“I don’t know Sam, maybe she likes him. Why am I the one being interrogated here?”
“Because,” says Kendall, “You’re the mole. Friends with them and friends with us. You’re a double agent so give us the goods.”
“Yeah, spill it.” Sam whispers, “You know what people are saying, right?”
“No.” I shift my gaze to the left and right, then pretend to pull out a notepad and pen. “What are the people saying?”
“Well,” says Sam, “they’re saying Todd cheated on Kallie but they’re still pretending to be a couple for Prom.”
“Yeah, they don’t want to mess up their chances at King and Queen.” Kendall stares me up and down. “Is it true?”
“I can neither confirm nor deny any allegations directed toward my best friend.”
“They almost had this whole thing in the bag.”
“Exactly.” Sam nods. “We’re sick of Molly and Jane winning everything. Kallie is friends with everyone, and Todd’s super hot, for a guy.”
“Who knows,” says Kendall. “With these rumors going around, maybe you actually have a chance.”
I pop a mushy carrot stick in my mouth. “Gee thanks.”
“No I mean it. It’s too bad you and Sean are so low-key. People barely even know you guys are a thing.”
“Yeah.” Sam adds, “You guys need to hang out in public more or do something scandalous.”
“Like what?” I ask. “Stage a pregnancy scare or check into rehab?”
“I know,” says Sam, her eyes lighting up. “You could throw a big party like Kallie did, but invite everyone. And have a theme. It’ll give you more visibility.”
All I can do is laugh and try not to spit out my carrot in the process. “You guys are out of control. It’s not a presidential election.”
“You’re damn right it’s not,” Kendall says. “This is Prom. It’s important.”
****
In last period, Justin passes me a note from my regular seat. I’ve forced Justin to trade spots with me every day since Monday. Opening the note for even a split second is painful. Sean’s handwriting stares right back at me. “I don’t want this,” I whisper and turn to give it back.
Mr. Norderick clears his throat. “Let’s stay focused guys.”
Reading. Writing. As if I can concentrate. We’re supposed to be reading Emily Barrett Browning and working on a remake of her “How Do I Love Thee” poem. It’s due tomorrow but I can’t concentrate worth crap. Love shmuvv. I crush Sean’s note into the pocket of my jeans. My book sits open while I try to ignore the loud pattering of my heart by doodling words and pictures into my notebook.
Like clockwork, the bell rings, everyone rushes out and the new routine we’ve been doing since Monday starts. Molly meets Justin outside of the door. They walk behind us, in their own world. Todd still waits for Kallie and they walk together as usual, holding hands, but nothing more. Kallie and I make small talk so the boys can’t get a word in.
Sean glides up next to me, “Did you get my note?”
I turn to Kallie. “So, Kallie, did you watch the new episode of The B Crew last night? It was so boring.”
Kallie shakes her head. “No, but you know what movie I watched? The Grudge. It was old and it wasn’t very nice.”
I roll my eyes. “Humph. I bet.”
Justin yells from behind us, “Know what movie I saw? Weekend at Bernie’s Two. A classic.”
****
Kallie calls me right after school. “Prom is next weekend. That’s like nine days. You have to talk to Sean. Laura said Jane supposedly asked him if he wanted to trade dates.”
“Trade dates? What the hell? How come everyone thinks they can pass their dates around like a bad case of chlamydia?”
“Exactly. Jane would be going with Sean. As his date, Bree. You can’t let that happen.” “What if you go with Sean, and Jane goes with Todd and I go with Brian?”
“Nice try. Jane would love that. She asked Todd after school today. Right in front of my face. She walked up to us in the parking lot and asked him what he was doing about Prom. Todd actually laughed. In his world, Jane cheated on him. Tell me that’s not twisted? He said he’s not even talking to her anymore. I don’t think anyone’s speaking to her right now. You can’t let her go with Sean.”
“I don’t care if he actually goes with her.” I press my phone onto speaker then pummel my fists into my mattress. “I don’t care.”
“Listen to yourself. Yes, you do. Sean’s going to give up eventually, and you’ll miss out on a guy that loves you. And, you’re gonna have a shit Prom.”
“Oh really Kal, like yours is gonna be such a blast. I can’t believe you’re still letting Todd take you.”
“I don’t really have a choice. I thought about it and I’m not going alone. Aside from the depresso factor, it wouldn’t look good. I’m on the Court, my parents will be at the pep rally, and Todd’s parents are coming over for pictures at our house when he picks me up. My parents are more excited than I was. Who wants a bunch of Prom pictures of their daughter … by herself?”
“I guess I know what you mean.” I sigh.