Somewhere in the Middle (5 page)

The last bell finally rang. We headed to our lockers together. When we
got to the steps, Roone touched my elbow as if guiding me down them, a
move that surprised me so much I didn't see Brady Hamilton until he
stepped into my path. I braked, which meant Roone rear ended me. My gaze
swept Brady, who stood about five-eleven and wore a heather green Earth
Day tee that made me smile.

"Hi, Everly."

"Hi."

With his narrowed gaze on Roone, who hadn't moved around us, Brady
blurted, "Will you go to the dance with me Saturday night?"

My heart dropped into my stomach. Of the guys who'd asked, Brady was
least objectionable, having been spotted by me at a Go Green rally back
in the summer. For that reason, I went with a lie instead of a flat-out
refusal. "Thanks so much for asking, but I'm already going with someone
else."

He visibly deflated. "Okay."

I actually felt kind of bad until he turned the corner at the end of
my locker row and I heard derisive laughter that probably meant he'd made
a bet or something. Yeah, I assumed the worst, but with good reason: past
experience. Roone left me then to go to his own locker. We met at the
edge of the area moments later and silently walked together to the
parking lot, which meant another set of stairs and another subtle assist.
Had he heard what a klutz I was?

"Are you really going to the dance with someone else?" he asked right
before we got to our cars.

"Nosy much?"

"Just answer the question."

"No, I'm not."

"So you lied?"

"I hated to hurt his feelings." Was he judging me? "What did you tell
all the girls who asked you to the dance today?"

Roone's mouth fell open. "How could you possibly know about that?"

I laughed at him instead of answering.

He flushed and looked away, clearly lost in thought. "Okay, I lied,
too. And that's what I want to talk to you about."

"Lying?"

"Yes. Since the time is not right for either of us to date, maybe we
should help each other out and pretend that we're together so no one will
bother us."

Wow. Hadn't see that coming. "No one will fall for that if we don't
hang out together, Roone."

He shrugged. "So we will, safe in the knowledge that it's all for
show."

I thought for a second. Did I really want to do that? With my head
tipped back so I could study his earnest expression, it was hard to
consider ramifications, much less make a smart decision. "I don't
know."

"Just think about it, okay?" He closed his eyes for a second as if he
might be in pain or something.

"You okay?"

Roone looked at me. "Headache straight from Ragnarök."

"Which?"

He sputtered a decidedly awkward laugh. "Ragnarök. It's a series
of events in Norse mythology. The apocalypse of the gods...?" Seeing my
blank expression, he shrugged. "I have Nordic roots. Naturally I'm
interested in that sort of thing."

On a hunch I asked, "Do you speak Norwegian?"

"Yeah."

"How do you say
first
?"

"Første, why?"

"Just curious. It's no wonder you suck at physics, you know. It's the
old right brain-left brain conundrum. You're all about intuition and
creativity, while I'm all about logic and analysis. Do you want a
Tylenol? I have some."

"Tylenol...?" He clearly hadn't shifted gears as quickly as I. "Oh. The
headache. No, I don't do drugs."

"I don't either. And Tylenol is not drugs. Well, strictly speaking it
is, I guess, but I was only going to give you two. What do you take when
you're sick?"

"I don't get sick. Now you can call me later or even text me once you
make up your mind about the boyfriend-girlfriend thing." He pulled his
cell phone from its belt dock while I dug mine from my bag. After the
number exchange, we parted with self-conscious goodbyes.

The moment I got home I called Dayna and repeated Roone's offer word
for word. "Too dishonest?"

"Not if it keeps the male students of McAlister off your back. I mean,
you're not really hurting anyone."

"I'd hate to lie to Dad."

"So don't. I guarantee if you tell him Roone is just a friend, he will
assume the opposite, which will get him off your back, too."

"You think?"

"I know. Go for it. What have you got to lose?"

Though I couldn't think of a thing, I still called Sid for a second
opinion moments after.

"A friendship of convenience? Sounds like the plot of a romance novel,
and you know how I feel about those." Sid had shelves of books in his
room, most of them about relationships. Boy-girl, girl-girl, boy-boy. He
wasn't picky as long as there was a happy ending, something he
undoubtedly craved for himself. Something I hoped he found one day.
"What's more exciting than two people pretending to be in love and then
actually falling for each other."

