Good Luck Charm

by Kellie McAllen

  “And I told you that talking to him tomorrow wasn’t going to help tonight. I can’t control this, Mallory. Believe me, if I could, I would! I hate it way more than you do. How do you think it feels to have bad luck all the time? To have everything you touch fall apart? To have your own mother die because you’re cursed?”

  I’m ranting now, my arms flailing madly and my eyes wild. “I did my best today, and I scored 90% of the points on that board. How many points did you score? Why am I the only one responsible if we lose?”

  That shuts her up for a minute, and I want to throw my clothes back on and leave so I can get away from her and everyone else who’s looking at me, but I’m way too hot and sweaty, and I really want a shower, so I stomp back towards one of the stalls and yank the curtain closed behind me.

  I’m not exactly alone, but at least I have some privacy, and the running water drowns out the sounds of everyone else. I stand under the stream for a while, just letting the water wash away my frustrations, then I wash my hair and my body. It feels really good, though, and I don’t want to talk to anyone else, so I just stand there till the water has soothed my nerves and I feel relaxed.

  By the time I come out, everyone else has left, and I go home alone, wondering what will happen tomorrow. Will Mallory talk to Connor? Will he be willing to go along with it for her? I sure hope so.

  Chapter Eleven

  Connor

  Connor, I need to talk to you.”

  I’ve been fantasizing about having a real conversation with Mallory ever since I first saw her, so why do those words suddenly fill me with dread?

  Usually only certain parts of me go stiff when I think about her, but today my whole body seizes up, sweat pops out on my head and hands, and my heart starts pounding like the drum line solo during a marching band performance as Mallory stalks towards me.

  “Uh, okay. What about?”

  Mallory glances around at the curious eyes turned our way then gestures towards the hall. “In private.”

  I stumble to my feet and scurry after her, a million worries flashing through my head. Do I look okay? Smell okay? Did I do something to tick her off? She doesn’t seem very happy. As soon as we step out into the hall, she whirls around so she’s facing me, and she’s so close I can barely breathe let alone think.

  Her hair is just as soft and shiny up close, but from here I can see all the different shades of blonde that make up her hair color. It’s definitely natural. Her skin is flawless and dusted with a fine layer of powder so she looks like a porcelain doll, and her lips are coated with a pale pink gloss that shimmers every time she speaks. I can even see the dark ring around her bright blue irises and the little squiggles of gray that run through them, and I’m mesmerized by how her pupils expand and contract. I can smell her perfume, too, something soft and floral.

  “Connor, are you listening to me?” She grabs my arm, and the heat from her hand sears my skin, bringing me out of my daze.

  “What?”

  “I asked you if you know Kerri O’Connor.”

  That name coming from those lips confuses me, and I shake me head, trying to make sense of what she’s saying. I guess she takes that as a no.

  “You don’t? Well, she knows you, and she thinks you’re her good luck charm, or something.”

  I hold up my hands to back up the conversation. “Wait, yeah, I know Kerri, and I know about the good luck charm thing.”

  She smiles, and I smile back, still confused but happy that I’ve made her smile at me.

  “Okay, well then you know that Kerri thinks she’s cursed with bad luck unless you’re with her.” She rolls her eyes and tosses her hair, and I’m mesmerized by the way the silky strands sift through the air.

  “It’s crazy, I know. But we totally bombed out at the game last night, and we need Kerri at her best if we’re going to make it to state.”

  She looks up at me with big eyes, and I nod because it seems like what she wants me to do. She puts her hand on me again, and all the blood rushes to that spot.

  “So, will you do it, Connor, for me? Will you please go along with Kerri’s craziness and pretend to be her good luck charm?” She bites her bottom lip, exposing tiny, white teeth.

  I gulp and nod. She could ask me to rob a bank for her, and I’d probably do it. I’d been thinking about it, anyway. I didn’t believe that I was Kerri’s good luck charm, but I felt really bad about all the stuff she was dealing with, and I liked hanging out with her. My only hesitation was I didn’t want Mallory to think I was going out with someone. I never thought about the possibility that helping Kerri might actually make Mallory happy.

