Double Date Page 4

  “Hate you?” She shrugged. “I’m sorry to disappoint you, Jason, but I’ve never given you enough thought to actually hate you.”

  He shook his head with narrowed eyes. “That’s not true and you know it. You really tore into me up there today. Everyone could see it. And that makes me curious.”

  “About what?” She pushed a long strand of blonde hair behind an ear as she stepped away from him like he was poison. She hadn’t forgotten how he’d treated Devon after the homecoming dance. Bryn wouldn’t touch this jerk with a ten-foot pole.

  “Usually when a girl pushes as hard as you did, she’s secretly trying to send a guy a signal.” He smiled. “Like she’s really interested and just wants to cover it up.”

  Bryn laughed. “You’re totally delusional, Jason. You’re about as interesting to me as a bad case of head lice.”

  Jason looked offended. “That’s not very nice.”

  “You’re right,” she admitted. “But it’s what you deserve.”

  “What do you mean?” He looked truly perplexed now.

  She narrowed her eyes. “I know what happened with you and Devon after homecoming. It disgusted me.”

  He tipped his head to one side. “What exactly did she tell you?”

  Bryn tried hard to remember. The truth was, Devon hadn’t told them a lot. She’d clearly been upset and crying, and her clothes were messed up as if there’d been a tussle at the very least. All in all, it had seemed a pretty bad scene. One that Bryn didn’t care to see replayed—with anyone. “Thankfully, I don’t recall all the gory details, Jason. But it made you look like a total lowlife. One thing I do remember though—I wanted to call the police.”

  “Are you kidding?” He looked shocked.

  “Not in the least. But Devon wouldn’t let us.”

  “Well, did Devon tell you about anything she’d done? Did she describe how she’d led me on?”

  Bryn just shrugged, trying to act nonchalant, uninterested.

  “Did Devon tell you how she got me to go out with her?”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Don’t you remember how Devon was doing your bidding, Bryn? She was supposed to get me to go out with you.” He made a slightly hangdog look. “That would’ve been so much better. Trust me. Devon was a huge mistake. I should’ve known better.”

  “Yeah. Right.” She folded her arms in front of her. She was so not going to be reeled in by this jerk.

  “Instead of setting me up with you, like she was supposed to do, Devon enticed me to take her out. Remember?”

  “That’s not exactly the version I heard,” Bryn argued.

  “Sure. Why would Devon tell you that she was making the move on your man?”

  “My man?” Bryn glared at him. “Ha!”

  He laughed. “Okay, that was an overstatement, but I know the games you girls are playing in your little club.”

  “What games? What little club?” She feigned an oblivious look.

  “Okay, maybe I don’t know everything, Bryn Jacobs, but I do know you girls have been up to something—since the beginning of the school year.”

  “That’s right,” she said sharply. “We’ve been up to being friends. You got a problem with that?”

  He held up his hands defensively. “No problem. I just have a problem with being on your most-hated list. I don’t think I deserve that.”

  She considered this. “Fine. I’ll take you off my most-hated list.” She moved toward the door. “Satisfied?”

  “Better than nothing. But it would be nice if you could give a guy a second chance. I mean, we’re in student council together. Might be nice if we could be friends. Who knows, I might want to help with the Christmas ball.”

  “Yeah, right.”

  “If it would help us to be friends, Bryn, I would.”

  She pulled out the sign-up sheet and thrust it at him. “Fine. Consider yourself officially on the committee.”

  He wrote down his name and phone number and handed it back. “Thanks for giving me a second chance.”

  She shoved the paper back into her bag. “I guess everyone deserves a second chance, Jason. Hopefully you won’t blow it.”

  A smile lit up his face, and there was no denying the boy was good-looking. With his short black hair and electric blue eyes, he was strikingly handsome. Still, Bryn knew enough about him to know she needed to be careful.

  “I hope I can prove to you that I’m not the guy you think I am.”

  “Time will tell,” she said lightly, heading for the door.

  “Maybe you can help to rehabilitate me,” he said in a teasing tone as he followed her out. “I have a feeling that a girl like you can bring out the best in a guy.”

