Be Mine (23 page)

“Happy Valentine's Day!” Natalie exclaimed when Leo opened his front door the following morning.

Leo blinked at Natalie with sleepy eyes. “What are you doing here?”

“I'm taking you jogging. Weren't you waiting for me? You're wearing your sweats.”

“That's 'cause I slept in them. My mom didn't have a chance to do the laundry last night and I didn't have any pajamas.” Leo yawned. “I'm finished with jogging. I told you that yesterday.”

Natalie walked into Leo's foyer and closed the front door behind her. “But you can't give up. I won't let you!”

Natalie followed after Leo as he headed back to his bedroom and flopped down on his bed. It was a typical guy room, with posters of bikiniclad girls on the walls, stacks of DVDs next to his computer, books and magazines scattered on the floor, and piles of discarded clothes everywhere.

“Go away,” Leo mumbled, pulling the sheets and bedspread back over his head. “I need to sleep. If my parents hadn't already left for work, I'd make them throw you out.”

Natalie shook her head. “It's time to rise and shine!”

Leo sighed and sat up. “Jogging around some park isn't going to help me lose weight.”

“Yes, it will.”

“No, it won't. Look, Nat, it's nice that you want to help me, but I'm not fooling myself. I'm always going to be fat.”

“You're not,” Natalie insisted. “Not if you want to lose the weight badly enough. Do you want to lose it?”

Leo ran a hand through his curls. “Of course I do!”

“Then why won't you try? What are you so afraid of?”

“What if I can't do it?” Leo whispered. “I've tried before. I've lost a few pounds but never enough to make a difference. And then I've put it back on.”

“You
can
do it,” Natalie said.

“Why do you sound so sure?”

“It's possible to lose the weight, Leo. I can prove it.”

Natalie reached into her backpack and pulled out a photo album, placing it in Leo's lap. She'd never shown the album to anyone in North Ridge, but she trusted Leo. And she needed to do this. For him.

“What's this?” he asked.

“You tell me.”

Leo began flipping through the pages of the photo album. “It's filled with pictures of some fat girl.”

“You don't recognize her?”

Leo peered more closely at one of the photos. “Should I?”

“That fat girl is me.”

Leo's mouth opened in shock as he stared at the photos before him and back at Natalie. Then he did it again. And again.

“That's you?” Leo gasped, pointing at a photo.

Natalie nodded. “That's me. Hard to believe, isn't it?”

Leo stared at the photos again. “I'll say. It's like you're two different people.” He closed the album and stared at Natalie. His gaze was so intense that she started to squirm.

“What?” she asked, feeling self-conscious.

“Everything makes sense now. Why you've always been so nice to me. You used to
be
me.”

“I knew what you were going through. And I'd like to think I still would have been nice to you, even if I hadn't been fat. I treat people the way I want them to treat me. With kindness and compassion.”

Natalie then told Leo about her life before moving to North Ridge. It was the first time she had ever told the story to one of her new friends. As the words spilled out, she felt like a huge load was being lifted off her shoulders. It felt good sharing her secret. And if it helped Leo, even better.

“If I can do it, you can do it,” she said when she finished. “I did it by myself, but I can help you, Leo.”

“I don't think Tom would like that very much, do you?” Leo asked.

Tom. Natalie didn't want to think about him. He still wasn't talking to her after the way he'd blown up at her the day before. Even though she was his girlfriend, she didn't feel like one. A girlfriend was supposed to feel special. Wanted. She'd never felt that way with Tom. When she was with him, she always felt like she was an accessory: the good-looking blonde that he needed to have on his arm.

Unlike Leo. He always made her feel special. He saw the person she was on the inside and not the outside.

“I didn't think so,” Leo said when Natalie didn't answer.

“I don't care what Tom thinks,” Natalie stated. “Want to know why?”

“Why?”

“I'm breaking up with him.”

“How come?”

“I want to go out with someone else. Someone I like and who I think likes me.”

“Another basketball player?”

“Nope.”

“Football? Baseball?”

“Wrong again.”

“Well, he must be a member of the jock squad, right?”

“Why would you think that?”

“Guys like that always date girls like you.”

Natalie crooked a finger at Leo. “Come closer. I want to tell you a secret.”

Leo leaned into Natalie.

“Sometimes girls like me date guys like
you
,” she whispered into his ear.

Leo pulled back, staring at Natalie in shock. She slowly nodded and then she caught him off guard by throwing her arms around him and pulling him close as she gave him a kiss.

“Wow,” a dazed Leo said when the kiss ended.

“I've been wanting to do that ever since you kissed me yesterday morning,” Natalie said, seconds before she started to give Leo a second kiss. “Guess you're not the only one with no willpower!”

Eden was dressed to impress.

Last night she had spent hours in front of her closet searching for the perfect outfit to wear today. It needed to be something that made Dexter notice her more than he had in the past. She finally decided on a black mini skirt — the better to show off her legs! — with a purple camisole top paired with a cropped jacket and black high-heeled boots. She'd gotten up extra early that morning, taking time with her hair and makeup, because she wanted to look
gorgeous
. And she did! Beyoncé had better watch out!

Eden still couldn't believe that Dexter liked her. If she hadn't run into Angie yesterday, she still wouldn't know. Why hadn't she been able to see it for herself? In the past, she had always known when a guy was interested in her. But usually those guys were jocks or they hung out with her crowd of friends. She could read the signals. She and Dexter, though, came from two different worlds. He was super smart and she was super popular. The two didn't usually go together. Maybe that was why she hadn't known. Because it had never occurred to her. And maybe the reason why Dexter had never asked her out was that he didn't think she'd
want
to go out with him. But why wouldn't she? He was sweet and kind and one of the smartest guys at North Ridge High.

