Along Came Jordan (4 page)

****

I dreaded the football game Friday evening. When Laine and I arrived, the stands were packed, and the roar from the crowd was already deafening. Edgemont's band was massive, and they played as if it was a national competition. Excitement glutted the air — it was going to be a sure win tonight. We never had such huge crowds at Bates. This massive mob was a whole other world. On the sidelines, at least fifteen cheerleaders were doing flips, but the real surprise was that Laine wasn't out there cheering with them.

She must've read my mind, because she said, "I was head JV cheerleader, but I hurt my knee during basketball last year. My doctor made me swear off." She surveyed the cheerleaders. "Not to brag, but what a loss. I mean, look at them."

I rolled my eyes. She should be nominated for Miss Arrogance.

I steeled myself for a long night. I didn't plan to talk much. I figured I'd listen. If Laine planned on scoping me out, I could play the same game. I could get some dope on her. We started up the bleachers, and Laine spoke in my ear. "Did you hear what I said?"

"About you being a cheerleader? Yeah, but I didn't know you wanted an answer."

She shook her head. "Jealousy comes in all sizes."

I felt like taking a swing. She wasn't making this easy.

Once we settled ourselves in the top row, I saw Laine's sidekick, Janae, climbing the bleachers to meet us. "Hey, Laine, I waited for your call. You were supposed to give me a ride."

Laine gave her a look of pure exasperation. "I can't be expected to do everything, can I? Emili needed a ride, too."

Janae threw me a knife-sharp glare.

"We could've picked her up on the way." My voice sounded apologetic, which annoyed me. As if any of this was my fault.

Laine smiled, and her voice turned all sweet and cooing. "You're right, Emili. Sorry, Janae. Do you need a ride home?"

Janae stared at the football field. "Don't bother. Mom's coming for me."

Laine shrugged her shoulders. "Okay. Then there's no problem, and everybody's happy."

Oh yeah,
I
'
m giddy with glee
.

After the game — and Edgemont did win — Laine and I cruised to her house in her pale yellow convertible. A handful of fake pink flowers hung in a vase next to the steering wheel. I had to admit, it was kind of cute. We wound through the streets till we reached Langston Estates.
Whoa
. Never been in that part of town.

Laine drove two blocks and then turned into the driveway of a sprawling two-story home. The drive was bordered by hedges and stone pillars. Lamps hung at regular intervals. The house was a mixture of white brick and stone, and lights from the windows glittered like a Christmas tree. They gave the grounds an eerie middle-of-the-day glow.

Laine parked her car by the front door. "Charles will get it later."

"Charles?"

"The butler."

Butler?
Was I even in Indiana?

I was suddenly aware my left shoe had a hole in it. I grabbed my overnight bag — hoping it didn't look too shabby — and followed her into the house. A man in a neat black suit welcomed us. Charles, I assumed.

"We'll be in my room," Laine said. "Would you ask Delia to bring us something to eat?"

"Very good," he said and bowed.

Actually bowed! I was in a flippin' movie set.

I followed Laine up a wide, graceful staircase, winding around what appeared to be a ballroom with polished marble floors. The room was empty except for heavy wooden chairs spaced along paneled walls that were waxed to a high gleam. I could hardly peel myself away from the banister. "Wow."

"Yeah, I know. Mom throws events. She always has. It's her thing. She's got the money for it."

"Where is she?"

Laine's foot froze in mid-air. I jerked to a stop before plowing into her. Then — as if nothing had happened — she continued up, silent as a frosty morning.

Okay, what was that all about?

We reached the top and started down a wide hallway, tiled in red. Portraits flanked the walls on both sides. Not those stuffy portraits you see in museums. These people were smiling, and a few of the women looked as though they were passing out bedroom invitations. I turned away.

"Here we are." Laine pushed open a bulky oak door midway down the hall.

