Dating Games #1 Read online

  “Really?” Devon pressed her lips together and slowly shook her head. She wanted to challenge this by asking whose choice it was—Cassidy’s, or the guys who were uninterested in going out with such a boring-looking girl. Oh, Cass was okay looking with her long, dark hair, but she did absolutely nothing to enhance her appearance. Naturally, Devon kept her mouth shut and her thoughts to herself. She needed Cassidy’s approval in order to make her game plan work. Whether it was said or not, Cassidy played a strong role as a leader in this group of girls. Perhaps that was just one more reason Cassidy resented Devon.

  “The truth is, my parents wouldn’t let me date,” Bryn admitted. “Not until I turned sixteen, that is.”

  “But you turned sixteen last summer,” Abby reminded her.

  “Yeah.” Bryn narrowed her eyes. “And your point is?”

  “Well . . . you haven’t gone out since your birthday and—”

  “You’ve never had a real date either,” Bryn said hotly.

  “At least I had a boyfriend and I—”

  “If you call holding hands with Lewis Snipes ‘having a boyfriend,’ then—”

  “Hey—hey!” Devon held up her hands. “It’s not like I’m trying to start a war here. I was just curious. Anyway, your answers have me convinced I was right.”

  “Right about what?” Cassidy demanded.

  “That some of you might want to play this game with me.” Devon waited.

  “Huh?” Emma looked confused.

  “What game?” Abby asked.

  “Come on,” Bryn urged. “Enough of the mystique, Devon. Stop talking in circles and just tell us about your game or your plan or whatever it is.”

  Devon took in a slow breath. It was actually something that had occurred to her in a split-second flash—and she wasn’t even sure she’d fully wrapped her head around it yet. But wasn’t brilliance like that sometimes? Straight out of the blue? “Okay, this is the deal. I want to create a secret club,” she declared, “for girls like us.”

  “What do you mean, girls like us?” Cassidy asked.

  “Girls who haven’t dated,” Devon clarified.

  “A secret club?” Emma looked bewildered but interested.

  “I’m calling it the Dating Games club,” Devon said quickly. She was making this up as she went along, but it seemed to make sense. Besides, this was the most fun she’d had since starting school here. And really, what harm could it do?

  “Dating Games?” Abby tilted her head to one side. “How does it work?”

  “For starters, we all have to agree to join the club and that we’ll keep it a secret. Because if the word got out, it would spoil everything.”

  “What exactly does this ‘secret’ dating club do?” Cassidy demanded. “If you ask me, it sounds skanky. And I refuse to join a club that’s going to—”

  “It will not be skanky,” Devon assured her. “It’ll be a way for us to ease ourselves into the dating game. To start with, we’ll help each other to better ourselves.” She glanced nervously at Emma. “Then we’ll help each other to get to know some guys. Don’t worry, I mean nice guys. The goal will be to help each other to get into the dating game too. We’ll do it as a group. But we must keep the club under wraps. And as members of this club, we must take care of each other—you know, watch each other’s backs.” She smiled in satisfaction. This was actually sounding pretty good. “Because you know what they say,” she said as if concluding a speech. “There’s safety in numbers.”

  “I sort of get that.” Bryn nodded eagerly. “Cool idea, Devon.”

  “I like that we help each other.” Abby held up her water bottle with enthusiasm. “Here’s to sisterhood and to dating. When do we start?”

  “Hold on there.” Cassidy still looked doubtful.

  Ignoring her, Emma started to ask questions. “But we’ll all date, right? And we’ll only date nice guys—is that what you’re saying, Devon?” She looked hopeful and slightly eager.

  “Absolutely,” Devon assured her.

  “But how can you promise—”

  “We’ll make some rules.” Devon cut Cassidy off. “To make sure we do this in the best possible way. And I already know what the first rule will be. ‘No girl left behind.’”

  “What’s that supposed to mean?” Cassidy demanded.

  “No one goes out with a guy until all the girls in the club have a date lined up. It’s a group deal. We’re in this together.” Devon let out a satisfied sigh. This was even better than she’d initially imagined. She felt like a dating genius. Maybe she’d patent this thing or start a reality show.

