“She wants to be with you all the time, so either she likes you or she’s crazy, maybe a little bit of both. She’s probably just waiting for you to get over Mallory and notice her. I don’t know what you see in her, but you’re spending all your free time with her, and you seem perfectly okay with that, so there must be something about her that you like.”
What’s not to like? She’s cute and smart and funny, we have tons of things in common, and even her family is great. Hanging out with Kerri is like having three, built-in guy friends, four if you count her dad, who is way cooler than mine.
I glance over at the table where Kerri sits with Mia and Austin and the rest of the popular crowd. Kerri isn’t really one of them, but like always, she manages to fit right in. She’s talking and smiling, her green eyes bright as she laughs, her messy bun bobbing, and every eye is on her. Kerri is just likable. And if Eric is right, maybe she likes me, too. I might not be brave enough to make a move just yet, but it’s something to think about.
When I get to English class, I take what has become my usual seat near Mallory. It hasn’t worked yet to get her to notice me, but I keep trying, and at least I can admire the view.
Mallory sweeps in to class like a runway model, her hips and hair swaying in counterpoint. She’s wearing a sexy, pleated, schoolgirl-style miniskirt with heels, and her legs look ten feet long. She slides into the desk diagonal from me and tosses her hair back, sending a cloud of perfume wafting towards me as she leans over to talk to Kyra. I lean forward and try to listen without being obvious.
“Guess who I’m going out with tonight?” Her face spreads in a brilliant, white smile.
“Jake?” Kyra guesses, and Mallory rolls her eyes.
“No, I’m totally over him. He’s just such a child, you know? All those stupid pranks he’s always pulling. Besides, he’s not even that good looking. He’s not nearly as cute as… Dylan.” Her eyes shoot off fireworks as she says his name, and the embers land on my chest, singeing me.
“Dylan? Gorgeous face, incredible body, great athlete, played a super sexy Jafar in the school play, the guy you’ve been crushing on for weeks — that Dylan?”
“That’s the one.” She nods and bites her lip to keep her face from splitting open.
“But what about Macy?”
“They’re over — for good this time. We’re going out on Friday, and he’s taking me to that new French restaurant, you know, the one with the Michelin star chef?”
“Oh my God, that place is so fancy! What are you going to wear?”
Kyra and Mallory start talking about fashion, which is a conversation I would normally enjoy listening to because I could fantasize about how Mallory would look in the sexy, date-night outfits she describes that are too risqué to wear to school.
But today I tune them out. There’s just no point torturing myself. I’ve been pining after Mallory for months, trying to get her to notice me, but Mallory has never shown the least bit of interest in me, even though I’ve done everything I can think of to get her attention. She barely knows my name. Instead, she'd been holding out for a guy who wasn't even available, waiting for Dylan to get over his on again/off again relationship with Macy.
Now that Dylan is free and interested in Mallory, how can I ever compete? Dylan is way better looking than me, he's a better athlete, he's more popular, and he must be on a totally different income scale than me if he can take Mallory to a restaurant where they don't even put the prices on the menu.
Kerri, on the other hand, likes going out for wings and burgers, and her idea of dressing up is wearing something that doesn’t have a sports team logo on it. She’s been asking me to spend time with her every day for weeks now, and she acts like I’m the most awesome guy she’s ever met. Why am I wasting my time going after Mallory when I have a great girl like Kerri who, if Eric is right, is already interested in me?
What I don’t get, though, is why hasn’t Kerri told me she likes me? Is she just too shy? That’s hard to believe, considering how she’s not afraid to talk to anybody, and she pretty much always says whatever’s in her head. Maybe she thinks I’m not interested. She knows I like Mallory, so maybe she feels the same as me, that she can’t compete.
I make up my mind that I’m going to let Kerri know how I feel about her, I just have to figure out the best way to do it and work up the nerve. The thought consumes me for the rest of the afternoon, and I don’t pay the least bit of attention in my classes, but by the time the final bell rings, I’ve got it all worked out in my mind.
