Heart's Reflection (10 page)

"What if
Ronny doesn't eat lunch inside today?" Gracella asked.

"Shhhhh,"
I whispered. "Don't say his name. Just say target."

"Okay, what
if the target—"

"He
has to
eat lunch inside. If he doesn't,
we're walking the halls with the brownie until we find him. The dance is
tonight. This is the last chance."

Gracella frowned,
and her lips formed a pout. "How do we sell these things?"

Pushing past her
with a huff, I swiped one of the trays from the table and put two brownies on
it before thrusting the tray at her. "Just hold this out and say, 'Would
you like to buy a brownie? Only a dollar to support the lacrosse team.' Can you
remember that?"

"Maybe I
should write it down." She glared at me, hands on hips. "Of course, I
can remember that."

When the bell for
lunch period rang, we were inundated with customers. We quickly got down to our
last dozen brownies.

"Crap,"
I said when we reached a lull. "I didn't think we'd sell this many. What
if we run out of cover brownies before he shows up? Sell slower. Let's raise
the price."

Nodding, Gracella
got out a sharpie and was drawing a line through the dollar price when Nathan
sauntered up.

"Poison Ronny
yet?" he asked with a chuckle.

"Shhhhh."
Scanning the nearby students, I didn't see anyone who seemed to have heard him.
I grabbed his arm. "I'm warning you, Nathan. Shut the frig up or else.
Don't mess this up for me."

"Okay,
okay," he said, twisting out of my grip and throwing his arms up in
surrender. "I'll be good."

He walked over to
the table. "Can I have one of these things?"

"Oh all
right," I said, waving in his direction.

I began to worry.
What if Ronny didn't show up? I'd discounted Gracella's comment earlier, but we
were getting to the end of the lunch period and he still hadn't come in.

"I'm not
gonna get a tainted one am I?" Nathan picked a brownie with a blue ribbon
and eyed it.

"No, of
course not. Those are hidden."

At my answer,
Nathan opened the wrapping and stuck the entire thing into his mouth.

Just then, Ronny
entered through the cafeteria's swinging doors. My heart leaped into my throat
before racing as if I'd started a fifty-meter dash. Whirling on my heel and
giving an excited hop, I ran to the table and opened the basket.

"He's
here," I whispered to Gracella as I got out the two yellow ribbon brownies
and put them on my tray. "This is it. Keep Nathan busy so he doesn't
interfere."

She nodded, and I
turned back only to see the target had passed us and was on his way toward the
lunch line.

"Ronny,"
I called in a panic. "Fundraiser for the lacrosse team?"

He glanced over
his shoulder. Tossing his blond hair back and out of his eyes with one motion,
his brows converged in confusion. "Fundraiser?"

"We're
selling brownies."

"Brownies?"
He smiled and crossed to me as he inspected the contents of the tray. Then he
examined my face. "Do I know you?"

"Yeah."

"You aren't
on the girls' team are you?"

"Team?"

"Lacrosse."

"No. I'm in
the science club."

He frowned.

Stupid, Tina. He can't understand why you're
doing this.

I hastened to add,
"But I love to go to the games and it's a real shame about all the funding
that was cut."

"Yeah."
Nodding, Ronny thrust a hand in each of his pockets. After digging around, he
shrugged. "Sorry. I don't have any money today."

He started to walk
away. Damn, damn, damn.

"That's
okay," I said before he could take more than two steps. "Brownie's on
me."

He turned back.
"Really?"

"It's for a
good cause."

"Hey," he
said, taking one brownie and appearing to toast me with it. "Thanks."

"You're more
than welcome." Relieved, I smiled and placed the tray on the table.

He pulled off the
yellow ribbon, opened the plastic and took a bite. After making a yummy sound,
he swallowed. "I love brownies."

"I
know."

"What?"

"I mean
that's good."

After he finished
off the brownie, he gave me a half smile.

Woohooo. The love potion was already
working.

"I know where
I've seen you before," Ronny said. "Math class. You're the girl who always
knows the answers."

Better to be known
as the beautiful one, but at least he'd noticed me. No need to be choosey.

