Chapter SIXTEEN

I was starting to look forward to the texts from Anderson, and it scared me a bit. I'd only been in Minnesota for three weeks, but everything seemed to be falling into place. It seemed too good to be true. Getting along with my mom, talking to Anderson, having friends. How had it all happened so fast?

   The day of the Spring Fling, the school was crazy. It seemed like it was mostly sophomores and juniors who were attending, and the seniors were mostly heading to the party the next night. I didn't mind missing the dance. 

   "You excited for the party?" Franky asked me in the morning, at my locker.

   He was wearing super tight jeans and polo shirt, his hair even more wild than I'd seen it before. 

   "Yeah," I nodded, "Sure."

   "You have anything else to say?" he asked, somehow knowing what I was thinking. 

   Since Tab wasn't there yet, I figured it was my only chance to ask him about this. 

   "Why don't you and Tab date?"

   He rolled his eyes. "Kelsey, I told you. We are best friends. Why make it weird?"

   "So what if she dates some other guy? Is that weird?" I asked. I knew they were definitely more than best friends. It was obvious.

   "For me, yeah. But -"

   "Hey! Fuck. I'm so late," Tab yelled, suddenly beside me. The bell rang a moment later. "What's up?"

   I glanced at Franky, then to Tab. "Not much," I told her.

   After first period, I had to go back to my locker to grab a binder. I only had a few minutes to get it and rush back to my next class, but as I opened my locker, Asher walked up, standing close. He was practically a foot taller than me. He had a fresh hair cut and his eyes looked bright and happy. 

   "Hey, Kels," he began, quiet. "Coming to the party tomorrow?"

   I stepped back. "Yeah."

   "Sweet. I'll make sure I find you," he finished, already walking away.

   He was gone before I could even say anything else to him, but as I closed my locker, I could feel eyes on me again. I turned, knowing I had to get back to the other end of the school.

   "You." Jessica Turner was across the hallway from where I was. "You know what they are doing, right?"

   I just looked at her. "What?"

   "Darwin. Asher. All the attention?" she asked, her blonde hair falling onto her shoulders.

   "I do not know what you mean," I told her.

   "Yeah you do. It's not real. They always make bets on who can hook up with a new girl, first." She said this so calmly, it freaked me out. "They aren't really interested in you."

   "Well, that's great. I'm not interested in them," I managed to say, my heart racing.

   "They don't care if you're interested."

   "Uh, don't you like Darwin?" I asked, hoping to throw her off.

   "What?" she snapped.

   I shook my head, annoyed, and turned away from her.

   "They are going to try to have sex with you, at the party," she called after me.

   I felt disgusted as I turned back to look at her. "Well, that will not be happening."

   "You're just fresh meat. They don't actually like you," she said again.

   "I'm okay with that, Jessica."

   "Sure you are," she finished, and spun around.

   For whatever reason, I still felt hurt by all of this. Suddenly I decided that I was not going that party. I knew that for a fact.

 I didn't tell Tab and Franky at lunch. I just sat there, pretending everything was fine. But I couldn't hold it in anymore by fourth period, as I saw Darwin sitting there across the room. He had smiled at me, which set me off. My legs felt weird and my stomach hurt. How could these guys make bets on who could hook up with me first? Why would they even want to bet on that?

   SORRY, I CAN'T GO TO THE PARTY, I texted Tab at the end of class. I knew she wouldn't be happy about this.

   UH. WHY? she sent back a few minutes later. AND WHERE ARE YOU?

   HEADING TO MY LOCKER. LONG STORY, BUT I CAN'T GO.

   SHIT, OKAY, CALL ME TONIGHT? she sent back.

   OKAY.

   I felt embarrassed and annoyed as I drove home. Everything had felt like it going too well, now I knew why. It wasn't even as if I wanted anything to do with Darwin or his buddies. I didn't. But knowing what they had planned was really affecting me. And the fact that it was Anderson's sister that was my bearer of bad news didn't help, at all. Anderson was sweet and funny and he liked me - but it wasn't real. How could it be? He was just a guy I'd met on a plane.

   "Isn't there a dance tonight at your school?" my mom asked, as we ate dinner.

   It turned out, she wasn't a big cook. She made simple meals like pastas and salads, but otherwise order take out. My dad had rarely cooked meals in the past few years, so I was already used to doing things for myself. Now, we were eating sushi from a place my mom had stopped at on the way home.

   And, I was surprised she knew about the dance.

   "Uh, yeah. I'm not going."

   "Your friends don't want to go?" she asked.

   "No... they are actually going to a party tomorrow, instead," I told her, picking up a california roll.

   "Oh, fun!"

   "Uh, I'm not going to the party," I spat out, for some reason.

   "Oh. Why is that?" she wanted to know, of course.

   I bit into the roll, then chewed slowly. I wanted to change the subject, but I knew I couldn't, now. "Mom. It's..."

   "What's wrong, Kelsey?"

   "It's embarrassing," I began. "I found out that the popular football players have bets on which of them can... get with me first."

   I'd never talked about anything like this with her before. Obviously, as I was fourteen the last time I'd seen her. My dad didn't show interest in my life enough to discuss things like this, either.

   "Oh. Oh, well, take it as a compliment." She forced a smile.

   "No, it's embarrassing," I repeated. "And it's stupid that I can't even go to the party -"

   "You could go, and tell them what you think of their little bet?" she suggested, then took a sip of her water.

   "No, I will not be doing that."

   "Maybe it would embarrass them?"

   "Not likely," I shook my head.

   My mom sighed. "Well, I hate that you're missing out, because of this."

   "I'll be fine," I told her. "It's just a party."

   "I'll stay in tomorrow and keep you company," she finished, then reached across the table to pat my arm.

  "You don't have to," I shook my head.

   "I want to," she finished, and for whatever reason I knew she meant it.