by Destiny, A.
“I don’t know, it actually seems pretty normal to me at this point.” Logan shrugged. “Makes it kind of complicated to transfer to a school here, though. I’m supposed to have yet another meeting with the guidance counselor right after this.”
Megan wrinkled her nose, a move that made most people look like a ferret but only accentuated her perfect features. “But it’s lunch period next. Mr. Vance isn’t making you meet with him during lunch, is he? That’s cruel and unusual.”
Logan chuckled. “He said it would probably only take a few minutes, so I probably won’t starve to death.”
“That’s good.” Megan touched him lightly on the back of one hand. “And listen, when you get to the caf, you should come sit with us. Right, Bailey?”
“Sure.” I was starting to feel uncomfortable. Had Simone told Megan I might be interested in Logan? Because she seemed to be going out of her way to get him to our lunch table. “I mean, if you want to,” I added.
“Sounds good,” Logan said.
“Great.” Megan flashed him her megawatt smile. “Our table’s over near the windows. My personal philosophy is that no new kid should have to eat alone on his first day.”
That definitely wasn’t her personal philosophy. Megan had never been much of a welcome-wagon type before. Which made me more certain than ever that this was all part of Simone’s master plan to get me together with Logan. I was a little annoyed that she was still involving our friends in her sneaky plans, especially after that embarrassing group discussion in gym.
I slid my gaze toward Logan, hoping he hadn’t caught on to what Megan was doing. He wasn’t looking at either of us. His eyes were on the bio textbook still open in front of him. A worried little frown creased his forehead, making him look adorably vulnerable.
Okay. So maybe I wasn’t really that annoyed.
Chapter Seven
By the time I grabbed my bagged lunch from my locker and reached the cafeteria, Simone, Zoe, Megan, and Taylor were already seated at our usual table. Taylor and Simone were still moaning about the bio quiz, while Megan and Zoe were debating whether to try to hit some sale going on at the mall.
“Where are the guys?” I asked as I took my seat. Lately Matt and Darius had been sitting with us nearly every day.
Simone looked up from unwrapping her sandwich. “They’re eating in the auditorium today. The lacrosse team has a fundraiser meeting or something.”
“Oh.” I was relieved to hear it. That conversation with Megan and Logan after the bio test had made me realize I needed to talk to my friends about the whole Logan situation. In fact, it would be stupid not to talk to them. Unlike me, the five of them had tons of experience with guys and dating. Practically every guy in school had been after Megan since they’d stopped thinking girls had cooties. Zoe had actually been the first of our group to kiss a guy, way back in fifth grade—specifically this kid from another school she met during a track meet—and she’d gone out with a couple of other guys since. Taylor and Ling regularly had multiple guys drooling over them. And of course Simone was pretty much the queen of romance.
And that was all good. Because I was going to need a whole team behind me if I was to have any hope of figuring this thing out. Besides, I might as well discuss it with them myself, since it was pretty obvious Simone must have filled Megan in already. Or maybe Zoe had told Megan, since she definitely knew something was going on thanks to that awkward conversation in gym class. Either way, if the rest of them knew, Taylor and Ling were likely to know soon if they didn’t already.
Speaking of Ling, she hadn’t shown up yet. I glanced over at the lunch line, trying to spot her. No sense getting into it before we were all there.
Then again, I couldn’t resist feeling the others out a little. “So, too bad the guys aren’t going to be here today.” I kept my voice casual and my eyes on my bag as I unpacked my food. “Megan invited Logan to sit with us, and he might not expect to be the only guy.”
“Yeah, Logan and I had a nice little chat during bio.” Megan selected a pretzel from the bag in front of her, holding it up and examining it from all angles. “I’m sure you’ve all noticed how hot he is, right?”
“Uh-huh.” Simone smirked at me and waggled her eyebrows. “Some of us have definitely noticed.”
Megan shot her a suspicious look. “Well, don’t get too excited,” she said. “I’m calling dibs on him.”
