“What on earth happened to you?” Mom demanded as Lishia came into the kitchen.
“Huh?” Lishia tried not to look guilty as she opened the fridge and foraged through the fruit drawer, finally removing an apple. What had Mom heard about last night?
“Look at me, Lishia,” Mom demanded.
Bracing herself, Lishia turned to face her mom. “What do you mean?”
Mom pointed at her head. “Your hair! Your beautiful auburn hair.”
Lishia touched her hair. “Oh, that.”
“Oh, that?” Mom’s eyebrows shot up. “What on earth did you do to it?”
“It’s just hair, Mom.” Lishia let exasperation seep into her voice. “It’s not like I went out and got a tattoo.”
“But why would you do that? Your hair was gorgeous. Everyone said so, honey.” Mom frowned, then shook her head. “I don’t understand.”
“I wanted a new look,” Lishia explained.
“But you don’t look like yourself.”
“I’m still me, Mom.” Lishia took a big bite out of the apple and rolled her eyes.
“Did you and Riley go to church today?” Mom looked suspicious.
Now Lishia realized she needed to handle this more gently. “Riley isn’t really into church anymore.”
“She doesn’t go to church?” Mom frowned.
“Not since middle school.” Lishia sighed. “But I’m hoping I’ll be a good influence on her. Maybe I can talk her into going to youth group or something.”
Mom looked brighter. “Yes, that’s a wonderful idea. You can use your influence to get Riley to go back to church.”
“Uh-huh.” Lishia took another bite of the apple.
Mom looked slightly concerned now. “Just make sure Riley’s not influencing you more than you’re influencing her, Lishia.” She reached over and touched Lishia’s hair, then frowned again. “Your hair was so pretty before. I don’t understand why all you girls think you have to become blondes. Really, they’re becoming a dime a dozen. In my opinion, they look cheap.”
“Thanks a lot, Mom.”
“Sorry, honey. Just speaking my mind. You’re still a pretty girl.” She cocked her head to one side. “But come to think of it, I’m guessing it wasn’t cheap. How on earth did you pay for it?”
“Riley paid.”
“What?” Mom looked mad.
“I’m going to pay her back.” Lishia picked up her bag, trying to make her exit.
“Oh, Lishia!”
“I’ve got homework, Mom.” Lishia kept going, ignoring Mom’s continued blabbing on about money and debt and how she expected more from Lishia—blah, blah, blah. Seriously, did Mom honestly think that her lectures worked? Or maybe she didn’t care—it was simply a form of punishment in itself. Not for the first time, Lishia wished she wasn’t an only child. If there were a few siblings around, her parents might be forced to share the “loving discipline” a bit more. As it was, Lishia usually got all of their parental attention lavished onto her.
News of the birthday party bust was all over the school on Monday. As far as Lishia could tell, the rumors about Gillian getting caught in the buff and arrested were true too. “How did you fare?” Lishia asked Todd when he caught up with her on her way into the cafeteria.
“I had to answer some questions on Sunday morning,” he quietly told her. “They stopped by my house just as the cleaners arrived.”
Lishia giggled. “How did you explain that?”
“I acted like I was really miffed, like I couldn’t believe my friends would actually do this to me. I told them that I’d spent the night at Dayton’s, which was true. They knew I wasn’t home since they’d checked my house several times throughout the night.”
“Seriously?”
“That’s what they said.”
“But didn’t they still suspect you had something to do with it?”
“Sure. But I used your line.”
“My line?”
“About the surprise party.”
“Oh, dear.” She shook her head as she picked up a tray.
“They pushed me for names, but I played dumb. I mean, hey, it was a surprise party—how was I supposed to know who did what?”
“And they bought that?”
“Wasn’t much else they could do.”
“You are one smooth operator, Todd.” She placed a salad on her tray.
“Don’t look now, but you are being watched,” he whispered in her ear.
“Huh?”
His eyes darted to the left and back.
