The Way to Game the Walk of Shame

by Jenn P. Nguyen

  I kicked at the metal legs of the desk in front of me. “I figured I’d just lie low and stay quiet until they died down.”

  Brian snorted. “You? Stay quiet?” He crossed the room to perch beside me on the desk. His arm pressed against mine. “Come on, Taylor. You’re the girl who refused to admit defeat during class elections last year. Even after you won, you insisted on another election with everyone’s attendance so no one could accuse you of cheating. Even though nobody did.”

  My mouth quirked into a half smile. “Yeah. No one was happy about staying after school to vote, either.”

  Brian laughed and knocked his shoulder against mine. “No, we weren’t.”

  We sat there in silence for a few minutes, both lost in our own thoughts. Finally, he straightened and stood in front of me, arms crossed as though he were a lecturing parent. “Look, I am just going to say it as it is. Staying quiet is a stupid idea. This isn’t like you! You need to fight back.” He bent forward until he was at eye level with me. “Seriously, show everyone out there who you are and that you deserve everything you’ve worked so hard for. Don’t let this stupid rumor ruin things for you.”

  Brian was standing so close that I could see all the details on his face. The perfectly straight line of his nose, the crinkles around his eyes. He even had a small wrinkle over his left brow.

  His words scared me, but I tried to laugh it off. “Aren’t you overreacting a bit? I mean, it’s just a tiny rumor, Brian.”

  He rolled his eyes and scoffed. “Oh yeah? Look at what it did already. I mean, come on, Taylor. Why do you think everyone’s screwing with you out there? They’re using this ‘tiny little rumor’ to yank you off the pedestal so they can stomp on you.”

  The images he painted were so vivid that I had to shake my head to get rid of them. Especially after my talk with Mr. Peters. It really did feel like everything was slipping out of my grasp. “So what do you think I should do?”

  “Prove that they’re wrong. Beat someone up. I don’t know. Something.”

  His words hit me like a bolt of lightning. He was right. I was tired of getting picked on. I needed to do something. My future, my life, depended on it.

  But the question was, what could I do?

  * * *

  “So what do you think?” I asked Carly on the phone later that night. I balanced the phone between my ear and shoulder as I carefully slipped my report into my bag. There was no way in hell I was going to forget that again. “Short of having Evan whacked, I don’t know what could make everyone forget about this.”

  “Why would you want people to forget? This is the most exciting thing to happen to you all year. Actually, your whole life.”

  “But I don’t want my life to be this exciting. Tell me what to do.”

  “Well, for one, I think you should have slept with him.”

  I almost dropped the phone to the ground. “Can you please be serious?”

  “What? I just think it’s a waste that you’re going through all this suffering and you didn’t even get any. Not even once. I mean, come on!” There was the sound of a door slamming, and I knew Carly had shut the door to get some privacy. Ironically, the door always got stuck, so when it slammed, her mom knew she was up to no good. She probably just had about a minute of talking time left before her mom popped in to “check” on her. “Seriously, if you’re not going to sleep with him, then at least date him or something. People wouldn’t care so much if the two of you were dating anyway.”

  “You’re impossible.” I rolled my eyes at my reflection in the mirror across the room.

  “Impossibly lovable. Hey, I gotta go. I think I hear my mom down the hall. Just think about it. The innocent debutante always reforms the rake in the end, you know.”

  Even though she was crazy, Carly’s words kept racing through my mind. What if…?

  Later that night, when everyone was asleep, I headed downstairs toward Dad’s office. I don’t know if it was the dark-green tweed furniture or the dusty shelves full of law books, but this was the only place I could think clearly. This was his domain that he had decorated himself. And by decorated, I mean, he drove to the furniture store, pointed to a couple of pieces, and told them where to ship it within five minutes, tops.

  The rest of the house—besides my room, thank god—was decked out in bright, cheery colors and ruffles. It was like Barbie’s Dreamhouse had exploded. And since Dad didn’t care, I was outnumbered when it came to what color the curtains should be. Kimmy was still at the age where she loved pink and sequins. I’d hoped that she’d outgrow the girly stuff in two years when she turned eleven. I did. Of course, I outgrew a lot of things that year.