  She shook her head with narrowed eyes. “You, Jason Levine, are a cad.”

  “A cad? Seriously, you’re calling me a cad?” He laughed as he walked with her. “What’s a cad?”

  Now she laughed. “That’s a guy who’ll say anything to win a girl’s trust—when he is clearly not trustworthy.”

  Jason looked so crushed that Bryn felt a bit guilty. “Okay, that was a bit harsh,” she admitted. “But be warned, I’ll be keeping my guard up around you, Jason.”

  He just nodded. “Okay. I get that.”

  Despite her strong words, Bryn knew that she was softening up toward him. Oh, not soft enough to be anything beyond a cautious friend. But as he walked her down toward the PE department, chatting amicably all the way, she knew that she needed to be careful. Jason had the kind of charm that could wear a girl down, and she had no intention of getting involved with him.

  “What are you doing in the girls’ gym?” he asked as she paused by the door. “You’re not a jock.”

  She made a face. “Not that it’s any of your business, but I’m waiting for Abby to finish practice so I can give her a ride.”

  He nodded. “Oh yeah. That’s right. I better get going. I already missed most of practice myself.”

  As Bryn went into the girls’ gym, she tried to figure Jason out. Why was he being so nice to her? Was he really the kind of person she’d assumed he was? She wondered about what he’d said about Devon. Was it possible that Devon had pulled a fast one on Bryn? Not that Bryn had cared particularly—her initial attraction to Jason had been purely superficial. She knew that he and Amanda were history, and it had seemed like an opportunity at the time.

  She’d been a little irked at Devon, but then after that fateful first date when Devon had called the DG in distress, Bryn had simply counted her lucky stars that it hadn’t been her. Now she wondered . . . perhaps Jason wouldn’t have acted like that with her. Perhaps because Bryn tried to maintain herself as a “lady,” he would’ve treated her as such. It was possible.

  She knew Devon well enough to know that girl was as predictable as the November weather. Hadn’t she proved it to the DG enough times? Maybe it was unfair to put all the blame of the night onto Jason. After all, there were always two sides to every story. As Bryn took a seat on a bleacher, watching as the girls’ team finished up a scrimmage, she decided that the fiasco that had erupted between Devon and Jason a couple months ago could’ve been the fault of both of them. They were simply a bad combination—like oil and water or, perhaps more fitting, gasoline and matches.

  As the basketball girls dribbled and yelled and shot and missed, Bryn opened up the paperback she’d been assigned last week. She was only about a third of the way through The Grapes of Wrath but needed to have it finished by Thursday. It was hard to relate to all the trials and tribulations of the poor Joad family, but it was interesting—in a sad, deprived sort of way. It did make her thankful for a relatively comfortable life. Although she had moments when she thought that it might be better to be poor and have a strong sense of family than to be well-off and feel isolated.

  Basketball practice ended, and before long Bryn and Abby were walking out to the parking lot. Bryn told Abby about the student council meeting and how Jason had nominated her to chair the Christmas bal
l. “Then he actually offered to be on the committee.”

  “How can you stand being around him?” Abby asked as she took a swig from her water bottle.

  “You know, he might not be as bad as we all thought.”

  “Seriously?” Abby frowned. “Do you not remember what he did to Devon?”

  “I remember Devon being really upset and how she said they’d been in a fight. I don’t remember much more than that. Do you?”

  Abby took another swig. “I guess not. Just the same, I’d keep a safe distance from that boy.”

  “Don’t worry. I will.” Bryn reached in her bag for her phone and pulled up what Devon had sent to them earlier. “Have you looked at your phone lately?”

  “No. Should I?”

  Bryn handed her phone to Abby. “Devon sent this MyPlace connection to all of us.”

  “Is that Felicia?” Abby stopped walking to stare down at the phone.

  “Seems to be.”

  “Oh. My. Goodness.” Abby shook her head and handed the phone back with a disgusted expression. “I feel like I need to go take another shower now.”