I walked inside, and against my will, my mouth dropped open. It was a full-out Fairy Land. Ruffled white curtains framed each paned window, and plush white carpet as deep as a wading pool stretched across the floor. Two beds with sheer purple canopies hugged opposite walls, and on each bed was a thick quilted spread stitched with pink flowers. Twinkle lights ran up and down every bedpost. I half expected to see a crown of diamonds resting on the antique dresser.

"You have two beds?" If she'd brought me here to impress me, it was working.

"I have people over a lot. It's easier."

I thought of the dozens of times my ex-friend Farah and I had squished into my narrow double bed. We were always bopping each other in the face by accident. I guess I wouldn't have to worry about hitting anyone around here. I noticed a massive flat screen TV on the wall, next to an open door leading into a ginormous walk-in closet. From where I stood, the closet was as big as my bedroom. There was a second door, which was shut. I guessed it was the bathroom.

"I sleep on this one," Laine said, pointing to the bed furthest from the closet. "Put your bag anywhere. You want to watch something?"

I placed my bag on the rug, and it sank three inches. "I don't care."

This whole scenario was weird. I felt as comfortable as a gymnast on crutches. I still wasn't certain why Laine had zeroed in on me.

"We can talk." Laine came over and flounced on the edge of my bed. I sat beside her and felt the plush mattress's welcoming bounce. A bell rang. Laine jumped up, ran to the wall, and pushed a button. "Yes, Delia?"

A voice echoed over the speaker. "Will hot chocolate and toast work for you and your friend, miss?"

"Sounds wonderful," Laine answered. She returned to the bed.

Laine seemed to be waiting for me to speak. "Sure, we can talk if you want," I finally said.

Laine studied my face like a food inspector at a hamburger joint. "I thought we could get to know each other better."

I squirmed under her gaze. This was stranger by the minute.

"A normal girl," I answered, shifting again on the bed. The mattress was no longer so comfortable.

Laine held up her hand. "I don't think so. You're not normal."

"Sorry to disappoint, but I'm as regular as they come."

She drew her lips into a pout and then shrugged. "Dating anyone?"

"No. Don't want to, either."

"Girls always say that, but they never mean it."

"I mean it."

"I saw the way you looked at Jordan yesterday."

I rolled my eyes. "Uh, who wouldn't look at him? The guy's a hunk. Doesn't mean I'm interested."

"Everyone's interested. I'm warning you — as a friend, of course — we're nearly a couple."

"I thought he was blubbering over someone named Pamela."

"Not anymore." Laine slid off the bed and walked to the large wooden dresser. She fiddled with the diamond-shaped knobs. "She's long gone. Ancient history."

A look of warning passed over Laine's face, and I realized Sally and Margo had been right. Laine was staking her claim and peeing around Jordan. He was the reason for my invitation. A caution sign was flashing over her head pointed directly at me.

There was a knock at the door. "Come in, Delia." A look of superiority pulled down the corners of Laine's mouth.

A short chubby woman with silver hair and a light blue uniform entered, holding a tray with two steaming mugs and a plate of toast. Her face was pleasant but as blank as a broken screen. "Here you are, miss. I'll collect it in the morning."

"Fine," Laine said.

The woman set the tray on the corner of the dresser and left, closing the door with a businesslike click.

Laine handed me a mug then grabbed the other. I put both hands around the cup, and the radiating heat nearly burned my skin. We both took a piece of toast and began munching.

"You have a butler and a cook?" I asked.

"Delia's not the cook. She's the housekeeper."

"So you have a cook, too?" I couldn't imagine.

"Sometimes, but Mom cooks a lot. She likes it. Says it relaxes her." Laine blew into her cup, and puffs of steam came my way. She took a noisy slurp. "Did you have a guy at Bates?"

I sighed. "Ancient history, like Jordan and Pamela. Don't want to talk about it, either."

