by Simon, Coco
Emma made a face. “Lover boy,” she said, exasperated.
I blushed. “What?”
“I knew it!” shrieked Emma. “I was just testing you, but now I know for sure!”
“Know what?” I persisted.
Emma leaned in close. “I know you’re in love with Matt,” she whispered.
“Me? Matt? What?” I felt the heat rising in my cheeks.
Emma nodded, a look of satisfaction on her face. “I figured it out yesterday when we saw him at the mall. You got all blushy and nervous and then I saw that kooky notebook on your desk—”
“You did?” I interrupted.
“Ha!” said Emma. “So you are.” It was a statement, not a question.
I sighed and looked down at my feet. “Yes. I’m sorry,” I mumbled. It felt good to finally admit it, although it felt really weird. I looked at her. “I just can’t help it!”
“It’s a little awkward,” she agreed. “And why Matt? I mean, Sam, maybe. He’s cute and girls seem to really like him. But Matt? Smelly sock Matt? Computer geek Matt?”
“Cute, funny, nice Matt,” I countered.
“Gross!” Emma exclaimed, playfully slapping me on the shoulder. After a moment she added, “Too bad Callie likes him too.”
“Oh!” I said. “I wasn’t sure if she liked him or Joe. I thought Sydney might like Matt.”
“I can’t believe you like my brother,” Emma said as she shook her head.
“Well, it’s not that surprising. I mean, you and I are good friends, and our moms are good friends. I guess the Taylors and the Beckers are just well-suited to each other!” Emma smiled. “I wonder if he likes you back?” Then she added in a mischievous tone, “Want me to find out?”
“No!” I screamed. “Please don’t ask him, Emma.” I was begging her, but part of me really did want to know.
“Well, at least he’ll be at Dylan’s party. Even if my mom has to drag him there,” said Emma.
“You don’t think he wants to go?” I asked, feeling a slight sting.
“No way! He and my mom had a big fight about it. Sam, of course, wants to go, because there’ll be all those cute girls there. Jake will go anyplace where there’s Mia or cupcakes, and both is even better. Matt is just . . . I don’t know. I think he might be kind of shy about girls.”
“Really?” I asked, surprised. From what I’d seen, he seemed pretty comfortable with the attention he got from girls. “He doesn’t act that way.”
Emma thought for a minute. “Hmm . . . I think what I mean is that I don’t know if he’s mature enough to like girls, you know. The thing he’s really into is sports, especially basketball. So you could brush up on your dunking! That’s something to put in your notebook.”
The notebook! “Look, the notebook was just—”
“Pure Alexis,” Emma said, laughing. “Always taking the business approach. Don’t worry, I won’t tell anyone about it. And I’m sorry for looking at it. I shouldn’t have, but I thought it was a math notebook!”
“Yes, you shouldn’t have,” I replied. But I couldn’t be mad at Emma. She was one of my best friends. Besides, I was happy we were talking about Matt!
“Let me see, what other ‘data’ can I give you?” Emma asked, looking upward and tapping her chin with one finger. “He loves cupcakes. And he’s really into computer graphics. Maybe you could call him up and ask him to help on a project for the Cupcake Club? And then pay him in cupcakes?”
“Oooh! Good idea,” I lied. As if I’d call him again.
Emma looked at me with a serious expression. “Can I ask you if you want him to be your boyfriend? I can’t imagine Matt being anyone’s boyfriend, but whatever.”
I hesitated. Should I tell Emma my goal? She was my friend, but she was also Matt’s sister. She looked at me expectantly. My goal was much easier to explain than any of my other feelings, so I took a deep breath and confessed, “I want to dance with him at Dylan’s party.”
Emma’s eyes widened. “Wow. That’s it? It seems like a small thing, but it actually may be impossible to accomplish. I don’t think he dances.”
I hadn’t thought of that! “Well . . . ,” I said, not knowing how to respond.
Suddenly the back door opened. “Hello!” hollered Matt.
“Eek!” I squealed. I was totally caught off guard, even though I had been hoping he would show up.
