Be Mine

by Sabrina James

  Unlike Leo. He always made her feel special. He saw the person she was on the inside and not the outside.

  “I didn’t think so,” Leo said when Natalie didn’t answer.

  “I don’t care what Tom thinks,” Natalie stated. “Want to know why?”

  “Why?”

  “I’m breaking up with him.”

  “How come?”

  “I want to go out with someone else. Someone I like and who I think likes me.”

  “Another basketball player?”

  “Nope.”

  “Football? Baseball?”

  “Wrong again.”

  “Well, he must be a member of the jock squad, right?”

  “Why would you think that?”

  “Guys like that always date girls like you.”

  Natalie crooked a finger at Leo. “Come closer. I want to tell you a secret.”

  Leo leaned into Natalie.

  “Sometimes girls like me date guys like you,” she whispered into his ear.

  Leo pulled back, staring at Natalie in shock. She slowly nodded and then she caught him off guard by throwing her arms around him and pulling him close as she gave him a kiss.

  “Wow,” a dazed Leo said when the kiss ended.

  “I’ve been wanting to do that ever since you kissed me yesterday morning,” Natalie said, seconds before she started to give Leo a second kiss. “Guess you’re not the only one with no willpower!”

  Eden was dressed to impress.

  Last night she had spent hours in front of her closet searching for the perfect outfit to wear today. It needed to be something that made Dexter notice her more than he had in the past. She finally decided on a black mini skirt — the better to show off her legs! — with a purple camisole top paired with a cropped jacket and black high-heeled boots. She’d gotten up extra early that morning, taking time with her hair and makeup, because she wanted to look gorgeous. And she did! Beyoncé had better watch out!

  Eden still couldn’t believe that Dexter liked her. If she hadn’t run into Angie yesterday, she still wouldn’t know. Why hadn’t she been able to see it for herself? In the past, she had always known when a guy was interested in her. But usually those guys were jocks or they hung out with her crowd of friends. She could read the signals. She and Dexter, though, came from two different worlds. He was super smart and she was super popular. The two didn’t usually go together. Maybe that was why she hadn’t known. Because it had never occurred to her. And maybe the reason why Dexter had never asked her out was that he didn’t think she’d want to go out with him. But why wouldn’t she? He was sweet and kind and one of the smartest guys at North Ridge High.

  She saw Dexter walk into the library and waved to him. Cradled under his arm was a package wrapped with silver foil paper decorated with red hearts. That sweetie! He’d gotten her a Valentine’s Day present!

  “Hi, Dexter,” she said when he reached the table. She had made sure her chair was pushed away from the table, legs casually crossed, so he could see what she was wearing from head to toe. She wanted him to notice the entire package.

  “Hi, Eden.”

  Much to her disappointment, he didn’t even glance at her. He just dropped his package on the table and started unloading his book bag, his eyes focused downward.

  Hmmm. He hadn’t commented on what she was wearing. Very strange. This outfit had gotten her results on more than one occasion. She knew it worked. Of course, Dexter was shy. That’s probably why he wasn’t saying anything.

  “Whatcha got there?” she nonchalantly asked, pointing to the package on the table.

  He shrugged. “I don’t know. I found it in front of my locker this morning.”

  That wasn’t the answer Eden had been expecting. “It’s a present for you?” she choked out.

  Dexter nodded, showing Eden the card that had been addressed to him. His name was on it, but that was all. “Looks like I have a secret admirer.”

  Hearing those words, Eden instantly became jealous.

  Someone else was interested in her Dexter?

  “Aren’t you going to open it up?” she asked.

  “I’ll do it later,” Dexter said, sitting down and flipping through his SAT study guide. “We’ve got work to do!”

  But Eden didn’t want to study. She wanted Dexter to unwrap that package! Now! She needed to know what she was up against. She hadn’t planned on dealing with any competition.

  Was she going to lose Dexter before she even had him?

  Jennifer was down in the dumps.

