She shrugged and stuffed a handful in her mouth. Then she grinned as she took another one.
I would’ve relaxed during the game and enjoyed it if Kate and her friends had been glaring over their shoulders at me. Instead of where they sat last time, right behind the bench of players, they took their seats in the cheering section. They sat in the second line, behind Ethan and the rest of the guys. All four of the girls stayed to themselves. They would talk to the guys, but it was rare to see another girl approach them. Two of their cheerleaders braved it and went to talk to them during the half time, but they were the only girls.
I noticed another group of girls that took up the entire row, three rows behind the Fab Four. While Kate and the rest were dressed as sexy tomboys, these girls should’ve had the Fabulous name to their group. They wore the fashion designer clothes that I recognized from the Elite members. Their hair resembled a beauty queen and their fake smiles completed the look. All they needed were crowns.
I gestured toward them and asked Laura, “Who are those girls?”
She snorted. “The wannabes.” She rolled her eyes. “Kate and Natalie are the top girls in school, but those girls like to think they are. They’re always trying to hit on the guys and they act like don’t fart or anything.” Then she shrugged. “They’ve got two leaders, Camryn and Candace Twill. Twin sisters.”
“Do Kate and Natalie like them?”
A hearty laugh escaped her and she wrapped her arms around her stomach to quiet it. “Oh god no.” She shook her head as more laughs came out. “I’m sorry, but no. Camryn and Candace prance around school like they own it, but they crap their pants anytime Kate or Natalie walk by them. I guess they used to be friends with them when we were in elementary school. Something happened in middle school. Camryn and Candace got different friends in seventh grade and Kate and Natalie became friends with Parker and Jasmine. Jasmine had just moved to town that year too.”
“They don’t look like the type to fight someone.”
“If you count backstabbing then they’re great fighters.” Laura rolled her eyes and grabbed a soda from Kelly. “Nah, they’re not in your face like Kate and the rest.”
I scooted over so Kelly had room to sit. As she did, she handed me a soda as well. Then she wiped at her forehead. “Man, the concessions are a killer to get to. I swear. I think my boob got swiped three times before I finally gave them my order. I had to shove through two groups of guys to get to the counter.”
Laura frowned. “Was it Derek Wobb and his friends?”
Kelly groaned. “Of course. He’s such a pervert.”
And then I tuned them out. They gossiped the rest of the halftime and through the rest of the game. When the last alarm sounded, FCP had won 66-50. As I followed the girls down the bleachers and out to the hallway, I overheard a few veteran fans grumble. They thought if Mason and Logan had played, FCP would’ve smoked the team by another forty points. My eyebrows shot up, but pride filled my chest. The emotion stayed with me when I went to Laura’s locker with her and Kelly.
When Laura grabbed her jacket and book bag, she shook her head as another girl whipped past us. She had the same complaint. “We should be happy that we won, instead of griping that Mason and Logan didn’t play. Seriously.”
Kelly blushed and ducked her head down.
“Not you too, Kelly.”
Her shoulders lifted up and down. She turned towards a different locker. As she went, Laura grumbled and hugged her jacket and bag to her chest. “I can’t believe this school. Everyone is brainwashed to think Mason and Logan are these gods…” Her eyes flicked to me and her voice trailed off.
I laughed. “You remembered who I am, huh?”
“Sorry.”
I shrugged. “Six months ago, I would’ve agreed with you. They’re ass**les.”
She gave me a small smile. “Unless they care about you and I can see that they care about you. They’re not jerks to you. Mason wasn’t a jerk to Marissa either.”
“No, they aren’t.” I glanced down the hallway and saw Kate at the end of it. She stood in a group. Ethan was with them, along with the other guys I recognized from the parties. A few of them spotted me and frowned, but I turned away. “How did Mason and Marissa become friends?”
The statement felt odd on my tongue.
Laura shrugged. “Who knows? Everyone was confused by it too, Logan the most of all. He hated Marissa, but Mason never knew that. Logan was the reason Tate went after Marissa so much.”
“Really? I thought you said Kate bullied her?”
“They did. Tate was their leader at that time. She really hated Marissa. It was bad. Everyday something happened, but after a while Logan backed off. Tate didn’t, though. By that time, she and Logan had broken up and she seemed to blame Marissa for it.”