I nudged the girl next to me. "What'd she win?"
"A date with Logan Kade."
I grabbed her arm when she started to turn for her friends. "What?"
Her lip curled up and she gave me a look in disdain. "Like I said, a date with the ever-so-great Logan Kade. Get your hand off me."
I let go, but scooted closer. "Was that a drawing or something?"
She shrugged and rolled her eyes. "I have no idea. Can I talk to my friends now?"
"Oh yeah. Whatever."
The girl's bitchiness didn't bother me. She was a sophomore. She had two more years to get stepped on and I knew it'd happen. It always happened.
Then she surprised me when she looked back at me. "Aren't you Samantha Strattan?"
"Yeah. Why?"
"Shouldn't you know about your new brother being auctioned off?"
Everything stopped for me. The hairs on my neck stood up. My claws came out. My tongue fell thick, but I gave her the most polite look I would muster in all my years and asked in a voice so professional my mother would've been proud, "What do you mean by that?"
The sophomore narrowed her eyes, but rolled them after. "My twin sister goes to public. Logan Kade said that you were his new sister. Is that, like, not true?"
My heart started to pound and my chest got heavy. I felt a heart attack coming on, but I still asked in that painfully polite voice, "What do you mean?"
She made some sound and I felt snobbery written all over it. Then she tugged down her frayed mini skirt and wrapped her athletic jacket tighter around her. "Whatever. He probably made it all up."
"Yeah," I said faintly as she turned back away. "Probably."
Oh god. Logan had spilled the beans. People would know. My world was going to end.
Adam would know.
Jessica would know.
Lydia would know.
And, I gulped. Becky would know.
There'd be no anonymity any more. Everyone would know. Most would care. And I groaned as I lowered my head to my lap. People would either love me or they'd hate me. My guess is that they'd all hate me.
Round two of hell, here we come.
And, of course, Lydia dropped into the chair beside me at that moment. "Hi!"
I jumped from how cheery she sounded.
Then she scooted close and lowered her voice. "We only have a few minutes. Jessica's over the moon. I'm sure she'll be with Jill and Ashley for awhile. How are you?" Her hand clamped onto mine and she gave it a squeeze.
"I'm…fine…"
Her smile stretched wide. "Good. That's good. I talked to Becky last night. She's so funny. Why didn't you tell me how funny she could be?"
"Because…." Had Lydia grown two heads? I swore one was sane, but this one—not so much. "I have no idea."
She doubled over with laughter.
I scooted an inch away.
She scooted with me and pressed her leg up against me. "Come on, Sam. How are you really?" She whispered behind a hand. "I heard that Adam likes you, like really likes you. That's great, although I knew that'd happen." Her hand squeezed again. "Are you excited?"
"Um."
She rushed in, "You'll make a great couple. I just know it."
The sophomore bitch turned back with eyebrows high. "You're dating Adam Quinn?" She gave me an once-over.
I returned the favor and spoke in her same bored, stuck-up tone, "Why's that your business?"
She clamped her mouth shut and turned away. A bunch of her friends behind us scooted forward and I knew the whispers were about me.
I was starting to get used to it.
"She's coming," Lydia hissed and shot from the chair.
A second later Jessica walked past my seat and back to her old one. When she saw me, her smile froze for a second, but then she murmured, "Hello."
I almost fell of my seat.
If Jessica gave me the time of day that meant she was happy, really happy, and that left me with a sense of dread. From the little time I'd had to get to know the real Jessica, I knew she wasn't happy unless she got whatever she had set her sights on.
Logan.
Maybe she thought she had him in her clutches after all?
I spent the rest of the game weighing my options. Jessica, ex best friend who'd been screwing my boyfriend for two years to get back at me and now she's best friends with his new girlfriend. Jessica wanted Logan. I happened to know the guy…what to do?
When the game ended and Fallen Crest Public had trounced my school, once again, I stood with the rest and started to make my way towards the parking lot. Lydia squealed my name as I was almost off the bleachers and gave me an excited wave with a thumbs-up sign.
I wasn't sure what she was thumbing-up, but I gave her a small wave back.
When I got to the parking lot, I had to stand back with a bunch of others as our team first ran through, followed by the next team.
And then two arms came from nowhere and lifted me off the ground. I was swung around before I was placed back on my feet.
I leaned back and saw Logan's smiling face. "We won! Did you have any doubt? Tell me you cheered for the winning team?"
Oh no… I looked around. Eyebrows were up. Hands were hiding mouths and heads were bent together. Then I saw Lydia and Jessica behind me. Both had frozen looks on them. Jessica was white as a ghost.
"Hey!" Logan embraced me again. "I scored three touch downs, of course Mason got all the blocks for me, but I scored. Aren't you going to congratulate me, sis?"
"What?" Jessica choked out.
Then a hand clamped on Logan's shoulder and he was pulled with the rest of his team. He turned back and yelled, "You're going out with us, Sammy. We're going to party tonight. No more loser parties for you!"
One of his teammate laughed and said something in his ear. Logan tipped his head back and his hyena laugh came out again.
Then I turned back around and felt the ground start to shake again.
Mason had stopped behind me. He had a quizzical look on his face and he reached a hand to scratch at the back of his head.
"Hi." I clutched a hand to my stomach and wondered why I was breathless all the sudden.
"Hey?" He looked where Lydia and Jessica stood. "Are they your friends?"
