by Ann Herrick
People looked shocked as we pulled in. I knew what they were thinking. Someone's pulling into the disabled-parking space! I'd often felt the same kind of outrage myself until I saw a sticker on the car. People expect to always see those places empty, I guess.
Some people stared when Keeley got out of the van. I even noticed a couple kids pointing and elbowing each other as they snickered. I glared in their direction.
But I couldn't say anything to them. Who was I to be ticked off at their behavior? I had to shake off my own sense of awkwardness.
Now I had to face a whole gym full of people. Maybe I could pretend I wasn't really with him.
I mean, I wasn't, really.
Chapter Six
Instead of standing next to Keeley in line, I let him inch ahead of me. I fumbled through my purse, as if I was having trouble finding my money. That way I didn't have to talk to him. I could pretend I was by myself.
I pulled my coat collar up around my chin, not so much to stay warm, as to hide my guilt. What was wrong with me? Why did I feel embarrassed being seen with Keeley? It wasn't as though he went around burping the alphabet in the school hallways.
Admittedly, I truly thought Keeley was a bit of a dork. But he was a nice enough guy. We were Home Arts partners. If we were friends—and I had a feeling we would be if I'd just let it happen—then I could for sure appear in public with him.
When we reached the front of the line, I took a deep breath and stepped ahead of Keeley. "Two, please," I said. My hands shook as I handed the money to the ticket seller.
"Hey," Keeley said, "What are you—"
"Let me be the big spender," I said quickly. "After all, you drove."
"Hmm." Keeley seemed to regard me with added interest. "Thanks."
Even though probably no one even noticed us in the writhing mass of students waiting to explode into cheers, I still felt kind of funny as we entered the gym together. I saw Brad shooting baskets, but he didn't notice me. I guess he had to concentrate. Then I spotted Ilana waving at me from her seat behind the score table. She was all smiles when she realized I was with Keeley. Gavin looked up and gave us a big wave too.
It looked as if Ilana had saved me a seat next to her, and I was all ready to run over and sit there. But then I wondered about Keeley. Where would he sit?
When I turned to ask him, I totally was surprised to see a very pretty Springfield cheerleader kneeling next to Keeley. She was talking directly into his ear so she could be heard over the crowd as she pointed to the other side of the gym. "There's the section for people using wheelchairs."
"Thanks!" Keeley watched her jiggle and prance her way back to her squad, then said, "Hmm. Maybe I'll cheer for Springfield."
"Traitor."
Keeley raised his hands in mock defense. "Just kidding!"
"Yeah, right," I said. "Now, let's figure out where to sit."
"The way Ilana jumped up and waved at you when we walked in, I'd say she saved a seat for you."
"Well, yeah, but what about you?"
"Looks as though I'll have to put up with a ring-side seat on the other side of the gym. There isn't room for you there, but you probably wouldn't want to sit on the Springfield side anyway." Keeley grinned as he eyed the Springfield cheerleaders. "Don't worry about me. I'll be in good company."
"I'm sure." I felt prickles on the back of my neck as I watched the cheerleader who'd pointed out the seats to Keeley glide effortlessly from a cartwheel into a split. Not only pretty, but talented too. Not that I cared. "At least say hi to Ilana and Gavin before you head off for enemy territory."
Gavin was already busy and could only nod hello to us.
"Sorry, Keeley," Ilana said. "If I'd known you'd be coming too I probably could've saved a seat over there for Sivia so you guys could sit together."
"No problem. I'll be in good hands." Keeley flashed his lopsided grin. "How are your plans for the dance going?"
"We decided on red streamers and blue balloons and we got 'The Social Priorities' lined up."
"A local band," I explained to Keeley. "One of my favorites."
"Oh?" Keeley raised an eyebrow. "Maybe we could—"
Suddenly music blared over the loudspeaker, drowning out Keeley and signaling the players to finish practicing shots.
"You'd better go join your cheering section," I said. "The game's going to start any second."
"Yeah, I'm their inspiration," Keeley said as he wheeled away.
I climbed into my seat and right away looked for Brad. I spotted him and waved, but he didn't see me. Todd, however, saw me wave, and flashed me a cheesy grin. I felt my face turn pink. Ew. Did Todd think I was waving at him?
