Double Time (9 page)

“
Then don’t feel bad about Ethan. Go and have a good time. They can obviously shut off their feelings, so we should too.”

“
There’s only one problem,” Keesh says.

“
What’s that?” I ask, although I’m not sure I want to know.

“
We haven’t come close to getting dates to the dance. None of the guys I’ve talked to have even mentioned it.” She has a point.

“
Well, we’re gonna have to step up our game. Tomorrow, it’s on.”

I wake up early the next morning. Looking my best is going to require time. I can’t just go up to a guy and start a conversation with my hair in a ponytail and Chapstick on my lips. I’m going to need a little more help than that.

When Lydia pounds on the horn, I’m not running out half-dressed with wet hair. Instead, my hair is silky straight and flows like the wind. I put some color on my eyes, along with eyeliner and mascara, and even used the latest plumping lip gloss. My mouth should be shouting
kiss me
to my unsuspecting targets. They’re not going to know what hit them.

“
Dang, girl,” Keesh comments as I jump in the back with her. “Is there something you’re not telling us?”

“
No kidding,” Lydia says. “Your eyes like gorgeous. You need to show me what you did.” Lydia is three years older and asking me to share eye shadow techniques with her. Cool.

“
I thought we were going to step it up today,” I explain. “We can’t just say we’re single. We need to look like we’re on the market and interested.”

“
Oh yeah,” Steph says. “I just didn’t realize you had to get all dolled up to do that.”

Lydia scoffs at her sister. “Girl, you need to wake the hell up. Pull your shirt down a little and put on some lipstick. You look dead. And looking like you belong in the morgue is not gonna get you a man.”

“
Wrong there, sister.” Steph smiles.

“
Yeah, Steph already got asked to homecoming,” Keesh explains. “It’s Meg and me who need a date. Pass me your mirror.”

By the time we get to school, Keesh has made a transformation. Not that she needed to. The girl could roll around in dirt and shave her head and she’d still be stunning. Damn her. All she did was change the color of her lipstick and put some bronzing powder on her cheeks. Now, instead of being just beautiful, she looks like a freaking goddess. Not that I’m complaining. I’m happy to benefit from being her cute friend.

We get to first period early and I scoot my seat around to talk to Eric and Shawn.

“
Did you guys finish the reading?” Really? That’s all I can come up with? I’m so not good at this. I’m totally cool talking to Eric but he’s not the one I’m interested in right now. Shawn is pretty cute. He’s tall with spiky blond hair and piercing blue eyes. And he has these giant hands. He could probably hold both of mine in only one of his.

“
Nah. I was too busy this weekend,” Eric says.

Steph laughs.

I add, “Yeah, we heard. Long nights with the Headmaster.”

“
You didn’t, dude,” Shawn says. “Thelma?”

Eric blushes, but the smirk on his face tells all.

“
Yeah, he did. And he was even nice enough to share with his big brother. You’re such a giver,” I tell him, reaching over and pinching his cheek.

He swats my hand away playfully and says, “Yeah, I was. You should ask her.”

“
Ah, no thanks. I’ll take your word for it.” I roll my eyes. We really didn’t need to hear that.

“
Can’t believe you tag teamed her with your brother.” Shawn scratches his head. “Guess they don’t call her
Crash
for nothin’.”

Eric snickers, a silly grin plastered across his face.

“
Why crash?” I ask.

“
Because she’ll hit anything that comes her way.”

That is an awful nickname, but I can’t help but laugh with the others.

“
Hey, weren’t you two together?” Shawn asks.

Eric and I look at each other, stone-faced.

“
Yup, but that was a long time ago,” Steph answers. “Meg’s free. You?”

Nothing like getting straight to the point.

“
Nope,” Shawn says. “I’ve been with my girlfriend since eighth grade.”

Now, that’s a conversation killer. And a complete anomaly. Three years? That’s like thirty in teen relationship years.

Whatever. So much for fantasizing about his big man hands.

Next.

Today we’re getting assigned new lab partners. This totally sucks. I don’t see why we can’t pick our own. We shouldn’t be forced to work with people we don’t know or don’t like. Keesh and I sit patiently while the teacher calls out the pairs and new seating arrangements. Just because some idiots decided to make rockets out of chemicals and empty water bottles doesn’t mean the whole class should be punished. I’d be more worried that the guys even knew how to make the devices than about letting friends work together.

“
Maybe we’ll get paired with one of those guys,” Keesh says, wiggling her pointer finger toward the corner of the room. “This might not be bad after all.”

There are three good looking guys left. I cross my fingers behind my back that I get one of them. I don’t care which one. I’d even take the one who looks like he just rolled out of bed. I’ve seen messy hair, but I highly doubt he did that on purpose. It looks like a bird’s nest on the right side of his head. But his eyes are killer—almond shaped, long lashes, hazel.

Damn. Two down, partnered with each other. That blows. Bedhead guy is left. Nope. Not for me. Keesha gets him.

And I’m paired with …

Oh. Wow.

I get the guy with the goofy science shirt. I get the geek. Really. This is what my life has come to. When do we get to switch partners?

“
Hi.” He waves with one hand and pushes up his glasses on his nose with the other. “I’m Brody.”

Brody? That’s an interesting name.

“
Hi, I’m Meg.”

“
I know,” he mumbles as we both sit at table three.

“
Nice shirt,” I tell him, looking closely at the fire combusting from a stick figure’s ass. “So, should I be worried?” I probably shouldn’t joke since I just met him, but who wears a shirt that says
I make my own science
? I have to laugh.