  It was Valentine’s Day, and everywhere she turned at North Ridge High, couples were celebrating the day. They were hugging and kissing and giving each other red-and-pink-wrapped gifts. Boxes of chocolate were being passed around and she kept hearing shouts of “Happy Valentine’s Day!”

  Jennifer maneuvered through the crowded hallway on the way to her locker. She tried to block out everything that was going on around her. She didn’t want to be reminded that, once again, she had no valentine.

  She hadn’t cried herself to sleep the night before, but she’d come close. As she lay in bed, twisting and turning against the sheets, she kept thinking of Will and Kristy. What had they done that night? Even though they were only “friends,” had their night together reignited things between them? Had Will taken Kristy home and walked her to her front door? Had he kissed her good night? Had they made plans to get together again? Because after tonight, Will could go out with whomever he wanted.

  While she would be all alone.

  Jennifer had finally dozed off after midnight but she kept waking up throughout the night. She was so restless that Sheba, who usually slept at the foot of her bed, had jumped off and left her bedroom to find someplace else to sleep.

  “What’s with the sad face?” Violet asked as Jennifer reached her locker. Their lockers were side by side and Violet’s was already open.

  “I’m not sad,” Jennifer said.

  “Yes, you are.” Violet took a closer look at Jennifer. “In fact, you look like you’re depressed.”

  “I’m not depressed.”

  “You could have fooled me. Are you sure everything is okay?”

  Jennifer began fiddling with the combination of her lock. “I don’t want to talk about it.”

  Even though Violet was her best friend and she wasn’t the type to say “I told you so,” Jennifer couldn’t tell her what had happened with Will the night before or why it hurt so much. It was too embarrassing.

  “That means there is something wrong.”

  “Just let it go, Violet, please?” Jennifer’s lock clicked open and she pulled it off. Seconds later, when she opened her locker door, a cascade of red, pink, peach, yellow, lilac, and white rose petals flooded out.

  “Oh my gosh!” Violet squealed.

  Jennifer stepped away from her locker in disbelief as the petals kept pouring out. It was like a rainbow of colors!

  “Who could have done this?” a stunned Jennifer asked.

  “That’s a silly question!” Violet exclaimed, pointing to the note taped to the inside of Jennifer’s locker door. “Will! Your valentine!”

  The note card was pink. Scrawled in Will’s distinct handwriting was: Happy Valentine’s Day, Red! I wanted to give you roses, but I didn’t want you pricking your fingers on any thorns so I figured I’d just give you the petals. I also couldn’t make up my mind on what color to send, in case you hadn’t noticed.

  “This is so romantic,” Violet said as she scooped up a handful of petals and let them drift back onto the pile. “You can use these to make potpourri.”

  By then, a bunch of girls had gathered around Jennifer, oohing and aahing over Will’s gift.

  Even though Jennifer was smiling on the outside, inside she wasn’t. Will had left the rose petals because of the Most Romantic Couple contest. He was doing it because they were pretending. It wasn’t like he cared about her.

  “Hey!” a passing Mindy Yee exclaimed. “Claudia and Chase just
pulled up in front of the school in a pink horse-drawn sleigh!”

  The other girls left the pile of rose petals and hurried after Mindy.

  “Looks like Claudia trumps me again,” Jennifer sighed.

  “Temporarily,” Violet said. “There’s still tonight, when the Most Romantic Couple is going to be announced. That’s the big prize.”

  But what does it matter? Jennifer wondered. Even if she and Will did win, it wasn’t like it was going to mean anything. They weren’t a couple. They never were and they never would be.

  At lunchtime, the votes were being cast. Jennifer had no idea who was going to win. From the conversations she’d overheard, it sounded like every couple had their supporters.

  After voting for herself and Will, Jennifer joined Violet at their table. She was squirting some ketchup over her fries when Claudia came over, holding out a cell phone.

  “The game’s over,” she triumphantly announced.

  Jennifer licked some ketchup off her fingers. “What are you talking about?”

