Art Geeks and Prom Queens (19 page)

“Oh, shit,” I mumble.

“Dude, what are you doing?” Tyler asks, totally annoyed at the interruption.

But JC just ignores him, and yells, “Hey, fuck you, Rio!” And his voice is really harsh and he looks really upset, like he’s gonna cry or something.

“JC, wait!” I say, feeling really bad, but not exactly sure what to do about it.

But Tyler’s already on the street and he’s approaching JC like he means business. “Dude, get a grip man, don’t talk to her like that!”

“Stay out of it, bro, this is between Rio and me.” JC slams his door, then he looks at me and yells, “I can’t fucking believe you. I can’t believe you used me like that!”

“I didn’t use you!” I shout from the driver’s seat. “You wouldn’t even talk to me, and Tyler was just giving me a ride home.” Okay, it’s not exactly the truth, but it’s not a complete lie, either.

He’s heading toward the SUV and he looks really upset. And I feel really bad knowing I’m the reason.

Then Tyler steps in front of him and holding up his hand, goes, “Dude, relax. We can work it out, okay?”

But JC knocks Tyler’s hand out of the way, like he’s batting a fly, and he looks at me and goes, “Kristi warned me about you, but I didn’t believe her.” Then he rushes right at me and I jump onto the passenger seat, trying to get as far from him as possible.

Tyler grabs him by the shoulder and says, “Dude, I’m serious, leave her alone.” Then he pushes JC so hard he loses his balance and nearly falls.

And from inside the SUV I watch his face get even redder.

JC looks at Tyler, eyes narrowed, jaw clenched, hands shaking. And even though I’m totally against violence of any kind, I have to admit part of me is thinking:
Ohmygod! Are they gonna fight?Over me?

Because how cool would that be!

I place my hands over my eyes, fingers slightly parted so I can see through the cracks, part of me anticipating the first swing, and the other part dreading it, since I really don’t want anyone to get hurt.

But then JC suddenly stops and looks at Tyler, then back at me. Then he shakes his head and goes, “Fuck it, bro, she’s not worth it. You can have her.” Like I’m his property or something.

Then he gets in the Porsche and drives away.

That’s it? He gave up just like that?

When Tyler turns and looks at me, I suddenly feel really embarrassed. Especially when he says, “Um, I should probably hit it.”

So I go, “Oh, okay.” Then I get out of the SUV and watch him get
in. And I feel like a total reject. It’s like, now that JC has “given” me to Tyler, it’s pretty obvious that he can’t wait to be rid of me, too.

I’m walking toward my house when he goes, “Hey, come here!”

So I swing around to face him, but he’s just dangling my backpack out the window. “You forgot your bag,” he says.

So I grab it and head back toward my house, without once looking back.

The next day the JC-Tyler story is being circulated all over school. And by lunch, I’ve definitely learned how even though there may be two sides to every story, people like to root for the underdog. Which means half the girls in school have turned on me, and the other half are ignoring me. And I’m not sure which is worse.

Just yesterday when I walked down the hall, all these girls waved and smiled, trying to get my attention. But now it’s like the opposite of that. Now they whisper, and point. So by the time lunch rolls around, I’m feeling pretty low.

“Am I still allowed to sit here?” I ask, half-joking and half-fearing what the answer will be.

Kayla and Jen Jen assure me I’m still welcome, but Kristi just shrugs.

I pull half a sandwich out of my lunch cooler and start to unwrap it when Kristi goes, “Well, I see you’ve still got your appetite.”

Ohmygod,
it’s
half
a sandwich! But I don’t react, I just shrug and say, “You know me,” then I take a bite, and chew it very slowly, just for her.

She watches me for a moment, not even trying to hide her disgust, then she goes, “So you’re today’s headline. I knew something was up when you didn’t call last night.”

“We were on the phone pretty late,” Kayla says.

“You talked to Kayla?” Kristi eyes me closely.

“We were on a conference call,” Jen Jen says.

“Without me?
” Kristi asks incredulously.

“You weren’t home,” I say, even though the truth is no one tried to call her.

“When?” she demands.

We all look at one another, but Kristi
sees
it. “Just forget it,” she says, pouting and looking at me accusingly.

“Relax. I did call you,” Jen Jen says. “But you didn’t answer your cell.”

Kristi sits there, staring at us. “I went for a run,” she says, somewhat calmer, but still hostile toward me.
Get in line.

“So what’d you talk about?” she asks.

“Duh?” Kayla says, and points at me.

“I know
that,
” Kristi says, glaring at her. “I meant, what are you going to do?” She gives me a harsh look.

“Nothing.” I shrug. “I tried apologizing this morning in the parking lot, but he just walked away, so I guess that’s it.” I take a bite of my tuna sandwich.

“I heard some girl call you a skank,” Kristi tells me.

Ouch, that hurts, but I don’t tell her that. “How can I be a skank when I’m a virgin?” I ask, laughing nervously.

“Hmm, let’s see, maybe by cheating on your totally sweet boyfriend who’s in love with you?” She looks at me. “Anyway, you don’t have to worry about it. I told her not to talk about you like that in front of me. I totally stuck up for you.” She takes a sip of her Diet Coke.

As I sit there watching her, I remember that time my dad told me about Stockholm Syndrome, which is when a person is taken hostage and they start to act all friendly and supportive of their kidnapper, thinking that if they cooperate and act all nice and sympathetic, they’ll remain unharmed. Eventually they can become so isolated that they actually start to fear their rescuer.

And I realize that’s exactly what it’s like being Kristi’s friend.