“What?” Simone blurted out, She spun and looked at me again. “But—”
I kicked her under the table. Hard. My heart was pounding and I felt a little sick. Was this really happening? Had Megan really just called dibs on Logan like he was the last cupcake on the platter?
“Yeah, I know he’s not my usual type,” Megan said. “But he’s super smart and cool and really, really sweet, right? I could get used to that for sure.”
Well, that was it, then. Megan was the hottest girl in school. No way could I compete with that. I avoided Simone’s eyes as she turned to stare at me.
Meanwhile Taylor and Zoe had barely looked up from their food at Megan’s announcement. “Whatever,” Taylor said. “He’s not my type either.”
Zoe shot me a curious look, but I kept my gaze on my lunch. “Yeah, I guess he’s all yours, Megan.” Zoe raised her iced tea in salute. “Good luck. You guys will make a cute couple.”
Simone was frowning. “Look, Megan. Logan is his own person. You can’t just call dibs on a person.”
“Yes, I can.” Megan calmly popped a pretzel into her mouth. “I just did.”
At that moment, Ling finally arrived. “Hey,” she greeted us, sliding her lunch tray into the empty spot beside Zoe. “What’s with the face, Simone? Did you flunk your test?”
“Big news,” Taylor said. “Megan just called dibs on the new guy, Logan.”
“What?” Ling’s head snapped up and her eyes trained on Megan like laser beams. “No way.”
“Yes way.” Megan licked salt off her fingers, looking smug. “We totally bonded during bio last period.”
Ling glared at her. “Well, that’s too bad,” she said icily. “Because Logan and I totally bonded during English the period before that. Which means if anyone gets dibs on him, it’s me.”
Megan frowned. “That’s not how it works—I already called it. You snooze, you lose.”
“She’s got you there, Ling,” Zoe put in with a laugh.
“Shut up.” Ling shot her a poisonous look, then turned her evil eye back on Megan. “You can’t call dibs on a guy. That’s stupid.”
“Yeah, that’s what Simone said,” Taylor put in.
“Who asked you?” Megan snapped.
I sneaked a peek at Simone. She looked annoyed and frustrated. When she caught me looking, she widened her eyes at me. I tightened my lips and shook my head, willing her not to blurt out anything stupid.
“Calling dibs on Logan is completely ridiculous,” Simone said. “If more than one person is interested in him, it makes just as much sense to draw straws.”
“Why?” Megan challenged her. “Because you moved too slow to call him for yourself?”
Simone blew out a loud sigh of frustration. “I’m not saying I want him for myself!” she exclaimed. “I’m just saying—”
“Simone—listen,” I interrupted, yanking her arm so hard she had to grab the edge of the table to keep her balance. “Have you seen my phone? I think I left it in your locker.”
“What?” She glanced at me with a frown. “You didn’t put it—”
“Yes, I did. Remember?” This time I was the one widening my eyes in a meaningful way.
Fortunately, she caught on. “Oh, right. Um, come on, we’d better check.”
The others barely noticed as we slipped away. Megan and Ling were still facing off, with Zoe and Taylor egging them on.
As soon as Simone and I reached a private spot in the hall outside the cafeteria, I turned to face her. “Don’t,” I said. “It’s okay.”
“No, it’s not!” She put he
r hands on her hips. “So what if those two have suddenly decided they want Logan? It doesn’t change the fact that this is the first guy who’s ever made you go all gooey. It doesn’t change the way he feels about you, either.”
“It might,” I said, thinking of Megan’s overwhelming radiance, Ling’s cool beauty.
She gave me a little shove. “Stop. You know you like him. It’s obvious to anyone with eyes and a heart. So why not give it a go?”
“Were you there just now?” I shook my head. “Megan and Ling both want him. I’ve got no chance.”
“You don’t know that,” she said. “So you might as well give it a try and see what happens. Megan and Ling aren’t the type to hold grudges over guy stuff.” She hesitated. “Probably not, anyway.”
I rolled my eyes. “Forget it. It’s just not worth the angst.” I held up one hand like a witness swearing in on some courtroom drama. “I hereby officially withdraw my interest in one Mr. Logan Morse.”
