"I thought she was going to kill you right then," Frances said. "Theo was ready to rip her off and throw her down if she touched you. Oh my gosh, that was the best moment ever. I can see why sports are addictive."
I sat up and wiped mud off my cheek. "It was cool, wasn't it?"
"Cool?" Blue grabbed my hands and pulled me to my feet so she could give me a giant hug. "It rocked! A double victory! You win, plus she loses! Does it get any better than that?"
"Yeah, because you guys were all here to cheer me on!" They were all I needed. I didn't care that Matt wasn't here or that he was a jerk who had used me to try to get back at all the jocks of the world. Wait a sec. I was still furious about that. How dare he use me?
"We are so going out tonight to celebrate," Blue announced. "Our treat!"
A heavy male hand came down on my shoulder and I spun around, my heart catching in my throat. It was only Colin, Blue's boyfriend. "Great job, Natalie."
I grinned. "Thanks."
Then Theo showed up and gave me a huge hug. "Frances told me about Val. Forget her." He put his lips next to my ear and lowered his voice. "She hit on every member of the lacrosse team before she started dating Zach. She's a piece of work and I'm glad you beat her." He winked. "She didn't get me, and don't let her get you."
I stared at him as he released me. I'd forgotten that Theo might know her, seeing as how he had graduated from our school only last year. "What about Zach? Do you know him? Is he a good guy?" Theo would know the truth. Guys talked.
His eyes flicked to Frances, who gave him a stern look. He shrugged. "I don't know."
"What? Yes, you do." I threw my hands onto my hips. "Frances! What do you know? Why won't you tell me?"
"All he knows is dumb locker room talk that means nothing," Frances said. "And remember? Everyone said bad things about Theo, too. I was the only one who saw that he was a good guy."
"So? Tell me what you know." I grabbed Theo's arm. "Tell me!"
"He's still in love with Val," Theo blurted out.
I dropped his arm. "What?"
Frances shoved him aside. "Don't listen to him. It's guy talk. They don't know. Really, it's conjecture."
"But why do you think that?" How could he still love Val? I mean, she was a horrid person and he'd been so nice to me.
Theo shrugged. "I don't know. Guys talk. That's the theory."
"See?" Frances slugged him. "It's a theory, and Theo hasn't been at the school since last year. So it means nothing. Last time Theo was around Zach, Val was still dating him, so how does he know what's going on now?"
Allie cleared her throat. "If he's in love with someone else, you better watch it."
"Yeah," Blue added. "You could get hurt."
"Kinda like Matt, huh? Who you guys have been trying to make me like? Why is it okay for me to like Matt, who we know is in love with someone else, but not okay to like Zach, who we guess might still be in love with a horrid evil creature he couldn't possibly love?"
"Because Matt's wrong and he'll realize that," Allie said. "It's simple."
I shook my head. "You guys are unbelievable. Unbelievable! Why do you like Matt so much?"
Allie sighed. "Because he's honest and he treats his girlfriend fairly. The only person he's lying to is himself, and you can't say the same about Zach, who freely lies to get what he wants. Like telling you the party was for team members only so you wouldn't bring Matt. He's a liar, and it'll burn you."
"If he was that eager to get me there, then how can you say he loves Val?" Besides, the only reason Matt had kissed me was to prove himself to Zach. Sorry, but that wasn't true love. It was the actions of a jerk, who I was not going to let break my heart.
"Maybe Zach's trying to make Val jealous by paying attention to you?" Frances suggested.
"But he's the one who broke up with her." So both guys were using me to try to impress someone else? No, I wasn't going to think like that. Yes, it was confirmed with Matt, but I wasn't going to let a bunch of stupid rumors and theories make me think the same of Zach. I needed someone to like me for who I was, even if he was a player!
Blue shrugged. "I think you should go for Zach. See how it feels. If it doesn't work, it doesn't work. You move on. The only way I figured out what Heath was like was to go on a date with him. So do it. Just go, have fun and see what happens."
