Studying Boys (10 page)

"Not this." The Nerf hoop guy grabbed the hoop off the door, picked up his backpack and a textbook and walked out.

The redhead followed him.

And in about thirty seconds, the house was empty.

"That was impressive," Allie said. She hadn't moved from her spot. "I've never seen anyone end a party so quickly."

"It wasn't a party." Why couldn't anyone understand that?

"You need to chill out, Frances," Allie said.

What? Allie too? "But..." I wasn't uptight, really I wasn't. I just had responsibilities and I was trying to do a good job and...

I turned to the stairs, where Blue and Natalie were still sitting. "Do you guys think I'm too uptight?"

Blue shifted. "You do study a lot."

"Natalie?"

She looked at Allie and Blue, then sort of shrugged. "You might be a little rigid sometimes."

Me, rigid? They were defending Theo, the one who they all said wasn't nice enough for me to like? I couldn't believe it. Total betrayal by my friends.

And then George walked into the foyer. "I have to take off too."

Relief rushed through me at the sight of him. George liked me exactly how I was. My intensity about homework was so impressive that he'd actually asked me out. I gave him a big smile. "Thanks for coming, George." And I meant it. I really did.

"Friday night, then?"

"Yes." I'd show everyone. I could have a social life being myself. So there!

His cheeks turned pink again, but he looked pleased. "So, I'll e-mail you for directions to your house?"

He was going to pick me up? I mean, yeah, his mom would, but that was a real date, unlike suggesting we meet somewhere. I grinned again. "Sure."

"Great, well, see you then." He sort of glanced at my friends, then ducked out.

I stood in the doorway and waved to him, waiting until his mom's station wagon had disappeared down the street. Then, with my only ally gone, I turned and faced my former friends. "See? George doesn't think I'm too uptight. He asked me out on a date for Friday. How many of you have a date Friday night?"

My expression kept Blue from piping up that she no doubt had a date with her perfect boyfriend.

"So, on Friday, maybe George and I will discuss plans for a new Homework Club for people who actually take school seriously." A club that obviously wouldn't include my friends. When none of them argued, saying that they still wanted to be a part of it, I lifted my chin, trying to pretend I didn't care. "Bye."

And I walked out.

Alone.

And I felt horrible.

* * *

"You aren't going out with this boy on Friday," my mom said.

This was turning out to be the worst day of my life. "His mom is driving us. What can happen?"

My mom shook her head. "You're fourteen. Too young to date."

"Mom!"

"You can date when you're eighteen," my dad said.

"Eighteen?" Eighteen? I groaned and dropped my head to the kitchen table. My forehead hit with a loud thunk, but neither of my parents seemed impressed.

"Right now, you need to focus on school. Plenty of time to date when you're older." My dad picked up his fork and resumed eating the meatloaf my mom had kept warm for him after his late shift.

"I don't need to study every minute of every day," I said.

My dad looked up sharply. "Words like that will get you grounded."

I stared at him. He would ground me simply for saying that I shouldn't have to study every second of my life? Was that really what my life had turned into, without me noticing? "So, that's it then? No dating? Ever?"

"School, Frances. Do you really want to end up like your dad or me, working so many hours we barely get to see each other, let alone our kids? Living in a house that's too small for our family? No. You're going to do better, and it starts now. Everything you do matters. You can't waste time on boys." My mom untied her apron and folded it over the back of her chair, as if to make me notice that it was frayed and stained because she couldn't afford to buy a new one.

"Maybe I don't want to study all the time." My parents were insane! How could they do this to me! I was their perfect child and they were still treating me like I was some irresponsible deviant? Did they have any idea what I went through to live up to their standards?

My dad set his fork down. "That's it. To your room. Now. You can come back when you're prepared to be constructive."

"But..."

My dad pointed to the stairs. "Now."

I slammed my chair back and stomped out of the room. Stupid tears. Why was I crying? Just because Theo thought I was an idiot, and my friends had disowned me, and I wasn't allowed to go on a date with the one person in the entire world who thought I was cool the way I was.

Eighteen? Were they kidding?

I slammed my feet on each step and threw my door closed as hard as I could, managing to knock a science award off the wall. Stupid science award. If I was dumb, none of this would be my life. I'd be at public school with no scholarship worries, no pressure for college.

I flung myself onto my bed and pulled a pillow over my face.

"I hate my life," I screamed into the pillow.

Was it any wonder I was the way I was? I had no chance. No hope. By the time my parents were finished with me, I was going to be such a social zero that I wouldn't even be able to hold down a job.

* * *

It was Friday night.

Eight o'clock.

I was supposed to be on my date with George.

But no.

I was home. With no friends, since I still wasn't speaking to any of them. Except to tell them I'd been banned from dating until I was too old to walk. Things that horrible had to be shared.

I was supposed to be downstairs helping control my ninety million siblings while my mom made dinner, but fat chance of that. Destroying my life wasn't going to result in slave labor for them.

Too bad I hadn't swiped any food before my self-imposed exile in my room. I was already starving.

A thud sounded on my window, jolting me to my feet in a terrified leap. What was that?

Another thud sounded, and the windowpane shook.

Holy cow. I was being stalked by some evil specter that was floating around my second-floor window. I started backing toward my door.

Another thud, and this time I saw something yellow fly by the window.

