Miss Match (10 page)

“Hey, Sasha. Long time no see.” Derek slides his chair beside me. I’m so beat I could just crash right here in chem class. I was up all night worrying about Mom and wondering—despite my attempts not to—whether Maddie is going to break Derek’s heart like she’s done to so many guys before him.

Derek, on the other hand, looks happy and rested, like he just got back from spring break or something. Something like a week’s suspension.

Mr. Foley weaves up and down the rows of tables, handing back last week’s Charles’s Law labs. A red A-minus is scribbled on mine.

Derek peeks at my paper. “Nice work.”

I shrug. “I guess.” I made a stupid mistake converting Kelvin to Celsius—off by one. Shoot.

Derek lowers his voice. “Is something wrong, Sasha?”

“No, why?” Should I ask him if he got my e-mail? Not that it was a big deal or anything. But it would’ve been nice to get a response of some sort.

“I don’t know. You’re just acting all weird.”

My cell phone rings. The room grows ominously quiet, and heads swivel in my direction. Wonderful. I dig the shiny red culprit out of my backpack and glance at the caller ID. I do a double take. Dad? What’s
he
calling me for?

Mr. Foley stalks over and holds out his hand. “Hand it over, Miss Finnegan.” Under different circumstances I might be pleased he actually knows my name. I’d do anything to be invisible right now.

I press the power button. “I’m so sorry, Mr. Foley. I just spaced turning it off. It won’t happen again.”

He leans so close to me I can see his nostril hairs. “The phone.”

I sigh and surrender it.

“You can come for this after school.” He holds my phone high in the air, the scapegoat for all naughty cellular devices of the world.

“You can use my cell to call back whoever it was,” Derek offers once Mr. Foley is a safe distance away.

“Thanks.”

After class I take Derek up on his offer. His cell phone is ancient, but it works.

“Smith and Jenson Advertising,” a woman’s nasally voice says. “How may I direct your call?”

“Richard Finnegan, please.”

“One moment.”

I wait two or three minutes and mouth “sorry” to Derek, who’s waiting patiently by his locker. Finally, she comes back on the line. “I’m sorry, but he’s not answering. Would you like his voicemail?”

I sigh. “Can you check Valerie’s office? He’s been known to spend time in there.”

“Uh, okay. One moment.”

“Valerie Kensington speaking,” my dad’s girlfriend answers all importantly.

“It’s Sasha. Is Dad there?”

“Oh! Actually, he is. Here you go.”

“Hey, kiddo,” my dad says. “I was
just calling to see if you’re free for dinner tonight. Seven o’clock at P.F. Chang’s.”

“You called me at school and got my phone confiscated just to see if I wanted to go to dinner?”

“Oh, I’m sorry, honey. So are you available? Maddie is. I got ahold of her already.”

“Oh, all right.” At least I won’t have to cook tonight.

“See you then.”

I hang up and pass Derek’s phone back to him. “Thanks.”

“No problem. And thanks for your chemistry notes.” He blinks his dark blue eyes. “Are you sure you’re okay?” Despite the wall I’ve tried to put up around my heart, his soft southern drawl makes my stomach flutter.

“Totally,” I say, smacking a smile on my face. “You know, just parental stuff.”

“Okay. Well, let me know if I can do anything.” He puts his hand on my shoulder, instantly sweetening my sour mood.

Speaking of mood makeovers, what’s up with Dad? He sounded so…
giddy
. Maybe he got a promotion and a big fat raise. You know, since he’s sleeping with the boss and everything.

Maddie, Dad, Valerie, and I are sitting at a table by the window at P.F. Chang’s. A steady line of parents and children amble down the street, bundled up against the chill. Not that it’s weird to see a ton of kids anywhere in Utah, but I bet something like
Disney On Ice
is in town. I used to love those shows when I was a kid.

Dad ordered a glass of chardonnay for himself, Sprite for Val, and an assortment of appetizers. Maddie is slurping her Diet Coke through a straw, and I’m nursing a steaming cup of jasmine tea. There hasn’t been much conversation. Judging by the way Dad and Valerie keep exchanging loaded glances, however, I have a feeling things are about to get interesting.

