So I'm a Double Threat (Double Threat Series) (11 page)

“Dip your fries in ice cream? That sounds gross.”

“It’s awesome, you’ve gotta try it.”

We get into his car.

“Okay, whatever you say,” he replies.

We have such little time to sit down and eat even though I left class early. We quickly order French Fries and Frostys. Ben follows my lead and dips his salty fries in the thick chocolate ice cream. The combination of sweet and salty is just perfectly delicious.

“Not bad,” he says, nodding after his first bite, and then grabbing another fry to dip again.

“Not bad? That’s it?” I have another taste of a fry sopped with ice cream. I sigh as the flavors mix together. “It’s like a party in my mouth.”

He smiles widely with a shake of his head.

I open my mouth for a sec and then close it. “Can you hear them? The cheers from my taste buds?”

In just minutes, we shove our fries in our mouths, and hardly chew. It’s nice to go out with Ben, but it would be even better if we weren’t in such a hurry. It’s kind of hard to make small talk when you’re trying to finish your lunch in record time. We start heading back to school before I’m finished chewing my last bite. Although rushed, I loved watching him eat, smiling like a dork every time he scooped up some of his frosty with a fry.

As Ben pulls out of the restaurant parking lot and onto the street, he reaches over with his free hand and puts it on top of mine, which is resting on my thigh. I don’t move my hand. I don’t move at all. I just look down at our hands for a moment, then relax into the seat, with a small grin and exhale.

We arrive at school and are still in the same position. He hasn’t moved his hand and I haven’t either. I thought he would when he had to turn, but he drove just fine with one hand. Finally, he removes his clammy hand from mine and we get out of the car.

“That was fun. Thanks, I had a great time.” I walk around the car toward him.

“Yeah, it was...” Ben begins, but is cut off.

“Hey Ben,” some guy shouts. “We’ve been looking all over for you.” He begins to walk over with two girls. Cheerleaders, I think.

“Meg, I gotta go. I’ll...I’ll call you later okay?” he mutters, as he turns his back to me and jogs away.

WTF. He didn’t even give me a chance to say goodbye. Again. What is that all about? We had such a great time and he ruined it.

Guys. They’re stupid.

––––––––

A
fter going out with Ben the other day, I’ve been pretty much doing what the girls suggested. I still talk to Ben. I still talk to Eric. Ben doesn’t make it easy though. He always pops up right after school as Eric and I walk out of English together. He makes it a point to put his arm around me and steer me away from Eric, as if Eric doesn’t even exist. I always feel guilty, but I don’t know how to make it right. Well, I do know how to make it right. I just can’t bring myself to tell Ben to stop. Ben has this intoxicating pull over me. He’s such a smooth talker, slick and addicting. One look at his eyes and I’m in a trance. And Eric never says anything. He doesn’t have to. I can see the disappointment and anger in his expression every time Ben shows up.

My only uninterrupted time with Eric is during lunch and after soccer practice. Ben always kicks it with his crowd during lunch. Amy is usually with them as well. It seems like the only time she joins us for lunch is when Alex is busy or absent. But Ben always stays with his friends and he never asks me to join them, so I don’t. We have only gone to lunch just that one time. Ben never did explain why he took off so suddenly.

So at lunch, I just enjoy my time with Eric. Some of his friends have started hanging out with us. There’s Jonathan, the cute soccer player, who I think Keesha is trippin’ over. She won’t admit it but she gets all tongue-tied around him, which is totally out of character for
Miss I Don’t Give a Shit About What Anyone Thinks I Tell It Like It Is
. Then, there’s Josh. He’s supposedly a freakin’ baseball prodigy who’ll make varsity as a freshman. I think he likes Steph, but she won’t show she’s interested, even if she is.

All of the emotions spinning through my mind are insane. The wheels are constantly turning. Luckily, I have a lot to keep me busy or I’d go mad. This last month in ASB has been jam packed with tasks needing to get done. Getting ready for the homecoming rally and dance has been ridiculous. You would think we were planning the opening ceremony of the Olympics with the way Mr. Mitchell barks orders. He has been running around from committee to committee with a clipboard and a checklist. He’s been the rally version of Bridezilla. Seriously.