  Even though I hadn’t made any noise when I crept in, it was like Oreo, our dog, sensed there was someone awake who could feed him. Despite the fact that he was a dachshund who got fed three times a day, he was always hungry. Always.

  I closed the study door just as his paws came scampering down the hall. His dark nose instantly poked under the door, and he whined. The high-pitched yips sounded like he was being tortured.

  Afraid that Mom or Dad would wake up, I jerked the door open. Oreo was sprawled out on the carpet, nose downturned as though he were still trying to get beneath the door. As soon as he saw me, he froze for a few seconds before slowly flopping on his back. His brown eyes stared at me, willing me to bend down and scratch his belly.

  I snorted with laughter and rubbed his stomach for a few seconds before getting to my feet. “Come on, you can keep me company while I work.”

  Before I got started, I moved around the office and rearranged a few things. Lining up the books on the shelves so they all faced out. Adjusting the shades so the perfect amount of moonlight would stream through the windows. The usual stuff that would otherwise distract me.

  I worked through the night. Sunlight was starting to peek through the windows when I finished printing out the final copy of the contract. I stretched my arms over my head and yawned. Finally, it was done. Now was the hard part—getting Evan to cooperate. And for that, I needed his number.

  I immediately called Carly. That girl knew anything and everything that went on in that school. Too bad she was also too nosy for her own good. “Have you changed your mind about sleeping with him?”

  My cheeks flushed hotly, and I thanked god no one could see me. I tapped my pen against the table so hard that the top flew off and rolled somewhere beneath the desk. “Carly, this really isn’t the time.” I dropped to the floor to search for the top. Capless pens were one of my biggest pet peeves. “Just get me his number, okay?”

  “Already ahead of you. I messaged this girl who has it and already texted it to you. So are you going to let me in on this plan or what?”

  “Let me figure it out first, and I’ll let you know.” I crossed my fingers. If things went according to plan, everything should be better by tomorrow morning.

  “I guess that’s good enough for now. Call me if you need any more hotties’ numbers.”

  Mom and Dad had already taken Kimmy to school, so the house was pretty quiet when I crept out of the office. Oreo woke when I was nearly down the hall. He let out a sharp bark and chased after me, nipping at my ankles with every step I took. I dug a can of dog food out of the pantry, scooped a large helping into his bowl, and refilled his water. For myself, I got a large glass of orange juice and made a piece of toast from the bread bin on the counter.

  Once the spoiled rat Oreo was fed and I had nothing left on my napkin except crumbs, I knew I couldn’t put off the call anymore. I closed my eyes and counted to ten, then punched in the numbers before I lost my nerve. The phone rang twice before Evan picked up.

  “Hello?”

  My fingers traced the condensation on the glass. “Hi, Evan? This is, um, Taylor.” Silence. “Taylor Simmons? You know, the girl who, hm, we—uh, we—”

  A throaty chuckle stopped my stuttering.

  I realized I was gripping the glass with both hands and forced myself to let g
o. Just breathe, Taylor. You can do this. I rubbed my palms on my jeans to dry them. “Listen, I think we need to talk about the other night.”

  “What happened to ‘Don’t talk about what happened to anyone’?”

  Jeez, I could practically hear the smirk in his voice. “I’m … not just anyone,” I said lamely, unable to think of a better comeback.

  “That’s for sure.”

  Was that a compliment or an insult? I shook my head even though he couldn’t see me. “Let’s start over. I need to talk to you. Now. Can you come to my house?”

  “You’re not at school?” The surprise was evident in his voice.

  “No, I had a free period this morning.” I shook my head, forgetting that Evan didn’t take extra classes throughout the year like I did. He probably didn’t have any free periods. “I guess I could meet you after school somewhere.”

  “That’s all right. I’m not at school, either.”

  “Really? Why not?”

