Speaking of unfair, of course, as soon as we get outside, my dad is right out in front. It is impossible to miss him, impossible. I mean, our car is dark blue, why can't he at least wait further back in the parking lot where it will blend in with the darkness of the night. But, no, there he is, right at the end of the well-lit walkway. To make matters worse, our car is surrounded by limos. We cannot be the only kids who have a parent picking them up, but we are obviously the only ones whose parent isn't nice enough to at least park a block away.
"Hey, Mr. Taylor! Here to pick up, Ashley?" I hear another kid say as he walks to his limo. Of course everyone knows my dad and of course he wouldn't be here to pick up Ryan. Could my life get any worse?
"Hey, Ryan, your dad is here." I hear Todd's voice from behind and I make the mistake of turning around to see him holding hands with RTS. She looks so unbelievably happy that she is glowing. Not that I can blame her, but really, is this the way I have to end my first homecoming dance?
"See you later, Mr. Taylor," he says through the window to my dad and then turns around to point at Sid and me. "See you girls later, too. Sidney, don't get any ideas, I'm going to check to make sure you’re in Ash's room,” Todd yells back to her. I almost forgot that Todd is spending the night tonight and, apparently, he is coming into my room later! Well, things are starting to look up. That is until we get into the car and Sid will not stop talking about Simon. I mean, I'm happy for her, but seriously, do I need to hear a replay of every single word he said?
“Then he said he was superman and I was his kryptonite. A little cheesy, but so cute."
"Not cute. I can't believe you fell for that one." Shane says.
"I really think I like him, Shane.” She turns to look right at him and then she leans back against the seat and goes on and on to no one in particular. “He is so cute and so sweet. I really don’t think it’s just a homecoming thing. I mean, I’ve been in classes with him for a long time, but I never really knew him.”
If my heart would stop feeling like it’s breaking, I would be a lot happier for her. The hardest part is, I can’t say anything about how I’m feeling and I desperately want to talk about it. I find myself wishing Sid wasn’t spending the night so I can be alone to cry into my pillow. I can’t get RTS's glowing face out of my head. Shane and I just keep eyeing each other, but he is lucky; he'll soon be home and I am going to be stuck listening to Sid the entire night. Then again, Todd is spending the night, so maybe it is worth it. Maybe.
***
We drop Shane off at home and Sid and I are finally upstairs in my room. Sid is instantly attached to her phone; so I might as well be alone. Well, except for the fact that she has to read me every text from Simon.
“I had such a good time tonight, it far exceeded my wildest Homecoming Dreams.” Sid reads off her iPhone. "Oh, he's so sweet," she says in response to every text he sends.
Man, she has fallen hard and fast. I hope he has an unlimited plan with the amount of texts flying back and forth. Not to mention he needs to work on his lines. I pick up my phone and text Shane exactly what Simon has texted to Sid. If I have to hear them so does he and I sign them all Love, Simon.
He texts back. LOL. Sorry!
This sucks, but I did have a great time tonight, thanks for being an awesome date, I text back to Shane. Then a loud squeal interrupts my textversation.
"Ash, he asked me to go to the movies next weekend! Agh, it's my first official date!"
"Congrats, Sid. That's great!" I try to sound genuine.
Sid has a date on Friday. I want Shane to live through everything I have to.
Awesome, Shane texts back
"Shane says, that's awesome, Sid."
"Oh no, I hope Shane isn't jealous," Sid has always thought Shane secretly loves her and that's why he never talks about other girls. Boy, is she off.
Hope ur not jealous? Sid is concerned :)
LOL tell her I'll live! Shane quickly types back.
"Shane said, he's devastated, but he's happy for you." I think that sounds a little better.
"Oh, Shaney. Let me see." She grabs my phone before I can pull it away from her.
"Ha! He didn't say that. Good, I felt bad." Wow, this is a new Sid. Usually Shane not really caring would bother her. She must really like Simon.
Love you, too, Shane xoxoxo Sid, she types and throws my phone back on the bed.
WTF? Shane sends back.
