Part 22 (2/2)

”Thanks,” he mumbled as he pushed past Cheryl and walked away, her tailing him as if they were together.

Maybe they were.

”It was a good try.” Rachel stood beside me, my forgotten books on top of her own. ”Honest mistake.”

”Stupid mistake. He'll never forgive me.” The tears were coming again. ”And why should he? I cheated on him.”

Rachel's face s.h.i.+fted to anger, her cheeks getting pink over the splatter of freckles. ”You did not cheat on him. He knew you were doing something with Chris. He made a run at you, but he can't expect Chris to accept that. If he's not going to let you explain, screw him.”

Um. Wow.

Rachel never got angry like that. Especially over a boy. Usually soft and mushy was her main approach to anything male.

”But I was kissing him.” Good Lord I sounded desperate.

”You were trying to not let him kiss you. If that a.s.s of a transfer boy can't see that, then you're better off without him.”

I slid my books off hers, taking that moment to study the flush racing up her neck to cover her ears.

”What's going on here?” I asked.

For one of the first times I could remember in our friends.h.i.+p, Rachel couldn't meet my eye. Her gaze dropped and slid away toward the top of the stairs we hovered over.

”Nothing. I just don't think that he should be treating you like this. It isn't as if he wasn't the one who pushed, pushed, pushed. We-you can't be everything all the time to him. He needs to let you get things in order and chill and not push things you don't want to do or know or stuff.”

Her voice trailed off, the last couple words almost lost in the loud scuffle of the hall.

I took her arm and pulled her toward the abandoned lockers lining the between-bell-chaos.

Waiting for a lull, I lowered my voice and asked, ”Is Jared pus.h.i.+ng you to do something you don't want to?”

I'd kill him. No, I'd let Justin kill him. He'd do it better. Maybe I'd help.

”No! Nothing like that is going on with us. We just started dating. It's good.” She smiled again, a real one, and I knew that wasn't the issue. ”It's good,” she said again.

”Then what?”

”I just don't want you letting some guy create this whole judging thing you don't deserve. Just don't do it.” Rachel reached out as if to take my hand, hers shaking a bit. ”Promise me.”

Oh. Wow. I could see it a bit. How a girl could come to worry about nothing but The Guy. I so was not going to become that girl. No matter how hard it was to ignore how Luke looked walking away with Cheryl at his side.

”I won't.” When her frown didn't lighten, I promised. ”Don't worry. I'm not going to change from one type of person to another overnight.”

I glanced down the hall one last time before Luke turned the corner and wondered how to not become that girl while trying to win him back.

”Don't worry. You'll figure it out.” Rachel squeezed my arm where her hand still held on, reading my mind as usual.

Chapter 28.

But I didn't... figure it out that is. Two weeks later and I was still desperately trying to get Luke's attention. But, every day he managed to not see me in the hall. And in cla.s.s. And in the parking lot. And at practice.

I have no idea how he managed not to see me at practice every single day.

”Whalen!” Coach's shouting drew my attention away from Luke sprinting to fall back after a goal.

I checked the binders, checked the water, checked that no one was dead. I had no idea why Coach was shouting at me as practice drew to a close.

”Why the h.e.l.l are you still here?”

I glanced over to where the team did very uncomplicated post-practice stretches. It looked a lot like lying down to die actually.

”Um, because practice isn't over?” I hated stating the obvious, especially with Coach. It always felt like a trick.

”Not here at practice, smarta.s.s. Here. Here on the boys' soccer team.”

Would it be lame to admit because it was a chance to be near Luke?

”Shouldn't you be running through the woods with the wind whipping through your hair or something?”

Um, wow. Coach just turned me into a feminine products commercial.

”I usually run in the morning before school until it gets cold.” I'm not sure why that mattered.

”Whalen-Amy-you have, by far, been the best stats girl this team has ever had. Well, besides the fact that you were the catalyst to a riot.” He raised a hand before I could defend myself. ”I'm not blaming you for those two being boneheads. But, why are you not getting your act together and getting back on the cross-country team?”

Oh. He wanted me gone.

I looked down at my hands, afraid to see him fire me. But, if there was one thing I'd learned this month, it was to face things head on.

”You want me to leave?”

”d.a.m.n it, Whalen. Did you not just hear me say you were the best stats girl? But I've seen you run and you should be doing that.”

Oh. He didn't want me gone?

”Coach, are you firing me?” See, there's that new Amy Super-Girl straight on thing again.

He ran his hands through his hair, giving it the standard Coach-is-frustrated tug. ”No, Whalen. I'm asking you if this is where you're supposed to be.”

I glanced around, taking in the field and the soccer team. The coaches mulling about. The girls casually hanging out off to the side. Parents gathered at the gate by the parking lot. Some guy with a briefcase headed our way. In the distance, the cross-country team stretched out too and I realized something.

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