“We have an announcement to make,” my dad says, beaming. Valerie’s tentacle-like fingers cover his hand like a sea anemone preparing to feast.

“We know you two are living together,” Maddie says cheekily. “We’re not stupid.”

I kick her under the table.

“Ow!” She narrows her eyes at me.

Dad clears his throat and refreshes his smile. “Actually, it’s more than that. You
see, Valerie and I are very much in love and…”

Oh, God. Why haven’t I noticed the diamond ring on her finger before now?

I think I’m going to puke. I wonder what lettuce wraps will taste like coming back up?

Valerie takes a big gulp of soda and closes her eyes while she swallows. Next, she scoots out her chair and stands. Smoothing her blah Ann Taylor suit, she takes a deep breath. Her whole production seems to have captured the attention of even the Chinese warrior statues guarding the front door. “As your father was saying, we’re in love. And last night he proposed to me.”

“You said yes?” Maddie asks.

“Yes, we’re getting married,” Dad says. “December fifth.”

“Don’t you think that’s a little rushed?” I say. Not to mention the ink on our parents’ divorce papers isn’t even dry yet.

“Well, girls, the wedding isn’t our only news,” Dad says softly.

“We’re having a baby!” Valerie announces with a happy, full-body wiggle.

Maddie knocks over her glass, and a sticky, brownish-black tidal wave drenches
the Peking dumplings. I do a jaw status check and realize mine’s flapped wide open. But I can’t quite seem to reel it in.

“You two will be big sisters.” Gee, thanks Dad. As if we didn’t already figure out that part.

I’m too stunned to speak, but Maddie’s not. “But you’re too
old
to have a baby.” This directed to both Dad and Valerie. Guess she didn’t see the article about that sixty-seven-year-old Romanian woman.

Valerie eases into her chair and gives us her
let me explain this so a kindergartner can understand
look. “We weren’t exactly trying to have a baby, but now that it’s happened, we consider this a gift from God. A blessing.” Who does she think she is, the Virgin Mary?

Dad adds, “We’re very excited to bring a baby into the world. And we couldn’t be more pleased that you two are sharing in our joy.”

“What? We’re not joyful; we’re
shocked
,” I hear myself say. “Haven’t you ever heard of birth control?” Man! I ask the universe to send me something to take my mind off Derek, and it provides, all right.

The server, who had the extreme misfortune to stop at our table during my little
outburst, turns on his heels and hurries back to the kitchen. Smart man.

Valerie turns to my father. “Don’t worry, dear. They’re right. This is quite a shock for them. Let’s give them some time to let it sink in.” Then she turns to Maddie and me, and an enormous smile erupts beneath her reconstructed nose. “Richard, signal the waiter. I’m positively starving. You know, eating for two is hard work. So, are you girls ready to order?”

Um, yeah. Like I really have an appetite now that I’m sitting across from my dad and the plastic-surgery-enhanced boss he had an affair with and consequentially knocked up. Oh, man. Just wait till Mom hears!

“Mom!”

“Mom!”

Maddie and I race into the house, finding her in the living room in front of the TV. She sits up, looking alarmed. “What is it?”

Maddie flops on the couch next to her. “Dad and Valerie are having a baby!”

Mom presses the mute button on the remote. Then she slouches into the cushions and heaves a huge sigh. “I know. He told me on Sunday. I…”

I shed my parka and take a seat. As I take Mom’s hand, I wonder how it would feel to have your husband cheat on you with his boss and then drop the baby bomb. Is this why she was so upset last night? “Weird, huh?”

“Yeah, weird,” Mom says, her voice a bit hoarse. “So, are they getting married? I didn’t ask, because I didn’t think I wanted to know. But I guess now that the initial shock has worn off, I’m curious.”

Maddie and I look at each other. “Yes,” I say. “And soon. You know, so she won’t be as big as a house when she walks down the aisle.”

Maddie says, “They’d better get married tomorrow, then. Did you see how much food she ate tonight? More than the entire Snowcrest football team, I’d guess.”

“Do you know when the baby’s due?” Mom asks.

Maddie and I shake our heads. “We were too busy freaking out to get the particulars.”

“You two are going to have a little sister or brother,” Mom says with quite a bit more enthusiasm than I’d expect.

