Four Doors Down (23 page)

The guys around us chuckle and Katie nods, trying to hold back a smile. “Right, sorry.”

“Seriously. I mean, we barely talk. She’s crazy if she’s actually jealous over that,” I reiterate. This is turning into one of the most ridiculous conversations I’ve ever had.

“Yeah, right. I know.” She glances over my shoulder. “Well, here he comes anyway.”

I turn to the side and see Ryan approaching with Jake and try not to pull a face. He’s glancing at Katie and his friends suspiciously. “What are you guys talking about?” he asks as soon as he reaches us.

I wait for Katie to reply, but she just stares back at him smiling.

“Just about how much we can’t stand each other,” I inform Ryan.

He glances over at me. This is the first time we’ve spoken since our fight at the beach. I mean, let’s face it: we definitely didn’t speak in Sal’s, we just shot each other dirty looks, and I’m still annoyed at him for the way he spoke about Charlie. I don’t understand him.
Was he always this interfering?

“Oh come on, Becca, he’s not that bad,” Jake says, slapping Ryan on the back and coming to his defense.

“Well not compared to Adolf Hitler, he isn’t,” I instantly reply to chuckles from his friends.

“You guys are back to being friends again,” Jake continues.

“Please,” I scoff. “I’d rather go for a sleepover at Jessica Murphy’s.”

Ryan snickers and crosses his arms. “Yeah? Maybe you could play dodgeball again?”

My mouth falls open as I hear the laughter from his friends. I can’t believe he’s just brought that up again. I’m already humiliated enough over that whole incident.

“Fuck you, Ryan!”

“He wishes,” someone says from behind me. I swing my head around but I have no idea who said it and they’re all looking away, trying not to laugh. I immediately get nervous and have flashbacks to teen movies where the popular kids play a prank on the dork to make everyone else laugh.

Something is definitely going on here.

“I’m leaving,” I announce and turn to leave, but Katie reaches out and grabs my arm. “Becca, wait.” I stop with a sigh and look at her. “I’ve been meaning to tell you how much I love your style.”

Wait. What?
I glance down at my clothes. I’m wearing faded blue skinny jeans that sit low on my hips, a loose fitting white V-neck t-shirt with a hooded sweater thrown over the top. At best my style can be described as laid-back Cali casual, in reality, I grab whatever’s clean in my closet.

“Thanks,” I answer uncertainly taking in Katie’s own outfit. She looks like she’s just stepped out of a magazine. She’s wearing a green low cut dress which hugs her curves perfectly and compliments her red hair and pale skin, her arms are covered in bracelets and the high heeled boots she’s wearing makes her a couple of inches taller than me. The girl looks freaking beautiful. She always does.

“Anyway my cousin’s wedding is coming up and I need something new. I was hoping you’d come shopping with me.”

My jaw falls open in surprise.
She wants to go shopping? With me?
“Oh, um. I don’t know. I’m probably not the best person to ask. . .”

“But you’re the perfect person.” She smiles sweetly at me. “I have a tendency to go way OTT. You can help me reel it back in.” I glance at Jake in confusion. Katie has a ton of friends she can go shopping with, she definitely doesn’t need me. Jake just shrugs back at me.

“Um. Maybe Jessica or Bianca could help you?” They’re her best friends and I can’t imagine Jessica being particularly happy about me hanging with Katie.

“No way. They’re like me and I would end up getting the same old thing. I want to mix it up a bit.”

“I mean, I don’t really go shopping that much.”

“What are you doing three weeks from Saturday?” she asks.

I stare at her blankly. Three weeks from Saturday? I don’t know what I’m doing tonight. And why on earth would she want to shop with me? We do not socialize.

“Becca, three weeks from Saturday, are you free?”

“Um, I…” I can’t think of anything to say and my phone starts ringing, distracting me further. I reach down to my pocket to grab it.

“Leave it,” she instructs me, still waiting for an answer.
Wow, she’s quite bossy.