Laine got up and walked into her closet. I set my cocoa down on the bedside table and reached over to grab my bag from the floor. I pulled out my tee shirt and sweats and put them on. Laine came back from her closet, wearing what looked like a gymnast's outfit. It was pink with blue stripes running down each side. It hugged her body, showing off her way-better-than-mine-ever-could-be figure.

Confession: Jealousy bites
upon
seeing
a girl who isn
'
t shaped like a stick.

I wasn't in the mood to be jealous of Laine. Was this part of her plot?

"Bathroom's in there when you need it." Laine headed toward the closed door. "I'll be right out."

When she was finished, I took my turn and went in to wash off my makeup and use the toilet.

After a few minutes, I came out and was surprised to hear country music playing on her tablet speaker system. Somehow, I hadn't figured her for a Nashville fan — didn't seem to fit her slick Paris look.

"You never told me where your mom was," I said, sensing I should keep my mouth shut.

"No, I didn't."

"Well?"

She snapped off the light, and I heard her crawl into bed. "You don't want to talk about your guy at Bates, and I don't want to talk about Mother."

She had a point.

"Fair enough," I said. "But if you ever want to—"

"We're not BFFs, Emili." Her voice was cement-hard.

"Why did you even ask me over?"

"Uh, did you think I asked you because I wanted to be buddies?" Her pitying tone scraped on me like fingers over a cheese grater.

I pressed my lips together and willed myself to stay quiet.

"Let's call it a night," she said, and I thought I detected laughter in her voice.

"Fine." I stretched down into the soft sheets. Lying in such luxury, I should've gone to sleep in an instant.

But I didn't.

****

I couldn't wait to get to school on Monday. Not because of class, but to get out of the house. The weekend passed like a funeral. Sarah continued her vow of silence. Between bouts of coughing, Dad banged around like a gorilla, doing chores and yelling at anyone who looked at him crosswise. Mom spent her time shooting heavy sighs at Dad like arrows.

At first, I tried to help with the chores. I bantered about whatever foolishness came into my head. I used to get big laughs from everyone with my stupid jokes. This time, all I got was the evil eye. Finally, I gave up and shut myself in my room and started worrying — mostly about Sarah. Her reaction to changing schools seemed way out of proportion. Since when does a normally chatty kid clamp her lips shut?

On Monday, I searched the hallway, and neither Sally nor Margo were there to greet me. A whispering worry danced in my mind. Were they mad because I'd spent the night with Laine? I couldn't afford to lose their friendship, or I'd be back to having no one.

Bud from Environmental Club was waiting for me, though.

"Emili, may I say again you're brilliant!" He waved his spiral notebooks at me, and his face lit up like a kindergartner digging in the class treasure chest. "LaShawna told me we got permission. We can auction ourselves off as servants as soon as possible. It's a go."

"Great." Like usual, I found myself grinning in Bud's presence.

"Naturally there will be some rules: no doing homework, no bullying — stuff you'd expect. We have to get this organized right away. We need the money by the first of the year."

"Okay."

"I thought you should be in charge since it was your idea."

The smile dropped from my lips like a rock. "Whoa, wait a minute. In charge like how?"

"Set it up. Get the announcements out. Plan who does what. Sign up the servants."

I held up my hand. "I'm new here. You should choose someone everybody knows."

"You'll be fine. I put Jordan and Laine on the committee with you, and I promise you,
everybody
knows Laine." He smirked. "I'm going to ask Lacey, too, but she probably can't, since she's always busy."

"I don't think I can either." A definite cloud of dread brooded around me.

Bud shrugged me off. "Of course you can. It'll give you a chance to get to know everyone. Hey, you're meeting today after school in room 201, since our regular room is now being used for detention."

"EC doesn't meet on Mondays."

Bud laughed. "Does today. Thanks, Emili." He ran up the stairs, taking them two at a time.

I followed quite a few steps behind him and headed toward my locker. Another committee with Laine
and
Jordan? Oh boy, this would be fun.

After school, I was the first to arrive. Five minutes later, Laine and Jordan walked in together. I knew in my bones Laine had waited until she saw Jordan coming, and then
happened
to walk in with him to make her point.