I mean, obviously I’m not being held hostage, since technically I’m free to walk away at any time. But as long as I hang with her (and act all nice and sympathetic and put up with her abuse), I’m guaranteed popularity (which is the same as remaining unharmed). Whereas if I leave, fight back, or allow myself to be “rescued,” then I risk being cast
out, shunned, and basically left to die alone. And believe me, like any good hostage-taker, Kristi knows she has all the power.

“What?” she asks, totally annoyed that I’m staring.

“Nothing,” I say, shaking my head. “You know, JC mentioned you yesterday.” I take another bite of my sandwich.

“What’d he say?” she asks casually.

“He said you warned him about me. Is that true?”

I’m looking right at her, but she doesn’t even flinch. She just rolls her eyes and goes, “Get real. Why would I do that? I mean, quite frankly, I always thought JC was cute but a little slow.” She taps the side of her head. “But you liked him, so why would I be on his side? Besides, I just told you how I totally stuck up for you when that girl called you a skank. You could at least thank me.”

But I don’t say thanks. I don’t say anything. Because right at that exact moment I see Tyler walking toward me. And I just sit there frozen, watching him get closer and closer until he’s standing right next to me.

“Hey.” He smiles at me and ignores my friends.

“Hey,” I say, as casual as possible.

“Do you have a sec?” he asks.

“Yeah.”

I stuff the rest of my sandwich inside my lunch bag, and follow him to another table. He leans against the edge, and goes, “Sorry about yesterday.”

I just shrug. Because now that I’ve been informed people think I’m a skank, I don’t really feel like reminiscing.

“I didn’t know about you and JC.”

“It wasn’t serious,” I say, looking down at the toe of my new round-toed pumps.

“Wasn’t?”

“We broke up.” I shrug.

He nods and looks over at my friends (who are totally gawking at us and not even trying to hide it), then back at me. “Are you going to the Moondance?”

Is he asking me out? And if so, is it because he thinks I’m a skank?

“Um, no.” I shrug.

“Wanna go with me?”

I look up.

Did he really just say that?

“Well?” He smiles.

“Yeah, okay,” I say all casual, even though my heart is thumping so hard I’m sure he can hear it.

He leans in and kisses me, and it’s like I can still feel it even when it’s over. “I’ll call you,” he says.

Then the bell rings. But when I get back to my table, my friends are willing to risk a tardy just to hear what happened.

“He asked me to go to the Moondance,” I say, gathering my stuff. “What’d you say?” Kristi asks, eyes narrowed.

“I said yes,” I look at her briefly, then throw my trash in the bin.

“So now you’re going to the dance with Tyler, and I don’t even have a date?” she says, following closely behind me.

“I guess so.” I head toward my locker.

“Oh, my god, he is such a total hottie! You are so lucky!” Kayla says.

“What are you gonna wear?” asks Jen Jen. “We totally have to go shopping!”

They’re both smiling, like they really are happy for me. But Kristi looks furious.

“I can’t fucking believe this,” she says. “I can’t fucking believe
you
have a date and I don’t.”

She’s standing next to my locker with her hands on her hips, totally glaring at me, like it’s just so unbelievable that two different guys could like me in the course of a week. It’s not my fault no one’s asked her yet.

And you know what? I’m starting to get a little tired of her attitude. I’m also starting to feel a little more confident than I did twenty minutes ago. So I say, “What about Drew? You said he was bugging you to commit.”

Kayla and Jen Jen look at her in shock. “Is that true?” they ask.

But she ignores them.

Then right as I slam my locker shut I go, “Well, if all else fails, I heard JC is available.”

She glares at me, but I walk right past her and head to class.

After school I was really looking forward to another “driving lesson” with Tyler, but he was busy with practice so I hopped a ride with Kayla and Jen Jen. We were hanging out upstairs in my room when my mom came home.

“Hi, girls!” she says, barging in after one, barely audible, warning knock.

“Hey, Mrs. Jones!” they say, acting all happy to see her. Which makes me wonder if they really are.

“Where’s Kristi?” she asks, actually looking concerned.

We all just kind of look at one another and shrug, since up until now we didn’t really notice she was missing. And it’s weird how Kristi used to be like the sun and we all rotated around her. But now it’s like she’s starting to burn out, and we just don’t gravitate to her like we used to.

“Did Rio tell you about my Gap ad?” my mom asks, dropping her shopping bags, and making herself comfortable on my bed.

“Oh, my god, really?” Kayla says, like she’s eager to hear more. “It’s not
your
Gap ad,” I say, rolling my eyes for emphasis. “There’s gonna be other models in it, too.”

My mom shoots me a look, and continues, “They’re using a group of former big names for the fall ad, and I’m flying to New York in a couple weeks for the shoot! It’s going to be so fun, just like a reunion!”

I’m studying the intricate weave of my duvet, patiently waiting for this to end. But my friends must look impressed because she goes, “Hey, you girls have great taste. Maybe you can help me decide on a color for the upstairs guest bathroom.” She reaches into one of her shopping bags and pulls out like twenty swatches of different shades of ecru, which is just a fancy word for beige.

“I thought you already finished that room,” I say, wishing she’d vacate immediately and leave us alone.

“Yeah, but I’m just not thrilled with it. It lacks something.” She shakes her head.

“Like restraint?” I give her a cold look that she ignores.

“Come on, tell me what you think,” she says, clutching the swatches, and motioning for my friends (but not me!) to follow. And as they’re heading down the hall I hear her say, “Right now it has a sort of eco look, but it seems kind of blah. So I was thinking Paris! You know, can-can girls,
Moulin Rouge
—did you see that movie?”