"That really isn't the plan, okay?"

"Maybe not, but there's always a chance it could happen. And since I
know Roone interests you, I'll be standing in the wings with my fingers
crossed. If anyone deserves a break in the romance department, it's
you."

"And you. So you think I should do it?"

"Of course. In my opinion, the worst that could happen is that you two
won't hook up. The best is that you will. Either way, you'll land on your
feet just like you always do."

Sid's words made me feel a lot better though I didn't come to a solid
decision until the following evening after a day of puppy-dog stares from
Roone.

Before I could back out, I texted him:
Ill b ur faux G/F.

G/F?

So much for text speak
. Girlfriend. When do we start?

Tomorrow?

If we do, we'll have to go to the dance Saturday night.

If we don't, I'll shoot myself.

Laughing, I had to wonder if he'd been getting calls from girls.
Though I doubted he'd deliberately spread his cell number around, I knew
it only took one blabbermouth to get it circulated.
Tomorrow
then.

The moment I ended the conversation, I called my dad, who was probably
in his patrol car. "Still up for buying me a party dress?"

"You've got a date!"

"Your surprise is insulting, and I'm actually going with a
friend."

"A male friend?"

"Of course."

"Do I know him? What's his name?"

"No and Roone Thorsen. He's new in town. I'm going to look for a dress
now. Happy?"

"Very damn. The spare credit card is in my top dresser drawer. I'll
pick up McDonald's for dinner, so take your time and get something shiny
with shoes to match."

What a dweeb, right? I was laughing when I hung up the phone to call
Dayna to ask if she'd go to the bridal shop downtown. She vetoed that and
suggested a Huntsville mall since the stores in it stayed open late and a
quick which-dress decision based on two options was apparently not in her
plans.

I drove as usual. Dayna loved riding in my car as much as I loved
driving it. We always got a lot of looks, mostly from salivating guys,
something I credited to my vehicle and not our breathtaking beauty. By
the time we got to our third dress shop, I was ready to pull my hair out.
Dayna's idea of a pretty dress did not match mine. In fact, it wasn't
even close. I wanted red. She said that would clash with my coloring. I
preferred a modest style. She was all for strapless and too short. Though
I knew she had better taste than I did when it came to clothing, I also
knew she was desperate for me to make a social splash, something I
resisted.

Finally she brought me a sparkly blue number that had actually caught
my eye, too. I made yet another trip to the dressing room and slipped
into it. My reflection in the mirror was shocking. Not only did the dress
fit me perfectly, it actually made me look taller and slimmer. Better
yet, it had a strap, which meant I wouldn't be tugging up the bodice all
night.

"I can do this one," I murmured, imagining myself walking around a
dance floor.

Dayna stuck her head inside the curtain. "What was that?"

"I like it."

"Holy crapoly! She likes it. Don't go anywhere. I'm getting shoes." We
wore the same size.

I turned this way and that trying to see my butt in the mirror. I
decided it didn't look too bad.

"Try these." Dayna shoved a pair of strappy heels at me. Though in a
shade that complimented the dress, they were platform and looked like
something a stripper might wear, plus they were way too high for comfort.
But I tried them on anyway and actually loved the extra inches of
height.

I stuck one hand out of the dressing room and gave Dayna a thumbs up.
She tore aside the curtain. "You look amazing."

"Really?" I slowly pirouetted, my eyes on the mirror. "Are we done
now?"

"Yes. Your dad's gonna flip. Roone, too, by the way."

"Not my goal," I said checking out my cleavage. More showed than
normal, but I wasn't indecent or anything.

Before I fell asleep I wondered what Roone would think of the dress. I
also tried to imagine what would happen at school once our classmates
figured out we were together. I honestly couldn't do it and for a brief
moment had a mini panic attack. Then common sense prevailed. So what if I
was a little rusty on relationships and a bad actress to boot? I knew how
to treat a friend, didn't I? That's all that really mattered because
that's all we were.

