My Worst Best Friend (22 page)

It was? This had to be the fastest transformation since Clark Kent stepped into the phone booth and came out as Superman. From best friend to enemy agent in under a minute.

“But that’s ridiculous!” Now I was standing, too. “I’m not sabotaging you. I want to help you.”

“Oh, right… So long as
you’re
not inconvenienced.”

“Oh, Savanna. You know that’s not true. I—”

“And don’t kid yourself about why you’re doing this to me, either. It’s not because you’re so perfect and principled and don’t like to do anything wrong.” Her arms weren’t folded in front of her any more. “That is like so incredibly far from the truth it’s practically in another galaxy.”

Never mind another galaxy, I was starting to feel like I’d stumbled into a parallel world.

“I didn’t say I was per—”

“I know exactly why you’re doing this to me, Gracie Mooney. Don’t think I don’t. You’re doing it because you’re jealous.”

Now there wasn’t a doubt in my mind. I’d definitely stumbled into a parallel world. Gracie through the looking glass – and straight into a ravine.

“I what?”

“You heard me.” She was so angry that I wouldn’t have recognized her if I hadn’t seen her get dressed before the party. “You’re jealous.” Savanna waved her arms and shook her head so that her hair blew around as if a hawk wind was moving through my room. “I can’t believe I’ve been so blind! Now I see it all, Gracie Mooney!
You’re
the worst best friend I’ve ever had. You’re way worse than Lena Skopec. I mean, all she took was my boots. But you! Right from the start you’ve been trying to turn me against Morgan. Making me doubt him. You’re like that dude in that play we did in English last year – you know, where he makes her husband jealous and she dies in the end? What’s his name? Eon—”

“
Iago
.”

“Whatever. Trying to poison my mind. Always saying that Morgan’s making up excuses for not seeing me. That he has another girlfriend.”

I felt like a one-girl climate-change disaster: my stomach was a block of ice, my palms were damp and my heart was pretty much crumbling into the sea. “But I’ve never said any of those things. I’ve never even met Morgan, Savanna. Why would I want to turn you against him?”

“Oh, I don’t think this really has anything to do with Morgan.” All of a sudden, she was dead calm in this really creepy, unnatural way. The way psychos are in the movies when they call up the police to tell them where the next body is. I’d have liked it better if she was still screaming. “I think you’ve always been jealous of me. Probably before I even knew you. Probably when I was just someone you saw around school, you were already plotting how you could ruin my life! I bet that’s why you wormed yourself between me and Marilouise like you did.”

“What are you talking about? Marilouise was in my English class. I was friends with her first. I—”

“Exactly! And then she introduced you to me, and you shoved her out and made yourself my best friend.”

That wasn’t the way I remembered it. Savanna saw me and Marilouise talking outside of class one afternoon and she came over and introduced herself. “Hi,” she said, “I’m Savanna Zindle. Who are you?” And then after a while she kind of lost interest in Marilouise, and Marilouise just seemed to drift away.

“It was your plan right from the start, wasn’t it? You were jealous of me because I’m all the things you’ll never be—”

“You mean like tall?”

“You wanted to pretend to be my best friend so you could really hurt me.”

What was I, some kind of criminal mastermind? Could she hear herself? Had we ever met? But the biggest question was: did she believe what she was saying – was that what she really thought of me?

“Savanna, you’re being completely ridiculous.”

“Oh, am I?” She sneered. “Well, I disagree. I don’t think I’m being ridiculous at all. I think I’m finally seeing the
real
you, Gracie Mooney. And the
real
you just can’t stand to see me happy. You want me to be a pathetic loser, so you can feel better about yourself.”

“That’s not true!”

“Isn’t it?”

“No, it isn’t! I’ve been helping you.”

“Have you?”

“What do you mean, have I? Of course I have, I—”

“Well, if you ask me, the person you’ve been helping is yourself. I heard you, Gracie. I
heard
you dissing me to Archie and Cooper.”

“When? I never—”

“Oh yes, you did. At the mall. You said I was a snake.”

I opened my mouth to correct her, but she rolled on like a tsunami. “And don’t you just love all the attention the boys give you now? They’re all over you!” Her voice went grating and tinny.
“Oh, here’s Gracie… Oh, Gracie, help me tie my shoelace… Oh, Gracie, wasn’t the bowling a blast?”