“I don’t—” I start to say but John interrupts me. “Just agree to go, Becca.” I glance over at him and he’s watching Katie with amusement. “She won’t give up until you do.”

I turn back to Katie feeling a bit bewildered. “Please, Becca. I really need you. Pretty please?”

I sigh and shrug in defeat. “Yeah, I guess I’m free,” I say.

She claps her hands in victory and flashes her perfect teeth in a blinding smile. “Great. We’ll have so much fun.” I nod as Jake comes and stands beside me and I notice Ryan watching us with interest. “What about in the evening? Are you free then too?”

“I guess,” I reply lamely. I have no idea what I’ll be doing, but something tells me once Katie has decided she wants something, she gets it.

“So you’ll shop with me during the day and then hang with me that night?”

“Sure?”

A smug smile crosses her face and then she drops the bomb she’s been setting me up for. “Great, because that night I’m hosting a party at my parent’s place at the beach. There’s tons of space, everyone can stay over.” She raises an eyebrow. “We’re all going,” she says waving her hand around to include everyone in the vicinity and then stopping and pointing directly at Ryan, “and now so are you.”

My jaw falls open in surprise.
She tricked me!
I just stare at her speechless as Jake bursts into loud laughter next to me Katie grins triumphantly at me. She knew I’d never agree to go to a party with this crowd and conjured up that whole shopping scenario so that I wouldn’t know this is what she was after.
Liking my style? I should have known!
This is the “something else” she was talking about when I said I wouldn’t go to Jake’s party. The last thing I want to do is hang around these people all weekend. And why the hell would she want me there?

“I don’t think—I mean, I can’t,” I say backpedaling.

“But you just said you were free, didn’t you?” Katie asks sweetly, a mischievous grin on her face. She’s got me and she knows it.

I stand there in silence, trying to come up with something to say. I glance at Jake, who looks like he’s about to keel over from laughing. “Shut it,” I mutter at him. He throws his arm around me good-naturedly. “She’s got you there, McKenzie!”

“Oh come on, Becca,” Katie continues. “It’ll be fun. We’re not ogres. You can bring some friends if you want to. Sam’s really cool and some of the other girls you eat lunch with.”

I narrow my eyes at her. She doesn’t know what my other friend’s names are, but she’s smiling at me with such genuine hope that I can’t be mad at her. Apparently she really wants me to come.

“Can I bring Charlie?” I ask and I immediately hear stifled groans of annoyance from Jake next to me and some of Ryan’s other friends. Katie’s smile wavers just slightly.

“What?” I demand. “He’s my boyfriend. He’s a really nice guy.”

Katie glance over at Ryan, and I immediately know what this is about.

I whirl around to face Ryan. “You better not have been talking shit about him again Ryan!” I snap angrily.

Ryan shrugs. “Bring him along. Let everyone form their own opinion on your perfect boyfriend.”

“You have no right to talk about him. You don’t even know him.”

“Maybe he could bring his guitar and sing to us all?” he suggests mockingly.

“Stop it!”

“Just giving you my opinion, friend to friend,” he says sarcastically.

“I don’t care about your opinion and you are not my friend” I hiss back vehemently.

“What you getting so worked up about?” he asks smirking, trying to get a reaction out of me.

My blood boils. “YOU ARE SO ANNOYING!” I explode. “You have no right—” I stop suddenly, remembering we have an audience and glance around, embarrassed. Katie looks concerned, but most of the guys are snickering at my expense. Ryan’s grinning too, knowing he’s riled me up again. He’s made me look stupid for his friend’s amusement again. I am not going to make a public spectacle of myself. Well, at least not again.

I take a calming breath. “You know what? It’s fine. You’re entitled to your opinion,” I say, my voice back to its normal volume.

Ryan cocks an eyebrow at me, still smirking like an idiot. “Really? That’s very mature of you, McKenzie.”

“Isn’t it?” I reply, my voice dripping with sarcasm. I turn to leave, then face him again. “You can think whatever you want. I couldn’t care less about your opinion. You’re not even a blip on my radar.”