"I've been
wanting to talk to you about something," he continued.

"What?"

"Well."
He glanced around him. "It's kind of a long story. Can we meet somewhere
later?"

Omigod, that
brownie was a miracle. He'd already asked me out.

"A
date?" I said, trying to keep my excitement hidden but failing completely.
Be cool, Tina.

"Ummm."
He glanced around again before turning back to me. "Okay. A date. But I'm
not sure where we should..."

"How about
the Science Fair Fiesta Dance?"
Way
to be cool
.

He blinked.
"Why not?" He grinned. "How about if I meet you out in front of
the school about seven?"

He's not going to pick me up?
was my
first thought.
Don't look a gift jock in
the mouth. At least he's going to the dance with you,
was my second
thought.

"Yeah,
sure," I said.

 
"See you there," he tossed
over his shoulder as he walked away.

With an excited
wiggle, I ran over to Gracella who was selling a brownie a few feet away. I
clutched her arm mid sale, and her tray of brownies spilled.

"Hey—"

"Never mind
those," I said as the customer gave a disgusted huff and stalked off.
"Ronny asked me to the dance."

"You're
kidding." She jumped up and down, giving a little clap. "That's
great. Wow that was fast. Now we can rub it into Nathan that we told him
so."

In concert, we
turned to the bake sale table and saw Nathan stuffing another brownie into his
face. Three wrappers lay abandoned on the tabletop: three pieces of plastic, a
blue ribbon, a red ribbon and... a yellow ribbon.
The
yellow ribbon.

"Oh my God.
Nathan what have you done?" I exclaimed.

He gawped at us as
he swallowed the last of it. "What?"

Pushing open the
door to the boys' restroom, I yelled, "Make yourself throw it up."

A freshman washing
his hands at the sink, reeled back as if I'd struck him. Staring at me
goggle-eyed, he quickly fumbled with the faucet handles to shut off the running
water. He checked his fly. Was he concerned he hadn't hidden the equipment?

"You said
that already and it isn't helping. I can't just barf on cue." Nathan's
tortured voice bounced off the tile walls and echoed out to me.

"Stick your
finger down your throat," I shouted.

"It isn't
working. I'm trying."

"Try
harder."

"Tossing my
brownies wouldn't be necessary if you hadn't poisoned me."

The freshman
flinched then swayed, close to fainting. Trembling, he made for the door
without drying his hands. When he passed by me, the kid leaned away as if he
was playing limbo and I was the pole.

"What are you
looking at?" I demanded.

At that his eyes
widened further, and after clearing the door, he began to run down the hall.

Gracella, who'd
gone to get her cell phone from her locker, rounded the corner and came in to
view. She almost collided with the freshman going the opposite way.

When she reached
me, she shook her head. "It's no use. I can't reach Aunt Vandi. I left a
message but that's the best I can do right now."

"Great."

"How's it
going here?" she asked. "Is Nathan—"

The flush of a
toilet interrupted her question. Nathan staggered out of the stall and lurched
to the sinks. Turning on the water, he first washed his hands and then cupped
some water into his mouth. After sloshing it around and spitting it out, he
splashed some water on his face.

I backed out of
the door with a grimace and a shrug. "It might be okay. He didn't seem any
different. In fact, the way he's been yelling at me, I'd say he's not in
love."

"Good. Maybe
we won't need my aunt."

Nathan came out of
the boys' room.

"How do you
feel?" Gracella asked.

He nodded.
"Fine. Great, in fact."

"I'm so
sorry, Nathan." Shaking my head, I grasped his arm. "I don't know how
to make it up to you."

"I do,"
he replied, grabbing and then pulling me toward him.

Gracella gasped,
covering her mouth with her hands.

Before I could
react, Nathan planted a kiss on my lips. But what began as a quick peck soon
turned into a long smooch. The worst part—or the best part—was that
Nathan used his lips like a kissing god. Who would have thought he had it in
him? I tried not to be affected, but I couldn't help moving my lips beneath
his. Almost as if I had no control over them, my arms wound around his neck and
I clung to him as sparklers ignited in my brain. I could have lost half the
gray cells controlling math prowess, and I wouldn't have cared.