"No." I shook my head and moved closer to him.
"A date with Logan Kade."
I grabbed her arm when she started to turn for her friends. "What?"
Her lip curled up and she gave me a look in disdain. "Like I said, a date with the ever-so-great Logan Kade. Get your hand off me."
I let go, but scooted closer. "Was that a drawing or something?"
She shrugged and rolled her eyes. "I have no idea. Can I talk to my friends now?"
"Oh yeah. Whatever."
The girl's bitchiness didn't bother me. She was a sophomore. She had two more years to get stepped on and I knew it'd happen. It always happened.
Then she surprised me when she looked back at me. "Aren't you Samantha Strattan?"
"Yeah. Why?"
"Shouldn't you know about your new brother being auctioned off?"
Everything stopped for me. The hairs on my neck stood up. My claws came out. My tongue fell thick, but I gave her the most polite look I would muster in all my years and asked in a voice so professional my mother would've been proud, "What do you mean by that?"
The sophomore narrowed her eyes, but rolled them after. "My twin sister goes to public. Logan Kade said that you were his new sister. Is that, like, not true?"
My heart started to pound and my chest got heavy. I felt a heart attack coming on, but I still asked in that painfully polite voice, "What do you mean?"
She made some sound and I felt snobbery written all over it. Then she tugged down her frayed mini skirt and wrapped her athletic jacket tighter around her. "Whatever. He probably made it all up."
"Yeah," I said faintly as she turned back away. "Probably."
Oh god. Logan had spilled the beans. People would know. My world was going to end.
Adam would know.
Jessica would know.
Lydia would know.
And, I gulped. Becky would know.
There'd be no anonymity any more. Everyone would know. Most would care. And I groaned as I lowered my head to my lap. People would either love me or they'd hate me. My guess is that they'd all hate me.
Round two of hell, here we come.
And, of course, Lydia dropped into the chair beside me at that moment. "Hi!"
I jumped from how cheery she sounded.
Then she scooted close and lowered her voice. "We only have a few minutes. Jessica's over the moon. I'm sure she'll be with Jill and Ashley for awhile. How are you?" Her hand clamped onto mine and she gave it a squeeze.
"I'm…fine…"
Her smile stretched wide. "Good. That's good. I talked to Becky last night. She's so funny. Why didn't you tell me how funny she could be?"
"Because…." Had Lydia grown two heads? I swore one was sane, but this one—not so much. "I have no idea."
She doubled over with laughter.
I scooted an inch away.
She scooted with me and pressed her leg up against me. "Come on, Sam. How are you really?" She whispered behind a hand. "I heard that Adam likes you, like really likes you. That's great, although I knew that'd happen." Her hand squeezed again. "Are you excited?"
"Um."
She rushed in, "You'll make a great couple. I just know it."
The sophomore bitch turned back with eyebrows high. "You're dating Adam Quinn?" She gave me an once-over.
I returned the favor and spoke in her same bored, stuck-up tone, "Why's that your business?"
She clamped her mouth shut and turned away. A bunch of her friends behind us scooted forward and I knew the whispers were about me.
I was starting to get used to it.
"She's coming," Lydia hissed and shot from the chair.
A second later Jessica walked past my seat and back to her old one. When she saw me, her smile froze for a second, but then she murmured, "Hello."
I almost fell of my seat.
If Jessica gave me the time of day that meant she was happy, really happy, and that left me with a sense of dread. From the little time I'd had to get to know the real Jessica, I knew she wasn't happy unless she got whatever she had set her sights on.
Logan.
Maybe she thought she had him in her clutches after all?
I spent the rest of the game weighing my options. Jessica, ex best friend who'd been screwing my boyfriend for two years to get back at me and now she's best friends with his new girlfriend. Jessica wanted Logan. I happened to know the guy…what to do?
When the game ended and Fallen Crest Public had trounced my school, once again, I stood with the rest and started to make my way towards the parking lot. Lydia squealed my name as I was almost off the bleachers and gave me an excited wave with a thumbs-up sign.
I wasn't sure what she was thumbing-up, but I gave her a small wave back.
When I got to the parking lot, I had to stand back with a bunch of others as our team first ran through, followed by the next team.
And then two arms came from nowhere and lifted me off the ground. I was swung around before I was placed back on my feet.
I leaned back and saw Logan's smiling face. "We won! Did you have any doubt? Tell me you cheered for the winning team?"
Oh no… I looked around. Eyebrows were up. Hands were hiding mouths and heads were bent together. Then I saw Lydia and Jessica behind me. Both had frozen looks on them. Jessica was white as a ghost.
"Hey!" Logan embraced me again. "I scored three touch downs, of course Mason got all the blocks for me, but I scored. Aren't you going to congratulate me, sis?"
"What?" Jessica choked out.
Then a hand clamped on Logan's shoulder and he was pulled with the rest of his team. He turned back and yelled, "You're going out with us, Sammy. We're going to party tonight. No more loser parties for you!"
One of his teammate laughed and said something in his ear. Logan tipped his head back and his hyena laugh came out again.
Then I turned back around and felt the ground start to shake again.
Mason had stopped behind me. He had a quizzical look on his face and he reached a hand to scratch at the back of his head.
"Hi." I clutched a hand to my stomach and wondered why I was breathless all the sudden.
"Hey?" He looked where Lydia and Jessica stood. "Are they your friends?"
"No." I shook my head and moved closer to him.