Steph and Amy’s committee has been working hard on the rally. The theme is “Divas,” which means the members of the Homecoming court will impersonate some famous female singers. Jen, Amy’s sister, made court with her professional posters and rally tags. She’s going to be Mariah Carey. The two cheermonsters, Vanessa and Destiney, also made court, and are going to be Christina Aguilera and Brittany Spears. Is Brittany even a
diva
? Really, come on now. She’s more like a freakin’ lunatic.

Lydia is getting my vote for queen. She’s the most likeable out of all of them—the least clique-ish and the least fake. She talks to everyone on campus; it doesn’t matter what grade you’re in or what group you belong to. Lydia is going to be Shakira—unlike Steph, she has the perfect body and hair to pull it off. She really does have hips that don’t lie.

The last girl to make court is this Goth chick, Brittany, who surprised everyone when her name was called. I even heard people say “who?” I don’t know much about her but she’s going to be Madonna, probably 1980’s Madonna with black-lace gloves and torn shirts.

I’m surprised we’ve even had any time to look for dresses before the dance. It’s been crazy. We’ve been staying after school to work on the décor for the rally and dance, and soccer practice hasn’t been easy.

So yes...we’re all going to the homecoming dance. I’m going with Eric. Can you believe it? I’m going to the dance as a freshman. This is kind of a rare thing, for ninth graders to go. It’s pretty surprising since we can’t drive ourselves, and I’d die if our parents had to take us. But Lydia volunteered to chauffeur all of us peons in her parent’s Suburban.

So yes, this means the rest of the girls are going. Steph is going with Josh, and Keesh is going with Jonathan. I already know it’s going to be a great night since our dates are close friends. We won’t have to worry about anyone feeling left out.

The only one missing from our night will be Amy. Surprise, surprise. She’s going with Alex so she’ll be with the seniors the entire night. And Ben? I guess he’s not going. I put off Eric for as long as possible, trying to hold out for Ben to ask me, but he never did. Every time I mentioned homecoming, he changed the subject. I don’t know what the deal is. I know he can dance, so what’s his freakin’ problem? When I finally told him I was going with Eric, he acted like a jerk. He actually told me I’d be bored, and he wouldn’t go if he were me. How rude.

It pisses me off he acted like such an ass about me going. He doesn’t want to take me to the dance and he doesn’t want Eric to take me either. What? Am I supposed to just sit at home like a nerd while all my friends are out at our first high school dance?

It’s rally day. How freakin’ cool. Today is going to be so awesome. I love ASB. We get to miss our first four classes. We’re all excused to help with the rally. What makes it even better is we’ve also convinced our parents to excuse us from fifth and sixth period. So when the rally is over, we’re going to walk over to the Steel Grill for lunch and then head back to my house to get ready for the football game. Oh, my gosh, I hope Lydia wins.

By the time I arrive at the auditorium, it’s swarming with students. Rally committee members are setting up the decorations and blowing up balloons. Keesh and I don’t have much to do until tonight’s game and the dance tomorrow. Those two events are our committee’s responsibility. Instead, we just walk around and wait for show time.

Amy and Steph are glued to a spot backstage near the curtain taking care of last minute details. They look like real stagehands, with headsets and clipboards. I wonder if they know what they’re doing. If they don’t, they’re doing a good job of faking it. They have me fooled.

As we cruise around backstage, I catch a glimpse of Ben going into the guy’s dressing room.

“Ben,” I shout.

He looks back at me, half-smiles, and keeps walking. He doesn’t stop to say anything or flash me one of his big smiles. In fact, he looks at me like I’m a stranger. What’s his problem? What’s he even doing here in the first place? He’s not in ASB.

Whatever. Keesha and I make our way to our seats in a section taped off for ASB—right in front, of course. It isn’t long before the rest of the student body files into the auditorium for the big show. I take some time to soak in my first real rally. The others don’t count. They consisted of stupid class competitions usually rigged so the seniors could win. We’ve been told the homecoming and backwards rallies are the best. The skits are supposed to be awesome, so I can’t wait to see them.

The auditorium looks incredible with giant pictures of the princesses and the divas hanging from the ceiling. The amount of glitter used to spell out “The C-High Divas” can probably fill the football stadium.

Just as the National Anthem starts, my phone begins to vibrate. Some students think this part of the rally is stupid, but I love it. The sound of the Star Spangled Banner, especially sung live like now, brings tears to my eyes. It’s such a powerful song. When it’s over, I take out my phone to discover I have a text from Steph.