I hugged Blue. "Thank you! That's what I needed to hear!" I looked at everyone else. "I love you guys, but I can't hold out for a boy who's already dating someone else and who uses me to get back at the enemy, which includes all jocks. I'm going on the date with Zach next Friday, and I'm going to have fun."
Allie shrugged. "It's your life. Do whatever you want. I'm going to head over to watch the boys' race. Tad's in it."
The group decided to join her and I let them wander off.
Then I quietly went to another part of the course to watch Zach by myself.
Zach, who wanted to go out on a date with me. What more could I ask for?
The front pack came into view, and Zach was third. I screamed for him as he went by, and I swear I got a smile from him.
See? I knew what I was doing.
* * *
At the end of class on Monday, Ms. Olsen looked at me. "Natalie, can you stay after for a minute?"
Oh, no. She'd graded my test over the weekend. I was going to be sick.
Matt glanced over his shoulder at me and gave me a thumbs up. Yeah, right! Like that would help. It was too late!
I slumped in my chair and waited for everyone to leave. Blue gave me a pat on the shoulder, and I realized that I was glad I'd told my friends about my situation. They didn't think I was stupid, and it helped to have someone who understood.
How was I going to talk my way out of it? Let's see. Matt and I had only been studying for a few weeks. Not enough time. I needed more time. And my homework had been great, right? I mean, sure, he'd been helping me, but I'd been getting some stuff on my own lately. He'd said so himself!
Matt was the last one to leave, and he didn't get up until Ms. Olsen told him to leave. "This is between Natalie and me," she said. "Please wait outside, Matt."
He shot me a sympathetic look, and hauled his books out of the room, shutting the door behind him. I wished he could stay. I wanted him there with me. He was my support when it came to math.
At least he'd closed the door. That was thoughtful of him. If I was going to have my life destroyed, I definitely wanted the door closed. No need for the world to know. Can you imagine if Val was walking by? She'd probably be so excited she'd post flyers about it.
Ms. Olsen adjusted the glasses on her nose. "I graded your test."
I slid farther down in my chair. "I figured."
"Your homework has been better."
"Yeah." Come on, put me out of my misery and tell me!
"How is it going with Matt?"
"He's a good…teacher." I wasn't going to call him a tutor. Not in public.
"Good. I thought he would be."
Yeah, yeah. So Matt was a god. I wasn't in the mood to sing his praises.
Ms. Olsen pushed back her chair, picked up a paper from her desk and walked toward me. It was like the stealthy approach of a rabid panther, stalking me, ready to pounce and rip me to shreds, her fangs being that piece of paper dangling from her claws.
I leaned back in my chair and wished really hard that she'd go stalk some other poor unsuspecting student.
But she reached my chair intact and set the test down on my desk.
I refused to look at it.
"You got a B-minus."
"You're kidding!" Disbelief surged through me and I grabbed my paper. There it was. A big red B-minus on the top of the page. Oh wow.
Wow.
Wow.
Wow.
She smiled and patted my shoulder. "I knew you could do it."
A B-minus. I got a B-minus. I'm so smart. Soooo smart. So super smart.
"Keep it up, and your spot on the team is safe."
<
br /> I finally looked at her, totally unable to keep the giant grin off my face. "Thanks."
"You're smart, Natalie. It just took a little guidance. Good job."
Good job. I'd done a good job. Yahoo!!!!!
"Now, get out of here before you're late for your next class."
"Right!" I grabbed my books and nearly skipped out of the room. B-minus! Rock on!
I flung the door open and jumped out into the hall.
"Well?"
I spun around to find Matt leaning against the wall. "Matt!"
"I assume it was about the test. What did you get?" His jaw was a little tense. Worried about his reputation?
Hah! Not with me around to bail him out! "B minus!" I thrust the paper at him. "Look!"
"No way!" He grabbed the test out of my hand, his fingers brushing against mine. Which I totally noticed, of course. He might be a jerk, but it was hard to forget those kisses. He looked up, a huge smile lighting his face. "You're a goddess."
I grinned. "A goddess?"