  There was some rustling as if he was moving the phone around. “Let’s just say you have your secrets and I have mine. I’ll meet you at your house.”

  “Okay. Do you have a pen? I can give you my address.”

  “Don’t worry about it. If I’m lucky and it’s fate, I’ll just find your house somehow.”

  I let out an aggravated sigh because he wasn’t taking me seriously. Maybe it would be easier to just hire a hit man. I was sure Dad would be happy to defend me in court. If I was caught, that is. I’d learned a thing or two from watching CSI. “What do you—”

  Evan snorted. “Keep your panties on, I was just joking. I know where you live, and I’m on my way now.” I turned away from the phone to curse, but he must have heard me, because I ended up having to hold the phone several inches away before his booming laughter made me permanently deaf. “Sorry, I forgot that no underwear talk was allowed. I won’t do it again.”

  Oreo nudged my leg for more food, and I sank down beside him on the cold tiles. My fingers played with his floppy ears as I stared at the silver fridge. “Uh-huh. So I’ll see you in a half an hour?”

  “Make it twenty minutes. And don’t worry, I’ll be sure to jump the fence so no one will see me.” He laughed again and hung up without saying bye.

  Evan was only five minutes later than he said he would be. And he did show up at my back door—although I’m not sure how he managed to jump my five-foot steel fence—with two large branches on either side of his head. Even his cheeks were streaked brown and black with mud and dirt for camouflage.

  Despite my mood, I couldn’t help but give him a reluctant grin. “I hope those branches didn’t come from my yard.”

  “’Course not. Who do I think I am?” He grinned as he tossed the branches aside. His teeth seemed even whiter than usual against the mud. “I took them from your neighbor’s yard.”

  “That’s a relief.”

  As soon as I let him in, loud, fierce barking filled the room. Evan looked around, but Oreo was nowhere in sight. I smothered my snicker with a cough. He may have sounded like he was going to rip Evan limb from limb, but I knew he was probably cowering somewhere safe and out of reach. He was always like this whenever a stranger came into the house. The perfect definition of all bark and no bite.

  I didn’t tell Evan that, though. Instead, I wet a couple of napkins and handed them to him. “Here.”

  “Thanks.” His eyes kept flickering around the room as Oreo’s barking turned into a low, demon-from-hell growl. God, I loved that dog sometimes. “Okay, either your dog is really small and that’s why I can’t find him, or he’s a ghost dog and I’m going crazy. Which is it?”

  “What dog?” I asked with wide eyes. At his freaked-out expression, I couldn’t keep the laughter in for long. “He’s probably squeezed between the edge of the chair and the corner over there.”

  Evan dropped on all fours and ducked underneath the kitchen table. Immediately the room got quiet. “Oh, there he is.”

  I leaned against the counter and waited for him to get up so I wouldn’t have to talk to his butt the whole time. It took a few minutes, but I didn’t mind.

  He muttered something to Oreo. I didn’t know what he was saying, but it wouldn’t have made a difference. Oreo never went to strangers unless he’d been around them for a few hours or they had sausages or bacon in their hands.

  Of course, considering the disappointment of the past couple of days, it should have been obvious that the dog I’d had for over two years wouldn’t do what was expected of him. It wasn’t long before Evan was able to pull him out and settle him happily on his lap. I thought Evan only had a way with girls. I guess he had a way with dogs, too.

  “So you wanted to talk?”

  I crossed my arms, trying to look anywhere but at the gorgeous boy in front of me and my traitorous dog. The butterflies in my stomach multiplied. My mouth opened and closed, but nothing came out. Not because I didn’t have anything to say, but because I was distracted. Again.

  It really wasn’t fair. Evan was a surfer, so he had the body. But did he really have to have the soulful I-understand-and-feel-your-pain eyes, too? I’ve always been a sucker for dark-gray eyes.

  All my earlier confidence faded. I turned my head away to help lessen the power of his eyes. “Okay, so I thought about what you said after lunch, and I think you were wrong. About the rumor and everything. Because even if everyone forgets, it doesn’t matter. The damage would have already been done. Memories can never be totally forgotten. So the only solution is to alter their memories into something you don’t want to be forgotten. You know what I’m talking about?”

