Dating Games #1 Read online

  “Bryn texted me last night that she’s been having a conversation with Harris on Facebook.”

  “For you?” Emma sounded concerned.

  “Of course it’s for me.” Devon tried not to look offended. “Who else?”

  Emma shrugged. “I don’t know.”

  “Are you saying Bryn’s not trustworthy?”

  “No, of course not.” Emma shook her head. “It’s just that this is all kind of tricky. I mean, how do we keep track of which girl is working on which guy . . . for which girl?”

  Devon laughed. “Well, I made a chart last night. I’ll show it to the club at lunch. The only girl not actively working on a guy right now is Cassidy.”

  “Does that mean someone else is going to be left out?” Emma pushed open the door.

  “No, because Bryn is actually working on two guys. Harris for me, and Kent for Abby. But it was her idea. She offered.”

  “So Cassidy is getting off easy.”

  “Not too easy.” Devon smiled. “I have plans for her.”

  “Speaking of your plans,” Emma said quietly. “You won’t go overboard on Isaac, will you? I don’t think he’s the kind of guy you can push around, and I’m worried he’ll know what you’re up to and—”

  “Emma.” Devon stopped walking and turned to look into Emma’s eyes. “Do you trust me or not?”

  “I, uh, I’m not sure. I mean, yeah, I trust you. But you don’t really know Isaac that well . . . and I’m worried he’ll be suspicious and—”

  “I know what I’m doing, Emma. Just trust me. Okay?”

  Emma nodded, but she still looked uneasy.

  “It’s not like I’m going to twist his arm or threaten him within inches of his life,” Devon told her as they went to their lockers. “Seriously, Em, he’s not even going to know I’m working on him.”

  “If you say so,” Emma mumbled.

  Devon stopped in front of her locker, turning again to look at Emma. Why was she acting so paranoid now? “Look, Emma, you’re my best friend. I won’t sabotage this for you.” She smiled. “Did you look at yourself in the mirror this morning?”

  Emma barely nodded, glancing around in a nervous and self-conscious way.

  “You look stunning. If I was going to sabotage you, would I have helped you to get that makeover?”

  “No, that’s not what I’m worried about.”

  “Then stop worrying.” Devon poked her in the arm. “And stand up straight. Hold your head high. Don’t go around acting like you still want to blend in with the walls. You look gorgeous now. Act like it.”

  Emma looked embarrassed now. “Really? Gorgeous?”

  “You’ll see.” Devon shoved some books into her locker and closed it. “Come on, let’s go see how the others react.”

  Soon they found Abby, and she was blown away by Emma’s new look. “You are looking good,” Abby told her. “Really hot.”

  Emma smiled. “Thanks.”

  “See.” Devon waved over to Cassidy and Bryn, who were just coming into the locker bay.

  “Wow—Emma.” Cassidy was suitably impressed. “Look at you.”

  Emma stood a little taller now.

  “What happened?” Cassidy asked.

  “She had a little makeover,” Devon told her. “Remember, we all agreed to do some self-improvement.” She pointed at Cassidy. “You could use a little help too . . . if you know what I mean.”

  Cassidy frowned. “Huh?”

  “No offense, but your look is a little . . . well . . . ho-hum.”

  The other girls giggled, and Devon could tell she’d offended Cassidy.

  “I’m sorry,” Devon said quickly. “I wasn’t trying to hurt your feelings. But if you’re going to catch Lane’s eye, you might want to put a little more effort into it.”

  “We can help you,” Bryn said hopefully.

  “Sure.” Abby nodded eagerly. “We’ll start with your wardrobe.”

  “My clothes are fine,” Cassidy snapped.

  “Yes.” Bryn wrinkled up her nose. “Hoodies are so fashionable.”

  “And so last, uh, century,” Abby teased.

  “Hoodies are always in style,” Cassidy insisted as she pulled the navy sweatshirt more tightly around her.

  “Come on,” Devon urged. “You could try harder, couldn’t you?”

  “I don’t know.” Cassidy looked like she was pouting now.

  “I was going to start working on Lane today,” Emma interjected. “But maybe I should wait.”