"Yeah." Before I knew what he was doing, he grabbed me and gave me a hug. A big, fat hug that smashed me against his chest. A hug that felt so incredibly awesome. After a moment's hesitation, I hugged him back. Not because I liked him or anything, but because we'd gotten that B-minus together, and we deserved a team hug.
After what felt like forever, but not nearly long enough, he let go, and so did I. He was still beaming. "Can I keep the test? I want to look it over."
"Sure."
"I'll bring it by when I come tonight."
I flipped my new hairdo at him. "Maybe I don't need tutoring anymore. After all, I got a B-minus."
The light left his face so fast it was as if a black cloud had whooshed down and crushed him. "Is that what she said? No more tutoring?"
He looked so bummed, I grabbed his arm. "No, she didn't say that. I was kidding. I still need you."
"You sure?"
"Yes!" I nodded at the paper. "I'm not stopping with a B-minus. By the end of the semester, I want an A. Think I can do that on my own?"
A half smile curved one side of his mouth. "An A, huh? I think we can manage that."
"Really?" Hope lit through me. "I was kidding. You think I can get an A?"
"Of course. Look what you've done in a couple weeks."
Wow. "Really? You're not just saying that?" A warm feeling settled in my belly. "I thought you thought I was stupid."
Matt frowned. "Why do you keep saying that? Did I do something to make you think that?"
"Well, you didn't introduce me to your friends...."
"I did. And you got mad at me."
"That was because you kissed me! I mean, not because you kissed me, but because of why you kissed me."
He frowned. "Because I was trying to make Zach mad."
"Yeah."
"Is that worse than kissing you to make everyone think we're going out when we're not?"
"Yes!"
"Why?" If he hadn't looked so genuinely confused, I would have kicked him in the shin and told him to go tutor someone else.
"You really don't get it?" I asked.
"No!" He sounded exasperated now.
"You two still out here?" Ms. Olsen walked out into the hall. "You better get to class or you're going to be late." Then she smiled. "Nice job, Matt. You two did well."
He muttered a thanks, but he still looked aggravated.
"Go!" Ms. Olsen gave us each a push. "You don't want to end up in detention after a great start to the day."
Matt shot me a look. "I'll see you tonight."
Something in his eyes told me the conversation wasn't finished, and I wasn't sure what I thought about that.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
My doorbell rang at six-forty-five, fifteen minutes before Matt was supposed to arrive.
I opened it anyway.
He was standing on my doorstep with flowers.
Flowers?
"These are for you." His cheeks were a little pink and he shifted his weight back and forth.
"For what?" Oh my gosh. No one had ever given me flowers before. Had he broken up with his girlfriend? Was he here to tell me he was madly in love with me and he couldn't live without me?
"For the B minus on your test."
My heart fell. "Oh."
Dad stuck his head around the corner. "Flowers for Natalie? What's the occasion?"
Total embarrassment.
Matt grinned at my dad. "She did really well on a math test today. Best grade of the year so far."
"Matt!" That was one step away from confessing the tutor thing!
My dad looked pleased. "Great news, hon." He clapped Matt on the shoulder. "You're a good influence on her. I've never seen her study as regularly as she does with you." He nodded at me. "Keep this guy around, Natalie. He's a good one." He turned away, shouting for my mom, no doubt to tell her the good news, leaving Matt and me in the front hall alone.
Matt held the flowers out. "Don't you want them?"
"Oh, yes. Of course." Flowers were still flowers, even if they weren't about declarations of love, weren't they? I stuck my nose in them and inhaled. "They're wonderful. Thanks. No one's ever given me flowers before."
He shrugged, but looked pleased. "Glad I could be the first."
Was this guy a keeper or what? Totally sucked that he had that girlfriend. And I was still mad about the "using me to get back at jocks" thing, but the flowers would go a long way toward making me forget about that.
Matt followed me into the kitchen, where I started rifling through cabinets, looking for a vase. "Natalie? Can we ... um ... talk for a sec?"
"Yeah, sure." I squatted down and pulled open the cabinet under the sink. "What's up?" No vases.
His hand closed over my arm and he pulled me to my feet so I was standing only inches from him. So near that he could kiss me by barely moving his head. Oh my gosh. Was that what he wanted to talk about?
