Gilbert and Louis Rule the Universe: First Impressions (14 page)

I suppose I shouldn’t feel too bad about my friends, at least they are sort of trying to include me.
The
Fab
Five are not as kind.
At lunch, I see Hannah walk up to the table where she normally sits with Emma, Sophie, Olivia and Chloe.
As soon as Hannah sits down the other girls all pick up their trays, get up, and walk over to the grass and sit back down to finish their lunch.
I don’t think Hannah even knows why.
Rumor is that it all started because Hannah didn’t text Emma back with the homework assignment last night.
That got Emma spinning and soon she was telling all the other girls that Hannah thinks she is smarter than the rest of them.
So today they are all pissed off at her.

Ridiculous, right?
So I guess things can always be worse.

On Tuesday, Gilbert and I get two giant chocolate chip cookies during Nutrition and are heading over to the girls when Jason walks up and stops us.

“Hey.”

“Hey,” we say back.

“Ashley is having a party on Saturday if you want to come.”

“Ashley
Elston
?”
I ask.
Ashley is in eighth grade.
There is no way she was inviting two seventh grade girls to her party.

“Yeah, I asked if I could invite you two and she said I could, but you guys couldn’t tell anyone else.”

This is like the coolest thing ever.
I mean, seventh grade parties still involve pin the tail on the donkey, but eighth graders are already having dance parties where the boys actually dance.

“I am not sure if I can, I am still grounded,” I tell Jason.
I can feel the tears coming to my eyes so I pretend to yawn.

“Can I still come?”
Gilbert asks.

“Totally,” Jason says.
He sees one of his friends “Hey, Jon wait up,” he yells.
“See you later.” Jason heads off.

I sit there shocked.
I can’t believe Gilbert.
After all that friend stuff she got on me about.

“That sounds fun, huh?”
Alex says.

Does she not understand?
If I can’t go, no one else is allowed to have fun. If I am grounded, everything should stop.
How can the world possibly go on without me?
I feel nauseous.
I am pissed at Alex for not being so bummed for me.
I am mad at myself for making this all about me, again, but,
argh
, how can all these great things happen I am not allowed to be a part of them?
I am so angry and frustrated all I can do is get up and walk away.

I stop in the bathroom to cool down.
I sit down in a stall and try to breathe.
Tears are stinging my eyes.
“Don’t be selfish, don’t make this all about you,”
I try telling myself.
I play out the super
fun
party in my mind.
Everyone, including Alex, is having a great time, but not me. I am home reading a book because I can’t even watch TV. I can’t help it, the tears come out.
By the time I get my act together the late bell has already rung.
I am going to be tardy.
I hate my life.

*   *  
*

That night, I am having my weekly dinner with my dad. I sit with my head down twirling my fork in my pesto pasta.
I am the picture of the
angsty
teenager.
A role I don’t usually like to play, but this is war.
I haven’t made it easy on my parents with this whole grounding thing.
I have been pretty sullen,
pissy
, and generally tough to be around for the past four weeks.

“I have been emailing with your teachers,” my dad says, trying to make conversation.

“Yeah,” I say, not really listening.

“It seems like you have improved all of your grades.”

I look up as he continues. “And your mother and I agree that you have been punished long enough.”

“Really?” I am thrilled. This means I am free! This means I can go to Ashley’s party.
This means I can see Winston!
A weight lifts off me.
I am free, free, free at last!

“You need to keep up your grades.
If you don’t, we won’t hesitate to ground you again.”

“Totally!”
I jump out of my seat and hug him around the neck.
Not one for public displays of affection, my dad looks around the restaurant to make sure no one is watching.

*   *  
*

I am so excited.
As soon as I get home I instant message Gilbert.

LeahLouis
:
im
free!

Alex_aka_Gilbert
:
does this mean you can go to the party????

LeahLouis
:
yes

Alex_aka_Gilbert
:
im
sorry about today

Alex_aka_Gilbert
:
I wouldn’t have gone w/o you

Louis21:
don’t worry about it

Alex_aka_Gilbert
:
yippeeeee
!

I know Gilbert would have totally gone without me, but now at least I don’t have to prove it.
I need to get my social life back on track ASAP.
My mother has kindly left my cell phone on my desk, and the computer has been moved back into my room. I call the girls and let them know I am back in action.
Then I call Winston to see if he is going to the party.
He is friends with Ashley’s brother.

“Winston?
It’s Leah.”

“Oh hey, how you been?”

“Good, hey, I wanted to see if you were going to Ashley
Elston’s
party on Saturday night.”

“Oh yeah, her brother told me about it.
If you are going to be there then I’m totally in.”
My heart fluttered.
He hasn’t forgotten about me!

“Yeah, I think we are going to stop by.
I guess I will see you there?”

“Cool, see you there, gorgeous.”

We hang up, I am dying.
He called me gorgeous.
This day went from the worst to the best ever.

Chapter 13

Friday, December 18

Today’s horoscope: Don’t
gloat
.

It is last period on the Friday before Christmas break and our teachers have all but given up on us.
In math class,
Maddy
sits on one side of me and Emma and Olivia, of the Fabulous Five, sit on the other.
Since all of us have finished our class work, except of course Olivia (she is always a little slow) we are in a heated discussion about what we are going to do over the break.

“I can’t believe my parents are making me go see my relatives in Orlando,” complains
Maddy
.

“At least you can work on your tan and you get to go to Disneyworld,” I suggest.

“Please, you know how I feel about sunshine.”
Maddy
says.
It’s true, she is always wearing hats and sunscreen in the summer and always sits in the shade when we go to the pool.
“And I am so not a fan of life size cartoon animals.”

Maddy
is a little bitter about spending Christmas break visiting Disneyworld with her young cousins.
I love me some Mickey Mouse, but I am not going to argue the point.

“Well, we are going to miss you so much,” I say.

“Olivia, do you think I should bring my North Face parka or my Roxy parka to Vail?”
Emma asks loud enough for us to hear.
The
Fab
Five are all going to Vail to stay at Hannah’s parents’ ski house.
We have been hearing about it all week.

“What’s the decimal value of 44%?” is Olivia’s answer.

Emma turns to us.
“Do you guys ski or snowboard?”
Emma asks.
I went skiing once when I was like eight.
My dad planned the trip practically a year ahead to get a price break on the condo and airfare and when we arrived the weather was terrible.
A front had come in and created a blizzard.
Since we had already purchased tickets, my dad insisted that we ski even though it was practically a whiteout on the mountain.
We haven’t gone back since.

“Snowboard,”
Maddy
answers.
As far as I know she has never been up to the mountains, but I don’t call her on it.

“Vail is absolutely the best mountain ever.
The powder is so deep and all the guys who work the chair lifts are totally hot.”

“Cool,” I say.
Who cares about chair lift operators when I am going to see Winston this weekend?

Maddy
turns to me and says in a loud whisper, “So, are you totally excited for Ashley’s party tomorrow night?”

I know I wasn’t supposed to tell anyone, but really, can you blame me?

Emma is stopped cold.
“You are going to Ashley’s party?”

“Uh, huh,”
I answer smugly.

“Ashley, eighth grade Ashley?”

“Yep, Ashley
Elston
. I guess she is having a party tomorrow night.
Alex and I are going.”