IKR? A new Sid. WOW
I wait for as long as possible to get ready for bed because that means I'll have to take my contacts out and put my glasses on. I really don't want Todd to see me in my glasses. Truthfully, he's seen me in them a million times growing up and I’ve never thought twice about it, but now it’s different. I want to look perfect, not frumpy. My eyes ultimately get to the point where they are so dry that my eyelids feel like they are sticking to my eyeballs. I finally cave and wash my face and put my glasses on. I am officially frumpy Ashley; oh, well, there's something to be said about being comfortable. When I get back to my bedroom, it is one in the morning and Sid has finally put her phone down.
I can’t believe it’s one in the morning and they still aren’t home yet. It‘s so unfair that Ryan doesn’t have a curfew tonight when we had to get picked up at ten-thirty. I mean, who knows what they’re all doing right now.
"Sorry, Ash; I know I've been attached to my phone." Sid lies down in the bed next to me. "But I really like Simon. I mean, so far. He isn't playing any games. He said he'd text and he did. He said he's liked me since last year, but was always too afraid to talk to me. Can you believe that?"
"Sure. I'm really happy for you, Sid." I yawn. I’m trying hard to keep my eyes open and listen to her, but my eyelids are getting unbelievably heavy. I can hear her talking, but sleep is pulling me into a deep, dark, silent place.
"ASHLEY, you fell asleep!" Sid pulls me out of my warm, dark place.
"I'm sorry. I really want to talk about Simon, but I'm so tired." I open my eyes wider so they’ll stay open. I want so badly to stay up until the boys get home, but there is no Todd or Ryan in sight and my tactics to stay awake aren't working, I know sleep is going to win.
Sure enough, the next thing I know, sunlight is streaming through my window. That is definitely a bright, late-morning sun, too. I quickly look at my alarm clock and it says ten A.M.!
I shoot up. Sid is still next to me, on the verge of waking up, so I nudge her a little to help speed things up. "Morning, Sid!"
"Hi, Ash!" she says a little groggily, but definitely coming to. "You fell asleep last night. I wanted to talk about Simon." Oh man, I forgot about Simon, I should have just let her sleep. What was I thinking?
"I totally want to hear all about Simon, but I'm starving. Think we can talk about him downstairs, in the kitchen?"
"Okay." She rubs the sleep out of her eyes and slowly gets out of bed. Can’t she go any faster? My heart is pounding with excitement. I can't wait to see Todd. I still can’t believe he’s here, in my house, and hopefully awake! As we walk down the stairs, I try to act calm and casual, but inside, my stomach is flipping and twisting.
I turn the corner to the kitchen and all the waiting last night is worth it. There he is, sitting at my kitchen table, wearing a white t-shirt and plaid flannel pants. The t-shirt hugs his tone body perfectly and the sleeves are just short enough to give you a hint of his well-defined arms. The stream of sunlight coming through the window bounces off his hair and brings out the flecks of golden, natural highlights. The lighting is perfect. He looks amazing. Oh, and Ryan is there, too.
"Good morning." Todd says, "Nice glasses, Ash."
Oh crap, in all the excitement, I forgot I’m wearing my stupid glasses. "Thanks, Todd," I say as I sit down in a seat across from him at our round kitchen table.
"What time did you guys get home?" Sid sits cross-legged at the table, she is still clearly irritated with her brother.
"One-thirty," Ryan says, then he looks at me. "Dad was not happy."<
br />
"Thanks for ruining the future for me."
Ryan only shrugs because he knows it’s true.
"How's Rebecca?" Sid asks. Wow, I love her! This is exactly what I want to know and couldn't figure out how to bring up.
"Good," Todd replies. Can't he elaborate? Ugh!
"Are you two official now?" Sid continues pushing. I know it is payback for last night, but it’s working out well for me.
"Um, I don't know. I guess?" Todd shrugs his shoulders.
It’s like something huge just fell on my chest and crushed it. You are fine, I keep telling myself over and over, but I am not fine!
"Sounds like you’re really in love." Sid is full of sarcasm.
"Shut up, Sidney. What's up with you and the freshman you were with? What's his name? Sam?"
"It's Simon and he's great! Thanks for trying to ruin my social life last night, but it didn't work."