  “Take a look at this photo,” Claudia said, handing over the phone. “It was taken last night.”

  Jennifer stared at the photo. It was Will and another girl. He was wearing the suit he had bought at DeVille’s. That meant the girl had to be Kristy Jenkins. Jennifer looked back up at Claudia. “So?”

  “I was checking out wedding halls with my sister Pam, and while we were there, a party was going on in one of the ballrooms. Imagine how surprised I was when I peeked inside and saw Will with another girl, especially when she introduced Will as her date to her friends! Why would Will be with another girl if he’s so into you? Unless he’s not and the two of you have been pretending to be a couple this entire time!”

  Jennifer laughed. “That girl is Kristy Jenkins. She goes to St. Bernadette’s. She and Will used to date. He took her out last night as a favor. I knew all about it.”

  Jennifer was about to hand the cell phone back to Claudia when she noticed something. How had she missed it? There was a necklace around Kristy’s neck. It was the same necklace she saw Will buying at Bring the Bling yesterday afternoon. Now she knew whom he was buying it for.

  Kristy.

  Claudia snatched her cell phone out of Jennifer’s hand and stormed back to her table.

  “What’s the matter?” Violet asked after Claudia left. “You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

  Jennifer shook her head. She couldn’t talk. If she tried, she was going to lose it. All she kept seeing was that necklace. Will had bought it for Kristy and he’d given it to her last night. In her mind, she saw Will standing behind Kristy, placing the necklace around her neck. It had probably been a Valentine’s Day gift. That’s what a guy did when he cared about a girl: he gave her a gift to show her how he felt. To let her know how special she was to him.

  She’d known the necklace wasn’t for her. She’d figured that out last night.

  So why did it hurt so much now that she knew for sure?

  “I thought I had her this time!” Claudia exclaimed as she returned to her table and plopped back down in her seat between Natalie and Eden.

  “What are you complaining about now?” Natalie asked as she sipped a Diet Pepsi.

  “Jennifer!” Claudia scratched her arm. “I thought I had proof that she and Will had been scamming everybody, but they weren’t.”

  “Can’t you let it go?” Natalie asked. She was so over the Claudia-Jennifer feud, especially since she thought Jennifer was nice. “Will and Jennifer are a couple whether you like it or not. A very cute couple, if you want my opinion.”

  “I don’t!” Claudia snapped as she began furiously scratching her other arm.

  “Did someone sprinkle you with itching powder?” Eden asked.

  “I’ve been scratching myself all morning!” Claudia complained. “Maybe it’s this new sweater I’m wearing.”

  Natalie decided to drop a bombshell. She didn’t know any other way to do it, other than asking, and she needed some advice. “How awful is it to break up with a guy on Valentine’s Day?”

  Eden’s mouth dropped open. “You’re breaking up with Tom?”

  Natalie nodded. “There’s someone else and I want to be with him tonight, not Tom. I’m sure Tom’ll be able to find someone to go to the dance with him. He’s never had any trouble getting a date.”

  “But you’re running for Most Romantic Couple,” Eden reminded her. “Isn’t it going to look strange to have one of the competing couples show up with other dates?”

  “We were never going to win. And we were never romantic to begin with. Tom entered us in the contest because he was competing with Chase, that’s all. And I don’t care how it looks. I don’t want to be with Tom. I want to be with this other guy.”

  Natalie thought back to that morning after she’d kissed Leo. She’d told him again that she was breaking up with Tom because she wanted to be with him. Leo hadn’t been able to believe it.

  “Why not?” she had asked him. “I like you. I want to go out with you. Not Tom. Don’t you want to go out with me?”

  “Of course!”

  She had gazed around the bedroom at his discarded piles of clothes. “Then you better find a suit somewhere in these piles, because you’re taking me to the Valentine’s Day dance tonight!”

  “If Tom was more into another girl, he wouldn’t hesitate to dump you,” Eden said. “Trust me, I’ve been there. Learn from my experience! I say if you’re interested in this other guy, then go for it!”