Following his gaze, she spotted Gillian glaring directly at her. “Uh-oh.” Lishia gave Todd a worried look.
“Don’t worry, I’ll protect you,” he teased.
“I’ll take you up on that,” she said as she waited for him to get his cheeseburger. No way was she leaving his side now. They got in line for the cashier, and trying not to be obvious, she sneaked a couple of peeks at Gillian, who was now getting her own lunch. Maybe Lishia had imagined the dagger looks. Just the same, she stayed close to Todd as they joined Riley and Dayton and several others at what Lishia used to consider the “popular” table. Oh, she never would’ve used that term out loud—it would only classify her as lame. But in her mind, that’s what it was. And to be welcome here today, to be sitting with Todd, well, it was almost too much to absorb.
“Hey, there’s the birthday boy,” someone called from the end of the table. “Did you spend the night in jail too?”
“No way.” He laughed.
“But did you hear about Gillian?” Riley said, probably to deflect attention from the kids who escaped the police on Saturday. Everyone was all ears as Riley and a couple other girls relayed the whole incident of Gillian being wasted and naked and how there was a discipline meeting scheduled for after school.
“She’s getting suspended from cheerleading,” Vanessa said.
“We don’t know that for sure,” Amanda corrected. “Don’t forget this is America and you’re innocent until proven guilty.”
“Oh, she’s guilty, all right,” Vanessa declared. “It’s all on record down at city hall. I’m telling you, the girl is toast. I’m just thankful I got out of there before it was too late.”
“I’m glad I didn’t go,” Amanda admitted.
“Gillian was a fool to get caught like that,” Vanessa said. “But now she’s ruined it for our cheerleaders. Thanks to her, we won’t have a chance at regionals this year.”
Lishia couldn’t believe how quickly Vanessa had turned on her friend. Just days ago, those two were inseparable. Now Gillian was sitting by herself on the fringe of the cafeteria. Lishia wasn’t sure if this was Gillian’s choice—and she couldn’t blame her—or if her friends were simply freezing her out. But it was strange to think that last week Riley had been the castoff, and now it was Gillian. What a fickle crowd. But then Lishia remembered her own so-called friends. Glancing toward their regular table, she realized that some of them were actually looking at her with curious expressions. Of course, they would wonder what turn of events had landed her here. She suppressed the urge to laugh, then turned back to the conversation at her table.
“So much for our dreams of getting to state too,” Riley said sadly—and believably too. “There’s no way we can get it together now.”
“Don’t give up yet,” Amanda told them. “We’ll still have a few weeks to break someone in.”
“Only if Glassman deals with this quickly,” Vanessa said. “Don’t forget that this week is Thanksgiving, which means no school for several days—maybe a whole week of lost practices.”
“That’s right.” Amanda started counting the days on her fingers. “We need to push Mrs. Glassman to make her decision right away.” She looked at the other cheerleaders. “Now, I know some of you were at the party. Is there any chance anyone else can get suspended too? Be honest.”
“Thanks to Riley, I got out of there.” Krista smiled at Riley. “Thanks.”
“Then Krista texted me,�
�� another girl said.
“So Gillian really is the only one going down.” Amanda’s brow creased. “Well, maybe if we all petition Mrs. Glassman, she’ll figure this mess out in a hurry. Because it’s not fair to punish the whole team for one person.”
Lishia poked at her salad, trying to look disinterested in this conversation where she actually had so much at stake. She couldn’t believe how coolly Riley handled it, never once alluding to having had anything to do with anything. It all made Lishia uncomfortable, and every bite of salad landed like stones in her stomach. She was so relieved when lunch was over.
“Wait for me in the girls’ locker room after school,” Riley told Lishia as they were leaving the cafeteria. “I have that meeting with Glassman.”
Lishia agreed, then hurried on to her class. Her biggest fear today was running into Gillian—alone. She had no idea what Gillian would do, if anything, but the looks she’d been throwing Lishia’s way were unnerving. By the end of the day, Lishia’s imagination was running wild, so much so that she decided not to wait in the girls’ locker room. She might run into Gillian in there. Instead, she texted Riley and hung out in the library.
