Gotcha

by Shelley Hrdlitschka

  Tyson is still arguing with Mr. Fetterly. He clearly has a lot invested in seeing the game continue. “Gotcha is just a game,” he says. “We’re not using water guns like at that other school. We’re just using beads. There are a lot of things we could be doing that are way more dangerous.”

  “Tyson, the decision has been made.” I can see the veins bulging on Mr. Fetterly’s neck. “The game is over. Period. You are all dismissed.”

  The buzz around me is angry. Despite the guest speaker, even those who are no longer in the game are mad. Everyone wants to see Gotcha carried on.

  “Are you okay, Katie?” Joel asks. He’s handing me my crutches and is waiting to help me down the bleachers.

  “Oh yeah, just ticked,” I say. Though the truth is, my stomach has seized up. Stephen’s story has really disturbed me, and what happens when people start demanding their money back? “And I have to meet with grad council,” I tell him. “That should be fun,” I say, thinking of Paige. I roll my eyes. “Not.”

  I give up on the crutches as I struggle down the bleachers. Joel offers me his arm, and I lean on him and put some weight on my foot. I notice it’s starting to get easier.

  “Do you want me to go with you?” he asks.

  “Thanks, but I have to deal with it. She’s bound to get over herself at some point.”

  Joel walks with me to the computer lab. “How are you getting home?” he asks.

  “I don’t know. The only thing I can think of is to stay at school until my mom gets off work and can pick me up.”

  “If I help you, do you think you could walk home?”

  “Yeah, maybe.” I have noticed a huge difference in my mobility today. “That would be great, thanks.”

  “Don’t thank me,” he says. “I just needed someone to link with.”

  I smack his arm and smile. How did I ever live without him?

  Grad council is assembled and waiting for me. Paige has her arms crossed and is slumped in her chair. Warren grins when I enter the room.

  “I hear a couple of council members are still scrapping.”

  I just shake my head.

  “And you’re still in the game, Katie?” he asks. “I didn’t think that was your plan.”

  “Whatever,” I say. If he only knew.

  He gives me his famous smile. I wonder how dazzling it will be when I tag him. “So,” he says, “we have to decide how to proceed.”

  “This sucks,” Paige says. “We’re almost there.”

  “I suggest we play it out,” Warren says. “There’s less than thirty people left, and Fetterly doesn’t have to know anything.”

  There are nods around the room.

  “But what about the people who want their money back?” I ask.

  “I don’t think that anyone who signed on to this game will expect us to quit at this point,” Warren says. “We were banned from playing it in the first place, but look how many showed up, more than any other year We can’t stop now. We’ll just spread the word, quietly.”

  I realize how much my attitude has changed in the past couple of days. A week ago I would have jumped at the chance to cancel the game, especially after listening to Stephen’s sad story. Now I desperately want to see it through. I want to see Joel get Paige’s bead. I want to look in Warren’s eyes as I tag him. But mostly, I don’t want anyone demanding their money back.

  “I agree, Warren,” I tell him. “We’ve got to see it through.”

  Paige gives me a sharp look. “I’m surprised to hear you saying that. As I recall, I had to convince you to play it in the first place.”

  I can only shrug. “I’ve changed my mind.”

  “You sure have,” Paige says, looking puzzled.

  “Hands up if you think Gotcha should continue,” Warren says. “Excellent!” he continues, glancing around the group. “It’s unanimous. The game goes on, only no one is to speak of it.”

  “Maybe we should divide up the names of all the people in grade twelve and phone everyone,” Michelle suggests.

  “That won’t be necessary,” Warren says, studying me. I feel my face burn and I look away, but not before I see him smile at my discomfort. He knows the effect he has on me, and it makes me crazy. But that’s all going to change. “I think the word will spread all on its own.”

  “I think you’re right,” Phillip agrees. “The word will be out before we’d get through half a dozen names. The joy of instant messaging.”