I saw a loose ball bounce right toward Keeley. I gasped, but no problem. Keeley caught it, and shot it from about twenty feet from the basket. It went in, barely rippling the net. Lucky shot?
The blonde Springfield cheerleader saw the shot and shook her pom-pons and a few prominent body parts in Keeley's honor. In return, he gave her a salute. Why did I feel as if trap-door opened in my stomach? Who cared if Keeley flirted with a girl from Willamette City High's arch rival?
Suddenly Little Ms Cheerleader ran off to actually cheer with the rest of the Springfield squad, and Keeley went over to the section reserved for people using wheelchairs. He found a spot next to a girl about twelve years old with pink cheeks and curly blonde hair. She was kind of slumped over in her wheelchair and her head and arms sort of jerked around a little bit.
Keeley, sitting next to her and chatting animatedly, seemed the picture of health by comparison. Actually, I thought to myself, he was. I mean, he didn't have legs, but he definitely seemed to have good muscle power and coordination.
The Springfield cheerleader suddenly appeared on the scene and said something that made Keeley and the younger girl laugh. I chewed my lip. That cheerleader had no problem talking to Keeley and the girl in the wheelchair—unlike a certain person I could name and had to face in the mirror every morning.
"I said, I'm glad to see you came in with Keeley." Ilana's voice made me jump.
"Huh? Oh. Um, I needed a ride and he offered me one."
"Good thing you made it." Ilana peered at me through her long bangs. "It's going to be a tough game. We need to make a lot of noise." Ilana was a big believer in crowd support and home-court advantages. She was probably right, but she looked so earnest you'd think someone from a college-entrance committee was watching her.
At that moment our cheerleaders lined up and led the cheers for the starting lineup. I yelled extra loud for Brad, but Todd got the biggest cheers. Marcy led the cheer for him. I noticed Lona Randolph feverishly shaking her pom-poms as she gazed at Todd, but he was all eyeball-bonded to Marcy.
I focused on Brad as soon as the game started. He made the first basket! A Springfield player made a jumpshot, and the game seesawed back and forth from then on.
Once in a while I'd check on Keeley. Every time I looked he was cheering or talking or winking at one of the Springfield cheerleaders. Funny, I'd finally taken this bold step (for me) and decided to relax about appearing in public with him. What got on my last nerve is that we ended up sitting on opposite sides of the gym and he was having a great time without me.
I was just wondering why that should bother me, when Brad was called for a foul. It was his third, and there were two minutes left in the first half.
"Is that right?" I asked Ilana. "Three fouls on Brad?"
"Yeah. Too bad, 'cause he's playing great tonight. He has more points than Todd."
It was kind of dumb, but I thought maybe my focusing on Brad was bringing him luck (shades of Ilana's team-support theory), and that's why he had so many points. Maybe if I hadn't wasted time checking on Keeley, Brad wouldn't have three fouls. I vowed to pay more attention to the game in the second half.
There were twenty seconds left in the first half, and Willamette City was behind by one point. Brad had the ball. He let ten seconds tick off the clock, then made a move to
ward the basket.
Suddenly the ref blew his whistle and pointed toward Brad. I slapped my hands over my face. Oh, no! It couldn't be! Four fouls!
But everyone around me was cheering. I peeked and saw that it was Brad standing at the foul line waiting to shoot. He hadn't committed a foul. He'd been fouled.
"Cross your fingers," Ilana said.
I already had everything crossed except my eyes, and I would've crossed them except then I wouldn't be able to see. My heart pounded in my ears.
Brad made the first shot. Tie game.
I held my breath. Brad made the second shot. Everybody on our side of the gym leapt to their feet. I was afraid the bleachers would collapse.
Springfield barely got the ball in court, when the buzzer went off. I raced down on to the floor, hoping to catch up with Brad. Our cheerleaders got to the players first, but the coach shooed them away. "Game's not over yet," I heard him say.
But luck was with me. Just as I was turning to go back to my seat, Brad saw me and waved. He said something. I couldn't quite make it out, but it sounded like, "See you later."