“Hey Kerri, I know you want this job, but I kind of hope you don’t get it because it will mean you’ll have less time to hang out, and I really like being with you. I really like you.” I stare into her eyes, letting her see deep into my soul.
She bites her lip and smiles. “You do? I was hoping you felt that way.”
I take her hand in mine and squeeze, and she squeezes back. “Will you be my girlfriend, Kerri?”
“Of course I will, Connor. I like you, too.” She leans in, and our lips meet in a tender kiss.
When I find Kerri after school, I’m anxious to speak my mind right away, but I decide it might be better to do it in private. Kerri doesn’t give me a chance to talk, anyway, because she’s too excited about her job interview.
“Oh my gosh, Connor, this job would be perfect for me. They’re willing to work around my basketball schedule until the season is over, plus, I’ll get 15% off any merchandise I buy! I wish Reid had gotten a job there back when he first started working. Do you know how much money that would’ve saved us? I swear, between me and my brothers, my dad has bought enough sporting goods to equip a small nation. I can buy stuff for you at a discount, too, if you want. Heck, I could buy stuff for the whole basketball team!”
I let her ramble because she’s cute when she’s excited, and I realize that maybe I should wait till after her interview to declare myself. I don’t want her to be distracted and mess up her interview. Or maybe it would give her a confidence boost? I don’t get a chance though, because as soon as we get to Dick’s Sporting Goods, she hops out of the car and practically skips inside. I trail along behind her.
“Do I look okay? Do you think this outfit is appropriate?” She whips around, almost crashing into me.
I scan my eyes up and down her body like I haven’t been staring at it for the last 20 minutes. She’s wearing black pants and a silky, green blouse that makes her eyes pop, and she’s tamed her hair and put on a little makeup. “You’re perfect, Kerri.”
I meant to say that she looks perfect, and I gulp and wonder if she noticed my slip. But she gives me a heartbreaking smile, and I feel even better about the conversation I plan to have with her.
I wander around the store while Kerri has her interview, wishing I could be a fly on the wall and watch her. She’s in there a long time, longer than I expected, but that’s a good thing, right? If they weren’t interested they would’ve have dragged it out. Kerri may believe that all she needs is my presence and everything will work out, but I’m a little more realistic. I’m not sure what will happen the first time something goes bad for her with me around, and I don’t want to find out.
I’ve already walked through the whole store twice, and I’m hovering by the office when the door swings open and Kerri comes out, all smiles.
“Thanks again, Mr. Preston. I really appreciate your time. Looking forward to hearing from you!” She waves at the man sitting at the desk then closes the door behind her.
“Well? How’d it go?”
Kerri beams at me and gives a little clap, bouncing on her heels. “It went awesome! I had great answers for all his questions, and he acted like he really liked me. He said I’ll hear from him in a day or two, but I’m positive I got the job — knock on wood.” She raps her knuckles against the doorframe.
“That’s great, Kerri!” I can’t resist; I reach out and hug her, and she hugs me right back like it’s not weird at all. “Hey, would you like to go out and ce
lebrate? They’re having a special on wings tonight at Buffalo’s.”
“Ohh, tempting. But it’s bad luck to celebrate ahead of time, and I already have plans for tonight. But I’ll totally take you up on that offer if I get the job.”
“You already have plans?” That is not what I expected at all.
“Yeah, I have another date with Jake Matthews, believe it or not. I didn’t think he’d ever want to see me again after our disastrous first date, but…” She shrugs her shoulder and quirks her lip up in a grin, and I try not to let it show that I’m falling apart inside.
If she likes me, why is she going out with Jake? I can’t compete with him, either.
“Isn’t he kind of a jerk? Didn’t he pull a mean prank on you on your last date?” I try not to sound too bitter.
She waves it off. “He’s not a jerk, he just likes to have fun. His pranks are actually pretty hilarious. And he intended to prank Austin, not me; I was just stupid enough to get caught in it instead.” She rolls her eyes and chuckles at herself.