“Stop.” Simone slapped my hand down. “You don’t have to—”
“I want to,” I said firmly. “Seriously. It’s kind of a relief, really. Now I can stick to my life plan, do my thing. Whew!” I mimed wiping sweat from my brow.
She had a little frown on her face as she held my eye. “Are you sure about this?”
“Positive.” I crossed my heart. “It’s over, okay?”
“Do you want to talk about it?”
“No.” I avoided her eye. “Not right now, anyway. Maybe later.”
That seemed to satisfy her, though she still seemed unsettled. “Fine,” she said. “Let’s get back in there before Zoe eats all my chips.”
We headed into the cafeteria. As we neared our table, I could see that Megan had a big smile on her face. Across from her, Ling looked serene as she sipped her soda. Was the fight over already? If so, who had won?
Then I saw Logan winding his way between tables, heading toward my friends. Ah, that explained it. Megan and Ling weren’t about to let him see them fighting over him. If I knew them—and I did—they wouldn’t want him to catch even the slightest whiff of pettiness or desperation or less than full control.
I slid into my seat moments before Logan reached the table. “Find your phone?” Zoe asked.
“What?” I said. “Oh, right, yeah.” I patted my backpack, where my phone had been all along.
Then I watched out of the corner of my eye as Logan arrived. “Hi, everyone,” he said. “Bailey and Megan said I could sit with you guys today?”
He made a move toward the empty seat beside me. Ling jumped out of her chair, quick as a wink.
“Come sit over here, Logan,” she said, patting the chair she’d just vacated as she slid into the empty one right next to it. “You’ll be able to see the entire room from here. I can point out everyone important.”
“Great idea.” Megan slid her chair around the corner of the table so it was beside the one Ling had indicated for Logan. “I can help point out who’s cool and who you should avoid.”
She put a tiny bit of emphasis on the last word, glaring at Ling behind Logan’s back. Zoe started to laugh, but covered it by pretending to cough. Taylor just rolled her eyes and ate another cookie.
“Um, okay.” Logan shot me a slightly confused look, but allowed Ling and Megan to herd him into his new seat.
For the next few minutes Simone, Zoe, Taylor, and I were treated to a master’s seminar on flirting techniques. Finally, when Megan tossed her long red hair for about the fifteenth time, I’d had enough. Quickly cramming my last few carrot sticks into my mouth, I crumpled my empty bag and stood up.
“See you later,” I said to the table at large, carefully avoiding meeting anyone’s eye. Especially Logan’s or Simone’s. “I need to go to the library. I want to, uh, start researching my social-studies project.”
I hurried away without waiting for an answer.
Chapter Eight
The rest of the day passed slowly. I wandered from class to class, trying to focus on the teachers and put Logan out of my mind.
That wasn’t as easy as expected. He kept popping into my head at odd moments. When I walked past the bulletin board near the art room and noticed an anime-inspired project hanging there, I thought about Logan living in Tokyo. When one of my teachers mentioned dinosaurs, my mind jumped straight to Logan’s dad’s job and his new book. And every time I was in the halls between classes, I caught myself looking for Logan in the crowd. Every. Time.
What was that about? I was a practical person. I knew it was pointless to waste time and brain cells mooning over something that was never going to happen.
Still, as last period approached, things seemed to be getting worse instead of better. I caught myself counting down the minutes until study hall. When the bell rang to end English class, I wanted to leap up from my seat and race out of the room. Instead I forced myself to stand up calmly, collect my books, and stroll out. Then I meandered down the hall in a most leisurely manner, even stopping along the way to examine the sign-up sheet and poster hanging on the wall outside the drama room.
As I stood there, Gwen emerged from the room. “Oh, hi, Bailey,” she said, tugging at the hem of her black sweater. “Hey, did you convince your studly new friend to try out for Lancelot yet?”
“What? I mean no.” I willed myself not to blush. “Sorry. I, uh, haven’t really talked to him much since art class.”
“Oh, well.” She shrugged. “Better get a move on—second bell’s about to ring.”