“There you are,” Riley said when she found Lishia doing homework. “Didn’t you get my messages?”
Lishia blinked. “No. This is a library—my phone’s turned off.”
“Well, come with me.”
“Huh?”
“We need your testimony.”
“My testimony?” Lishia remembered giving her Christian testimony at a retreat once—surely Riley didn’t mean that.
“About what Gillian said and did to you.”
“Huh?”
“I showed Glassman part of the video of Gillian at the party. Now Glassman wants to hear what you have to say.” Riley was tugging her down the hall, toward the gym. “You need to tell the truth, but make it sound innocent.”
“I am innocent,” Lishia said. At least she thought she was innocent . . . or sort of.
“Explain how Gillian took a dislike to you—probably because you’re my friend. Tell Glassman about how Gillian picked on you Friday night. Remember the scene at the restaurant? Anyway, just tell her—in a nice, polite way—how Gillian raged at you at the party. Also be sure to mention you weren’t drinking. We’re all saying that we thought it was a regular birthday party, and when we realized alcohol was being served, we left. That’s why none of us—besides Gillian—got in trouble. Okay?” She was opening the door to the locker room.
“Okay . . . ?” Lishia was unsure, and now her stomach felt like there was a brick in the bottom of it.
“Here she is,” Riley announced as she pulled Lishia toward Mrs. Glassman’s office.
“Have a seat,” Mrs. Glassman told her in a serious tone.
Lishia nodded without speaking and sat down.
“No need to be nervous. I just have a few questions.” She looked at Riley. “You can wait out there. Close the door on your way out.”
“I’m sure you know why you’re here,” Mrs. Glassman began. “Unfortunately, we have to make a decision—and, of course, it’s not an easy one.”
Lishia nodded again, swallowing hard. “I can imagine.”
“So, tell me, were you at the infamous birthday party?”
Lishia was pretty sure that Mrs. Glassman already knew this answer, but she explained anyway, saying how she went there with Riley.
“And did you know there would be alcohol?”
“No,” Lishia said quickly. “I, uh, I don’t even drink.”
“Really?” Mrs. Glassman peered curiously at her.
“Honestly, I don’t drink. I think it’s dumb. I mean, look what happened to Gillian. I would die if that—” She stopped herself. “Sorry.”
“So, speaking of Gillian, I saw Riley’s home movie, and you were in it. Care to explain what you did to get Gillian so angry at you?”
Lishia thought hard. “I’m not sure why she was so mad at me, but it probably had to do with what I said to Dayton. There was kind of a love triangle between him and Gillian and Riley. I simply told him that I thought Riley was a better choice.” She shrugged. “If you’d seen how Gillian had been acting, you’d probably understand.”
“I am disappointed in Gillian,” Mrs. Glassman admitted. “But as I told the other girls, I realize that Gillian’s family is going through some difficult times, and a part of me understands how that can take a toll on a girl.”
Lishia frowned. “I didn’t know that.”
“No, I’m sure Gillian wouldn’t tell you. And really, it’s no excuse. The code of conduct still applies.” Now Mrs. Glassman asked Lishia some specific questions about the party, including whether she’d seen the other cheerleaders drinking. Fortunately, Lishia hadn’t specifically noticed, so she could answer honestly. “Okay, that’s all I need,” Mrs. Glassman said in a somber tone. “Thank you for your time.”
Lishia stood, then paused. “I wish I’d known that Gillian was having problems at home,” she said wistfully. “I would’ve tried to be nicer to her.”
Mrs. Glassman shook her head. “Maybe you’ll keep that in mind for the future. My hope would be that all you girls would learn a lesson from this—and be smarter next time.”
Lishia nodded as she left. A lesson . . . had she learned a lesson yet? If so, what was it? Or perhaps there was still a lesson to come. Mostly she was glad to have that little interrogation behind her.
eight
What is going on with you?” Megan Bernard asked Lishia the next day as they walked into their AP history class.