  “Absolutely,” Claudia agreed as she began scratching her back. “Are you trading up?”

  “If you mean am I going out with a guy who cares about me, yes,” Natalie answered.

  “Who is it?” Eden asked.

  “Leo Barnes.”

  Claudia stopped scratching. “Blubber Boy?” she gasped. “You’re dumping a hottie like Tom Marland for that fat blob? Have you gone crazy?”

  Natalie’s temper snapped. “Don’t you ever call Leo by that horrible nickname again! You don’t know anything about Leo. Maybe if you talked to him, you would.”

  “I’m in two classes with Leo,” Eden said. “He seems like a nice guy.”

  “He is. And he’s taking me to the dance tonight.”

  Claudia rolled her eyes. “No comment.” She turned to Eden. “Have you found a date or will you be going solo?”

  Eden chewed on her lower lip. “Well, there is someone I’d like to go to the dance with, but I think another girl is interested in him. I don’t know what to do.”

  “What are you waiting for?” Natalie asked. “Make your move!”

  “Who is it?” Claudia asked as she began scratching again.

  “Dexter King,” Eden said.

  “Your nerdy tutor?” Claudia exclaimed, eyes widening with horror. “I can’t believe what I’m hearing! Why do the two of you want to date those losers?”

  Natalie pushed herself away from the table. She’d finally had enough of Claudia. It was time to stand up to her. “They’re not losers. Not to us. We like them and that’s all that matters.”

  “Who are you to judge them?” Eden asked, standing up as well.

  “My friends don’t date losers,” Claudia stated in a steely voice. “If they do, they’re not my friends.”

  The warning was clear. But Natalie didn’t care any more. “Then I guess you’re going to need to find some new friends,” she said, tossing her backpack over one shoulder.

  “Two of them,” Eden added.

  “You’re both idiots!” Claudia hissed. “You’re losers, just like Leo and Dexter!”

  “I’d be careful of using the word loser, Claudia,” Natalie said. “You and Chase haven’t been voted Most Romantic Couple yet. You might be finding out firsthand later tonight what that word means.” She peered closely at Claudia’s face. “And in case you didn’t know it, you’re starting to break out. You’ve got a bunch of zits on your forehead.”

  Natalie then left the table with Eden behind her a
s a red-faced Claudia, still scratching, scrambled through her shoulder bag to find a compact so she could check out her face.

  “I figured I’d save you the trouble of tracking me down,” Tom said.

  Classes had ended for the day and Tom was leaning against Natalie’s locker. The hallways had cleared out and the school was pretty much deserted. With the exception of a few stragglers, most students had left to start getting ready for the Valentine’s Day dance.

  Finding Tom waiting for her was an unpleasant surprise. He’d caught her off guard even though she’d been planning to track him down before going home. She hadn’t seen him the entire day and she hadn’t wanted to break up with him over the phone. She wanted to do it in person. Hopefully Tom would understand why she was doing it. She didn’t want to hurt his feelings. All she wanted to do was tell him the truth.

  “How’d you know I was looking for you?”

  “Aren’t you?”

  “Yes,” Natalie admitted, trying to remember the speech she had prepared earlier. But her mind was blank.

  “Let me guess.” Tom pretended to think. Then he snapped his fingers. “You’re not going to be my valentine.”

  “If you’d let me explain —”

  Tom cut her off. “You can save your speech. Claudia already filled me in. She told me all about Leo.”

  “She shouldn’t have done that,” Natalie said, although she wasn’t surprised. Getting even was what Claudia did best.

  “You couldn’t have waited until tomorrow to dump me? It’s Valentine’s Day! We’re competing for Most Romantic Couple.”

  “We were never a couple!” Natalie exclaimed. “Least of all a romantic couple. We were hardly even boyfriend and girlfriend. Our being in that contest was a joke! You only entered us because you were competing with Chase.”

  Tom ignored Natalie’s words. “What about the dance?”

  “What about it?”

  “We were supposed to go together.”