He would if I had anything to say about it.
I made it to the drinking fountain before most of the crowd. I was just taking a few sips when Keeley caught up with me.
"Hi," he said. "Great game, isn't it?"
I stepped aside to let the next person in line get some water. "Totally. And you seem to be having a good time. Who's your friend, anyway?"
"My friend? Oh. You must mean Muffy."
"Muffy! Wouldn't you know that ditzy cheerleader would have a name like—"
"The cerebral palsy makes her speech kind of hard to understand at first, but she's real friendly. And funny. Great sense of humor."
"Oh." My cheeks grew warm. He was talking about the younger girl, the one in the wheelchair.
"Meredith, her old sister, is nice too. And a great cheerleader, don't you think?" Keeley grinned.
"I hadn't noticed." I tossed my hair across my shoulders as I turned to leave.
"Wait a sec." Keeley grabbed my hand. "It'll be crazy when the game is over. Let's meet here by the drinking fountain."
"Oh. Okay." Of course, Keeley would be expecting to give me a ride home. But I was sure he'd understand if I accepted a ride from Brad. "I'll, uh, see you here." I headed off to the lavatory. By the time I got in and out of there, I was thirsty for a soda. The line for the refreshment stand was so long, however, that I soon gave up waiting and headed back into the gym. By then there was only a minute until the start of the second half.
"Some game," Ilana said when I got back to my seat. "Hey, can you and Keeley meet me and Gavin for pizza at Luigi's later?"
"Um ...." What could I say? Not if I can help it? "We'll see."
* * *
The second half flew by. Willamette City maintained a one or two point lead, and Brad continued to be the top scorer. I spotted Marcy cheering wildly after one of Brad's shots. I wondered what Todd thought, if he had noticed her sudden devotion to shouting approval for Brad. I know I didn't like it much. What if Marcy decided to dig her claws into him, now that he was the star basketball player, at least for this game? I tried to brush that worry out of my mind. Brad had asked me if I was coming to the game. He told me, "See you later." At least, I think that's what he said.
Suddenly the game was down to the final minute. Todd had the ball. It looked as if Willamette City would keep their one-point lead, but a Springfield player swatted the ball and easily stole it. For a second, Todd stood there in shock.
The Springfield player had plenty of time, really, but he hurried his shot. He missed! Brad got the rebound. He took the ball all the way down the court and scored to pad Willamette City's fragile lead to three. With only a couple seconds left on the clock, it was quickly all over for Springfield.
Willamette City fans poured onto the floor, yelling, jumping, hugging the players and each other. I struggled to get to Brad, but the crowd closed in on me. I felt like the filling in an egg-salad sandwich, all squished up. Getting anywhere near Brad was hopeless. But I did finally catch his eye. He winked at me.
I drifted out into the lobby wondering how I could stall Keeley until I found out just what Brad meant when, and if, he'd said, "See you later."
Chapter Seven
When I got to the drinking fountain, Keeley was already there. Ack! If only I knew exactly what Brad had said! I'd have to stall until I found out. I for sure was not going leave before then.
"Hey." Keeley grinned. "Some game. I feel kinda bad for Springfield, though. Tough loss for them."
"You mean you feel sorry for one of their cheerleaders."
Keeley grinned. Then he said, "Hey, can you wait a minute? I've got to use the lav, and the closest wheelchair-accessible one is down the other end of the hall."
"Fine! No hurry." It was all I could do not to add take your time!
"I'll meet you back here."
"Okay." Come on, Brad! How long does it take a guy to shower, anyway?
The crowd thinned out right away. Soon there were just a few of us milling around. I saw Marcy waiting for Todd, but, of course, she didn't look my way. I cringed thinking what softball would be like with her this year. Last year I could pretty much avoid her. But if we were both starters, that'd be a different story.
The locker door squeaked open. My heart jumped when I saw Brad heading straight for me. But Marcy intercepted! She said something to him. He nodded. Todd strolled out of the locker room high-fiving the hero-worshipping freshmen who clustered around him. But when he spotted Marcy and Brad, he looked like a hornet whose nest had been poked with a stick.