  “All right.” Bryn gave her a solid thumbs-up. “Count me in.”

  “Me too.” Abby grinned.

  “Okay . . .” Emma made a nervous smile. “Then I’m in too.”

  “Just like that?” Cassidy frowned at them like they’d lost their senses. “You cannot possibly be serious.”

  “You don’t want to join the club?” Devon feigned disappointment, but the truth was, she didn’t care whether Cassidy joined or not. If there was one girl who needed to be left behind, it had to be Miss Goody-Two-Shoes. She could be such a buzzkill.

  “I don’t think so.” Cassidy looked perplexed.

  Instead of cheering, Devon sadly shook her head. “Well, five girls seemed like a good number for the DG. But maybe four is better—”

  “Hey, I’ll bet Felicia will want to join.” Bryn reached for her phone. “She’s at the orthodontist right now, but I can send her a text and—”

  “Wait.” Emma pointed back at Cassidy. “Are you absolutely positive you don’t want in, Cass? Because I think we could use someone sensible like you in this club.”

  “I don’t know . . .” Cassidy looked slightly torn now.

  “It’ll be fun,” Bryn said. “And Devon’s right. We do need to do something to liven things up around here. Besides, homecoming isn’t far off. What about the dance? Wouldn’t it be fun to go with a real date?”

  The other girls began talking enthusiastically, encouraging Cassidy to give this club a try. Devon tried to appear supportive too, but the truth was, this whole thing would probably go much more smoothly without Cassidy’s constant whining and complaining.

  “Seriously, Cass, do you plan to sit home by yourself while the rest of us are at the homecoming dance with our dates?” Bryn demanded.

  Cassidy rolled her eyes with skepticism. “Like you will all have dates by then.”

  “What if we do have dates?” Emma said quietly.

  “Maybe I should just call Felicia?” Bryn held up her phone as if to threaten Cassidy.

  “Come on, Cassidy,” Emma said. “If I’m willing to try this, you should be too.”

  “It’s complicated.” Cassidy bit her lip. “I mean, like I already told you guys, I kind of decided not to date. I made a commitment last spring.”

  “To who?” Bryn asked.

  “To myself.”

  “Well, undo the commitment,” Abby urged. “Live a little.”

  “When you made this commitment”—Devon frowned—“I mean, not to date . . . who was asking you out? Was there a line of guys at your door or something?”

  The others laughed, but Cassidy glared at Devon. “There were some possibilities.”

  Devon forced a smile. “Yeah, of course. But what made you decide you didn’t want to date? I’m just curious.”

  “I’d read something about it.” Cassidy pushed a long strand of dark brown hair over her shoulder. She wasn’t the prettiest girl of the bunch, but some guys might find her attractive in that wholesome girl-next-door sort of way. “Anyway, it seemed like a sensible idea.”

  “So you’ll never date? Not ever?” Bryn looked disappointed.

  “I told my dad that I wasn’t going to start dating until I turned eighteen,” Cassidy confided. “He was really happy about it.”

  “Of course he was happy.” Devon shook her head. “He’s your father. What did you expect? Most dads would like their daughte
rs to put off dating until they’re thirty.”

  “But how realistic is that?” Bryn challenged.

  “Besides, like Devon said, a club will be a safe way for us to date,” Abby said encouragingly to Cassidy. “Your dad might even approve.”

  “I’ve heard stories about overprotected girls who don’t date in high school and then go off to college and fall apart completely,” Abby pointed out. “Some of them get pregnant or worse—”

  “What’s worse than getting pregnant?” Emma asked.

  “Being slipped ecstasy, or date rape, or—”

  “Okay, we’re getting sidetracked,” Bryn interjected.

  “Not really,” Abby protested. “When girls are totally clueless when it comes to guys, they probably set themselves up for trouble.”

  “Which is precisely why I don’t date,” Cassidy said victoriously.

  “Yes, but wouldn’t it be better to learn about guys now?” Devon asked her. “Right here in the safety of a friendly club and a Christian high school?”

  “Yeah,” Emma said with more confidence. “I think so too. It makes perfect sense to me.”

