Tempestuous (23 page)

I reassured Rachel that I was in no danger of reconciling with Brian and headed back to Hot-Dog Kabob to grab some fresh towels. Truth be told, I had spotted Caleb in the vicinity and hoped to intercept him for a quick
tête-à-tête
before we all made our exodus. Worried the enchantment had somehow faded now that the night had officially ended, I needed to know that Caleb still had a “package deal” in mind for us. He’d been bewitched—or so it seemed—by my prevailing sovereignty in this inconsequential mall microcosm. Yet now that I’d decided to put my plotting and politicking behind me, I wondered if what remained would still be of interest to him. Who was the “great and powerful” Miranda Prospero now that I had abdicated my reign of petty payback? I was standing behind the counter parsing all this when Reggie and Stacy, the Eastern Prep kids who’d taken such joy in heckling me mere hours ago, approached. Ariel skedaddled over and lifted the counter to stand by my side, as if worried I was about to face an encore rationing of insults.

“Is it true?” Stacy looked at me quizzically. “Were
you
the one who brought down the mall cop?”

“Well, it wasn’t just me.”

“She’s being modest,” said Ariel. “Grady would’ve gotten away with murder—literally—if it hadn’t been for Miranda.”

“Way to go, Ace.” Reggie offered his hand to me.

“Weren’t you terrified?” Stacy looked spooked.

“I, uh, didn’t really have time to be.”

“I bet the big shots at corporate will give you a mega-reward or something,” Colin said as a crowd began to gather. “The financial implications of catching him are pretty huge.”

“Score!” Troy said, leaning over the Spitfire counter to join in the conversation. “You know what that means, Miranda—you’ll be able to quit your job. Which, sorry to be selfish, will suck, big time, for me.”

“Oh, Troy! I almost forgot. A copy of
Avalanche X
turned up for the little dude. Remind me before you take off—I’ll get it for you.”

“Seriously? This is going to make that kid’s decade! You are a lifesaver, Miranda. See what I mean?” Troy looked around at the dozen or so who’d assembled around us. “She’s a cross between, oh I don’t know, Lara Croft and,” he paused to consider and then blurted out, “Mother freakin’ Teresa!”

“She’s hardly Mother Teresa.” Caleb had appeared at the edge of the crowd. “At least, I
hope
she isn’t.”

I wasn’t sure how to respond to this. I was so used to peppering him with cynical comebacks that any other approach made me feel tentative and uncharacteristically shy.

“So … do you think you will? Quit your job, I mean?” Ariel looked as sad as a bent-winged butterfly as she posed the question.

“Yeah.” The crowd parted as Caleb nudged his way through. “Would you blow this fast-food stand for good?” He stood before me and my heart leaped in response to his lopsided grin. I knew I’d found something that elicited far more thrill and excitement than any of my sundry schemes, and I could tell by the glimmer of admiration in his eyes that he felt the same.

“What, and miss out on fashion like this?” Relinquishing the last vestiges of my former snobby self, I reached under the counter again, this time pulling out my once-dreaded wiener-propelled hat. I placed it proudly on my head and turned to Ariel with a wink. “Help me?”

“Sure thing!” Her braces gleamed as though they’d just been Windexed. Looking at this kindred spirit, I felt a pang of gratitude in recognition of her unconditional friendship, even when I’d once been only condescendingly tolerant of her. I was lucky to have her. She arranged the hat on my head, tucked under a stray wisp of bang, and then murmured, “You’re good.”

She meant my hat, I think. Or did she? I thought back to the note my mom had jotted down in the margin of my book: “
Rebuke = redemption!
” It had seemed like English major b.s. the first time I’d seen it, but strangely, I could appreciate its significance now. I’m not going to pretend that tumbling off my perch on the elite high school pedestal hadn’t hurt. I wouldn’t wish my recent experience on anyone. Yet had I not fallen (or been unwittingly pushed?) out of so-called favor, I would never have ended up here, among these fascinatingly funny, steadfast, authentic, plain-old
wonderful weirdos
that I now called my friends. I glanced at Caleb. Not exactly a Jane Austen hero, but still. He’d taken me to task at times throughout the night, but his challenges seemed rooted in the belief that I was capable of more. Whether he’d intended to or not, he’d brought out the best in me, and I wanted more than anything to show him that I had learned from all my missteps. If real life truly did mirror the game of chess, now was my golden opportunity to, like the all-powerful queen, change course. It was time to make my move.

I gave Ariel’s shoulders a quick squeeze, then popped up the hinged counter and walked right into the waiting arms of Caleb. The crowd dispersed—or at least, I didn’t notice them anymore—as he enveloped me in a tight bear hug. I looked up into his face and was rewarded with a tender kiss on the forehead.

“You know, the first time I saw you, you were wearing this hat,” he reminded me, playfully spinning its propeller. I brushed aside his bangs and then stood on tiptoe to plant a reciprocal kiss on his lips. As I gave in to the spectacular awesomeness of the moment, I heard a noise as if from far away. I leaned back and turned to look. Still surrounding us were all our new friends, wolf-whistling, cheering, and clapping. I blushed and flashed them an I’m-so-busted grin.

It finally dawned on me that I didn’t necessarily have to give up
all
my influence and stratagems—that was part of my charm, after all. I made a silent vow to use my talents only for good—and I knew a couple of people who’d make sure I stayed true to that resolution. I grabbed Caleb by the wrist, pulling him in the direction of the escalator.

“Where are you taking me?” he asked.

“To Got Games for a pair of those trick handcuffs,” I said. “I’m not letting you get away so easy this time.”

As we headed up the escalator, I looked back down at the food court spread out below us in all its garish glory. In some ways it had been, for at least one night, an island unto itself; the promise of its time-worn theme fulfilled beyond measure. I waved farewell to the sea of faces about to be released from their confinement and said a silent goodbye to the past. My vision began to swirl, dreamlike, and I blinked back the hint of happy tears, wondering if the food court and everyone in it might vanish completely. Caleb’s arm tightened around me and I knew it was no illusion. A bright new day awaited us, and I hoped for smooth sailing ahead.