Suddenly, Brad spotted me. He gestured for me to come over.
I plastered a big smile on my face to hide my uneasiness about being around Marcy, and tried to look as if walking up to Brad was no big deal. I managed to get there without tripping over my feet, but all I could utter was, "H-hi."
"Hey, Sivia." Brad put his hand on my shoulder, then said to Marcy, "How about if Sivia comes too?"
"Sivia?" Marcy's eyebrows pulled together.
I held my breath. What would Marcy say? And where was it I might going, anyway?
"Ready to go?" Keeley seemed to appear out of nowhere.
"Oh. Are you two together?" Marcy asked, her face relaxing into a half-smile.
Okay, only a couple hours ago I'd made up my mind not to worry about being in public with him. But. I just didn't want it to look as if we had a date or anything—because of Brad. "Keeley, um, gave me a ride."
"In that case," Marcy said with something that actually approached oh-okay-all-is-well in her voice, "Why don't you both come to the party at my house?"
I looked at Keeley. He shrugged and said, "If that's what you want."
Of course I wanted to go, since Brad wanted me there. While I wasn't all that thrilled about Keeley tagging along, at least that way I wouldn't feel guilty about ditching him. Maybe he'd even find someone else at the party to hang out with. A female someone. Yeah, that'd be perfect! I tried to sound totally casual. "Okay. Let's go."
"Fine," Marcy bestowed a smile on us. She had a tone in her voice as if she was, like, almost excited about being generous to let a couple of token non-A-Listers come to her party. Willamette City High's own little Mother Theresa. "You know where I live?"
"You can't miss it." Todd possessively put his arm around Marcy's waist. "The big house at the end
Fairmount Lane, right next to Westerly Park." "Okay," I said, looking at Brad. "We'll see you there."
On the ride over there, Keeley was unusually quiet. Finally he said, "What's Marcy's place like?"
"Um, it's big. Fancy. I rode by it once on my bike, but I've never been inside, so I don't know exactly."
"Nice of her to ask us to her party." It sounded almost like a question.
"Yeah." I wondered if he knew it was Brad who'd twisted Marcy's arm, if he suspected Brad did so because of me. I also wondered just what this party
would be like. I'd heard rumors that Marcy's parties happened when her parents were out of town, and that somehow there were always several kegs of beer available. I think a lot of parents knew, or at least suspected, what was going on, but made the excuse that at least their little darlings wouldn't be out drinking in the middle of the woods somewhere. I suppose nothing truly wild happened. I mean, I couldn't imagine someone like Brad hanging out at really rough parties. I'd for sure never heard about any trouble. Still, even if it wasn't the wildest scene in town, I wasn't used to that kind of thing. Truth is, the last party I'd been invited to involved birthday cake, noisemakers and climbing the maple tree in Ilana's back yard, which was fun for a bunch of seven-year-olds.
That party, however, probably did nothing to prepare me for Marcy's bash.
"This it?" Keeley asked, indicating a long, tree-lined driveway.
"Y-yes."
"You sure 'bout this?"
"Totally!" I guess I sounded convincing, because Keeley pulled into the driveway.
There were already several cars along the loop up by the house. We parked and got out. There was a huge portico leading to the front door, which was, fortunately level with the threshold. Music, laughter, and loud voices blared. We were about to ring the doorbell, when we saw a hand-written sign that said, "Come in!"
"It's not too late to turn back." Keeley flashed his wicked grin.
"I'm ready to par-tay." Omigawd. Did that come out of my mouth? Keeley is so going to know I'm nervous.
But all he did was flick an eyebrow.
We got inside okay, though Keeley had a little trouble maneuvering over the thick Oriental rugs. Slowly we followed the sounds of the party until we found everyone in huge room with a beamed, vaulted ceiling.
"Look at the food!" Keeley made his way over to a table filled with everything from chips and dips to pizza and taco fixings. In the center were three kegs of beer.
I nibbled a chip and looked around, hoping to find Brad. I finally spotted him talking to Marcy and Todd. Actually, it looked as if he was talking to Marcy, and Todd was standing there pretending not to fume as he ingested one chicken wing after another. But then Brad saw me, and motioned me over.