A yellow evil specter? Anything evil should be black.

I grabbed a thick math book as a weapon, then edged toward the window. Maybe it was George Moon, here to declare his love for me and whisk me off into some fairy-tale land. Doubtful, but might be worth a look.

I reached the window and peered out. Too dark to see anything with the reflection from my lights.

My heart racing, I tugged the window open, keeping my math book handy.

Nothing flew in through the window and grabbed me by the throat.

So I stuck my head out. "Hello?"

"Hey."

"Theo?" My heart wasn't about to slow down with Theo in my backyard. I wasn't sure he was an improvement over a murderous ghost. "What are you doing here?" I could barely see his outline in the dark.

"Friday night. Your opportunity to prove you aren't uptight, remember?"

Why was he here? "I told you I had a date."

"Well, you don't now, do you?"

Good point. Blue was in trouble for telling him I was grounded. How could she betray my secrets to the enemy? Total traitor.

"So? Are you coming?" Theo asked.

"Coming where?"

"Out."

Out.

With Theo.

There was a day not so long ago when I would've died for that chance.

Not anymore.

Plus, "I'm not allowed to go out with boys." Even ones who were total jerks.

"My point exactly," he said.

"What are you talking about?" I really wished I could see the expression on his face, to see whether he was taunting me.

He moved forward into the light from the back porch. He was wearing his black leather jacket with the collar up, and he looked really hot. He was grinning at me, like he was so pleased with whatever plan he had. "Sneak out," he said.

I almost fell out of the window I was so surprised by his answer. "What?"

He grinned wider, and I could see his white teeth flashing at me. "Or are you too uptight?"

I gritted my teeth. "I'm not uptight."

"Then come out."

A shiver of excitement suddenly burst through me. Sneak out? I couldn't do that.

"Are you coming?"

I looked down into my backyard. There stood a boy who represented the antithesis of everything about me. He didn't study, he had girls all over him, he didn't respect me or anything I stood for.

And suddenly I wanted nothing more than to pretend I wasn't Frances Spinelli, scholarship student. I wanted to be Frances Spinelli, high school dropout with no parents.

"Frances?"

I stared at Theo. I couldn't do it. Lying to my parents about The Homework Club was one thing. At least that was designed to improve my college application. It was for my parents' benefit, even if they couldn't see that.

Sneaking out with Theo to prove I wasn't uptight.

No.

That wasn't me.

"If you want that club of yours to succeed, you're going to have to listen to me," Theo said.

Figured. Blue probably told him what had happened when he left. I was never speaking to her again.

He shrugged. "Fine."

And then he turned away. I watched him walk to the corner of the house. What had he meant about The Homework Club? Would he really help me get it going? I bit my lip as he rounded the corner, almost out of sight. What if this was my chance to make the Homework Club happen? And I missed it? He was leaving-- "Theo!"

He glanced over his shoulder at me, one hand on the corner of the house. "Yes?"

This is for The Homework Club. "I'm coming. I'll meet you out front."

I could see his grin even in the dark and then he disappeared.

I gripped the window sill, my heart racing. Oh my God. What had I done?

I didn't have to go. I didn't have to sneak down those stairs. I could leave Theo waiting outside. And then I could get up tomorrow and be the same Frances I'd always been, and I would have to email Mr. Walker and tell him that I'd let down the newspaper and all the students at two schools.

Or, I could get some courage, sneak down those stairs, and go take control of my life.

I slammed the window shut, my heart racing. I couldn't do it. Take off with Theo when I was forbidden to date? I wasn't even allowed to ride in a car with a freshman boy and his mother, yet I was going to sneak out with a senior who had his own car?

Impossible.

So not my thing.

Said even as I shoved my sneakers onto my feet and grabbed my coat. A quick glance in the mirror told me my hair was a hopeless situation and I shouldn't even bother.

So I didn't.

It was Theo, after all, and I wasn't Allie. I wouldn't have known what to do to primp my hair for a date anyway. And this wasn't a date. This was a negotiation session with the enemy, who I needed to become my partner.

It would hardly do to look like I was trying to impress him, because as I was starting to discover, the less I tried to impress Theo, the more he actually remembered I was alive.

Oh, who was I kidding? I made it as far as the top of the stairs, and then I sprinted back into my room and quickly brushed my hair. I frowned at my reflection, suddenly wishing that I knew how to curl my hair, or that I owned makeup. Not that I wanted to impress him, because I really was over him. But it was Friday night, and I was going out with a guy, and a little part of me wished that I could actually play that role, and be that girl who actually knew how to be a girl.

But I couldn't. I was me, and that's all I could muster up right now. So, I hurried to the top of the stairs and paused. The twins were screaming, my mom was trying to soothe them and I could hear someone else crying. She'd never notice.

I took a deep breath and crept halfway down the stairs.

You can still turn back, Frances, and be who you're supposed to be.

I peered through the railing. Only my little sister Dawn was watching me. She'd benefit from this someday. I'd break my parents in, and by the time she was my age, my parents would be too exhausted to rule the house anymore.

Either that or they'd be handcuffing the kids to their computers by then.

I motioned at her to be quiet, and her eyes widened.

I tiptoed down the rest of the stairs, my heart pounding so loud in my ears I thought for sure my mom would hear it.