“Oh, great.” Maddie rolls her big green eyes.
“We’re both old enough to be its mother.”

“Neither of you is allowed to even think about having babies until you’re thirty-five.” Mom cracks a smile. “I’m
much
too young to be a grandma.”

We all laugh. “So, whatcha watchin’?” I ask, turning the volume back on.

“
Sabrina.
It just started.”

Maddie and I snuggle into Mom’s sides and watch with her. When the credits finally roll, I say good night and go to my room. I’m about to power down my laptop when I see there’s a message in my inbox.

I should’ve known Derek’s homecoming invitation and consequent suspension would be the hot topic in our Synch Swimming class. Once we all jump into the pool, the freshman girls circle Derek and Maddie like a shiver of hungry sharks. I watch from a safe distance, treading water. Maddie is loving the attention, smiling and nodding in agreement with what they’re saying. Conversely, Derek is all fidgety, like he’s big-time uncomfortable. All of a sudden he dives underwater and resurfaces in the middle of the pool. We share a brief smile before he swims his perfect butterfly to the far end.

After we all swim twelve laps, Coach White blows her whistle. “Okay, folks, listen up. Time to break into your groups and work on the skills we learned last week. Remember, the three-minute routine you perform for your final is eighty percent of your grade, so from here on out no horsing around.”

“Sir Derek, Great Knight of Snowcrest. No
horsing
around!” Trinity giggles hysterically at her little joke.

Derek shakes his head good-naturedly, bless his heart.

I’m hanging onto the side of the pool,
refusing to laugh along with the other girls. I just did ten laps of freestyle and two ’fly, instead of my usual breaststroke-sidestroke combo. It was kind of nice being one of the first ones to finish, though I think Derek might’ve finished one or two laps ahead of me. Then again, he did have a head start.

After the class gets its collective giggles out, it breaks into threesomes and foursomes. When Maddie jumps out to fetch our nose clips, I notice that Derek is standing by the windows, looking around like he’s lost.

“Yo, token male,” I say, all smart-alecky. Derek whips around, giving me a lopsided smirk. “Yeah you, in those hideous green goggles. Get over here. You’re on our team.”

“Oh, yeah? How’d you two get so lucky?” Derek adjusts the waistband of his shorts, revealing that sexy muscle that slopes diagonally from hipbone down to…his nether regions. Mmmm, not bad. I’m just about to tear my eyes away (I’d be mortified if he noticed me drooling), when he jumps into the pool, splashing water all around me. When I open my eyes, he’s standing right in front of me. I mean
right
in front of me. A droplet of water drips off a strand of his hair,
falls on my shoulder, and slides down my arm. My heart is palpitating so fast and I’m so breathless; it’s like I just swam another dozen laps. I think he might be staring at my lips, and this totally bizarre, bubbly sensation floods my entire body, and I can’t help but wonder: What would it be like to kiss him?

When Maddie says, “So, Sasha, we’d better get Derek up to speed…” it sounds like she’s miles away, in a tunnel or something. But her voice, and the fact we’re now a triad, jostles me back to reality.

I lick my lips and try to wipe the blush from my cheeks. “Yeah, okay.”

I go through the motions, laughing at Derek’s zany attempt at a “ballet leg,” all the while wrestling with what just happened between the two of us. My sensible side has its say: Derek jumped into the pool and surfaced closer to me than expected. The look on his face, and how he kept standing so close, without moving back—that was ’cause he was surprised, that’s all. Right? I mean, it’s not like he has any interest in me. He’s into Maddie. In fact, I tell myself in the utmost of strictness,
Maddie
will find out what it’s like to kiss Derek, not me!

I’m trying to move on with my life, but that pesky romantic side won’t let this go. It insists something happened between Derek and me just then. Something, I don’t know,
special
. And it doesn’t help that Derek keeps looking at me. I mean, really
looking
, like he’s searching for something in my eyes.

Coach White blows her whistle, and we all climb out of the pool. I wrap my towel tightly around my body. It’s the Care Bears one Derek borrowed, and as soon as I’m tucked away in the ladies’ locker room, I can’t help holding it to my nose. It smells like that scrumptious cologne he wears. Girls are giggling and chattering all around me, scrambling to get a shower, but I barely notice them.