  Cassidy suddenly seemed worried. “Yes. You should wait.” She looked from Devon to Bryn and Abby. “Fine. I’ll do some kind of makeover. Not a major one like Emma got. But I suppose you’re right. I could probably use a little help.”

  “That’s the spirit.” Devon slapped her on the back. “Welcome to the club.”

  “I’ll hold off on talking to Lane,” Emma assured her.

  “How am I supposed to pull off this makeover magic?” Cassidy asked. “Any suggestions?”

  “Why don’t you let us take you under our capable wings?” Bryn suggested with a sly smile. “Abby and me.”

  “Really? You’d do that?”

  “Sure. If you let us. Do you trust us?”

  With an uncertain expression, Cassidy nodded, and everyone seemed to agree this was a good plan. As Devon walked to her first class, she felt confident. Everything was under control, and she felt sure that everything was going to stay under control. Creating the DG had really turned out to be a great idea. She continued in this positive frame of mind until she emerged from her fourth period class and noticed a girl giggling with Harris Martin—her Harris.

  She couldn’t really see who the girl was because she was partially obscured by a post, but the two were standing noticeably close, as if they were a couple! This was news to Devon. The girl threw back her head, flipping a section of long, blonde hair over a shoulder as she leaned in closer. It seemed clear that this chick was putting the moves on Devon’s dream guy, but what could she do?

  Wanting a better look, and wishing she could put a stop to what was happening, Devon approached the couple. Of course, she knew there was nothing she could do, but at least she could assess the damage. As she got closer, a shock wave ran from her scalp to her toes—the flirtatious blonde was none other than Bryn Jacobs! Bryn, who was supposed to be working on Harris for Devon, was going after Harris for herself. She was breaking rule number six of the DG.

  Furious, Devon wanted to approach and confront the pair. She wanted to give Bryn a fierce warning look and even say something snarky. But she knew that would ruin everything. Besides, she reminded herself, Bryn had offered to work on Harris for Devon. Maybe that was what she was doing.

  Yeah, right, she thought as she stormed off in the other direction. Bryn was working on Harris for herself. Not for Devon. That was what she got for trusting this task to the prettiest girl in the group. Naturally, it would backfire. Why hadn’t Devon considered this? Devon decided to take the long route to the cafeteria. That would give her time to cool off some. But by the time she entered the dining area, she was seriously vexed, and she didn’t care who knew it.

  “Where’s Bryn?” she growled at Abby.

  Abby looked surprised. “I don’t know. What’s wrong?”

  Devon slammed her bag down on a chair.

  “What’s going on?” Emma asked Devon with concern. “You look really upset.”

  Devon let out a seething breath. “Bryn was flirting with Harris.”

  The girls looked slightly shocked, and that in itself brought Devon a smidgeon of comfort. At least they could see that Bryn had crossed the line. Even so, Devon was still furious.

  “You must be imagining things,” Abby said defensively. “Bryn wouldn’t do something like that.”

  “Well, she was doing it.” Devon scowled. “I saw her.”

  “That doesn’t sound like Bryn to me,” Emma said quietly.

  Devon turned to glare at Emma. Was this really her best friend
?

  “Bryn’s not a backstabber,” Abby said.

  “You’re sure about that?” Devon narrowed her eyes.

  “Wasn’t Bryn supposed to be working on Harris for you?” Cassidy asked her.

  Devon nodded grimly. “Oh, yeah . . . she was working on him, all right.”

  “What happened to innocent until proven guilty?” Abby asked. “Bryn should get a chance to defend herself.”

  “There she is now.” Cassidy pointed to where Bryn was entering the cafeteria, flanked by Harris and Isaac. All three were smiling and talking, and it seemed pretty clear to Devon that Bryn, who seemed to be in her element, was blatantly flirting.

  “Look, she’s even moving in on Isaac,” Devon warned Emma. “Better keep your eye on that girl.”

  “Oh, I don’t think—”

  “I don’t know why I ever trusted her.”

  “Devon.” Emma sounded irritated. “Give her a break.”

  Devon watched as Bryn parted ways with the guys and, wearing a big smile like nothing was wrong, practically skipped over to their table. Devon was determined to keep her cool, or at least try to get it back, and tried to disguise the fact that she was seething.

  “What’s up?” Abby asked Bryn when she joined them.