“Savanna—”

“And don’t think you fool me, sucking up to Cooper the way you’ve been doing, pretending to be interested in him. I mean, you don’t even
like
him. You made that totally clear. No, I know what you’re up to. You’re trying to get close to Archie.”

“Archie?” Even though we were in the middle of an argument, it was an effort not to laugh. “Do you mean Archie Snell?”

“Yes, poor little Miss Innocent Gracie Mooney, Archie Snell. Maybe you can fool him and Cooper, but not
me
. You think that if he cries on your shoulder and you’re like sooo sympathetic and understanding, you’ll get him on the rebound.”

Why would I think a thing like that?

“But I don’t want Archie. I—”

“Well, you don’t want Cooper. So why else are you burrowing in with them like a tick on a dog?”

“But I’m only even friends with them because of you.”

“That’s
your
story. But you’re a liar, aren’t you, Gracie? You said so yourself. So why should I believe anything you tell me? I mean, like, if you told me it was raining I’d probably throw out my umbrella. All I know for sure is that you and Archie are all palsy-walsy now. You’re always whispering together.”

“No, we aren’t. The only time we talk alone is when we’re talking about you.”

“And I wonder what you tell him, Gracie, huh? What do you tell him? Because Archie’s being, like, very suspicious lately. He always wants to know why I can’t see him and what I’m doing. I’m surprised he hasn’t started stalking me.”

“But that’s not my fault. You’re the one who—”

“Oh, please… Spare me the pathetic excuses.”

“Savanna—”

“I can’t take any more!” She grabbed her bag from the foot of the bed. “I’m going home.”

“You can’t go home.” I was amazed at how reasonable I sounded. “It’s after midnight. And you don’t have your shoes on.”

She raised her chin. “Then I’ll sleep downstairs.”

Now that she wasn’t screaming any more, you could hear the Wobblies, still going strong.

“Won’t the music keep you awake?”

Savanna’s face was all crushed together as if it was a tin can someone had stomped on. And then she collapsed back onto my bed, tears streaming down her face. “I can’t believe you’re doing this to me. I really can’t.”

“But I’m not, Savanna! I’m not—”

“I told you … all my secrets … and everything … and you’re, like … the only person who, like … who really knows me … who loves me … and you turn on me…” Her words got swallowed in sobs.

“But I haven’t turned on you!” It was a chain reaction. I was crying now, too. “I do love you. I’m sorry. I’m really, really sorry. I didn’t mean to upset you. I just— Oh, please, Savanna… Please say you forgive me.”

Her bottom lip quivered. “I don’t know. I feel, like, sooo betrayed.”

I sat down next to her – near, but not touching. “I’m sorry. Savanna, I’m really sorry. Please. Say you’re not mad at me. I just … you know… It’s been, like, really stressful for me. Especially tonight…”

“I’m not mad… I mean, not that mad… Anyway, I don’t think I can stay mad at you, Gray.” She snuffled back a few million tears. “And, I don’t know … maybe you’re right. Maybe what you said to Archie and Cooper is true. I’m like too—” She wiped her sleeve across her eyes. “Too persuasive or something.”

“You’re not! I was just saying that because I was embarrassed. You’re just you. Please. Say we’re still friends.”

“Oh, Gracie…”

I threw my arms around her.

We both started crying again.

I
didn’t sleep very well that night. I didn’t toss and turn – because I didn’t want to disturb Savanna – but I lay there staring into the dark, going over and over everything Savanna had said and everything I’d said, trying to make them go back in the box so I could forget about them for ever. I could tell from her breathing and the fact that she didn’t have her knee in my back that Savanna wasn’t sleeping either. I whispered, “Savanna?” But she didn’t say anything.

When I woke up the next morning, she was already dressed. She was standing in front of the mirror, putting on her make-up, humming under her breath. I didn’t recognize the song.

I rubbed my eyes. “What time is it?”

She pulled the top off her mascara. “It’s after 9.30.”

“But your mom’s coming at ten.” I pretty much jumped out of bed. “We won’t have time to make pancakes.” Pancakes were our favourite sleepover breakfast.

“I know.” She held her mascara wand in the air and looked at me in the mirror. “But I didn’t know whether I should, like, wake you up or not. I mean, I figured you needed to sleep.” She started stroking her lashes. “Yesterday was pretty mega.”