  “I agree,” Bryn said. “Count me in.”

  “Me too,” Abby chimed in.

  “Great.” Devon smiled triumphantly. “That makes four of us. That should be enough.”

  “Unless we invite Felicia,” Bryn reminded her.

  “You’re really not joining?” Emma looked at Cassidy with concerned eyes. “You won’t even try?”

  Cassidy looked around the table with uncertainty. “You said there’d be rules,” she said cautiously to Devon. “What exactly are the rules?”

  “We’ll have to make them,” Devon explained. “Together. After all, it’s a club. All the members would have to agree on the rules.”

  “So I’d have a say in making the rules?” Cassidy looked slightly hopeful.

  “Sure.” Devon made an uneasy smile. She couldn’t act like she didn’t want Cassidy to join, but she’d been relieved to think Cassidy was bowing out. “We’ll have to sit down and make the rules together.”

  “But not right now.” Abby pointed to the oversized watch on her slender, cocoa brown wrist. “It’s almost time for class.”

  As if to confirm this, the bell rang.

  “How about if we meet again after school,” Cassidy suggested. “I have jazz choir until five, but we can meet at—”

  Devon interrupted, saying she’d text the others with the location and coordinate the time. No way was she going to let Cassidy take the lead in this. After all, it was her idea. Cassidy hadn’t even been interested. Devon was not going to let that bossy girl get the upper hand. Fortunately, no one seemed to question her.

  Devon felt triumphant as she walked to her next class—at least until she spotted Harris and Isaac standing by the trophy case outside of the administration center. As usual, the boys continued to act like she didn’t exist. Instead of looking her way, the two of them were joking around with some of their guy friends. However, as she got closer, she thought she observed a couple of quick glances tossed in her direction. It might have been her hopeful imagination, but just in case, she flipped her hair over her shoulder like an auburn flag, held her chin high, and strutted along with a flirty little bounce in her step. Might as well remind them of what they were missing out on.

  As she whooshed past the group of boys, she had to suppress the urge to giggle at their naïve oblivion. Because, if she had her way, it wouldn’t be long until those very guys would be wondering what hit them. Let the Dating Games begin.

  3

  Cassidy still felt torn. On one hand, she was curious about Devon’s new idea, and although she didn’t want to admit it, especially not to Devon, it sounded kind of fun. On the other hand, a dating club could turn into a real train wreck. As she waited for the final bell to ring, having finished this week’s civics test with ample time to spare, she pondered all that had been said at lunch. The more she thought about it, the more she knew it made absolutely no sense to participate in Devon’s stupid scheme.

  Really, what would her parents think if she suddenly announced that she wanted to date guys? Dad had been so proud of her for being “such a sensible girl.” And the sensible thing would be to simply nip this nonsense in the bud. She would tell her friends in no uncertain terms that the Dating Games club was a bad idea, that she had no intention of being involved, and that if they were smart, they wouldn’t either. The end.

  Cassidy had been nurturing doubts about Devon Fremont from the get-go. She’d only met Devon once before the school year—through Emma—but based on some of the stories Emma had shared, Devon was trouble. When Cassidy learned that Devon was transferring to Northwood, she’d felt her guard going up. She hadn’t wanted to step away from her friendship with Emma, but it seemed clear that Devon had already staked her claim there. At the time Cassidy simply told herself that she didn’t need a best friend. She was used to being something of a loner. She called it independence. Plus she had God. If Devon needed Emma by her side, why should Cassidy try to stop her?

  Yet she was unsure. Perhaps she was being disloyal to Emma, but something about Devon definitely bugged Cassidy. It wasn’t that she was jealous either. Something about the fast-talking, fun-seeking, showy redhead had roused her suspicions right from the start. If Devon hadn’t been such good friends with Emma, Cassidy never would’ve befriended her at all. Not that they were exactly friends, but she’d tried to be civil to Devon. It was the Christian thing to do.

  But then Devon tossed out this stupid Dating Games idea. Seriously? No, Cassidy’s mind was made up—she was definitely out. The sooner she told her friends, the better. She let out a sigh of relief and looked at the clock—and that was when she noticed Lane Granger sitting two seats ahead of her. Lane was jiggling his number 2 pencil between his fingers and watching the clock too. Like her, he’d finished the test early. But then she always knew he was smart.