  Paige nods. “Okay, then that’s it for the meeting?”

  “That’s it,” Warren says. “Meeting adjourned.”

  As I struggle with my backpack and crutches, Warren says, “So tell us, Katie, are you and Joel official?”

  “I don’t know what official is,” I lie, my face still burning, “but we’ve become good friends.”

  Warren nods. “I hope he makes you happy.” He’s smiling at me, but not his aren’t-I-beautiful smile. This one looks thoughtful.

  “So far so good,” I tell him. I glance at Paige but she’s picking at a fingernail. “See you guys around, then,” I say, leaving the room.

  “Yes you will,” Warren says.

  I find that with Joel carrying my pack, I can place a fair amount of weight on my foot, so the walk home isn’t as difficult as I’d expected. I invite Joel in to check out the cookie situation, and the first thing I do is check my e-mail. There’s still nothing from Dad.

  “So, I was thinking,” I tell Joel, after he’s had a chance to eat half a dozen cookies, “that if I could find out from ’Riah what Paige is doing tonight, maybe we could flush her out.”

  “I think we should go after Warren’s bead first,” he says.

  “Why?”

  He takes another cookie. “I’m still smarting from being accused of using you to get to Paige.”

  “Well it’s true, I’m still not sure about you...”

  Joel sighs. “I’m trying to gain your trust, Katie, I really am. Can I help myself to some milk?”

  “Right. I see where your priorities lie. Food first. Katie second.”

  “A guy has to keep his strength up.” He grins.

  I watch as he gets the jug of milk out of the fridge and pours himself a glass. “Whatever, Joel. I think it will be easier to get Paige’s. I’ve always believed in getting the easy tasks out of the way first. Besides, she deserves to be tagged now.”

  “Okay, what’s your plan?”

  I limp back to the computer and check the screen. Mariah is online, so I know she’s home. I pick up the phone and call her.

  “Hey, Katie!” she says. “I hear the game’s still on after all.”

  “You didn’t hear it from me,” I tell her.

  “I didn’t?”

  “Nope. I want to go to grad.”

  “Oh, right. I get it. I heard it from someone else.”

  “So did I.”

  I can picture her on the other end of the line, her jet-black eyes shining.

  “It looks like things are going well with Joel,” she says.

  I glance at him and feel myself blush. “Yep, pretty well.”

  Now he glances at me, noticing the change in my voice. I turn my back to him.

  “So the reason I’m calling,” I say, “is to ask you if you know what Paige is up to later tonight.”

  There’s a hesitation, and I know Mariah is onto me. “Why do you want to know?” she asks.

  I feel a twinge of guilt, knowing I’m asking Mariah to do something that will cause her friend to lose her bead, but I remind myself that we all signed on for this. “’Cause I want to try apologizing again,” I tell her, amazing myself with my own quick thinking. “She probably told you that she wouldn’t accept my apology, but I’ve got to try again. This whole feud thing is getting to me.”

  Mariah is quiet for a moment. “I expect Paige will be at home tonight,” she tells me. “Like every night. She hasn’t been going anywhere. Gotcha’s really gotten to her.”

  “Okay, then maybe I’ll drop by
her house, see if she’ll talk to me.”

  “Good luck,” Mariah says in a tone that tells me she doesn’t expect me to be successful.

  “Thanks.”

  I hang up the phone and smile at Joel. “I think I just figured it out.”

  Joel picks me up at eight o’clock, and we drive over to Paige’s house. He stays in the car, and I hobble up the walkway. Paige’s mom answers the door. She looks troubled to see me.

  “Paige doesn’t want me to let anyone in,” she tells me.

  “I know, it’s the Gotcha game. But I really need to talk to her.” The guilt is back. I’m coercing her mom into letting me do something that is going to make Paige go ballistic. She signed on for this, I remind myself.

  “I don’t know, Katie,” she says. “I’m sorry.”

