Demonosity (27 page)

“Oh yes, how embarrassing to not have a prom date. We wouldn’t want that,” Candice bristled, and Mia found herself wincing in guilt. They’d made a pact to go to the senior prom together to prove they didn’t need guys to have fun. Though in all fairness, they’d made this decision based purely on the fact that with Candice’s ongoing medical obsession and Mia’s encyclopedic knowledge of anything
Buffy
- and
Angel
-related, neither of them had any expectations of being asked in the first place. Let alone by a guy like Rob Ziggerman.

“Candice, I didn’t mean that.” Mia shot her friend an apologetic look. “It’s just, if he hadn’t asked me, then no one would’ve cared less if I did or didn’t have a date. But now. . . ”

“But now, instead of everyone just thinking you’re that weird girl who once tried to get the school to have a Joss Whedon day, they’ll think you’re the girl Rob dumped,” Candice finished, and Mia let out a groan.

“I’ve really screwed up, haven’t I?”

“No, you haven’t,” Candice finally relented. “Your only sin was being so refreshingly adorable that Rob couldn’t resist you.”

“Thanks.” Mia shot her friend an appreciative glance and sighed. “Now if only I could figure out how to make it happen all over again.”

“Got it,” Candice suddenly whispered. “Since Rob seems incapable of taking his eyes off Samantha’s disgustingly low-cut top, we have to assume that boobs are his fatal flaw. So what about getting a push-up bra to help distract him? We could cut the next few classes and go to the mall.”

“But the senior assembly is this afternoon.” Mia looked at her friend in surprise. “That’s when the football team will be getting their awards. Rob will be there.”

“Yes, and if you don’t act soon, you’ll get to see Samantha and her thirty-six-Ds bouncing up to congratulate him afterward,” Candice said in a matter-of-fact way.

“You’re right.” Mia glanced down at her own less-than-impressive chest. “A push-up bra it is, and maybe we could also—”

“Maybe you could both pay attention?” someone suggested in a mild voice, and Mia looked up to where Mr. Haves had suddenly appeared by her side. “So, Mia, would you like to tell us what happens next?”

Mia hoped no one had heard her push-up-bra plan as she looked up at his encouraging smile. Normally, when teachers did that it was because they were evil passive-aggressive mani acs who liked to see students squirm, but Mr. Haves just genuinely seemed to like helping kids learn. Which as a rule was a good thing, just not today. She peered over to the whiteboard, where there was an amplified photo of a cockroach. Gross.

“Well?” Mr. Haves continued. “What do you think is going to happen to our friend,
Periplaneta americana
next?”

“Um. . . it’s going to fly away?” she guessed, and then wished she hadn’t as the sound of Samantha Griffin’s unmistakable snicker sounded out. Which was more than a little annoying since Samantha wasn’t exactly an A-plus sort of student.

“Not quite. Can anyone else tell me?” Mr. Haves looked hopefully around the class, but when no one raised a hand, he glanced in the direction of his favorite student, Chase Miller—aka the new boy. Well, he’d been at Newbury High for about six months now, but for some reason Mia had never really talked to him. Apparently he was from Boston or somewhere like that. He was tall with short light brown hair and green eyes that were set above a pair of razor-sharp cheek-bones. He also tended to keep to himself.

“The jewel wasp is going to put venom into the cockroach’s brain so it can control its mind and body, making it a brainless minion.”

“Excellent. Well done, Chase.” Mr. Haves clapped as he walked back to the front of the room and brought up the next photograph. “The jewel wasp will lay its eggs on the cockroach. After the eggs hatch, the larvae will feed on the roach. Then the larvae use the roach’s abdomen as the perfect living-dead incubator until the newly hatched wasps can feed on—”

Much to Mia’s relief, the rest of his words were drowned out as the bell rang, quickly followed by the sound of scraping chairs that echoed around the room.

“Can you wait for me? I won’t be long.” Mia turned to where Candice was busy studying something on her cell phone.

“Sure.” Her friend gave a vague wave of her hand without looking up and so Mia piled her books into her bag and took a moment to pat her shoulder-length brown hair into place before hurrying toward Rob. However, just before she got there, Mr. Haves appeared in front of her.

“Mia, could I have a quick word, please?”

“Oh.” She gulped as she watched Rob stride out, engrossed in something Samantha was saying, the faint smell of his cologne catching in her nose as he went. Mia realized this probably wasn’t the time or the place. “Uh, I guess so.”

“Actually, I’ll meet you outside.” Candice waved her phone in the air. “I’ve got to make an important call. When it comes to leprosy, you’ve got to move quickly.”

“Did she just say ‘leprosy’?” Mr. Haves lifted a surprised eyebrow as he beckoned Mia to follow him to the front of the classroom.

“Yeah, Leprosy. They’re, uh, this great band. She wants to get concert tickets,” Mia improvised as she reluctantly headed over.

“I’ll have to listen out for them,” Mr. Haves said as he reached into his desk and pulled out a piece of paper, which bore a striking resemblance to the test she’d taken a couple of weeks ago. That was the day after Rob had asked her to the senior prom. Then he waved a second piece of paper in the air. That one looked like Friday’s test. The one she’d taken after hearing the rumors that Samantha was after Rob.

“So, about these,” Mr. Haves said as Mia studied her shoes. As she recalled, she didn’t exactly nail either of them. “I don’t need to tell you you’re one of my better students, which is why I’m concerned about these grades. Is there something going on?”

What? Like the fact that the guy she’d secretly had a crush on for four years suddenly asked her out on a date for no apparent reason? And then after five more dates, he had made her the happiest girl in the whole entire world by asking her to prom.
And now he had apparently decided to get with Samantha Griffin.

“Everything’s fine. I’ve just been a bit stressed. It’s no big gie,” she said.

“Are you sure?” Mr. Haves wrinkled his eyes together and looked concerned. “Because I noticed Rob is now lab partners with Samantha. Does that have something to do with it?”

“No, of course not,” she said instead as the blood started to pound in her ears. If Mr. Haves knew about it, then there was a fair chance that the rest of the school did, as well. “And I’m sorry about the tests. I, er, had food poisoning last week.”

“What sort?”

“Excuse me?”

“What sort of food poisoning?”

“The poison sort. Anyway, if that’s everything, I’d better get going.”

“Of course, but remember Mia, if you ever have any problems, you can talk to me. You’re a bright student and that’s the way we want things to stay. Actually, if you’d like, I could arrange for another student to tutor you before the next test. Just to get you back on track.”

“Honestly, Mr. Haves, it’s fine. I’ve got everything completely under control.” Mia managed to shoot him a faint smile before she walked out of the classroom. She was about to become the laughingstock of the entire school, and she was fairly certain talking to a teacher or getting some tutoring wasn’t going to change that.

“So how bad?” Candice demanded the minute Mia stepped into the hallway and shut the door behind her.

“Bad,” she said with a shudder. “Not only did I fail the last two tests, but even Mr. Haves has noticed that Rob and Samantha are getting close. This is serious, Candice. I think we’re going to need more than a push-up bra to fix it.”