  Cassidy stared at the back of Lane’s blue plaid shirt, admiring how perfectly it fit over his broad squared shoulders. She also liked the way his dark brown hair waved so attractively around his perfectly shaped ears. She sighed inwardly. She’d been secretly crushing on this guy since the beginning of her sophomore year. Unfortunately, Lane didn’t even know she existed. Okay, that was an overstatement. They’d been on various committees together last year. They’d even had some brief conversations. Still, it was like they lived on different planets.

  And yet . . . maybe not. After all, they did share some commonalities. Like her, Lane was comfortable in taking on roles that involved leadership. The interesting thing was that when Lane was in charge of a committee, Cassidy was suddenly able to follow. With Lane at the helm, she was content to take a backseat. Even if she wound up flipping pancakes or filling balloons with helium, if Lane was giving the orders, she would gladly take them. The problem was, once the project ended, she never got more than a polite nod or a friendly “hey” from the attractive senior.

  Cassidy pressed her lips together, thinking carefully now. Had she missed something? What if Devon’s weird Dating Games club could somehow secure Cassidy a date with Lane Granger? Wouldn’t that be enough to change her opinion on dating . . . and Devon? Cassidy knew that Lane attended a church. Not hers, unfortunately. But she’d been watching him long enough and closely enough to know that he was one of the good guys. And as far as she could tell, and to her huge relief, he wasn’t dating anyone in particular. Maybe she’d made up her mind about Devon too quickly. She knew she had a tendency to be overly judgmental. What if the DG club could actually work?

  Cassidy watched as Lane leaned over to reach for his backpack, and as he turned in his seat, their eyes met and a warm rush ran through her. Instead of looking away, like Cassidy was tempted to do, Lane kept his eyes steadily on her—almost as if he was actually seeing her! Was it really possible? When he finally turned away, she could feel her face flushing and a strange fluttery feeling inside of her chest. She to
ok a deep breath to steady herself. Wow!

  Okay, maybe she needed to rethink her ideas about dating. She wondered how long Lane’s single status would last. Especially since he was often surrounded by girls. Plus, as a senior, he probably could have his pick of the girls in the school. She’d always assumed his female buddies were from his church because they all seemed like solid friends who had known each other for years. But it seemed likely that some of those girls, just like Cassidy, were hoping to be more than just friends.

  At times she’d imagined ways she could break into Lane’s social circle. She’d even considered visiting his church, but that felt a little like stalking, so she had simply admired him from afar. Really, it seemed that Lane Granger was meant to be only a pleasant fantasy for her. That is . . . unless . . . maybe this was the year that would change. Maybe she and Lane could finally—

  Her daydream was smacked back to reality by the ringing of the release bell. As she scrambled to grab her test paper and gather her stuff, she made up her mind. Just like that, she knew she was in. As she followed Lane to the front of the room and dropped her test right on top of his, she couldn’t wait to go to Devon’s meeting today. If Devon could convince her (starting with a reasonable set of rules) that the Dating Games club was not going to be skanky or stupid or sleazy, Cassidy would join. Besides, she assured herself as she walked toward her locker, she could always drop out if she didn’t like how it was headed. In the meantime, she could watch out for Emma and her other friends. Really, part of her reasoning was selfless and altruistic.

  After she exchanged some books at her locker, she checked her phone and saw that Devon had already texted her. The plan was for everyone to meet at Costello’s Coffee at 5:00. As she walked toward the music department, she texted a confirmation back to Devon. Feeling like she was about to embark on an exciting adventure, she went into the choir room where the jazz choir was already gathered. They were expected to rehearse after school every day until the jazz concert in three weeks. Mr. Spencer was already at the piano, and Cassidy quickly found her place with the other sopranos. Singing in choir was the only nonacademic activity she truly excelled in. Being picked for jazz choir on the second day of school had been the highlight of her year so far. As a result, she always gave these practices 100 percent—and more, if that was possible.