Matt was all sweaty from practice and had on a hideous pair of ripped sweatpants and a T-shirt. His hair was sticking up every which way. But he still looked gorgeous to me.
He seemed surprised to see me. “Oh, hey, Alexis,” he said.
My heart leaped. He had said hi first! I couldn’t wait to log that data in the notebook!
“Got any cupcakes?” he asked.
I laughed nervously. “No. Not yet.” Should I ask him a question now? I didn’t know what to do or say. Thinking of Sydney, I flipped my hair from one side to the other. “Huh,” was all he said before heading for the fridge.
“Where’s Mom?” he asked Emma.
“At Jake’s practice,” Emma replied, then she winked at me. “Hey, Alexis and I were just going out to shoot some hoops. Want to come give us some pointers?”
I stared at her. What was she doing? I couldn’t believe what she had just suggested! I looked over at Matt, who was chugging a Gatorade. He turned and looked at us over the rim of the bottle. When he finished, he let out a really loud burp and grinned.
The burp was gross, and I wondered why he felt it was okay to do that in front of me. But then he said, “Sure,” and shrugged, and the next thing I knew I was playing H-O-R-S-E in the driveway with Matt Taylor, man of my dreams! I silently forgave him for burping and quickly got caught up in the game.
I have to say that I am decent at basketball. Not sure why, but maybe because it’s kind of like dancing to me. I don’t know. Anyway, we were having a pretty good time. I think Matt was even impressed by my skills. This was definitely the normal girl approach, and it seemed to be working.
After about fifteen minutes, Joe Fraser showed up, and he joined the game too. I was so happy! Emma and I challenged the boys to a two-on-two, but they insisted we split the teams, so Matt and I played Joe and Emma. It was awesome. We were winning, 8 to 2, when suddenly somebody called out, “Yoo-hoo!”
Sydney and Callie!
Emma and I looked at each other and frowned. I couldn’t tell if Matt and Joe were happy or annoyed. But the girls were definitely happy. They were super dressed up for a Sunday morning, in skin-tight jeans and tight sweaters with tiny down vests, and boots with high heels. Their hair was super-fluffy and they had on tons of makeup and perfume and dangly earrings. I wondered when Sydney had planned this little outing.
“Can we play?” asked Sydney in her high, flirty voice. Callie at least had the grace to look nervous.
Matt shrugged. “Okay.” He didn’t sound excited, but he didn’t sound mad, either. I think he was just being polite. Emma, on the other hand, was really mad. Her face was set like stone.
“I think we need to play H-O-R-S-E again,” said Matt.
“What’s that?” Callie said, giggling.
Matt explained the game, and he went first, tossing the ball in high over his left shoulder, facing away from the basket. It was an impressive shot.
Sydney clapped and whistled, and Matt grinned. Why hadn’t I thought to praise him like that? Then she stepped up to take the shot and threw it so badly that it just flew over her shoulder, landing nowhere near the basket.
“Whoops!” she said with a laugh, covering her mouth with a hand that showed off fresh scarlet nail polish. Sydney clearly didn’t care that she had missed. In fact, she probably missed on purpose.
Callie took the ball. She bounced it once or twice, then flipped it over her shoulder, but her sweater was so tight it made her lose control as the ball left her hand; it fell weakly to the ground and rolled away. “Oh dear! I stink!” Callie said, but it was clear she didn’t really care how badl
y she played either.
Now it was my turn. If ever I had wanted something in my life, this was it. I focused like a laser beam and took a deep breath, closing my eyes. Then I bent my knees like Matt had and lifted the ball in a gentle arc over my shoulder. Slow and steady wins the race, I told myself. I didn’t dare to look, but when I heard the ball thump the backboard and Matt yelling, my eyes flew open. Matt had both fists straight in the air. “Yes!” he cried. “You made it!” He stuck out his hand for a high five and I slapped it, laughing in giddy relief.
I stole a quick glance at Callie and Sydney and they were both standing there with their mouths open. Sydney started chewing on the end of a piece of her fluffy hair, probably wondering what she should do next. I had a new equation for my workbook:
Sports skills + comfortable clothes = boys impressed by YOU!