Something in his eyes flashes but he doesn’t reply.

“Stay out of my business, Ryan. And stay away from me,” I demand.

He nods at me and holds his hands up in defeat. “Hey, no problem. Well, at least for the next couple of hours, anyway.”

This stops me from moving. I look at him and the cocky look on his face tells me he knows something I don’t. My curiosity gets the better of my want to storm off. “What?” I ask after a pause.

He grins, knowing he’s winning whatever stupid fight we’re having now. “Didn’t you know? I’m coming over to your house tonight for dinner.”

My eyes blaze.
He’s doing what?
While it’s not unusual to see his mom over at our house, and even his dad every now and again, Ryan hasn’t been over in years as far as I know. “You’re what?”

He raises his eyebrows, looking very pleased with himself. “Jay invited me over. I just got off the phone with your mom. I’ll be there by seven.”

My jaw drops open.
How dare my mother do this!
She knows how I feel about Ryan. All my good resolve about Jay immediately goes out the window. I don’t care how much Jay wanted Ryan there, I’m her child.

Ryan crosses his arms, still with that damn smirk on his face, knowing he’s pissed me off.

I narrow my eyes. “Fine. Have fun with my middle aged parents and five-year-old cousin. I’ll be out with my perfect boyfriend.” His grin falters slightly and I smile back at him sweetly. I glance around at everyone watching us silently and force an even bigger smile on my face. “Bye, everyone,” I say waving.

They look between Ryan and me like they’re not sure what’s going to happen next. This is so embarrassing. This had better not get around school too. Katie looks like she regrets stopping me.

I spin on my heel and walk quickly away, ignoring Jake’s shouts for me to hold up. I get in my car and put as much distance between them and me as I can. I have had enough. I am ignoring that entire crowd from now on, rude or not. They’re up to something and I have had enough of Ryan Jackson to last me a lifetime. I reach for my phone and call Charlie.

I have some plans to make for the night.

“S
am!” I call down the hallway, spotting Sam and hurrying to catch up to her. “I need your notes for English,” I say as I reach her.

She furrows her eyebrows at me questioningly.

“I’m failing. I need to get my grades up. Henderson spoke to my mom and she’s flipped.”

“But you usually ace English.”

“I know. I’ve been ditching a bit though and not getting homework in. I have to pull up Science too by the end of the semester. My parents are pissed.”

Pissed is actually a complete understatement. I got back from Charlie’s last night to my mom and dad sitting at the kitchen table waiting for me. I tried to breeze past them and go straight to bed, but they made me sit and told me in no uncertain terms that if I didn’t get my grades up in both Science and English, they would ground me for the rest of senior year. No car, no phone, no Charlie, and no life. Apparently Henderson had called to tell them about my falling grade in English and he’d even gone to the school office to pull out my attendance records and had reported to my parents how many classes I’d been skipping.

My dad was furious and wouldn’t listen to a word I said about senior year being a waste of time on the road to college since I’d already done the hard work with my SAT’s. My mom blamed herself for being so wrapped up with Jay and Aunt Ruth and neglecting me. This suited me, thinking it might get me off the hook, but my dad dismissed that completely and said I had to take responsibility for my actions and has given me a month to get my grades up…or else. That’s what he actually said. Or else. I dread to think what that means. I can’t get around him like I can my mom.

Sam nods at me in understanding. “I’ll bring them all in tomorrow.”

We keep on walking down the hallway, stopping at her locker. Erica comes rushing over. “Where were you at lunch?” she demands in greeting.

“Library,” I reply. She looks a little perplexed at this but not enough for her to stray from her theme.

“Katie Thompson came and sat with us at lunch!” she exclaims excitedly. I nearly laugh out loud. Erica needs to get over this whole popular thing.

“She did,” Sam agrees smiling. “She was dining with the common people.” I do start laughing at this.

Erica scowls at us, annoyed that we don’t agree with the importance of Katie gracing her with her presence. “She told us about that party she’s having and invited us!” Erica practically shouts. Of course she did. Sneaky.