MEG DON’T FREAK. BEN HAS A GF. IM SO SORRY.

Huh? I show Keesh the message, she looks just as surprised and confused as I am. I text back.

WTF r u talkng bout?

Seconds later my phone shakes again with a text from Amy.

Meg, I promise IDK anything or I wldve told u. I promise.

I barely finish reading it before the phone buzzes again. This time it’s from Lydia.

IDK ethr. Just so u no...Bens an A$$HOLE.

What the hell are they talking about?

Keesh smacks me and points to the stage. What is Ben doing up there?

“I’d like to announce our first princess, Vanessa Reyes, escorted today by her boyfriend, Ben Calloway. Vanessa enjoys going to the movies, eating Mexican food, cheerleading, and talking to her boyfriend, Ben, on the phone for hours every night. Please give a hand for our Princess Vanessa.” Everyone cheers as the couple does their catwalk across the stage, ending up front and center.

I’m only two rows back, with my mouth hanging open. Ben and Vanessa’s smiles radiate into the audience as the students cheer. It’s chance when Ben’s eyes meet mine. His smile disappears for a split second before he continues playing his part.

Keesh puts her hand on mine.

WTF is going on here? My mind replays every moment from the first time I met Ben until just now—in slow motion like a suspense movie. I guess now I know why Ben doesn’t call me until late at night. He has to talk to his freakin’ girlfriend first. Oh...and at least now I know why he didn’t want me to go to the dance. Did he think he could keep this from me? Did he think my friends wouldn’t tell me about it? Well...hell...I guess he did a good job of keeping this a secret until now. I’m such a dumbass. Crap. It was Vanessa in the parking lot that day when he left me hanging. Damn it...I’m an idiot. Vanessa is an idiot.

The rally continues but it’s silenced by the thoughts going on in my head. The rest of the princesses are announced, including Jen and Lydia, but I can’t bring myself to cheer.

High school sucks.

Guys suck.

The rally is over. Keesh stands up. She looks down at me with a frown.

“Come on. Don’t even trip. He’s not worth it anyway. Everything’s gonna be okay.” She holds out her hand and we walk together, arms linked, out of the auditorium.

“Don’t worry ’bout me...I’m good. Ben can do whatever he wants. He doesn’t owe me anything. He’s not my boyfriend. We’re just friends, remember? It’s no big thing.” I fight back the tears beginning to well up in my eyes. Seeing him on stage all hugged up with another girl made me realize my feelings for him may have been stronger than I was willing to admit. First Alex, now Ben. Why do guys always think they can string me along? Am I really not girlfriend material, or what? Am I destined to be alone?

Time seems to fade away as we head to the Steel Grill for lunch. It’s like one of those out of body experiences you see on a haunted house documentary. I’m going through the motions, but it’s like I’m not totally here. If there is such thing as an afterlife, this is what I’d imagine it to be. Things are going on around me, but it’s like I’m not really part of it.

We waste a lot of time at lunch and then head back to school for the game. I hardly pay attention to Alex when he’s on the field. Not like I usually do. At halftime, the Goth chick is crowned the queen. I have a million feelings darting around in my head like little sparks of electricity. I try to act normal, but anyone who knows me, knows I’m off. I’ll get over it.

Amy and Lydia both spend some time apologizing for not giving me the heads up. Heads up for what? It’s not like Ben was my boyfriend. I guess they just figure they should’ve known something since they’re around him so much. They say they were surprised themselves. They honestly had no clue Ben was with Vanessa.

Why didn’t anyone know about this? Why was it a secret? I mean...Amy hangs out with these guys at lunch...doesn’t Ben do anything with Vanessa at school? Oh well...it doesn’t matter. He has a girlfriend. He is going with her to homecoming. I’m going with Eric. I just thought Ben was a good friend. I guess he isn’t. He hasn’t even called me. Can you believe that? He hasn’t even called me. You would think he would’ve at least called, especially after the way his face went blank when he caught me staring at him at the rally.

Why did he bother taking me to lunch? That hug. Oh, my gosh, that hug. It was perfect. Why did he hold my hand? Why? I don’t get it.

Whatever. I’m over it.