“Huh?” Lishia looked blankly at Megan.
“It’s like you turned into someone else overnight.”
“Overnight?” Lishia tipped her head to the side. “You mean last night?”
“You know what I mean. Last week you were one person, and now you’re someone else.”
Lishia looked down at herself, then shook her head. “Nope, you’re wrong. I’m the same person.”
“You’ve changed.”
“Hey, change is good.” Lishia took a seat in back, and Megan sat next to her.
“First you started by shoving your old friends away,” Megan challenged.
“I never shoved anyone away,” Lishia defended herself.
“You kept us all at arm’s length.”
Lishia shrugged. “I think it was mutual.”
“Anyway, now you’ve gone and changed your hair and your friends, and we heard you went to a drinking party.”
“A drinking party?” Lishia chuckled.
“You know what I mean.” Now Megan smiled. “The only reason I’m telling you this is because we care about you. As your Christian brothers and sisters, we want to warn you that you’re going down a bad road.”
Lishia frowned. “How do you know what kind of road I’m on?”
“We can see it. You’re hanging with the wrong crowd, acting like someone else. And you didn’t even go to youth group on Saturday.”
“What are you, the church police?”
“I just happen to care about you.” Megan pursed her lips.
“Thanks for caring.” Lishia gave her a stiff smile. “But I’m just fine, thank you very much.”
“But you should know that Riley is bad news,” Megan persisted.
“Are you going to start gossiping about my friend now?” Lishia gave her a disapproving look. “You know what the Bible says about gossip, don’t you?”
Megan looked perplexed. Fortunately, their teacher was making his way to the front of the room, and Lishia had an excuse to turn her attention from Megan. She was only partially surprised that Megan had said something like that to her. For starters, their youth pastor was always encouraging kids to hold each other accountable, to keep them from going astray. Besides that, Megan had a reputation for sticking her nose into other people’s business.
Lishia decided to simply chalk it up to old-fashioned jealousy. Megan’s older sister Bethany had been a lot more popular tha
n Megan. It made sense that Megan might want that too. But it was wrong for her to attempt to make Lishia feel guilty for befriending Riley. Seriously, didn’t Megan have any understanding of Christian love? She would be singing a different song when Lishia brought Riley to church with her. It could happen.
By Wednesday, the decision was made. Gillian was suspended indefinitely from cheerleading. And once again, Lishia’s presence was requested in Mrs. Glassman’s office. Riley had prepared Lishia for this possibility. “You must act totally surprised when she tells you that you’re the alternate and offers you a position on the squad,” she warned. “There’s no way you knew this could happen to you—you are dumbfounded. It might even be impressive if you shed some tears. And be sure to show sympathy for Gillian’s loss. After all, her mother is Mrs. Glassman’s good friend.”
Naturally, Lishia did all of that, including crying. Whether her tears were from joy, relief, fear, or even guilt was unclear, but they were real just the same.
“Here’s the list of things you’ll need to get.” Mrs. Glassman handed her a sheet of paper. “Unfortunately, there’s nothing left in the team funds to help you with your uniform now. I suppose you could ask Gillian about selling some of her things and try to get some alterations done . . .”
Lishia grimaced. “I don’t know if I could do that.”
“Yeah, it might just make her feel worse. Poor Gillian, she’s pretty broken up over this.”
Lishia glanced down at the list, surprised it was so long.
“As you can imagine, the girls want you to join them in practice immediately.” Mrs. Glassman stood. “So get dressed down and meet us in the girls’ gym.”
Lishia nodded and blew her nose, thanking Mrs. Glassman. But her heart was still pounding as she pulled on shorts and a tank and tied up her shoes. She knew she should be happy—most girls would be over the moon by now. Really, it was amazing that this was happening to her. She just hoped she was up for it—and that she wouldn’t blow it.
The Best Friend Page 7