A few minutes later Mrs. Taylor pulled up to drop off Jake and pick up Matt and Joe to go to their friend’s house for a school project. I didn’t really get the chance to say good-bye to Matt, but it was all good. I was still on a high from my totally awesome shot.
“Let’s hit it,” Sydney said to Callie as soon as the boys left. Sydney didn’t bother to say good-bye to Emma and me, but Callie turned to us with an awkward expression. “Well, thanks . . . ,” she said.
“See ya,” Emma muttered without bothering to look in their direction. We went inside, and Jake immediately went for the couch in the TV room. Emma started to make him a snack in the kitchen.
“Wow,” I said.
“I can’t believe you made that basket!” said Emma, laughing.
“Me neither!” I howled. “Talk about luck!”
“It was skill,” said Emma. “And Matt was impressed.”
“You think?” I asked, but I knew he was. My chest was bursting with pride and happiness.
As we headed to the TV room with drinks and Jake’s snack, Emma said, “We still have to figure out Dylan’s dessert. Let’s get the others over here and bake.”
“Yay! Cupcakes!” Jake yelled.
“Good idea,” I agreed, thinking of the extra cupcakes we could leave behind for Matt!
CHAPTER 12
Confession
Of course, after that wonderful Sunday morning, I didn’t see Matt for an entire week. I wore each of the outfits that Dylan had planned for me, and I took great care with my hair (down) and makeup, but no luck. My friends all noticed the change though, and Mia and Katie pestered me about my new look. I was happy that Emma did not let on about my crush, but it wasn’t long before they figured it out.
It happened while we were sitting at lunch one day, when Sydney and Callie came over to our table.
“Hey, Emma,” said Sydney. We all looked up in shock. Sydney usually just ignores us and rarely calls us by name.
“Oh, hey,” Emma replied like she didn’t care.
“We have a question. Someone said Matt is going to Dylan Becker’s sweet sixteen on the twentieth. Is that true?” She was asking about my sister’s party and she didn’t even look at me! My blood began to boil.
Emma looked at me and raised her eyebrows. She turned to Sydney. “Yes. Our whole family is going.”
“We’re all going, actually,” said Mia in a cold, snooty voice I’d never heard her use before.
I seemed to have lost my ability to speak.
Sydney and Callie exchanged a look. “Okay, thanks,” said Sydney, before she and Callie walked away, their heads bent close as they whispered.
“What was that all about?” I burst out. “Wouldn’t you think they would ask me? It’s my sister they’re talking about! And why do they want to know, anyway? It’s not like they’re invited!”
“They have some nerve,” said Katie, shaking her head.
“I am so sick of those two. They just can’t leave Matt alone. Someone keeps calling and hanging up, and I swear it’s them!” Emma complained.
My stomach flip-flopped. They were calling Matt? That was pretty major!
“Has he actually spoken to them on the phone?” I asked, probably with a little too much feeling, because Mia and Katie turned to me with raised eyebrows.
Emma shrugged. “I’m not sure,” she answered.
I could feel Mia still watching me. Then she asked with a shy smile, “Alexis, is there something you want to tell us?”
I was so bothered by Sydney that I simply admitted, “Yes, I have a crush on Matt.” Then I added, “I’m sure you all already know.”
“I didn’t tell them!” Emma cried out defensively, even though I didn’t look at her.
Katie immediately jumped on Emma. “Wait, you knew?” she asked.
Uh-oh. This had the makings of a cupcake war. I had to stop it before it went too far. “I’m sorry, guys,” I told Katie and Mia. “I was going to tell you guys, but there just never seemed to be a right time.”
“Well, there was clearly a right time to tell Emma, it seems!” Mia said, sounding a little offended, but I don’t think she was actually mad.
“Oh, no, I guessed, actually,” Emma said, “and made Alexis fess up. Then she swore me to secrecy. It is just too weird. I can’t imagine anyone liking my brother, but now it seems he’s getting all this attention from girls.”
“Humph!” I said, and crossed my arms.
“So what are you doing about this crush?” Mia asked me.
“I’ve been doing some research,” I said without thinking, and my friends all burst out laughing.