Oh, crap, she was right. A glance at my watch showed that I was about to be late. Okay, so Mr. Gillespie wasn’t very strict about arriving on time to his study halls. He wasn’t very strict about anything, actually. That didn’t mean I wanted to risk getting caught out in the halls by the vice principal or one of the teachers who actually cared about punctuality.
Luckily, Gillespie’s room was close by. I raced around the corner and hurtled toward the door. My momentum was such that I almost didn’t notice someone standing in the doorway.
“Logan!” I blurted out, skidding to a stop just in time to avoid crashing into him. I swallowed hard as I saw Ling standing beside him. In fact, she was standing so close that her long hair was brushing his arm. “Um, hi, Ling,” I added. “What are you doing here?”
“I was just walking Logan to study hall.” Ling leaned even closer and grabbed his arm, tilting her head up and smiling at him. “We wouldn’t want him to get lost, right?”
“Definitely not,” I muttered, starting to move around them.
Logan reached out and stopped me. “That’s right, you’re in this study hall too, aren’t you?” he said brightly.
My arm tingled where he’d just touched it. Then I realized what he’d just said. Had he really forgotten we had this study hall together? Obviously the intersections in our schedule, few as they were, hadn’t made the same kind of impression on him as they had on me.
“That’s right,” I said, forcing a tight smile. “Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.”
“Cool.” Logan glanced at Ling. “Well, thanks for showing me the way. I should get in there. Hope I didn’t make you late for your next class.”
Ling checked her watch. “Yeah, guess I’d better get going. Later, Logan. See you, Bailey.”
“Bye,” I muttered.
“After you.” Logan swept an arm out to let me walk in first. I nodded, then ducked my head and hurried inside.
Simone and Taylor were in their usual seats near the back, huddled over a magazine. I headed toward them, expecting Logan to peel off and do his own thing. I was a little surprised when I realized he was following me.
Then again, why wouldn’t he? My friends and I were probably the only people he knew in this class. It was only natural he would cling to us until he got his bearings at his new school. Sort of like an animal trying to fit in with a new pack or herd.
Simone’s eyes brightened when she saw us coming. I glared at her, trying to head off any embarrassing comments.
>
“Hi, Logan!” Simone’s voice sounded as cheerful and fake as a bad actor in an infomercial. “I didn’t know you were in this study hall.”
Liar. I’d told her that during gym.
“Yeah.” Logan gestured toward several empty desks nearby. “So are there assigned seats here, or what?”
“Nope.” Taylor flipped another page in her magazine. “Gillespie doesn’t care what we do as long as we keep it down to a dull roar.”
“Cool.” Logan glanced at me. “Where do you usually sit, Bailey? I don’t want to steal your seat.”
I dropped my bag on my usual desk in front of Simone. “Right here?” It came out sounding more like a question than an answer.
“Okay.” Logan sat down at the desk next to mine. “Then I guess I’ll sit here. So the teacher doesn’t mind if we talk?”
“Not at all.” Simone glanced at Mr. Gillespie, who was at the front of the room chatting with several members of the JV baseball team, which he coached. “We could probably throw a party and he wouldn’t care.”
“Yeah.” Taylor was sitting behind Logan. She leaned forward. “So how’s your first day going?”
“Not too bad.” Logan shrugged. “Everyone here seems pretty cool so far.”
Taylor laughed. “That’s because you don’t know them that well yet,” she joked.
Simone leaned across the aisle and grabbed the magazine out of Taylor’s hands. “Hey, we’ve already looked at this one a zillion times,” she said, jumping to her feet. “Let’s go over and ask Maria if she has anything new we can borrow.”
“Hey! What?” Taylor complained. “I just bought that yester—ow! Quit it!”
Simone quickly pulled her hand back, leaving Taylor rubbing her arm where Simone had pinched it. “Come on.” Simone raised her eyebrows at Taylor. “Let’s go.”
“Whatever.” Looking confused, Taylor hauled herself out of her seat and allowed Simone to hustle her off across the room.
I winced, hoping Logan hadn’t caught any of that. Subtle was definitely not Simone’s middle name.
