Spiral (Spiral Series) (10 page)

“I would offer to kick him in the shin if he came near me,” said Jill. “Seems like the right way to handle it.”

“You’re always so friendly,” said Maxie, shaking her head.

“Nat?” Jill asked, when I didn’t say anything. “What would you do?”

I looked down, swirling my water and trying to think. “I would say hi,” I said. “That’s what I would do with anyone, right? So why not him?”

“Because he is the picture of male perfection? So hot he can’t be looked at directly?” Maxie asked, splaying her hands. She had a habit of talking with her hands. “Just to name a couple of reasons why it might be difficult.”

Jill rolled her eyes and Maxie grinned. She was gearing up to say something else when I saw a familiar face in the doorway and my heart sank. Haley strolled in without bothering to look at our table; she just stood, waiting for the waitress to seat her. She was with an attractive guy I had never seen before.

“Ew,” Jill murmured, glaring at Haley. “She’s someone I wouldn’t be sad to see disappear.”

“The list of people who you’d be sad about if they disappeared is pretty short,” said Maxie. “Don’t be mean. I’m sure she has a good side.”

“Where? She probably left it in whatever city she moved from,” said Jill.

“No,” said Andrew thoughtfully. “She probably wasn’t nice there, either. It takes someone a long time to get that mean.” We all looked at him in surprise. I had never heard Andrew say a bad word about anyone, so for him it was pretty harsh.

“Don’t worry about Haley,” said Jill. “If you need me to I’ll defend your honor.” She gave me a wink.

“Seriously?” Andrew asked, raising his eyebrows.

“What? Are you saying I can’t fight because I’m a girl?” Jill glowered.

“Yeah,” said Andrew, “that’s exactly what I’m saying, because insulting you seems like such a good idea.”

I choked on my water as Maxie giggled. “Looks like you have someone who can keep up with you, Jill. What are you going to do about it?” she asked mischievously.

“He can only keep up with me if I let him,” said Jill, taking a huge bite of her salad so she wouldn’t be able to talk. “And I’m not going to let him.”

I couldn’t be sure, but I thought I heard Jill mutter, “Men!” under her breath.

To my great relief, Haley and the guy she was with didn’t come near our table, and my friends and I were able to finish dinner and leave the restaurant without any incidents. I had come to expect trouble whenever I saw Haley, because Haley always had some mean comment ready for me. Of course this time I was with Andrew, who, as the most popular guy at school, was probably the only person who could make Haley’s life miserable if he wanted to. I just hoped Haley didn’t realize that Andrew was way too nice to ever do that.

“So, where to now?” Jill asked as we stood around in the parking lot, not sure what to do next.

“I’m tired,” I said. I had been getting sleepier and sleepier. The whole not being able to sleep at night because of nightmares thing was really ruining my senior break. “I think I’d like to go home.”

“It’s barely ten o’clock,” Maxie groaned. “Let’s go do something fun.”

“There’s a party over at Casey’s,” said Andrew.

Casey was a guy on the baseball team, part of a totally different crowd from the one Jill, Maxie, and I usually hung out with, which most of the time was just us.

“So?” Jill asked, crossing her arms over her chest.

“Want to go?” Andrew asked.

“DEFINITELY,” cried Maxie, who was always up for a social event where cute guys were present. “Nat?” she asked.

“I don’t think so,” I said. “Long day.” And my nightmares are keeping me from sleeping, I added silently to myself.

“Alright, well then it looks like Jill has to go with me,” said Maxie.

Jill made a sour face, but to Nat’s surprise she didn’t argue with Maxie. Instead she glared at her and said, “I’ll go, but you owe me.”

“Yeah, hanging out with nice people is such a trial,” Andrew joked.

“You have no idea,” Jill retorted. “It saps all my energy.”

“Which you need for what? Graphic novels and slasher films?” Andrew asked.

“I’m so glad we’re all getting along so well,” said Maxie, pushing her pink streaked hair out of her face. “It’s so mature.”

“I never claimed to be mature,” said Jill. “Just ask my aunt. She’ll tell you all about it.”

“If you don’t want to go,” said Andrew to Jill diplomatically, “we could all just head home. I have practice in the morning anyway. Besides, if we don’t drive Natalie, she’s liable to walk.”

“Okay, let’s all just call it a night,” Maxie sighed gustily. “I don’t want Natalie doing something stupid like walking home alone. What if there’s an axe murderer around? What if you get chopped into a million pieces?” she said, turning to me and winking.

“Well, I won’t say it was because you didn’t warn me,” I said. “But I doubt that’s going to happen. Nothing very interesting ever happens around here.”

“Ain’t that the truth,” said Jill.

“Anyway,” I said. “Am I walking or are we all going home?”

“I really don’t like the idea of you walking,” said Andrew, ever the gentleman. “Let’s all go.”

“Okay, look,” said Jill. “If you’re going to hang out with us, you’re going to have to understand that we women are going to do as we please and you better get on the bus or get out of the way.”