  “Yeah,” Devon chimed in. “What’s up?”

  Bryn’s smile faded. “What’s wrong with you?”

  Devon did a quick eye roll, then shrugged. “Nothing.”

  Bryn looked unconvinced.

  “She’s bent out of shape because she thinks you’re trying to steal Harris,” Abby informed her.

  “Rule number six.” Abby held up the little DG notebook she’d made over the weekend. “Never steal a fellow DG member’s boyfriend.”

  “Harris isn’t your boyfriend yet.” Bryn’s voice sounded a bit snippy.

  “But that was the plan,” Devon reminded her.

  “That’s true,” Emma added.

  “FYI”—Bryn scowled at Devon—“I was not trying to steal your boyfriend. I should say future boyfriend since it’s not even established that he likes you.”

  “Then what were you doing?” Devon demanded.

  “I was doing exactly what you asked me to do, Devon. I’m warming him up for you. Isn’t that what you wanted?”

  Devon shook her head. “He doesn’t need that kind of warming.” She held up her own notebook now. “Maybe we need to change our game plan.”

  “What’s that?” Abby asked.

  “Our official notebook,” Devon explained. “I charted out which girl is working on which guy for which girl.” She knew that sounded convoluted. “To avoid confusion . . . like we’re having today.”

  “But you assigned Harris to me,” Bryn pointed out.

  “We didn’t assign Isaac to you,” Emma told her. “Seemed like you were warming him up too.”

  “Hey, he was there. And he’s Harris’s best friend. What am I supposed to do? Ignore him?”

  “No . . . of course not.” Emma looked flustered.

  Devon felt like her blood pressure had gone down ever so slightly. “Let’s get our lunches and meet back here to go over this again,” she told them. “If this plan is going to work, we need to be on the same page.”

  By the time they reconvened at their table, Devon had calmed down. Perhaps she’d overreacted. After all, she had asked Bryn to break the ice with Harris. Of course, she didn’t want Bryn to melt the boy down into a lukewarm puddle. But maybe Bryn couldn’t help the effect she had on guys. Why was it that long-legged blondes always seemed to have the advantage?

  “So tell us about your little book.” Abby pointed to the nondescript-looking notebook.

  Devon took a sip of water, then opened the book. The first few pages were intentionally left blank, just in case someone picked it up, although Devon planned to keep it safe. Under lock and key if necessary. The first page with writing had the DG rules. She turned to the next page.

  “I’ve assigned us secret names,” she explained.

  “Huh?” Cassidy leaned over to see.

  “In case someone found this,” Devon told her.

  “Oh, yeah.” Abby nodded. “Good plan.”

  “Our secret names begin with our first initial,” she told them.

  “What’s mine?” Abby asked.

  “You’re Angel.”

  Abby laughed. “Oh, yeah, that suits me to a T.”

  “I’m Desiree,” Devon said. “Cassidy is Candy. Bryn is Babe. And Emma is Ecstasy.”

  “Ecstasy?” Emma frowned. “That’s a drug.”

  “It’s also a word,” Devon said.

  “Those sound like hooker names,” Cassidy declared.

  “Or strippers,” Abby added.

  Emma peered down at the notebook. “Candy, Angel, Babe, Desiree, Ecstasy—are you kidding?”

  “It’s just a privacy tactic,” Devon retorted. “Who would ever guess who we were based on those names?”

  Bryn laughed. “Babe works for me.”

  Devon rolled her eyes. “Yeah, I figured.”

  “Whatever you say, Desiree.” Bryn pointed her finger at Devon.

  “We’re not supposed to actually use these names on a daily basis,” Devon explained. “They’re only for certain situations. Like if we’re texting about someone, or if you need to discreetly say something in front of someone.”

  “Do the guys have fake names too?” Emma asked.

  “I thought I’d let you guys make up names for your special guys,” Devon told them. “I already have one for Harris.”

  “What is it?” Abby asked.

  “Hunk.” Devon smirked. “It seems to suit him.”

  Bryn laughed. “Sure does.”

  Devon scowled at her.

  “What can I call Kent?” Abby’s brow creased. “What starts with K?”

  “Killer,” Cassidy suggested. They all laughed.

  “I like it,” Abby said. “Killer it is.”