She saw Dexter walk into the library and waved to him. Cradled under his arm was a package wrapped with silver foil paper decorated with red hearts. That sweetie! He'd gotten her a Valentine's Day present!

“Hi, Dexter,” she said when he reached the table. She had made sure her chair was pushed away from the table, legs casually crossed, so he could see what she was wearing from head to toe. She wanted him to notice the entire package.

“Hi, Eden.”

Much to her disappointment, he didn't even glance at her. He just dropped his package on the table and started unloading his book bag, his eyes focused downward.

Hmmm. He hadn't commented on what she was wearing.
Very
strange. This outfit had gotten her results on more than one occasion. She
knew
it worked. Of course, Dexter
was
shy. That's probably why he wasn't saying anything.

“Whatcha got there?” she nonchalantly asked, pointing to the package on the table.

He shrugged. “I don't know. I found it in front of my locker this morning.”

That wasn't the answer Eden had been expecting. “It's a present for
you
?” she choked out.

Dexter nodded, showing Eden the card that had been addressed to him. His name was on it, but that was all. “Looks like I have a secret admirer.”

Hearing those words, Eden instantly became jealous.

Someone else was interested in
her
Dexter?

“Aren't you going to open it up?” she asked.

“I'll do it later,” Dexter said, sitting down and flipping through his SAT study guide. “We've got work to do!”

But Eden didn't want to study. She wanted Dexter to unwrap that package!
Now!
She needed to know what she was up against. She hadn't planned on dealing with any competition.

Was she going to lose Dexter before she even had him?

Jennifer was down in the dumps.

It was Valentine's Day, and everywhere she turned at North Ridge High, couples were celebrating the day. They were hugging and kissing and giving each other red-and-pink-wrapped gifts. Boxes of chocolate were being passed around and she kept hearing shouts of “Happy Valentine's Day!”

Jennifer maneuvered through the crowded hallway on the way to her locker. She tried to block out everything that was going on around her. She didn't want to be reminded that, once again, she had no valentine.

She hadn't cried herself to sleep the night before, but she'd come close. As she lay in bed, twisting and turning against the sheets, she kept thinking of Will and Kristy. What had they done that night? Even though they were only “friends,” had their night together reignited things between them? Had Will taken Kristy home and walked her to her front door? Had he kissed her good night? Had they made plans to get together again? Because after tonight, Will could go out with whomever he wanted.

While she would be all alone.

Jennifer had finally dozed off after midnight but she kept waking up throughout the night. She was so restless that Sheba, who usually slept at the foot of her bed, had jumped off and left her bedroom to find someplace else to sleep.

“What's with the sad face?” Violet asked as Jennifer reached her locker. Their lockers were side by side and Violet's was already open.

“I'm not sad,” Jennifer said.

“Yes, you are.” Violet took a closer look at Jennifer. “In fact, you look like you're depressed.”

“I'm not depressed.”

“You could have fooled me. Are you sure everything is okay?”

Jennifer began fiddling with the combination of her lock. “I don't want to talk about it.”

Even though Violet was her best friend and she wasn't the type to say “I told you so,” Jennifer couldn't tell her what had happened with Will the night before or why it hurt so much. It was too embarrassing.

“That means there
is
something wrong.”

“Just let it go, Violet, please?” Jennifer's lock clicked open and she pulled it off. Seconds later, when she opened her locker door, a cascade of red, pink, peach, yellow, lilac, and white rose petals flooded out.

“Oh my gosh!” Violet squealed.

Jennifer stepped away from her locker in disbelief as the petals kept pouring out. It was like a rainbow of colors!

“Who could have done this?” a stunned Jennifer asked.

“That's a silly question!” Violet exclaimed, pointing to the note taped to the inside of Jennifer's locker door. “Will! Your valentine!”

The note card was pink. Scrawled in Will's distinct handwriting was:
Happy Valentine's Day, Red! I wanted to give you roses, but I didn't want you pricking your fingers on any thorns so I figured I'd just give you the petals. I also couldn't make up my mind on what color to send, in case you hadn't noticed.

“This is
so
romantic,” Violet said as she scooped up a handful of petals and let them drift back onto the pile. “You can use these to make potpourri.”

By then, a bunch of girls had gathered around Jennifer, oohing and aahing over Will's gift.

Even though Jennifer was smiling on the outside, inside she wasn't. Will had left the rose petals because of the Most Romantic Couple contest. He was doing it because they were pretending. It wasn't like he cared about her.

“Hey!” a passing Mindy Yee exclaimed. “Claudia and Chase just pulled up in front of the school in a pink horse-drawn sleigh!”

The other girls left the pile of rose petals and hurried after Mindy.

“Looks like Claudia trumps me again,” Jennifer sighed.

“Temporarily,” Violet said. “There's still tonight, when the Most Romantic Couple is going to be announced. That's the big prize.”

But what does it matter?
Jennifer wondered. Even if she and Will did win, it wasn't like it was going to mean anything. They weren't a couple. They never were and they never would be.

At lunchtime, the votes were being cast. Jennifer had no idea who was going to win. From the conversations she'd overheard, it sounded like every couple had their supporters.

After voting for herself and Will, Jennifer joined Violet at their table. She was squirting some ketchup over her fries when Claudia came over, holding out a cell phone.