I pulled on my jeans. “My dad’s probably got some coffee made.” I yanked my genocide T-shirt over my head. It smelled like sour apples. “I’ll fix you some toast.”

“That’s OK.” She slid the wand over her lashes. “I’m not really hungry.”

“Well, what about juice? Don’t you at least want some juice?”

She batted her eyes at her reflection. “Really, Gracie. I’m fine.”

I watched her put the brush back into the mascara tube. I watched her unscrew the top on a little bottle of cologne and dab some behind each ear. I watched her fluff out her hair with her fingers, tilting her head to the left and the right and giving it a shake. I had this weird feeling that I wasn’t really there. I said, “Savanna, about last night…”

“Forget it, Gracie. I have.” She dumped her make-up back in its case. “You know, it’s all just water over the bridge.”

“
Under
.”

She snapped the lock. “Whatever.”

A horn honked in the driveway.

“Ohmigod! Mother Zindle’s early!” Savanna stuffed her things into her backpack.

I put on the flip-flops that I used as slippers and followed her out of my room.

“I don’t think you should come outside with me,” said Savanna when we reached the bottom of the stairs. “You know, in case Zelda asks you something about last night. I don’t want to put you on the spot.”

“It’s OK, I—”

“No, really.” Savanna grabbed her jacket from the hooks by the front door. “I thought about what you said after you fell asleep last night. I mean, I know I can be like pretty self— pretty self-involved. But that’s going to stop. From now on, I’m going to pay more attention to how you feel and what you want.”

I didn’t really like the sound of that. “I think I went a little over the top,” I said. “I was really stressed. I don’t want you to—”

“Kisskiss, byebye.” She gave me a hug. “I’ll talk to you later.”

I waved to Mrs Zindle from behind the storm door as Savanna ran to the car. When she got inside, Savanna rolled down her window. “Tell your dad thanks again!” she called as her mother backed out of the driveway. “I had a really great time.”

I spent the rest of the morning helping my dad clear up and put the good dishes back in the cabinet and the chairs back in the basement.

“You guys went to bed kind of early last night,” he said, as we moved the furniture back to where the band had set up. “I was afraid we might keep you awake. We played pretty late.”

I said that it was OK. “We didn’t fall asleep right away. You know, we had things to talk about.”

“Oh, right.” He picked up a broken guitar string from the rug. “I thought I heard you.” He looked from the string to me as though he was waiting for me to say something. And then he said, “I had the feeling something was going on with you and Savanna.”

“Oh, Dad…” I laughed – at what a father he was being. “Something’s always going on with me and Savanna. We’re best friends.”

He nodded. “Best friends or not, if there is anything bothering you, Gra—”

“No.” I straightened out the fireplace screen. “Nothing’s bothering me.”

“Right.” My father slipped the broken string into his pocket. “But you know where to find me if you do want to talk.”

“Yeah.” I didn’t want to talk. Not ever. As far as I was concerned, the sooner everybody forgot about last night, the better. “Thanks.”

“You know what?” He gave me a big smile. “You’re not going to believe this, but I’m already looking forward to the leftovers.”

In the afternoon I finished my homework, and after supper I watched an old movie by myself. I finally went to bed around midnight – after I realized that when Savanna said “later”, she didn’t necessarily mean
later today
.

The next morning at school, we all hung out in the lounge as usual. Cooper wanted to know how the Remember the Wampanoag party went, and Savanna said it was cool. “Wasn’t it, Gracie?” asked Savanna. That was the only thing she said directly to me.

She didn’t come to lunch that day.

“You know Savanna,” said Archie. “She left all her homework till last night, so she had to go to the library to do her history now.”

That afternoon, when I met up with Savanna after school, Marilouise was with her. “We’ve got this psycho-killer history test on Friday,” Savanna explained, “so Marilouise’s coming over to study. She is sooo good at history. I mean, you’d think she’d lived before or something.” This was the first I’d heard of Marilouise’s past lives. And from the look on Marilouise’s face I guessed it was the first she’d heard of it, too. Savanna talked about Manifest Destiny all the way to the Old Road.

Savanna called me after supper. “I’m sorry about that,” she said. “It was, like, not my idea, believe me. I mean, I
can
study by myself. But you know Marilouise. She’s pretty needy really.”