  “Awesome!” She squeezes my arm and smiles at me — a wide, brilliant smile so bright it stuns me, then bounces back into the classroom. I trail behind her like a lost dog, following her scent. When she turns back around, we practically collide.

  “Oh, and she’s got some ratty, old sweatshirt she wants you to wear, too. You might want to get that.” She rolls her eyes and plops down in the seat next to Kyra.

  I don’t get a chance to talk to her for the rest of class, but now I have a built-in reason to start a conversation with her, and a reason to watch her practice this afternoon.

  I know the girls’ basketball team has practice this afternoon, but the guys’ team doesn’t, so after school I head to the gym, looking for Kerri. She’s already shooting hoops by the time I get there, even though Coach Kavanagh hasn’t started practice yet. I should go up and talk to her right now, but I’m too caught up in watching her. She’s a really great player, and she makes almost every shot she takes.

  The other players trickle out onto the court, including Mallory who distracts me for a minute with her tight tee shirt and tiny shorts, and soon Coach K blows her whistle and starts a relay. It’s only then that Kerri notices me. She does a double take when she sees me, and her mouth spreads open in a wide smile that I can’t resist returning. Mallory sees me too, and she nods in approval.

  Kerri’s shots get even better after that, and I’m really impressed by how good she plays. I’d love to go head to head with her. There’s a good chance she’d beat me.

  Mallory is nowhere near the player that Kerri is. In fact, she doesn’t seem to be making much of an effort at all. She mostly just saunters up and down the court pretending to follow the ball, but she doesn’t make any effort to guard or steal. The few times she gets the ball, she passes it off right away. I don’t think she cares about the game, so why is she playing?

  She’s nice to watch, but only because she looks smokin’ hot in that outfit. My eyes are drawn to her, but every time Kerri gets the ball, I’m pulled away by her moves.

  When the coach gives them a break, Mallory wanders off to talk to her friends, but Kerri heads my way.

  “Are you here to say what I hope you are?” She grins at me and takes a long pull from her water bottle.

  She’s breathing hard, her face is shiny with sweat, and her curls are damp and sticking to her face, but I’ve never seen her look so happy, or so pretty.

  I nod. “Mallory begged me to help you.”

  I see a look of disappointment flash across her face but then she smiles at me. “She doesn’t like losing.”

  “I heard you had a rough game last night, but you’re playing great today.”

  “Thanks to you.” She nudges me with her elbow.

  “So, what does being your good luck charm entail? Do I need to change my class schedule so I can follow you around all day?”

  She chuckles and shakes her head. “Mostly, I just want you to wear the sweatshirt and come to my games like my dad always does… er, did, before he got hurt.”

  “How’s your dad doing? Did they let him out of the hospital yet?” A look of pain crosses her face. How do I always manage to say things that make her sad?

  “No, not yet. I was hoping maybe they would today, but I think one of my brothers would’ve texted me if they had.”

  Suddenly, her frown lifts, and she
looks up at me with big eyes. “Hey, if they haven’t released him yet, do you think you could go with me to the hospital tomorrow? Maybe if you’re there with me when the doctor makes his rounds, he’ll agree to let my dad go home.”

  I give her a hesitant look, and she quickly adds, “Maybe we could do something fun afterwards, like play some one-on-one or something.”

  I really don’t think my presence will make a difference, but I don’t have anything else to do tomorrow, and hanging out with Kerri might be fun. I do want to shoot some hoops with her.

  “Sure, why not?”

  “Cool. You want to meet me at my house, say like, 10 o’clock?”

  “Yeah, I can do that.”

  She gives me a big smile. “Okay, great. You don’t have to stick around tonight if you don’t want to. I’m usually okay at practice. It’s just the games I need luck for.”

  I shrug. “I might stick around, anyway. It’s kind of fun to watch.”

  Right that minute, Mallory bends over to tie her shoe just a few feet away from me, and my eyes dart her way. Kerri notices and follows my gaze then rolls her eyes.