Me. Clinging.
Incredible.

I
wanted
my best friend's kisses.

Surreal.

Reality intruded.
Nathan doesn't care about you. He's not
attracted to you. It's that darn brown sprinkle that caused this.
How could
I take advantage of him like this? I didn't want him to kiss me just because he
was under the influence of a love potion.

I pulled away from
him.

"Oh no,"
I murmured.

"Oh
yes." He grinned. "You're my girl now and you're going to the dance
with me, not that jerky jock."

Standing in front
of the school that night waiting for Ronny to show, I resisted the urge to put
my head in my hands and tear my hair out. First, it would do no good to break
down and go crazy. Second, if I was going to go crazy, I might as well do it
with hair and make-up intact.

After the kissing
debacle, we'd bundled Nathan into Gracella's car with the idea she would drive
him out to her aunt's house in search of a cure. He'd protested.

"Cure?"
he'd said. "I don't need a cure. I feel free. I'm free to finally show
what I've felt since freshman year."

"It's worse
than I thought," Gracella had responded.

"Please do it
for me," I pleaded with Nathan. "Go to see Aunt Vandi."

Giving a reluctant
nod, he'd stopped struggling and subsided into the passenger seat.

When I suggested
going with them, Gracella shook her head. "No. You'll only make things
worse. We should minimize the effects of this potion thing."

"What does
that have to do with it?" I demanded.

"Having you
around only accentuates its effects."

"I guess
you're right," I said.

"Besides,"
Gracella leaned in to whisper as Nathan strained to listen from the car.
"You can't stand Ronny up."

"I
suppose." Suddenly, going to the dance with Ronny was the last thing I
wanted to do.

Five hours had passed
since Nathan and Gracella left, and I hadn't heard a thing from either of them.
Neither of them answered their phones or responded to my texts. Was no news
good news or just no news?

Fear clenched at
my stomach. I should go after them, but how? With no car and parents who
weren't going to loan me one, I had no options. Ride around on the bus? Hardly
an effective vehicle for a widespread search.

After taking my
cell phone from my purse, I examined the face. Still nothing.

"Ring you
stupid thing," I shouted at it.

A footstep sounded
behind me, and I heard Ronny laugh. "Is that the factory installed voice
activation command or did you specialize it?"

"Ha.
No," I tried to joke. "I'm just expecting a call."

As if on command,
the face lighted and my ring tone played. A name displayed on the screen:
Gracella.

"This is
it!" Turning my back to Ronny, my fingers shook as I punched at the accept
call button. "What's happening?"

"I lost
him."

"What!
When?"

"Two hours
ago."

Issuing a noise I
classified between a groan and a whine, I pounded the cell phone against my
forehead. Nathan was out there wandering around in a drugged state. Anything
could happen to him. Fear made me lightheaded...or maybe it was the blows from
the cell phone.

Gracella was still
talking, and I put the phone back to my ear. "I thought I'd find him
again."

"Come get me
and we'll look for him together," I said.

"No. Stay
put. Before he jumped out of the car, Nathan said he had to get ready to take
you to the Science Fair Fiesta. More than likely he'll come to you at the
dance."

"If something
hasn't happened to him," I choked, blinking back tears.

"Nothing's
happened to him," Gracella replied.

"Have you at
least located your aunt?"

"Not
yet."

"Fantastic."

"I'll be
there as soon as I can," Gracella said. "But I don't know if Aunt
Vandi can do anything."

"We have to
try. I don't want Nathan to love me because he's drugged."

"But you want
him to love you."

"No. Yes. I
don't know." Holding my head, I groaned. "What a mess. Just
hurry."

I punched the end call
button and turned back to Ronny.

"Is something
wrong?" Ronny asked, concern shadowing his eyes. "Do you want me to
take you home?"

"No."
Gracella had been right. Nathan would come here. "No. It's no big thing.
Let's go in."

"You look
really great by the way," Ronny said. "Is that an Angelo Arguella
dress?"