"Emili, isn't this going to be wild?" she asked, her voice bubbling. Much as I hated to admit it, bubbling sounded good on Laine.

"Wild," I answered with zero bubble in my tone.

Wasn't this the girl who had tried to kill the idea, earlier? My, how things changed when a hot guy was thrown into the mix.

Jordan nodded at me, pulled out a chair, and straddled it. He could've posed for a sports commercial. Despite the fact that it was winter, there was a rugged glow to his skin. I wondered if he cross-country skied or something. He had the muscles for cross-country. Looking at him, warmth spread through me, and a shiver ran down my legs.

Laine jumped right to it. "I have a list of all the duties for our Servant Sale. I like the name Servant Sale, don't you? Sums it up. I thought we could chat about each task and what each will entail."

Efficient, in-charge Laine was in her element.

"I thought Emili was heading this up," Jordan said.

Laine flinched but regrouped fast. "Yes, Bud mentioned that, but Emili has a lot going on, what with being new and all. I thought I'd help her out."

They both turned to stare at me.

"Right, Emili?" Laine asked. Her voice might have been dipped in honey, but the look she gave me glared a warning.

An anchor settled in my gut. Something in me wanted to jump to my feet and demand my rights as chairperson, but common sense shoved my protest to the background. I repeated my silent mantra over and over:
Be
friendly
, Emili. Be
friendly
.

"Right. We'll work together."

Jordan frowned. "Wasn't Lacey supposed to come?"

"Not available." Laine looked at her notes. "I thought we'd announce the Servant Sale during lunch periods. In the meantime, we can put up teaser posters around school. I'll get the supplies. Jordan, can you come over to my house and work on them?"

He eyed her. "Why don't we do it after school? It'd be easier."

I chimed in, "Doesn't matter to me either way." Then I realized Laine hadn't asked me.

My eyes met Jordan's, but he couldn't hold my gaze. If I hadn't know better, I'd say he was angry. Confusion fluttered over me like loose shavings from a saw.

Laine started in again. Jordan fastened his attention on her, not looking my way for the rest of the meeting. At four o'clock, Laine stood. "Time to go. Emili, you need a ride?"

"Sure, if it's okay."

Jordan cleared his throat and undraped himself from his chair. "She'll meet you outside. I need to talk to her for a minute."

Laine balked, her eyebrows crunching into a tight frown. Her gaze bounced from Jordan to me. "Okay. See you downstairs, then." She walked out slower than an injured cat.

I stood and faced him, wondering what this was all about.

"It's not going to happen, Emili," Jordan announced, his voice as firm as any candidate for office.

"What?"

"You and me."

"
What?
"

"You and me." He pointed back and forth between us. "It's not going to happen."

My mouth clamped shut, annoyance edging its way into my tightened jaw. I managed to ask, "What are you talking about?"

"This plan of yours. You know, you and me becoming an item."

"Plan of
mine
, huh? Aren't you the smartest person ever?"

Jordan's brow wrinkled. I could see a surprised look of uncertainty hover over his face as he shuffled his feet and glanced around the empty room.

"For your information, I have no plans involving you."

"But Sally and Margo both told me. They said—"

"Did they, now?" I interrupted.

Jordan rustled the papers he was holding. He coughed and edged toward the hallway, his eyes darting around as if looking for an escape. "I wanted to avoid any misunderstanding, because I'm not available."

I followed him to the door, closing in until I was a whisper away. I leaned in, my breath tight. Heat surged across my face, and I rose to my toes. "I'm not available either, so if you want to rejoice, feel free."

I sank to my feet and marched away, turning back to throw one last zinger. "You know, to avoid any misunderstanding."

My heart pounded and my hands were shaking. Were Sally and Margo against me now? Were they plotting to make me look like a fool?

I banged open my locker and grabbed my books.

I agreed with Sarah. I hated my new school.