  “Of course. Enjoy the show, Connor.” She waves me off with a shake of her head and walks away.

  When practice is over, I stick around in the gym waiting for the girls to come out of the locker room. I’m not sure why; I guess I just want a chance to talk some more. Mallory comes out first with one of her friends, and I wave and jog over to her.

  “So, I did it. I agreed to be Kerri’s good luck charm. If you believe in that stuff, you guys should be winning all your games from now on.”

  “Thank God. I don’t know why Kerri has to be such a diva about it.” Mallory tosses her hair behind her shoulder and starts to walk away. I scurry after her.

  “Hey, would you like me to walk you to your car? It’s getting dark outside.”

  She stops and looks at me like that’s the weirdest thing she’s ever heard. “Just worry about Kerri, okay?”

  Okay, so I was hoping for a little more appreciation, but at least she talked to me, and she seems satisfied, if not exactly happy, so it’s a step in the right direction.

  I figure Kerri will be out any minute, so I might as well wait for her. I want to ask her about her car, anyway. It takes her a little longer than I expect, and when she comes out, she seems surprised to see me.

  “Hey, I thought I’d walk you out and make sure your car started okay.”

  Her face melts a little, and she gives me a grateful smile. “That’s really sweet of you, Connor. How’d you get such good manners, anyway?” She nudges me with her elbow and starts walking slowly towards the exit.

  “My parents are freaks about manners. Since I’m an only child, I spent a lot of time with them, and they always expected me to act more like an adult than a kid.”

  “Well, I appreciate it. Most guys nowadays can be downright rude. My brothers could take some lessons from you.”

  Her statement brings back my curiosity about her double date with Jake Matthews. I overheard him apologizing to her yesterday, so he must have done something to upset her, but they made up pretty quickly and were even eating lunch together, so maybe it wasn’t so bad.

  Jake doesn’t seem like a bad guy, just kind of crude and idiotic, so I don’t know why it bothers me to think about Kerri going out with him, but it does. I decide to change the subject so I won’t have to think about it.

  “So, how’s your car? Running okay?”

  “Yeah, yeah, just fine now that I have a new battery. Thanks again for helping me. You were a lifesaver.” She smiles up at me with pure gratitude, and I can’t stop my face from spreading in response.

  “So, what are you doing tonight?” I ask without thinking when we get to the doors leading outside. I’m sure she’s got plans; she’s got a lot more friends than me. She stops walking and turns towards me.

  “Nothing, really. I haven’t wanted to make any plans until I knew what was going to happen with my dad. I’ll probably just grab some food and then go see him.”

  “Would you like some company for dinner? It’s not very fun to eat alone.”

  She wrinkles up her nose in a smile. “Well, I was just going to grab some fast food and eat it alone in the car, but now that you mention it, that does sound pretty sad and pathetic for a Friday night.”

  “What about hitting the Red Robin up the street? You can still have a burger and fries, but on a plate instead of out of a bag.”

  Her eyes get big and she puckers her lips. “Ohh, and their fries are unlimited, too. I could eat my weight in their French fries. I definitely get my money’s worth out of them.”

  I can’t help but laugh at her enthusiasm. “I’ll take that as a yes. Meet you there?”

  She nods, and the cold, evening air smacks into us as soon as we push open the door. Kerri hollers, “Brrrr!” and dashes for her Beetle.

  At the restaurant, the waitress must think this is a date because she leads us to the most secluded table. The place is still noisy and rowdy, but at the same time, it seems like we’re all alone.

  I was alone with Kerri once before, but that was at the grocery store. This feels more like a date, and it seems like I should be nervous, but I’m not. Maybe because I know it’s not a real date, or maybe just because Kerri is so easy to be with, but for whatever reason, I feel happy and relaxed.

  We both order a burger and fries, and while we’re waiting for our food, Kerri starts talking about basketball. She’s so animated and energetic, it would be fun to listen to her talk about liver recipes or homicidal psychopaths, but the fact that she’s talking about one of my favorite subjects makes it that much better.

