by Piper Banks
“Why don’t you take his shoe off,” I suggested. “It might be easier to get his foot out.”
“I already thought of that,” Chaz said, sounding aggrieved. “But his laces are triple knotted. I can’t get them to budge.”
“I didn’t want them to come undone in the middle of the race,” Dad explained.
“What are we going to do about Richard?” Hannah asked. “He’s not going to want to leave.”
“He might, after this,” I said.
“He can either come with us, or stay here in his tent. But I’m officially done with camping,” Peyton said crisply. “Come on, girls. Let’s go pack up the car. Maybe Richard will be free by the time we’re ready to go.”
Chapter Seventeen
Even though Dad grumbled loudly that we’d hijacked his plans, we ended up having a really nice time during the rest of our stay in the Keys. Peyton booked us into a villa at Hawks Cay Resort, and we spent the weekend lounging by the pool and eating delicious things in air-conditioned restaurants. And even though the trip didn’t go exactly as my dad had planned, I thought his goal had been achieved. By the time we arrived back at the beach house in Orange Cove, we might actually all have grown a bit closer together. Peyton had even smiled at me when I teased Dad about getting tangled up in the rope ladder.
As soon as the car was unloaded, Hannah headed to her room, announcing that she had clients she needed to touch base with. I had a weekend’s worth of homework to catch up on—and I wanted to do so without constant interruptions from Hannah keeping me updated on how her clients’ weekend dates had gone—so I threw my backpack in Bumblebee’s trunk and headed to Grounded.
The coffee shop was more crowded than usual with Orange Cove High students, as well as the Geek High crowd. I wasn’t the only one who’d gotten the bright idea to study there. Luckily, I was able to get a table by the window. I pulled out my cell phone and called Finn.
He answered his phone with “Yo.”
“Have you done the physics homework yet?” I asked.
“What do you think?”
“I think it’s highly unlikely that you’ve done it,” I said.
“Ding, ding, ding. We have a winner,” Finn said.
“But you’re going to do it, right?” I said.
“Doubtful,” Finn said. “But I like your optimism.”
“Forrester said that he’s failing anyone who doesn’t maintain at leastaCaverage on their homework,” I reminded him.
“Yawn,” Finn said.
“Come on. Meet me at Grounded and we can do it together,” I said temptingly. Science had never been my strongest class, but Finn always aced it with minimal effort.
“You suck at physics. What’s in it for me?” Finn asked.
“My friendship and undying gratitude?” I suggested.
“What else?”
I considered this. “How about a piece of chocolate cake?” I suggested. Grounded had a decadent six-layer chocolate mocha cake with chocolate ganache frosting that Finn was addicted to.
“I want three pieces,” Finn said promptly.
“Two,” I countered.
“Deal. I’ll be there in fifteen minutes.”
While I waited for Finn to arrive, I got out my physics book and set up my laptop, and then reviewed the assignment. My heart sank. It was impossibly long and complicated. Maybe I would have to bribe Finn with three pieces of cake in order to get him to help me through it. I started rereading the chapter. Ten minutes later, I heard my name.
“Hi, Miranda.”
I looked up. Nora was standing there, smiling down at me.
“Hey, Nora. What are you doing here?” I asked.
“I just talked to Finn. I called him for help with the physics homework, and he said you were meeting over here to go over it. Do you mind if I work with you guys?” Nora asked.
Actually, I did mind a little. I liked Nora, but lately she seemed to be turning up everywhere I went. But I didn’t want to be mean by making her feel like she wasn’t wanted.
“Not at all,” I said.
“Great.” Nora smiled, looking relieved. “I tried to do it on my own, but I couldn’t figure it out. So I called Finn for help, and he said to come over here. He also said something about his price being a piece of chocolate cake.”
“He hit you up for cake, too?” I asked. “What a pig.”
Nora sat down and got her things out.
“How was your trip?” she asked.
“It got off to a rocky start, but eventually it was really fun,” I said.