Roone was sitting in his car when I pulled into the school parking lot
on Thursday. He got out of it as I killed the engine and watched as I
gathered up what I'd need for the day. I'll admit my heart raced when we
headed up the sidewalk together, me with my hobo bag swinging from my
shoulder. How would McAlister High react to our imaginary hook up?

When Roone touched my elbow to help me up the front steps--a subtle
move that nonetheless screamed "we're together"--I knew exactly how.
Mouths dropped. Eyes flew open wide. I think one poor wannabe, a girl, of
course, just might've burst into tears of disappointment. My face burned,
and I was actually short of breath by the time we got to the locker
commons. Roone started toward his, caught himself, and draped an arm
across my shoulders to guide me to mine. That additional show of
possession did in a couple of guys standing nearby.

My hands shook so badly I couldn't work the combination lock. Luckily
Roone wasn't as rattled. And when he grasped the thing with a steady
right hand, I whispered the numbers he needed to work it. He opened the
locker door. I quickly swapped out books, all the while trying to calm
myself. Was I being ridiculous to get so worked up? Yes. Could I help it?
No. That put me on a level with every other silly-ass girl on campus, and
I hated myself for it.

"Breathe." Roone kept his voice low.

With the warmth of his hushed words still on my hair, I
self-consciously nodded. "Trying."

We went to his locker next, walking past a couple of whispering
classmates en route. "Oh my God. He's going out with
her
?"

I bristled at the unmistakable tone of disbelief and immediately
regained some of my nerve.

He grinned. "Better."

While he did his own book swap, I managed casual glances to my left
and right. I'd never been the center of attention before and admitted
that being there was uncomfortable and ironically opposite to the
somewhere in the middle
I was used to. The slam of Roone's locker
door made me jump, further embarrassment. I heard malicious giggles as I
slipped into the straps of my stuffed backpack. "Let's get out of
here."

"Right." Roone started one way. I started another. Wincing he turned
on his heel and walked just a little behind me, no doubt following my
lead as I headed for my first period class. He tried to take my
backpack.

I shook my head. "I've got it."

"I'm thinking we should've talked before we jumped into this. I'll
need to know your class schedule if I'm going to walk you to them."

"Will you have time for that?"

"I see other guys doing it."

I didn't argue. "Calculus, Astronomy, Graphic Arts, English,
Chemistry, American Government, Study Hall."

"Okay. German III, PE, Physics, English, Calculus, US History, Study
Hall."

I tried to put them to memory. "You speak German, too?"

"
Ja.
"

"I'm totally impressed. I only know a little Spanish. Why are you just
now taking US History?" I'd had that in ninth grade.

"I hadn't had it yet. It's really very interesting." We got to the
door just as the warning bell rang, which meant Roone needed to get a
move on. "What do we do now?"

"Nothing. Goodbye. Enjoy German. See you in fifty-five." Our principal
gave us a short five minutes between classes, the reason I'd put all my
morning books into my backpack. No stinkin' locker time.

"Er, right." He left me.

Whew. My knees were knocking by the time I plopped down at my desk.
Who knew having a boyfriend could be so stressful?

But having just any boyfriend wouldn't have been. It was this
particular boyfriend that made the whole situation so surreal, which
really surprised me. Were the negative reactions of my female classmates
due to the big-muscle reveal the day before? Or had they all secretly
longed for him from the moment he enrolled in our school? I could easily
believe the latter. I'd felt his magnetism from the get-go, myself.

"Miss Sayers!"

My gaze locked with that of my teacher, who was calling the roll. Her
impatience made me wonder if she'd called my name more than once.
"Here."

She moved on. Hearing some nasty laughs, I sank a little lower in my
chair. If I didn't get my head in the game, I was going draw even more
attention to myself, the last thing I wanted.

The moment the bell rang, I slipped out of my chair and into the hall.
A glance to my right revealed that Roone was making his way toward me,
his head above almost everyone else's due to his height. I got to him
through the crush of students swarming the halls. When a passerby jostled
me unnecessarily, I looked up to see Crystal Butler staring me down
before she disappeared into the crowd.