“How’d you manage to domesticate Ryan?” The voice was Hillary’s, and it wasn’t happy. She looked like a doll—with her perfect, petite body and oversized eyes—but her current mood was anything but playful. She and Ally waited at my locker after the final bell.
“Why? What’d you hear?” I thought the afternoon had been uneventful. Apparently not.
Lauren joined us, clutching a bouquet of sunflowers that Hil or Ally must’ve given her to celebrate the first day of school—her first day as Autumn Girl. “What’s up?” she asked.
“Ryan told Chris he asked Mia to be his girlfriend. Then Chris told Hil. Can you believe it?” Ally’s eyes were bright with excitement and gossip.
“No,” said Lauren, wide-eyed. “Really? Wow. Good job, Mia.”
“Good job? We agreed! Single Senior Year,” Hil accused. I remembered how crumpled she’d been after Keith tossed her away with the contents of his locker.
“It’s only because he heard about the pact.” I turned my lock absently. Part of me wished he’d meant it, or that the pact was my only reason for saying no.
“At least think about it!” Ally said.
“What happened to all of his potential?” Lauren teased.
“Who cares why he’s doing it? You like him and he’s hot. Anyway, did you guys see the new boy—”
“This is Ryan. He’s not serious,” Hil interrupted. “Do you know how many girls Chris says he hooked up with this summer?”
“Do you know how much Chris exaggerates?” I retorted.
“So explain it to me—if it’s two girls instead of twelve, that’s okay with you?” Hil turned to face me, edging Lauren and Ally out of the conversation.
“He hadn’t asked me then. If he hooked up with someone now, it’d matter. I can’t care what he did while we were in different states and single.”
“If you were going to date someone, and you promised you wouldn’t, you could do so much better than him!” Hil’s fingers drummed against her bare arms. “Chris thinks—”
“Who cares? Why would I take dating advice from the guy who broke up with Maggie Arturo by changing his Facebook status to single? Besides, did I miss the part where I expressed any interest in saying yes or dating Ryan? Calm down.”
“So anyway, the new guy?” Lauren persisted.
Ally stepped around Hil and grabbed my arm. “Good point, Laur. There’s not another guy, is there?” She leaned in, eager for confidences she’d accidentally repeat within minutes.
“No, of course not.”
“What about Gyver?” Hil demanded. “You’ve been hanging out a ton lately. Are you really going to tell me that you guys are just buddy-buddy?”
“What? No. We’re just friends!” It was easy to be wrapped up in this. I wanted to be the girl who’d left this school last June, the one who would’ve giggled, blushed, and eaten this up. The one who wasn’t too exhausted to stand and had to slump against the lockers.
“Ryan can’t be serious, right? I mean, why me?” I could be vulnerable about this, especially with them. I had handed out tissues to each Calendar Girl when they’d had breakups. It was why I’d vowed never to fall for a guy like him. Then, last spring, when I was two beers beyond buzzed at one of Lauren’s hot tub parties, I’d seen him sling an arm around the shoulders of a shy sophomore being mocked by seniors. “Hank’s my buddy,” he’d said, and steered the shocked boy away and introduced him to a giggly girl. Ryan had paused to admire his matchmaking, and I’d pushed him into a corner and pressed my mouth to his.
I was already blushing from that memory when Hil answered, “Probably because you’re the only girl who won’t sleep with him.”
Ally swatted her. “Be nice! Because you’re you, Mia. I mean, he talks to you. Maybe that’s it.”
“Or maybe—” Lauren began.
“Does it really matter why if you’re saying no?” Hil asked. “He’d hurt you, Mia. I know he would.”
“Enough! It’s fall. It’s my season!” exclaimed Lauren. “Can’t I just tell you to say yes or no and we can go back to celebrating me?”
Hil scoffed, “Power-tripping much, Lauren?”
Her face crumbled with the rebuke. “It’s just, it’s my day …”
Hil put her arm around Lauren’s waist. “Come on, girly. It’s time for practice. I’ll let you pick out the music and lead stretches.”
Lauren perked up. “I’ve got a totally great mix of—”
The intercom buzzed. “Mia Moore, please report to the office.”
They looked at me in surprise; I shrugged. “No clue. I’ll be there as soon as I can.”
Chapter 17
Gyver was waiting in the hall outside the office when I left ten minutes later. “What was that about?”
I sighed, shrugged, too tired to recount Principal Baker’s “How was your first day? We’re all here for you” speech.
“Nothing, really.”
Gyver touched my hand. “You okay?”
“I’m tired. It’s been a long day. The first day of school always is.”
“Why don’t you go home? I’ll take you.”