  “You’ve got to let me talk to her,” I plead. “Maybe I can calm her down.”

  “Do you think you could?” she asks. I can see her weakening. She’s clearly had enough of living with Paige in her paranoid state.

  “I’m almost sure,” I tell her. And it’s true. She won’t be paranoid when she no longer has her bead.

  “Well, come in then,” she says, unhappily, and backs out of the doorway. “She’s in her room.”

  I leave my crutches at the door, lean on the banister to climb the stairs and limp my way down the hallway. I’ve been here countless times for sleepovers and birthday parties. This hall is almost as familiar as my own.

  Paige’s door is shut but I don’t knock. I just open it and go right in. She’s on the bed, lying on her side, a book propped up in front of her. She jumps, startled, and then glares at me. “What are you doing here?”

  “I need to talk to you.”

  “We’re finished talking.”

  “You might be. I’m not.”

  She climbs off her bed and goes to the door. “Mom!” she shouts down the hall. “I told you...”

  I push the door shut. “Listen, Paige. I want to regain your trust.” It hits me that I’m echoing Joel’s words, but I decide to ignore that thought.

  “I told you, it’s over.” I notice she won’t make eye contact with me.

  “Please, Paige, give me a chance.”

  “Forget it, Katie. We’re through, so get out of my room!” She stands by the doorway, holding it open for me.

  “I can prove that I’m a loyal friend.”

  She looks unimpressed. “How?”

  “I can help you tag your victim.”

  Her eyes widen. “How can you do that?”

  “Joel’s hanging out with Elijah tonight. We’re on our way to pick him up. You could be hiding in the backseat, and when he gets in the car...voila! His bead is all yours!”

  Paige studies my face, looking suspicious.

  “It’s as easy as that, Paige. He won’t suspect a thing. I’ll be hiding in the backseat too. He thinks it’s just him and Joel going out together.”

  “Why are you doing this, Katie?”

  “Because I want you back in my life.”

  The acting was easy until this point. Now the guilt and shame are rising to the surface. I wish we could just get on with it. No more words.

  I feel Paige studying my face. I sit on the bed and examine the bruising on my ankle.

  “So Joel is setting up his friend.”

  “He’s doing it for me.”

  “That doesn’t seem very nice.”

  “It’s how Gotcha is played.”

  “Would you do that to a friend?”

  Is she onto me? “I guess it depends on how badly I wanted to win the game.”

  “And how badly do you want to win?”

  “What are you getting at, Paige?”

  She sighs and sits down on the bed beside me. “I had a break at school, so some of us went over to the mall for coffee. I saw you and your dad at the bank.”

  “Yeah, and? We had some chores to do.”

  “My dad told me that your dad isn’t living at home.”

  Why didn’t it occur to me that Paige’s dad would know what was going on and would tell his family? They’ve been buddies for years. It’s because they were friends that Paige and I became friends. “What’s that got to do with anything?”

  “Dad told me his problem has gotten...out of hand.”

  “What problem?”

  Paige blushes. “You know...”

  “No, I don’t know.”

  “C’mon, Katie, of course you do.”

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about, Paige. What problem does my dad have?”

  Paige stares at me, trying to read my face. “His gambling problem.”

  I stare at Paige, amazed. “His gambling problem?” I laugh. “What are you talking about?”

  Paige looks at me, confused. “You know he gambles.”

  “No he doesn’t, he’s an investor. He trades, on the computer. Every morning. I’ve watched him.” He does. But as I talk, I realize I have no idea what he does with his evenings, and I’ve never dared ask. I remember the late-night fights with Mom. “He’s onto something good right now,” I tell her.

  She looks embarrassed. “Whatever.”

  “He is!” Suddenly I’m desperate to convince her. To convince myself. “Really! I even lent him some money...”

  Paige looks sharply at me. I look away.

  “How much did you lend him?” Paige asks, whispering.

  “Just a little....”

  “How much is a little?”