  “Maybe you should call Lane Lover Boy,” Devon told Cassidy.

  Cassidy turned up her nose. “No way.”

  “I can’t think of anything good that starts with an I,” Emma said in frustration. “How about if I call him Newton?”

  “Newton?” Bryn tipped her head to one side.

  “You know,” Emma said. “Like Sir Isaac Newton.”

  Bryn laughed. “Oh, yeah. All I could think of was Fig Newton.”

  “Maybe you should call him Fig,” Devon suggested as she wrote down the code names. The other girls laughed.

  “This is fun.” Abby pointed at Bryn. “What are you calling Jason?”

  “How about JT?”

  “I guess that works,” Devon said.

  “But what’s the T for?” Cassidy asked.

  Bryn shrugged. “I don’t know. It just sounded good. Maybe it’s for Terrific.” She poked Cassidy. “You better think of something for Lane before he becomes Lover Boy.”

  “Larry,” Cassidy proclaimed.

  “Larry?” Devon studied her. “That’s kind of blah, don’t you think?”

  “Fine. Call him Larry the Tomato then.”

  “Larry the Tomato?” Devon was confused.

  “You know, from VeggieTales,” Cassidy told her.

  “No, that was Larry the Cucumber,” Abby corrected. “I know because I used to be addicted to those cartoons.”

  “Are you sure?” Cassidy looked skeptical. “I thought it was Larry the Tomato.”

  “How about just plain Larry,” Devon said as she filled in the name and turned the page. “Now we need to go over our assignments so everyone is clear. I’ve rearranged a little, so listen closely.” Devon studied her book, trying to remember the code names they’d just assigned to the guys. “Okay . . . Ecstasy is working on Larry for Candy.” She paused to look at her friends, who looked slightly confused. “Do you get it or not?”

  “Emma is working on Lane for Cassidy,” Abby proclaimed.

  They all nodded, agreeing that was correct.

>   “Go on,” Bryn told Devon. “This is fun. Kind of like a game.”

  “It is a game,” Devon reminded her. “Dating Games. Remember?”

  “Yeah, yeah. Tell us the rest,” Abby urged.

  “Okay . . . Babe is working on Killer for Angel.”

  Cassidy actually laughed now. “This sounds like the description of some weird movie.”

  “As long as we don’t flop at the box office, who cares?” Bryn said. “I’m working on Kent for Abby. But I’m also working on Hunk for Desiree, right?”

  “Not anymore,” Devon told her.

  Bryn frowned. “Just because of—”

  “No,” Devon said quickly. “I’d already reassigned Harris—I mean Hunk—to, uh, Candy.”

  “Why?” Bryn looked disappointed.

  “Because Cassidy didn’t have an assignment. It seems only fair that we each have one guy to work on.”

  “I already started on Harris.” Bryn stuck out her lower lip.

  “Thanks,” Cassidy told her. “I appreciate the help. But I’ll take it from there.”

  Devon felt relieved—as well as surprised that Cassidy was playing along so well. She’d expected more heel-dragging.

  “I mean, it’s only fair. Everyone should do their share,” Cassidy said.

  “That’s right,” Devon told her. “And Angel is working on JT for Babe.”

  “We’re supposed to remember all that?” Emma asked.

  “I’ll email you a list tonight,” she said. “You can print it out and delete it.”

  “Like real spies,” Emma said.

  “Except that you can never fully delete anything from the internet,” Abby pointed out.

  “Which is precisely why we’re using code names,” Devon reminded them. She wrote something at the top of the page. “I’ll call this the Hit List.”

  They laughed, and then the bell rang and they set off for their various classes. With a feeling of accomplishment, Devon slipped the notebook into her bag. By the end of the day, she’d sent the revised list as an email to the other members of the DG.

  The Hit List

  Desiree works on Newton for Ecstasy

  Babe works on Killer for Angel

  Ecstasy works on Larry for Candy

  Candy works on Hunk for Desiree

  Angel works on JT for Babe

  Devon couldn’t help but laugh as she reread this strange message later that night. It really sounded pretty ridiculous. Still, she hoped it would provide some much needed clarity for everyone—especially Bryn. Devon sighed and looked at her stack of homework. Now if she could just come up with as much creative energy for her history essay.