I told Nora about the retreat, our aborted attempt at scaling the rope course, and how Peyton, Hannah, and I had revolted and insisted on checking in to a resort.
“So you didn’t do any of the other group activities?” Nora asked.
“Nope. We got the heck out of there,” I said. “But while we were packing up the car, I heard one of the other families talking about how they had to do some role-playing exercise. They had to pretend to be one another—the mom would pretend to be the son, and the son the mom, for example—and then carry out a conversation that way.”
Nora shuddered. “That sounds hideous.”
“Yeah, that was pretty much my thought,” I said. “They said another team had to cook a meal with just a pot, a spoon, and a can opener. Apparently, it was meant to bring the family closer together through adversity and problem solving. I think we were lucky to escape when we did.”
“Was your dad angry that you made him leave?”
“A little, but I don’t think he was really prepared to deal with the three of us after two days without pillows, showers, or toilets. It would have gotten very ugly, very quickly,” I said. “How was your weekend? Did you and Charlie end up going to West Palm?”
Nora nodded, smiling brightly. “Yeah, it was really great. The exhibit was fantastic.”
“I didn’t know you were into art,” I said.
“Sure, I am. Who doesn’t like art?” Nora said.
“Me,” Finn said, appearing out of nowhere and plopping down into an empty seat. “I hate art.”
“You don’t like art?” Nora asked him. “Do you mean modern art? Because some of that can be weird. I don’t always get it.”
“He doesn’t mean it. He just likes saying things he thinks are shocking,” I said.
“No, I meant what I said and I said what I meant. I hate art. All art,” Finn said. “Except for anime and video games. Does that count?”
“Anime definitely counts,” Nora said.
“So you’re saying you can’t appreciate a landscape by Van Gogh? Or Monet’s water lily paintings?” I challenged him.
“What’s up with you? Are you channeling Charlie today?” Finn said.
“No. But if Charlie were here and heard you denouncing all art—or all art except for anime and computer graphics—her head would start spinning,” I said.
“And she’d start shrieking in such a high-pitched tone, only dogs would be able to hear her,” Finn said fondly.
“And she’d call you a philistine,” Nora added. Which was a little unexpected, because she didn’t really know Charlie all that well. How would Nora know how Charlie would respond?
“Yes, that’s our Charlie. She just loves to throw the p-word around,” Finn said.
“Is Charlie home?” I asked Finn. “She was dog-sitting Willow this weekend. I need to go pick her up.”
Finn shrugged. “Who knows? No one told me it was my weekend to keep track of Charlie.”
“She’s not home,” Nora said unexpectedly. “She’s on a date.”
“She is?” I asked.
Finn straightened in his chair and frowned. “A date? With who?”
Nora shrugged. “I think she said his name was Chad. Does that sound right? Maybe it was Thad.”
“It must be Chad,” I said.
“No way. You didn’t tell me she’s still dating that guy,” Finn said. He glared at me, as though it were my fault.
“I didn’t kn
ow she was,” I said, shrugging.
Chad was a friend of Dex’s. Over the summer, Hannah had set Charlie and Chad up in an attempt to make Finn jealous. At first, the ploy had worked, and Finn had been jealous. In fact, he was so freaked out by the sight of Charlie flirting with Chad at the bowling alley that he didn’t even notice when Phoebe stormed out. But just when it looked like Hannah’s plan was going to be a success, Finn and Phoebe patched things up.
I knew Charlie had gone out on a few dates with Chad, but I hadn’t gotten the impression that she was interested in him. Mostly because every time she’d gone out with him, she’d called me afterward and said, “I am so not interested in him. I have got to break things off now before he starts getting any ideas about my becoming his girlfriend.”
I couldn’t help wondering whether Charlie was yet again attempting to make Finn jealous now that he’d broken up with Phoebe.
Bad idea, I thought. Very bad idea.
“We should get started on the physics homework,” I said.
“I want my cake first,” Finn said, still looking grumpy.
“You’re seriously going to make us buy you baked goods?” I asked.
