” she screams, arms flailing wildly. “I want my money back, and my prom, and the last two months of my life!”
“How about your dignity?” Abi mumbles, and it’s all I can do not to laugh in spite of the horror show unfolding around me.
As Hurricane Jolene loses her strength, Jerod releases his grip on her arms and steps over to me. “What is she talking about? What’s the Boyfriend Whisperer?”
I survey the sea of faces staring at me, including so many couples I’ve brought together. The girls seem nervous I might reveal their secrets, and the guys are eyeing me warily.
The Boyfriend Whisperer Page 16