  I shrug. “Just some. I don’t have much.”

  Neither of us says anything for a moment.

  “You might never see it again, Katie.”

  “You’re wrong, Paige.” I can’t believe her. “This is my father you’re talking about. You know him.” The words are spewing out of my mouth. “He’s the guy who took us bike riding when we were little. And swimming in the pools at the river. You called him Yogi Bear and he called you Boo Boo. He’s not a gambler.”

  Paige doesn’t say anything.

  I get to my feet, furious now.

  “I can’t believe you’re saying this stuff, Paige. I know you’re mad at me, but you don’t have to spread rumors about my dad!”

  “He borrowed money from my dad too,” Paige says quietly. “He’s borrowed it before, but this time is different. He seems to have disappeared. My dad doesn’t think he’ll see his money again. He wanted to trust your dad, he kept giving him chances, but now he figures your dad has a gambling addiction.”

  “He’s wrong! It just takes time.”

  “The money came from my education fund.” Paige is picking at her fingernails.

  I look at Paige’s face, and the truth dawns on me. In her twisted mind, she’s blaming me for whatever she thinks my dad has done with money that was earmarked for her. That’s why she dumped me.

  “I’ve been e-mailing with him. I saw him. You said you saw me with him. He hasn’t disappeared.”

  “How much money did you give him, Katie?”

  I don’t answer, but I can feel my face flush.

  “You never wanted to play Gotcha originally,” she says slowly, as if solving a puzzle. “But now you do. How come?”

  I get up and hobble to the door. I don’t need this.

  “Katie, where’s the Gotcha money?” she asks.

  “None of your business.”

  “Katie, you didn’t!” Paige springs to her feet.

  I can only stare at her.

  And then Joel is standing at the door. I’m numb. I can’t move. My brain wants to tell him to leave, to go back to the car. But I can only stare at him. He looks at me, eyebrows raised, and steps into the room. Paige stares at him too, as if in disbelief. Then he reaches out and tags her. “Gotcha!” he says.

  Eleven

  Paige stares at Joel. Then she turns to me. “You set me up,” she says.

  I say nothing. I still can’t find my voice.

  “I can’t believe you’d do that.” Her voice is a snarl.

 
; Joel comes to my defense. “Paige, you told Katie that you were no longer friends,” he says. “Until then, she made it clear she wouldn’t help me.”

  Paige turns to Joel. “And who let you in the house?” she demands.

  He smiles down on her. “The door was unlocked. I came looking for Katie.”

  “You can’t just barge in!”

  “No? Well I did. And I remember you just barging into Elijah’s house not so long ago.”

  She glares at him.

  He turns to me. “You were gone a long time.” He tilts his head. “Are you okay?” he asks gently.

  Before I can answer, Paige steps up to him. The top of her head barely reaches his chin, but she shoves him in the chest with both hands anyway. Then she turns to me. “I hate you! You just wait. I’ll get you back.” Her face is flushed, and I notice her hands are shaking. “Get out of my house right now!” she says to both of us.

  “I need your bead,” Joel tells her. “And confirmation that your victim is Elijah.”

  “You know damn well it is!” she says, grabbing the bead that hangs around her neck and yanking on it. The silver chain snaps and she chucks the whole thing at him.

  He reaches down and picks it up off the floor. He pulls the bead off and carefully places the chain on her desk. “You know how to take all the fun out of a game, Paige,” he says quietly. “That’s twice now.” He reaches for my hand and leads me out of her room.

  As I’m hobbling down the stairs, she’s yelling, “I won’t forgive you for this! You’ll pay!”

  Her mom appears at the front door just as we’re leaving. “What happened?” she asks.

  “Paige lost her bead,” Joel says.

  “Oh.” She thinks about that and sighs. “Thank goodness.”

  I gather up my crutches and follow Joel to the car. Once we’re in and the doors are locked, he turns to me. “What happened in there?”