"Someone has to look out for my baby sister."
"Shut up!" Sid is definitely still bitter. "Well, he asked me out on a real date and you won't be there to ruin anything."
"We'll see about that." Todd crosses his arms over his chest.
Maybe Sid should stop there. I wouldn't put it passed Todd to go to the same movie that night. He seems to like scaring Simon.
"Why isn't Ryan getting any of these questions?" Todd asks.
"Ryan is boring; we already know what happened there. Ryan and Gretchen are the perfect couple. The end." Sid and I both laugh. I am so glad Sid is doing all of the talking; I’m not sure I could form a sentence and sound normal yet.
"I wouldn't be so sure. Ryan had a good night last night. Lots of girls were interested in him." Todd looks at Ryan and gives a smirk I can’t quite read. Ryan glares at Todd in return and even a blind person could tell it’s heated.
I hadn't noticed before, but something is off between Todd and Ryan. I’m not the only one not saying anything at the table. Ryan is usually much more talkative than this in the mornings.
"What does that mean?" Sid asks.
"Yeah, what happened?" I finally find my voice.
"Nothing. It was nothing. Todd is just over-exaggerating." Ryan tries to cover his angry undertones, but they are definitely there.
"Did you and Gretchen have a fight?" Sid asks with genuine concern. Man, she is good, or maybe, now that she's found love, she can relate to Ryan.
"No, Sid. We're fine. Everything is fine," Ryan says sternly, clearly wanting to drop it. I can’t help getting excited that maybe there is a small chance of trouble in Gretchen's paradise. Not that I want Ryan to get hurt, but...
Chapter 9: Things are Getting Interesting.
I am so happy Shane is the first one at the lockers this morning. I can’t wait to tell him about the conversation at my kitchen table yesterday. I wanted to ask Ryan more about it, but he locked himself in his room for most of the day and when he did come out it was clear he didn't want to talk about the dance.
"Shane! I have so much to tell you. I wanted to text you, but thought this was a better in person conversation."
"What? I'm dying." Shane asks perking up.
"Well, the bad news is Todd and Rebecca might be official."
"Really? Sorry, Ash!"
"Well, he was sort of all over the place when Sid asked him, but he said ’um... I guess?’ I'm taking it as a maybe, which is closer to a yes, but then Todd made it seem like something happened with Ryan and another girl."
"Get out!" he says as he shoves my shoulder.
"I know! He didn't say who, and Ryan clearly didn't want to talk about it. He said everything is fine and Todd is just over-exaggerating, but he seemed upset."
"It has to be Blythe!" Shane says as he packs his books into his bag.
"That's what I was thinking, too. I mean, after what we saw on the dance floor, it would make sense."
"Wow! Did he say anything else? Like any clues to what happened?"
"None"
"So frustrating."
“But we need to find out," I say it very matter of factly.
"Of course. Well, the really good news is, and this is top secret,"—he lowers his voice—"the Sour Lollipops are starting rehearsals for the school pep rally before the district championship game in two weeks."
"That is great news! Okay, your job is to work Todd for information, and of course, give me updates on Todd and RTS."
Shane smiles. "I'll see what I can do." He slams his locker door shut, he’s about to start off toward his first class when Blythe passes us and Gretchen is at the other end of the hallway with her girls. It is suddenly like the WWII of body language.
Gretchen gets really stiff and quickly looks the other way while Blythe increases her natural strut and stares at Gretchen; she is not backing down. Sara, one of Gretchen's girls, whispers something and they all start laughing obnoxiously loud. They certainly aren't going to win Oscars for these performances, but they get their point across. Blythe continues glaring at Gretchen even as she passes while Gretchen continues to stare at the wall in the opposite direction until she knows Blythe is gone. RTS and Gretchen’s other girls are shooting Blythe daggers with their eyes the entire time. As soon as Blythe passes, all of Gretchen’s girls start whispering.
"What was that?" Shane asks.
"I have no idea, but something is definitely up."
"You think?" Shane’s grin is full of sarcasm. Sid walks up behind us, she just missed everything.
"Hi, guys!” She takes one look at our faces, "What's up?”