“I wish you could go, though, to give me luck. I really hope I don’t screw this up like I did last time. Hey, what if we did a double date? Maybe you could ask Mallory.”
“Mallory is going out with Dylan tonight,” I mutter.
“Oh, hmm. Well, who else could you ask? Is there anyone else you like?”
She looks at me like she doesn’t have a clue, and I stare at her, dumbfounded. Eric was totally wrong about this. She’s not interested in me and it’s never crossed her mind that I might be interested in her. I can’t believe I thought there could be something between us. She really is just using me. I don’t know why I’ve let her take advantage of me like that. I’m done, though. No more.
“Sorry, Kerri. I think you’re gonna have to go this one alone. I’ve got homework to do tonight, anyway. Are you ready to go?” My voice is gruff and my face stoic.
Kerri raises an eyebrow and stares at me. “Oookaay.”
I start walking towards the car, and she scurries after me. The conversation on the way back to the school is stilted, and I know Kerri wonders what’s going on.
When I pull up next to her car, Kerri opens the door but doesn’t get out. “Thanks for taking me today, Connor. I really appreciate it. You’ll be at the game tomorrow, right?”
For the first time, I have no desire to watch her or Mallory play, and I don’t give a rip whether they win or not. “I don’t know. I’ve got this big English paper I need to finish. I might not have time.”
Her mouth falls open, but for once she doesn’t know what to say. I can practically see the gears turning in her head as she tries to figure out what to do to make sure I come.
“Do you need some help?” she finally blurts out, but I know she doesn’t really care about my English paper, she’s just desperate to make sure I show up for the game.
“No, it’s kind of a solo project. I’ll let you know if I can make it to the game. See ya later.”
Her face falls, and I know she feels like I’m betraying her, but I think I’ve done enough for her already.
“See ya, Connor.” She shuts the door, and it feels like the end.
Chapter Sixteen
Kerri
I am officially freaking out. I have a date with Jake that I’m terrified I’m going to screw up, an important game tomorrow that I can’t afford to lose, and my good luck charm just suddenly abandoned me in favor of doing English homework!
What is up with him? I thought he liked hanging out with me and giving me good luck. He always seemed like he was having a good time. But the minute I mentioned a double date, he got all moody and did a 180 for no apparent reason. Maybe he’s just upset that Mallory is going out with Dylan now.
I don’t know why he’s so into her. I mean, I do — she’s gorgeous if you like that obviously perfect type. But she’s also prissy, and stuck-up, and kind of rude sometimes. And I don’t think she and Connor would be good together, even if she was interested in him, which she clearly is not. He’s been pining for her forever, and she’s never given him the time of day.
To be honest, at one point I thought maybe Connor might’ve been interested in me. He was hanging out with me all the time, and we always have fun. Sometimes when he looked at me I thought maybe there was something there, but he’s never made a move, even though we spend practically every day together, so obviously he doesn’t see me as anything more than a friend.
I was kind of bummed about that for a while, because I was starting to like him, but I knew from the beginning he was interested in someone else, so I didn’t really expect our friendship to become anything more. But I thought we’d always be friends, at least. Now, I’m not so sure. The way he blew me off today, it felt like he was mad at me, but I don’t understand why.
Is it possible that he was only hanging out with me because he thought I could put in a good word for him with Mallory? Maybe he’s mad that I haven’t helped him with that. Mallory and I aren’t exactly friends, and he should know that by now, so I doubt I can do anything to get her to like him, especially if she’s going out with Dylan, now. Pretty much every girl in the school would kill to go out with him.
Don’t get me wrong, Connor is awesome, but I don’t think he’s Mallory’s type. I don’t think she’s his type, either, but what do I know? I thought maybe he liked me, and I was obviously wrong about that.
Maybe he’s just in a bad mood today and he’ll come around tomorrow. I sure hope so, because if our team is going to make it to state we need to win every game. I can’t worry about that right now, though. One thing at a time. And I have a date in an hour that I need to get ready for.