  “I know. Pretty nasty stuff.”

  “So Cass was right about her.”

  “Apparently.”

  “And Devon too.”

  “Yeah. Emma was still in denial about it, but it seems pretty clear what we need to do.”

  “Do we even need a meeting?”

  “Probably not. But I’ve been looking forward to a pumpkin latte all afternoon.”

  “Sounds good. And maybe we’ll need to help Emma see why Felicia is really not DG material.”

  “Good idea.”

  “Now we’ll have to come up with another girl. I mean, if we’re going to go through with the double date thing—and to be honest, I’ve really been looking forward to it. I’m pretty sure Kent’s interested too. He hinted about taking me on a date with just the two of us, but you know what my dad would say about that. A double date will be my best bet. We need to get another girl into the club to make it even, though.”

  As she unlocked her car, Bryn thought about Amanda Norton. She’d been so congenial in agreeing to co-chair the dance. Bryn didn’t really know Amanda that well and in the past she’d assumed Amanda was a snob. Maybe she was wrong about her. Just because Amanda was pretty and popular didn’t mean she wasn’t nice, and unless Bryn had misunderstood, Amanda was single again. She wondered if Amanda might be good DG material. However, she knew that to suggest such a thing would probably get a strong reaction—and not a positive one either. It would take some serious persuasive powers on Bryn’s part to get the DG interested in Amanda. Even if the girls bought into this idea, Amanda might just laugh in their faces.

  5

  Abby liked to think of herself as a strong person. The kind of girl who didn’t need to glom onto a boy just to feel valuable. In the past, she’d sometimes made fun of girls like Devon—occasionally even teased her best friend Bryn—for being “boy crazy.” In Abby’s opinion, that wasn’t simply a personal weakness—it was really lame. Yet, more and more lately she’d found herself thinking about Kent. Wanting to get to know him better. Longing to go out on a “real” date. What was up with that? Furthermore, what kind of hissy fit would her dad throw if he had any idea what was going through his only daughter’s mind? He would probably think she was “shallow” and “distracted” and “settling for less” and all sorts of other negative things.

  She knew this was partly due to Dad’s childhood. Growing up African American in the inner city, where young men got sucked into gangs and drugs, and having a single mom who literally laid down her life to ensure that her son did better, well, Dad maintained some pretty high standards. And Abby understood that.

  She’d always been proud of her academic-minded parents. She liked that they both taught college-level classes, that they were actively involved in the community and committed to their church. But sometimes the parental pressure to measure up—to succeed in everything—just got to her. Sometimes the idea of being just a regular girl with a regular boyfriend had a very strong, albeit secret, appeal.

  “You’re being awfully quiet,” Bryn said as she parked the car in front of Costello’s. “Everything okay?”

  Abby sighed as she reached for her bag. “Just thinking. And maybe I’m a little tired from practice.”

  “Looked like the coach was working you girls hard,” Bryn said as they got out.

  “Yeah. She always drives us hard at first.”

  “You’re okay with that?”

  “It’s just how it is.”

  “I remember last year, after basketball season ended. You said you weren’t going to play this year. You said it was getting way too hard-core competitive. Remember?”

  “I know. But it would crush my dad if I quit.”

  “So you’re playing ball to please him?”

  Abby shrugged. “Maybe.”

  “You are such a devoted daughter,” Bryn teased. “My father should be so lucky.” She laughed.

  “I happen to like basketball,” Abby said stubbornly. And it was true. She did like it—as a recreational sport or shooting hoops in the driveway. But Bryn was right too. The varsity team was getting too competitive to be much fun. It seemed like the girls played rougher and rougher each year. Still, she wasn’t ready to confess this to anyone. “Besides that, I don’t want to be a quitter,” she admitted.

  Bryn put her arm around Abby’s shoulders. “I know. That’s a great quality. But are you sure it’s worth it?”

  “It would kill my dad if I quit.”

  “What if it kills you?”

  Abby laughed. “That’s ridiculous. Besides, it keeps me fit.” She poked Bryn’s midsection. “Meanwhile, my friend, you are getting a bit flabby.”