“Research!” Mia yelled. “Alexis, that is just so typical of you!”
“Wait, is that why you’ve had this sudden makeover and everything?” Katie asked.
I nodded shyly and muttered, “A lot of good it’s doing. I’ve barely even seen him since.”
“But it worked when you did see him!” said Emma.
“You think?” I asked, hoping that all my work wasn’t going to waste.
Emma nodded. “Hello? He came out and played basketball with us!”
“You don’t think he was just . . . bored or trying to be nice?” I pressed.
Emma shook her head. “Uh-uh. He would never be nice for no reason.”
“Actually, I think he’s really nice. Like when he helped you—”
“All right, all right! We know you think he’s nice,” interrupted Emma. “I guess he is a little bit. I’m just not sure he’s worth the time and effort, that’s all.”
“Yes, well, if he was a client, I think I would have stopped my aggressive marketing efforts by now,” I said, and everyone laughed again.
“So when you say you have a crush on him, what does that mean?” asked Katie.
“Oh, I think he’s cute. I want him to like me back. And . . .” I looked over at Emma, and she finished what I was too embarrassed to say.
“She wants to dance with him at Dylan’s sweet sixteen.”
I bit my lip nervously, unsure how my friends would react. But I didn’t have to worry.
Mia clapped excitedly. “Ooh! Once he sees you dance he will fall head over heels in love with you!”
Katie grinned. “Are you going to ask him?”
“I haven’t quite worked that part out yet,” I admitted.
“Between the dancing and the cupcakes, I know he’ll be wowed,” said Katie loyally.
“Anything we can do to help?” asked Mia.
As much as I wanted to keep talking about Matt, I suddenly remembered there was something more important that we needed to do. “Yes! Let’s figure out those cupcakes!” At least that was something that I could control. “Dylan has been on a rampage, so we need to sort it out before she goes nuts. The only thing is, she’s also been really nice to me lately, with the makeover and stuff. I think she’s just stressed. Let’s give her the works!”
“The works?” Katie asked.
“I’ve been thinking,” I said. “Let’s forget about the budget for now. Instead, we should wrap up all of our great ideas into one slam dunk of a cupcake.”
Emma smiled. “S
o what is it?”
“The s’mores disco gift cupcake. Chocolate cupcake filled with marshmallow, topped with chocolate frosting with graham cracker and gold flake crumble, and tied with a gold bow. She’ll love it. And it will cheer her up.”
The girls all agreed, so we made plans to start working on the cupcakes soon.
Dylan had, in fact, been even crankier than ever this week. As the RSVPs for her party rolled in, she became compulsive about checking voice mail and the list. I wondered if there was someone special she was waiting to hear from. Dylan is class president and assistant cheer captain, so I knew she wasn’t exactly lacking for friends or popularity. But as I watched her flip through the RSVP notebook one afternoon, I kind of felt sorry for her.
“What’s up?” I asked.
“Nothing,” she replied. Flip, flip, flip.
I tried again. “Are you waiting to hear from someone?” I asked.
Dylan stopped flipping and sighed heavily. “Don’t ever fall in love, Alexis.”
“Too late, Dyl, I’m a goner,” I said. “Who are you in love with?”
“Never mind,” she said. “Nothing will come of it. He hasn’t even RSVP’d.”
“Sounds like a jerk,” I said. The invitations had been out for days. Whoever she was talking about should have already received it.
But Dylan had bristled. “No, no, no, he’s not a jerk,” she replied defensively. “He’s just very busy! I’m sure he’ll . . . he’ll let me know soon.”
“Okay!” I said brightly, not wanting to upset her. But inside I thought, Why do boys cause such heartache?
That night, when my mother came in to say good night, I told her, “Mom, I think I know why Dylan’s been such a jerk lately.” I’d been puzzling over it all evening, and I was pretty sure I was right.
“Why? I’d love to know!”
“I think she’s in love with someone and he might not love her back.”
“Hmm . . . that would explain a lot.”
“I think she wants everything to be perfect at the party so he’ll fall in love with her.”
“Oh! Is he coming?”
“Well, that’s the other thing. He hasn’t RSVP’d.”