I’m already dressed up for my interview, and I think I look pretty good, but I decide to switch out my ballet flats for something sexier, like my strappy, black, peep-toe heels. I add another coat of mascara, some eyeliner, and some shimmery eye shadow, paint my lips red, then squirt on some perfume. I trade the studs in my ears for long, silver dangles and add a matching necklace. Not too bad for a girl who wears a sweaty basketball uniform half the time.
When I walk out into the living room where my dad, Sean, and Reid are hanging out, watching a game, every eye turns towards me, and the room goes silent.
Sean looks past me and hollers down the hall. “Whoa, Kerri, you better watch out! Your doppelgänger is in the living room, and she looks way hotter than you! It’s bad luck if you see her, right?”
I roll my eyes and smack him with my purse. “Har har har. You’re hilarious.”
“You look beautiful, pumpkin. Where are you going?” Dad asks.
“I have a date with a guy named Jake. I’m not sure where we’re going.”
“Jake? What about Connor? Did you guys break up? I really like him.”
I try not to grimace. “Connor and I are just friends, Dad. He’s not interested in me like that.”
Reid looks at me skeptically. “No guy would be willing to do all the things that Connor does for you if he wasn’t interested. Maybe he’s afraid to tell you how he feels. If you like him, you should let him know.”
I shake my head. “He likes this girl Mallory. She’s a lot prettier than me, and way more popular. I can’t compete with her.”
“Mallory Kingston?” Sean asks. “She’s hot.” I roll my eyes at him.
“Well, I haven’t met Mallory, but I can’t imagine anyone better than you, pumpkin. Any boy would be lucky to go out with you. You’re beautiful, smart, talented, funny.” Dad smiles up at me like an adoring fan.
I lean down and give him a kiss on the cheek. “And you’re my dad, so you’re a little biased. Believe me, Connor’s not interested. If he was, he would’ve said something by now. He’s had plenty of chances.”
The doorbell rings, and I’m glad to end the conversation. I don’t want to admit that I think Connor decided he doesn’t even want to be friends anymore.
“Wow, Kerri, you look great.” Jake’s eyes rove up and down my body hungrily.
“Thanks, Jake, uh, so do you.” He didn’t put nearly as much effort into his look as I did, he’s just wearing jeans and a pullover, but he’s cute enough that he looks great no matter what he wears.
“Aren’t you going to invite him in so we can meet him?” My dad calls from behind me, and I wince.
“Sorry. Do you mind?”
Jake grins. “Nah, it’s all right. I’d be overprotective, too, if I had a daughter as hot as you.”
His words make my insides clench, and I blush and wave him into the living room, hoping my family didn’t hear that, but by the looks on their faces, I’m pretty sure they did.
“Jake, this is my dad, Patrick O’Connor, and my brothers, Sean and Reid.”
They eye him like they’re inspecting old bread, looking for mold spores.
“Sup?” Jake says, giving a half wave, and their eyes narrow.
“Jake’s on the guys’ basketball team. He and Austin are good friends,” I say, hoping that will make them think better of him.
“Are you friends with Connor?” Reid asks, and I bug my eyes out at him.
Jake seems a little confused, but unfazed. “Uh yeah, I know Connor. He’s cool.”
I need to get Jake out of here before they start extolling Connor’s virtues. That would just be weird. And awkward.
“Yeah, Connor’s a good friend of mine.” I emphasize the word friend.
“So, what are your intentions with my daughter tonight, Jake?”
“Dad!” I make a slashing movement across my throat.
“I was going to take her to that titty bar downtown so she can apply for a job, then back to my place so we can make out. My parents are out of town, so she can stay the night.” Jake says it with complete sincerity, and my dad and brothers gawk at him in stunned silence for a moment till Jake’s face spreads open in a wide smile. I know he’s just teasing, but I’m too shocked to speak.
“Gotcha!” He laughs and points a finger at them, and my family comes unfrozen. Their smiles and chuckles are still awkward, though.
Good Luck Charm Page 13