“Charming,” said Maxie. “You’re just so charming. No wonder you’re single.”

“I’m wearing combat boots,” said Jill. “First of all, I’m not trying to get a date. And secondly don’t call me charming. It will ruin my image.”

“Pretty sure your image is set in stone,” said Maxie. “Just like your personality.”

The four of us piled back into Andrew’s truck to head home. I
didn’t even feel guilty about Casey’s party
. Andrew had baseball practice
, Jill didn’t want to go at all, and
I was tired
.
Maxie was the only one who was disappointed
, because t
he more often she got to h
a
ng out with hot guys the happier she was.
But she’d have other chances.

“So, any bets on when we
’
ll see that Pierce guy again?” Maxie asked
as Andrew pulled out onto the street.

“Why? Do you want to date him? I think he’s taken,” Jill pointed out.

“Hey, a guy that looks like that? If
Nat
doesn’t want him I am SO there,” said Maxie, grinning.

I just shook my head. “I don’t even know who he is and I
’
m pretty sure that if he knew anything about me at all he would change his mind,” I said
with a touch of bitterness
. Guys
had never
look
ed
twice at me.

There was a pause, then Andrew tried to cheer me up by asking if I was
excited for
my
birthday in a week. He didn’t know me well enough
yet
to know how miserable my birthday made me every year.

Jill and Maxie exchanged looks.

“Sure,” I said from the back seat, shrugging.

I was excited alright. I was excited for it to be over.

The rest of the weekend was quiet, and before I knew it I was back at school. By Monday morning I had almost forgotten about the guy named Pierce at the romance slam. It wasn’t like I was ever going to see him again, right?

“Whoever invented the term ‘Funday Monday’ never went to high school,” Maxie muttered as we arrived at Blueberry High.

“They were probably home-schooled,” said Jill. “Freeloaders.”

“Just one more month,” said Maxie, “then we’re free of this place.” Despite the chilly day Maxie was wearing a bright red summer dress. Her brown curls were tied into two cute braids, and she had a purple cardigan over her shoulders. Jill, in contrast, looked pretty much the same as she did every day. Ripped jeans and a black shirt completed her uniform.

“On the bright side, did you hear there’s a hot new guy? No idea what he’s doing here a week before graduation, but somehow it all made sense to the principal, and poof, new hottie,” Maxie said.

“I hadn’t heard,” I said, shrugging. “I’ve been tired lately.”

Maxie looked at me sympathetically. My friends knew that I had bad dreams, but they didn’t know how bad. I didn’t want to worry them or give them a reason to think I was crazy. I was fine suffering in silence.

“Everyone is talking about him,” Maxie continued, brushing a couple of loose strands of hair back into her braid. “I don’t know what he looks like, but I believe ‘Brad Pitt with black hair’ was thrown around.”

“Well, good morning, if you can call it good when I have to run into you three,” said a nastily familiar voice behind us. I spun around to face Haley. As usual she looked perfect, all glossy blond hair and cold eyes. She wore a miniskirt and a white button down shirt, the perfect private school girl outfit.

“You know we go to public school, don’t you?” Jill drawled. I had to hand it to Jill, nothing scared her, not even nasty fellow seniors.

“We dress for where we should be, not where we are,” said Haley waspishly.

“Right,” said Jill. “Then why aren’t you wearing trash bags?”

“Okay,” I said stepping in front of them. “Stop it.” The instant I got near Haley my insides turned to mush, my temples started to pound, and the sick feeling made me double over, as if a million tiny volts were coursing through my body and upsetting it. Through the haze of pain I saw Haley, her eyes bright with pleasure. I never felt good around Haley, but this was the first time had I felt so ill that I didn’t want to stand up straight. The feeling was familiar, but I couldn’t place why.

“Natalie, are you okay?” Maxie asked, rushing to my side.

I took her arm, feeling unsteady on my feet.

“Yeah, Natalie, whatever is the matter?” came Haley’s silky, venom-filled voice from somewhere in the haze in front of my eyes.

“Leave her alone,” Jill ordered, moving now so that she was the one closest to Haley. The instant there was a buffer I felt better, less like I was going to explode.

“Make me,” Haley hissed, meeting my friend’s green eyes with her black ones.

“She won’t, but I might,” came a clear voice from behind me. I was too sick to turn around quickly, but I wanted to. The voice sounded familiar, and it made my mind go in a million directions. Before I could even see who it was he had stepped in amongst us.

Pierce, his black hair glinting from the glare of the hallway lights and his silver eyes flashing in anger, was staring at Haley.

I had told myself over the weekend that I didn’t care about this guy Pierce. How could you be fascinated with someone you didn’t know? How could your insides turn to Jell-O at the mere thought of him when you had never spoken to him? It felt like crazy talk, but given the real crazy in my life I almost welcomed the warm fizz in my bones that the thought of Pierce brought.