  At the blank look on his face, it was obvious that he didn’t have a clue. “Do you?”

  To be honest, I wasn’t really sure. “What I mean is that I think we should just roll with it.”

  “Meaning?”

  I let out a deep breath. It was now or nothing. “Meaning I think we should start dating. What do you think?”

  5

  -Evan-

  What did I think? My first thought was that she was crazy. My second thought? That she was super crazy. Knock-on-her-head, tripping-on-cracks crazy.

  I held up a hand. “Hold on, just the other morning you were very, very insistent that we didn’t know each other, and now you want us to start dating?” The dog on my lap let out a sharp bark and dug his claws into my shorts. “Ow. See? Even the dog thinks this is a stupid idea.”

  Taylor flushed and took him from me. “His name is Oreo, and that’s not what I meant.”

  I eyed his two black ears and white face. “Clever name.”

  “Thanks. My little sister thought of it.” She scooped him up and set him outside in one fluid motion. He stood at the door and stared at us for a minute or two before trotting off to lie on the deck and sunbathe, belly side up.

  “So what did you mean about the dating?” My gaze ran up and down her body, taking in her wrinkled, baggy, purple-and-blue-striped PJs. The pants were so long that they covered her toes and practically doubled as socks. “’Cause, no offense, but you’re not exactly my type,” I said with a wink.

  Her nose flared twice before turning as red as the rest of her face. She scooted around the countertop until the bottom half of her was out of sight. “None taken, because god knows you’re not my type, either.”

  Ouch. Apparently the Ice Queen had claws like her dog. “You still didn’t answer my question.”

  She leaned back and stared at her nails in deep concentration. “I just meant that we should pretend to date.”

  I lifted a hand to my chest and sighed with pretend relief. “Thank god. I thought you remembered how incredibly sexy I was and realized that you loved me after all. Or that you’re pregnant and you want to raise this child right. You know, I think Elizabeth’s a nice name for a baby. We could call her Lizzie. I dated a waitress named Lizzie once. Real sweet girl.”

  Her entire face was purple now. Taylor leaned forward. Her dark eyes seemed brighter than usual as
she glared at me. Her hands gripped the counter to keep her balance. “I do not love you. And we do not have a baby. We didn’t even have sex!”

  “Ah, but you’re not denying that you think I’m sexy.”

  Her mouth dropped open, and I thought she was going to yell at me again. Instead, she covered her face with both hands and laughed. A loud, uncontrollable laugh that was both deep and squeaky at the same time, weird as it was. Weirder was the fact that I liked the sound. It made me smile.

  She laughed so hard that tears streamed down her face and she was practically gasping for breath. Alarmed, I half stood up and reached for her, but Taylor just brushed me off and grabbed napkins to wipe her face. I couldn’t help smiling a bit as I watched her. She was so different from all the other girls I dated. Fresh-faced, simple, girl-next-door.

  I waited until she drank more of her orange juice and swallowed before continuing. No need for her to shower me with orange juice and spit. “Okay, now that I know you’re not going to die from my one-liners, can you explain?”

  “Well, it’s a fact that everyone knows that we were together the other night. Even though nothing happened,” Taylor quickly said when I opened my mouth with another pun about one-night stands. “Nobody’s going to believe us. So to save our reputations, I thought we could pretend that we’ve been dating all along. That way they won’t think there’s anything wrong with the fact that we were together at the party and that night.”

  “Reputations? Seriously? Are we in the eighteen hundreds? Did my time machine finally work?”

  To my surprise, she picked up a couple of stapled pages that I hadn’t noticed on the counter and handed them to me. “Everything’s listed here, so it’ll be easier if you would just read it.”

  I flipped through the pages with wide eyes. There were freaking five typed pages. I repeat, five pages. She was kidding, right? What the hell did she need to talk about for this long? “You’re very thorough.”