  “So, what do you like to do besides play basketball?” She blurts the question out as if she suddenly realizes I might want to talk about something else.

  “Well, I like cars, but you already know that. I don’t know, the usual — movies—”

  “What’s your favorite movie?” She interrupts me like she’s desperate to know the answer.

  “I like Marvel movies — X Men, Spiderman, Avengers.”

  She rolls her eyes and giggles. “You’re such a guy.”

  “What, is there something wrong with liking those?”

  “No, not at all. I love them, too. But I’m a girl, so it makes me quirky and different. But pretty much every guy likes those movies. What do you like that I’d never guess?”

  “Well, my parents hate superhero movies, so in my house that actually does make me ‘quirky and different’ as you say. I’m not really sure what I like that’s abnormal for a guy; I don’t have too many people in my life to compare myself to, but I like cooking shows. Is that weird?”

  Her face lights up. “Yeah, and it’s awesome! Assuming that means you like to cook.”

  “Yeah, I do. I don’t get to do it a lot because that’s my mom’s area, but whenever I wanted something she didn’t want to make, she’d always tell me to make it myself. One time, I decided to try it.”

  “Oh yeah? What’d you make?” She’s leaning into the table, her chin propped up in her hands, and she has to pull back to make room for the food when the waitress arrives.

  Kerri grabs a fry and shoves it in her mouth, closing her eyes and groaning as she chews it.

  “The first thing I made was sausages wrapped in soft pretzel dough.” I grab my own fry and take a bite as Kerri’s eyes pop open.

  “Oh my God, that sounds even better than these fries taste, and that’s saying something. You’ve got to make that for me sometime; I have to try it. My brothers would go nuts over something like that, too. They’d probably fall in love with you.”

  I chuckle and grin at her. No one has ever asked me to cook for them before, and it feels like an honor. “Why don’t I make it for your family tomorrow? If they let your dad out of the hospital, it’ll be like a celebration dinner.”

  She freezes with a fry halfway to her gaping mouth, and I realize that was a total imposition. I shake my hea
d and rub a hand over my face. “I’m sorry, that’s a stupid idea. You guys will want time alone when he first gets home. I didn’t mean to be rude and invite myself.”

  “No, no! I wasn’t offended, I was just shocked that you would offer to do something like that. You don’t even know my family; you barely know me. That’s just really nice, Connor.”

  I frown a little. “Well, you know what they say — “nice guys finish last.”

  Kerri shakes her head and waves a fry around. “No way. Maybe the ruthless sharks come out on top, but the lazy bums are definitely on the bottom. Nice guys are in the middle somewhere. But if you’re talking about impressing girls, nice guys always win, at least in my book.”

  I snort. “Well, that has not proven to be the case for me, so far.”

  “Helping me didn’t win you any points with Mallory?”

  I wince and stare at my plate. “Well, she thanked me, er, sort of. I don’t know; I’m not very good with people. I never know what to say or how to interact. Only child, you know?”

  She shrugs and picks up her giant burger. “You seem to do okay with me.”

  “Yeah, it’s a little easier talking to you. In fact, I can’t believe I’m even telling you all this. Maybe you can teach me how to talk to people like you do.” I know I’m blushing because I can feel the heat rising up my neck and settling in my cheeks.

  Kerri snorts. “It’s no secret; I just have no filter. Whatever pops into here,” she points to her head then to her mouth, “comes out of here. It’s not always a good thing, let me tell ya.”

  “You just seem really confident, like you’re not worried about what anyone thinks of you. But not cocky, you know?” No matter what stupid thing I say, I never feel like she’s looking down on me.

  “You should’ve seen me the other night. You would’ve thought the exact opposite.”

  “Oh, yeah? What happened?” I take a bite of my burger and half the toppings fall off.

  “I went on a double date with Austin and Mia and Jake Matthews.”

  I nod like I don’t know anything about it, but I’m dying to hear the story. “Jake seems like a cool guy. You didn’t have a good time?”