"I'm sorry about kissing you," he said.
"You are?" Hardly what I'd been hoping to hear.
"You were right. I did it to piss off Zach." He dropped my arm and walked across the kitchen. "I thought it was okay, I guess, since we aren't actually dating or anything."
"Shh!" I checked the door, but no parents were lurking.
"I was wrong. I hurt you, and I feel bad about it." He rubbed his chin. "You're an athlete, but you're not bad, and you didn't deserve that."
"I'm 'not bad'? What does that mean?" I held up my hand. "You know what? Forget it. Yeah, sure, you introduced me to your friends, but you still see this jock label hanging over my head. Why can't you just see me as a girl?" A girl who thinks you are completely amazing.
"Don't you do the same to me with a brain label? Call me a geek because I'm smart?"
I shook my head. "No. I judge you as a guy who has more attitude than any jock I've ever known, and it has nothing to do with how smart you are." Though I did think his mind was totally sexy. "I think you have more attitude than even Zach does."
His face darkened. "That guy's a jerk."
"Yeah, well, get over it. You don't have a right to judge my social life." I finally pulled out a vase and shoved the flowers in it. "I'm going on a date with him on Friday, and that's it."
"Don't."
I spun around. "Hey, Mr. I've Got a Girlfriend! Just because you're hopelessly in love doesn't make you some expert on the dating scene. I like Zach. He's nice to me. He asked me out. Until you ask me out on a real date, you can't say anything!"
He looked shocked. "I have a girlfriend. I can't ask you out on a real date!"
"Yeah, I know." I thudded the vase of flowers on the table. "Shall we study?"
Matt said nothing as he set up his books. I sat down next to him and we silently gathered our papers.
"If I...um...were to ask you on a date, would you go?"
I looked at him sharply, but he was studying my test intently. Only one raised eyebrow indicated he was waiting for my response.
A
fter taking a minute to catch my breath, I said, "If you asked me, would it be to make Zach or someone else mad? Or for some other agenda?"
His gaze flickered toward me. "Let's say there was no agenda. Would you go?"
"Not if you still had a girlfriend."
He rolled his eyes. "Give me a break, Natalie. Is that what you think of me? That I'd ask you out if I was still going out with my girlfriend?"
"I guess not." He might be a lot of things, but a liar or a cheat wasn't one of them. He was honest and I knew he was one of those trustworthy guys.
"So? Would you go?"
I took a deep breath, then let it out. "Why bother even thinking about it? You have a girlfriend, don't you?"
"Yeah."
"Are you planning to break up with her?" I held my breath.
Matt shook his head. "No."
Damn. Could I feel more bummed? "Then there's no point in discussing it, is there?"
He shrugged.
End of discussion, then.
After a minute, he picked up my test. "I thought we'd go over this. Review the problems you missed."
Back to business. As it should be. Because he had a girlfriend and I had a date with Zach on Friday that I was very excited about.
* * *
Zach showed up at my house at exactly eight o'clock on Friday night. My parents had gone to a concert downtown, which is why I'd let Zach pick me up. No need to raise questions about why I was going on a date with another guy when I had a "keeper" already.
He was wearing jeans and a cross-country sweatshirt and running shoes. He smelled good and looked cute. "Hi, Natalie." His eyes swept my outfit, which was another one from our girls' day out. "You look hot."
I grinned. "Thanks." Hot, huh? Never been called that before. I wondered if he would be willing to repeat it on video.
"Your parents here?" he asked.
"Nope. You're spared meeting them." I grabbed my jacket. "You ready?"
His gaze swept the front hall. "Or we could hang out here."
Alarm whooshed through me. Afraid of being seen with me in public? Aiming to molest me in an empty house? Either way, not good to stay home. "I'm hungry. Let's go out."
"We could order delivery." He stepped inside and shut the door. "Got any DVDs? I'm in the mood to chill." He walked off toward the back of the house without waiting for a reply.
Smart Boys & Fast Girls (A Girlfriend's Guide to Boys) Page 12