“Yes,” Finn said. “Yes, I am. I want cake. And if you want help with the homework, you’d better buy some for me.”
Nora rolled her eyes at me and stood. “Don’t worry. I’ll get him the first slice.”
“And a mocha latte, too. With extra mocha and extra whipped cream,” Finn said.
“Do you want anything?” Nora asked me.
“No, I’m good,” I said.
She went off to the counter to order. I turned to Finn.
“What do you think of Nora?” I asked.
“She’s cool. Very funny,” Finn said.
“She is?” I asked. “I mean, I like her, but I’ve never really thought of her as particularly funny.”
“That’s because you’ve been spoiled by my comedic genius. Everyone else pales in comparison,” Finn said.
“I don’t think that’s it,” I said.
“What do you mean?”
“The only time Nora ever jokes around is when she’s with you. And when she’s around Charlie, she’s interested in art,” I said. “And when she’s with me—” I stopped, considering what Nora and I mostly talked about. “When she’s with me, we’re both girls who have long-distance boyfriends.”
Finn shook his head. “Miranda, Miranda, Miranda,” he said sadly.
“What?”
“ ‘Paranoia strikes deep in the heartland,’” Finn said.
“I don’t even know what that means,” I said.
“It’s a lyric from a Paul Simon song.”
“And how, exactly, does that apply to this situation?” I asked. “Are you saying that I’m being paranoid?”
Finn shrugged. “If the lyric fits,” he said.
I remembered why I never discussed anything serious with Finn. I should be having this conversation with Charlie instead. In any event, Nora returned then with two mochas and two slices of chocolate cake on a plastic tray.
“One’s for you, Finn,” Nora said, setting down a plate in front of him. “And, Miranda, I thought you and I could share the other slice.”
“Thanks, Nora,” I said, feeling incredibly guilty. While I was accusing Nora of being disingenuous, she was buying me cake.
We made a group decision that we should eat our cake to build up our strength before attempting the physics homework. Finn dug into his with gusto, scarfing it down, while Nora and I consumed our piece at a more leisurely pace.
“Is Hannah still mad at me?” Finn asked through a mouthful of chocolate cake.
“I don’t know,” I said. “She was at first. But she’s actually been getting clients through that Web site you designed. And people who really do seem to need her help.”
“See? Truth in advertising,” Finn said. “It’s always the way to go. Has she found any honeys to hook me up with?”
“Not that I know of,” I said, thinking how glad I was that Charlie wasn’t here to overhear this conversation.
“Tell her to get on it. I need a new girlfriend before Phoebe starts dating someone else,” Finn said.
“It’s not a contest,” I said.
“Of course it is. And I intend to win,” Finn said.
“Is your stepsister good at setting people up?” Nora asked.
“She likes to take credit for setting Dex and me up, but he and I already liked each other. She just sort of gave us both a push in the right direction,” I said.
“Maybe I should get her to set me up,” Nora said thoughtfully.
“What about Marcus?” I asked.
“Oh,” Nora said. She reddened, and looked down at our half-eaten piece of cake. “Actually, we broke up.”
“You did? When?” I asked.
“Over the weekend,” Nora said vaguely.
“Why didn’t you say anything?” I asked.
“I don’t know.” She shrugged. “I don’t really feel like talking about it.”
“That’s not very chicklike of you,” Finn commented. “I thought all girls did was sit around and talk about their relationships. You know: ‘Isn’t he cute!’ ‘Do you think he likes me?’ ‘Let’s talk about our feelings.’ That sort of thing.”
“I’m so glad you don’t fall into the trap of stereotyping people, Finn,” I said.
But even as I was rolling my eyes at Finn’s ridiculous impersonation of teen girls, part of me sort of agreed with him. Breaking up with a boyfriend was a big thing. Why hadn’t Nora mentioned it? If Dex and I broke up—and just the thought made my stomach lurch unpleasantly—I certainly wouldn’t hide it from my friends.
I decided to try again. “Aren’t you upset?”