  “I am not.” Bryn gave Abby a playful shove as they went into Costello’s. “And to think I was going to treat you to coffee.”

  Abby made a face as Bryn stepped up to order their pumpkin lattes. But when it came time to pay, Bryn wouldn’t let her. So Abby went over to the other girls, who were already seated at a table.

  “Sorry to be late,” she told them. “Coach made us run laps at the end of practice.”

  “Ugh.” Devon made a face. “I can’t believe you willingly go out for a sport like that, Abby. Are you nuts?”

  “Some people think so.” Abby glanced up at Bryn as she joined them.

  “We need to keep this meeting short and sweet,” Cassidy told them. “I have to be home by six.”

  “Well, you called the meeting,” Bryn reminded her. “Go for it.”

  “Okay.” Cassidy laid her iPad on the table. It was open to the MyPlace page with Felicia’s provocative photos. “Well, everyone has seen this, right?” She glanced at Abby.

  “Yeah.” Abby frowned. “Pretty disgusting.”

  “So, let’s put it to a vote. Anyone who still wants Felicia in the DG, raise your hand.”

  No hands went up, but Emma scowled as if she was unhappy.

  “Do you still want Felicia to be in the DG?” Abby asked curiously.

  “No . . . ,” Emma said slowly. “But I still have a hard time believing she’d do something like this.”

  “It’s right here.” Cassidy pointed to the iPad.

  “Yeah, but you guys know as well as I do that some MyPlace pages are fakes. Sometimes other people put them up.”

  “Why would anyone do that?” Bryn demanded.

  “To hurt Felicia?” Emma suggested.

  “Even so, how would you explain the way Felicia has been dressing?” Cassidy added. “You saw her.”

  “Bad taste?” Emma shrugged.

  “And how about the rumors circulating the school?” Devon asked.

  “Mean girls?” Emma said meekly.

  “Admit it, Em, whatever is going on with Felicia, it’s not good.” Cassidy closed the iPad as the barista brought some of the coffees to the table.

  “So we all agree then?” Devon asked after the barist
a left. “Felicia is out of the running?”

  Everyone nodded in agreement, quietly sipping their coffees.

  “Does that mean we’re going to give up on the double-date plan?” Abby asked. “Because I happen to think it’s a great idea. I’ve really been looking forward to it.”

  “I actually thought we might do it for the Christmas ball,” Bryn said.

  “Isn’t that a long ways off?” Devon complained.

  “It’s about a month out,” Bryn explained.

  “Can’t we plan something sooner?” Devon begged them. “That’s a long time to wait for a date.”

  “Have you forgotten the mess you made of our last big date?” Emma said sternly. “We all probably need a month to recover.”

  Devon glared at her.

  “I don’t mind waiting until the Christmas ball,” Abby said. “I’m pretty busy with basketball right now.”

  “And this gives us time to set up some good dates,” Bryn pointed out. “I, for one, want to go with a guy that I really want to go out with. If you get what I mean.”

  “It might be cool if we got the guys to ask us out this time,” Emma added.

  “I agree,” Bryn declared, “although that could be a challenge.”

  “And November is going to be busy enough,” Cassidy told them. “Between midterms, the school’s fall fund-raiser, and Thanksgiving, December isn’t really that far off.”

  Devon didn’t look overly pleased at this plan, but Emma’s words seemed to have shut her up.

  “Should we write down which guys we want to go with?” Abby asked hopefully. “Just so there’s no misunderstanding between girls?”

  “Does everyone know?” Cassidy asked.

  “I do,” Abby declared. “I’ve got my eye on Kent again.”

  Cassidy wrote this down.

  “And I’d like to go with Isaac again,” Emma said a bit shyly. “I mean, if he wants to go with me. I think he might.”

  “Anyone else have a guy in mind?” Cassidy asked.

  “Not really,” Bryn told her. “I’m glad I’ll have plenty of time to look around.”

  “I can think of several guys,” Devon said, “but I don’t want to commit to anything yet.”