“We just witnessed an interesting Blythe, Gretchen interaction."
"What happened? Did you find out any more info?" Sid asks, excited.
"No, but there were major hateful looks being flung all over the hallway. Did Todd say anything to you?"
"Nothing. Ryan?"
"Not a word. He locked himself in his room."
"It's like they have some secret pact." Sid opens her locker and starts exchanging books.
"What else is new?" I close my locker and quickly peer into Sid’s locker mirror for last looks. "Okay, see you guys at lunch. Sid have you seen Simon yet today?"
"No, but he texted me and asked if I wanted to eat lunch with him today." She giggles. "Do you guys mind if he eats with us?"
Shane and I glance at each other and shrug at the same time.
"Great!" She says as she closes her locker door, “See you at lunch.” Then she turns and walks away.
"This should be fun," Shane says under his breath.
By second period the rumors are flying about everything that happened at Olives. Ryan has been mentioned in pretty much every conversation. I can’t wait to see Shane and Sid at lunch so we can try to separate fact from fiction. As luck would have it, Ryan, Todd and Brian have our same lunch schedule and so does Blythe and Gretchen. This should be interesting! Lunch cannot get here fast enough.
***
Finally, Sid, Shane and I are at our usual lunch table, and luckily, Simon isn't here yet so we have some time to talk. "Okay, I heard Ryan and Blythe made out at Olives," I say before we’ve even sat down.
"Same," they both say as they pull out their chairs.
"So that must be true, he kissed her?" I say, a little too excitedly.
"Well, not exactly; I also heard he pushed her away. So if he initiated, why would he push?” Sid starts picking at her lunch.
"Good point, but we don't know if that last part is true. Or any of it, for that matter." Shane is always the voice of reason.
"Any of what?" Simon asks as he pulls out a chair to sit down. We are so deep in conversation that I already forgot Simon is sitting with us today. That’s going to make this conversation a little more difficult. I look over at Ryan’s lunch table where I see him holding hands with Gretchen. As usual, Gretchen isn't really eating, she’s more interested in Ryan. They are pretty deep in conversation, it looks serious and maybe a little heated. Todd is talking to Brian and RTS is sitting next to him, but he seems more interested i
n what Brian is saying, which makes me happy. I wish I could hear what they’re talking about.
“It looks to be life as usual over there.” Shane gestures towards Ryan’s table with his head.
“Oh, the whole Olive’s rumors.” Simon finally catches on.
“You’ve heard them?” Sid asks.
“Um, I go to this school, too, you know?” Simon says jokingly. “I would think you two would have some insider scoop.” He points to Sid and me.
“Please. They tell us nothing,” we say at the same time.
“What have you heard?” Shane asks, not losing sight of the goal.
“Blythe and Ryan kissed and Ryan pushed her away,” Simon repeats basically everything we’ve heard.
“For a rumor, it seems to be pretty consistent.” Shane makes yet another valid point as he takes a bite of his cheeseburger.
“Yeah, I know.” As happy as I am that the Gretchen days could be coming to an end, I’m a little disappointed in Ryan. I may not like him with Gretchen, but I don’t want to see anyone get hurt, either.
The rest of the day flies by and the rumors don’t seem to change. At the end of the day, I’m at my locker when I hear Ryan’s voice. I look up to see Ryan and Blythe approaching the empty Quad that is, by some misfortune, within sight of my locker. It is usually a tease—being so close to The Quad without being allowed to hang out there—but today, it could prove to be a blessing. Blythe and Ryan are whispering, but I’m close enough that I can hear. They have no idea I am standing here or I’m sure they wouldn’t be talking so openly.
“I’m sorry, I couldn’t help it,” Blythe says to Ryan.
“Blythe, I’m really flattered. It’s not that I don’t think you’re great, but I’m with Gretchen right now.” Ryan sounds as sincere as always. “You got me in a lot of trouble, you know,” Ryan says, smiling.
“Listen, I’m not sure what you see in her, but I get it.” Blythe’s southern accent slips through. “I shouldn’t have kissed you, but you can’t say you didn’t enjoy it.” Blythe is full of confidence.
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