“Not really. We’d been growing apart for a while, pretty much ever since I left Boston. The long-distance relationship thing was just too hard.” She straightened and looked at me directly. “I think that’s why I didn’t say anything to you about it. I didn’t want to freak you out.”
“Why would I be freaked out?” I asked.
“You frequently freak out, M,” Finn said. “Especially when you’ve been hitting the lattes too hard. You get wound up tighter than a cheap watch.”
“I do not,” I said indignantly.
“Yes, you do,” Finn said.
I resisted the urge to dump my bottle of water over Finn’s head. I decided it was more important to feel Nora out.
“Why would you breaking up with your boyfriend freak me out?” I asked Nora again.
“You know. The whole long-distance relationship not working out. I didn’t want you to worry about you and Dex,” Nora said.
“I’m not worried,” I said.
“Good. Because you totally shouldn’t be,” Nora said. “Marcus and I were on the verge of breaking up even before I left. I guess my moving away was the last straw.”
“But you never said anything about that. In fact, I thought you said that you guys were really tight. You seemed determined to make it work,” I said.
Nora shrugged and looked away again. “I think I was just being hopeful. Look, I really don’t want to talk about it, okay?”
“Okay,” I said.
“Does this mean we’re done with the feelings-sharing and relationship portion of the night?” Finn asked. “Good. I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I’d rather do the physics homework.”
Chapter Eighteen
After I left Grounded, I swung by the Teagues’ house to pick up Willow. Charlie wasn’t home yet, but her mom was there. Mrs. Teague looked relieved to see me. A weekend’s proximity to Willow had left her red-eyed and sniffly.
When Willow and I got back to the beach house, I sent Dex a text, asking him if he wanted to talk on Skype. A moment later, he texted me back, saying he definitely did, but needed five minutes. This was just enough time for me to head to my bedroom and dig my laptop out of my backpack. I had just gotten my computer turned on and pulled up Sky
pe when Dex rang in.
“Hey,” he said, grinning broadly. “How was your trip to the Keys?”
“After a few minor setbacks, it was fun,” I said. I briefly filled him in on our trip—Dex laughed when I told him about the obstacle course debacle—and then I asked him, “Have you ever had a friend who seemed a little sketchy?”
“What do you mean?” Dex asked.
“I’m not entirely sure,” I admitted. “That’s the problem. I could just be making something out of nothing.”
“Why don’t you start at the beginning?” Dex said.
So I told him about Nora, and how we’d become friends.
“I told her about you, and she told me she had a long-distance boyfriend, too,” I said. “We bonded over that at first. But then tonight, she said that she and her boyfriend broke up over the weekend. And the way she said it was really weird.”
Dex shook his head. “I don’t understand. Weird how?”
“This may sound crazy, but I got the feeling that she’d made the whole thing up,” I said.
“What? That they broke up?”
“That she even had a boyfriend in the first place,” I said.
“Seriously? Why would she make up something like that?” Dex asked.
“I don’t know. I don’t know that she did,” I said, wanting to be fair to Nora. “It’s just a feeling I got. She seemed really detached. Most people are upset when they’ve just gone through a breakup. Even Finn was upset when Phoebe dumped him.”
Dex looked unconvinced. I couldn’t blame him. My evidence was paper thin.
“There’s more,” I said. “Nora is . . . is a chameleon. She never once mentioned to me that she was interested in art. But then she found out that Charlie’s an artist, and suddenly, when she’s with Charlie, that’s all she wants to talk about. And then, when she’s with Finn, she starts cracking jokes.”
“But she’s just getting to know all of you, right? Maybe that’s just how she makes friends. You know, by finding common ground,” Dex said.
“I thought of that. And that could be all it is. It’s just . . . I don’t know. Something about the way Nora does it pings my radar,” I said, feeling frustration build up inside of me. How did I explain that tonight, when I mentioned Marcus to her, I was sure Nora couldn’t remember who I was talking about for a few beats? Finn was right; it did sound paranoid. But even so, I was sure I was right.