He chuckles too. “No, I don’t think so. I just thought it was funny.”

“
It is.”

“
So did you get any love from Revenge of the Nerds?” Keesh asks me on our way to ASB.

I giggle. “He was all right. How about you? How was bedhead?”

“
Not only did he forget to comb his hair this morning, he also forgot to brush his teeth,” she says, waving her hand in front of her face. Nasty. “I tried to offer him a piece of gum, but he wouldn’t take it.”

“
Well, at least my geek smells good.” And he did. He smelled nice. Clean and fresh, like my dad’s soap.

Ten

Landing a date to the homecoming dance took a lot longer than expected. I finally got someone to go with me just six days before the bleeping dance. It was no easy feat. I’m pathetic.

After trolling the school and talking to practically every male specimen in the eleventh grade—and even some freshmen and sophomores—my quarky lab partner and I are going to homecoming. Together. He’s kinda grown on me. Last week he gave me a KitKat in class, which was really thoughtful. Actually, it was cute. The chocolate bar was sitting on the lab table waiting for me at my station. So a few days later, when Keesh and I made a Slurpee run, I brought him back a jumbo-sized Coca-Cola flavored one that matched mine. He drained the thing in record time, squashing his hand to his head every time he got a brain freeze. It was hysterical to watch. Our teacher wasn’t too pleased with me bringing a giant beverage into class, but she let it slide. Brody is the teacher’s pet. He can do no wrong in any teacher’s eyes. I’ll have to keep that in mind.

Since we became partners, we’ve also gotten the chance to get to know each other. Unlike our other classes, we actually have a lot of time to talk in chemistry. This teacher doesn’t instruct much. We take notes for about ten minutes, and then work with our partners on answering questions and completing small labs. And we can chat all we want while we work. It’s a nice break after studying silently all morning.

Brody and I have an understanding. We listen. We give each other opinions, from the outside. It’s nice to have someone to talk to who’s not part of the crew.

I learned Brody recently got dumped by his first girlfriend. He still likes her a lot. I can tell, even though he says he’s over it. Whenever we talk about relationships he just grunts and shrugs it off. Usually he’s very serious, but when it comes to his ex, he gets all weird. Poor guy. I know how he feels. It took me a long time to get out of my sweats and comb my hair again after Alex and I broke up. Sometimes, I still feel like crawling under my covers and listening to Adele wail on my iPod because I still miss him. Just when I think I’m over him, something creeps up on me and I get all weepy. Again.

On Monday, we were having our usual bonding moments over broken hearts. I don’t know what possessed me to tell him all about freshmen year. How I fell in love with Alex. How Amy took him from me and then started fucking Eric, who was my boyfriend at the time. I spilled my guts about going out with Alex all year till he dumped me because I’m just a little kid to a big bad college guy.

And I told him about Travis, how he and I keep hooking up but we’re not a couple. Brody thinks I don’t want a real relationship with Travis because I’m still not over Alex. Maybe he’s right. Maybe not. I’ll probably always have feelings for Alex. He was the first guy I ever loved. I know he loved me too.

I also shared how Alex was a complete jackass in the mountains. Brody reminded me I don’t have to worry about seeing Alex with other girls since he probably hooks up with people when he’s away at school. So I don’t know how I’d react in the same situation. But he sees me with guys every time he comes home to visit. I can totally see Brody’s point because I go mad when I see Travis with a chick near him. I’d probably start frothing at the mouth if Alex glanced at another girl in front of me. Okay, so maybe not frothing and not just a glance, but I suspect I’d cringe at the very least.

But then again, it’s not my fault we run in to each other. Alex needs to learn to deal.

When I told Brody he was probably right about me being jealous if I saw Alex with another girl, it’s like the lights went on in a dark room. His green eyes brightened and he got this wicked smile on his face.

He put his hand over mine and got real quiet. “Be my date to homecoming, will ya?” he had asked. Not exactly the fireworks I was looking for in a proposal but I was curious. Me go with Brody. Really? He continued, “Help me make Caitlyn jealous. If she sees me with you, she’ll go crazy. You’re pretty and popular. It’ll work. Go with me.”

How could I say no to that? Flattery will get you everywhere. And it’s not like I had an insane amount of offers dangling in front of me like a carrot. I didn’t have any. Steph was going with Ethan. Keesh was going with one of the twins from our history class. I was hoping to go with the other but no such luck. I had no choice but to say yes. It was either that or stay home. Plus, I didn’t want to leave Brody hanging. He had way too much hope behind those glasses of his.

“
What time is the Brodester supposed to be here, honey?” Mom asks as she zips me up.

“
Any minute now.”

She steps back and scans me from head to toe. “I’m really disappointed you all aren’t meeting here so we can get pictures. It was starting to be a tradition.”

I know how she feels. But I need to create new memories for high school. That’s what this year is all about. I can’t keep doing the same things I did with Alex. I just can’t. Plus, it seemed odd to get together for group photos without Josh and Travis.

“
We’re gonna take plenty of pictures there.” She gives me her ridiculous pouty face with her bottom lip sticking out. “It’s not like our dates are BFFs. We’re trying to spare them more awkwardness.”

When my dad finished interrogating Brody and trying to put the fear of God in him, we finally left for the dance. I heard Dad telling Mom he didn’t care how much of a nerd Brody is, he still had a dick and he could very well be a meth dealer since he was such a genius in chemistry. True, but it was still weird hearing my dad say
dick
.

“
Where are we going?” I ask him, as we turn into the parking lot of the park near school.