Second to No One

by Palmer, Natalie

  I was surprised that she cared, but I just rolled my eyes and said, “What else will I do on Friday nights? Drew is with Bryce, Trace is with his girlfriend, and Lauren and Jess are doing…whatever it is they do on Friday nights.”

  “Wait, Trace? Isn’t he the guy you crushed on forever in eighth grade?”

  “How do you know so much about me when I swear we never used to talk?”

  Bridgett shrugged a shoulder and stuffed an apple slice in her mouth, “I know more than you think. So what about this Trace guy? Are you bummed that he has a girlfriend?”

  “No, he was fun to hang out with but I’m happy he’s dating someone. He deserves to be with someone he likes.”

  “And what about Jess and Lauren, are they official now?”

  “They act like it. But Lauren usually goes quiet whenever I see her at school, so I don’t really know.”

  “When is your punishment over?”

  “Technically in two weeks, but I think I’ll just keep using it as an excuse for when I have no life.”

  “I have an idea.” Bridget’s eyes lit up. “I’m going on a date on New Year’s Eve with a guy from Highlands that’s in one of my online classes. He has a little brother in high school. I’ll see if he wants to be your date and we can double.”

  The thought of it gave me a headache. “Let me get this straight. You want me to go on a date on New Year’s Eve with a guy I don’t even know who is the brother of a guy you met online? Could my life get more pathetic?”

  Bridget rolled the dice. “You need to meet the world outside of Jess, Lauren, and Drew. You need to discover new people and new things. Forget about all your drama for a while. Get a breath of fresh air. Start the new year with a new boy to think about.”

  It was actually tempting. After all, online class guy’s brother could be really cute. And then again, he could smell like BO. I plopped myself down at the table and fidgeted with the tiny toy monopoly houses. “I’ll make you a deal. I’ll go on a date with online boy’s brother if you give me Boardwalk and your ‘Get Out of Jail Free’ card.”

  Without thinking twice, Bridget handed me both cards. “Deal.”

  Jess called the next morning at nine o’clock. My mom had to wake me up, and when she handed me my phone, she said, “You’re still grounded for another two weeks, remember.”

  “I know,” I said, covering the phone receiver. “But this is for school. I promised Jess I’d help him.”

  My mom looked skeptical, but she only pointed at a pile of clothes on my floor and told me to clean my room before I went anywhere, and then she left the room.

  “Hello?” I said into the phone when she closed the door behind her.

  “Did I wake you up?”

  “Um, no.”

  “Liar.”

  “You’d sleep in too if you were a prisoner in your own house.”

  “So what’s the deal with this assisted living center?”

  I rubbed my hand over my eyes. “I’m doing my community service there. I have to do twenty hours after the Drake’s Peak incident. It’s not official or anything. But we still promised to do it.”

  “We, meaning you and Trace?”

  “Yep.”

  “Is he going to be there today?”

  “Nope.”

  “What time should I pick you up?”

  “We need to be there by eleven so maybe ten forty five?”

  “I’ll be there.”

  When we got to the assisted living center, Tag was waiting for us in the foyer dressed to the hilt in a brown three-piece suit and shiny leather shoes. The foyer was decorated for Christmas with a twinkling Christmas tree in one corner and fake garland hanging over a dark fireplace.

  “Hi, Tag,” I said as I approached him. I stooped down to where he was sitting. “You look fantastic. Are you ready for this?”

  Tag nodded confidently, “Sure am. And the cafeteria is full of about thirty others that want their picture taken as well. You were right,” he said, tapping the top of my hand. “You would have thought the Queen herself was coming the way all these old hags around here have been running around getting ready. Even Mrs. Stoneway, who I honestly thought was in a coma, rallied for the day.” Tag stole a glance at Jess, who was standing right behind me. “I’m glad you brought help. This could take a while.”

  “Oh, I’m just here to watch,” Jess said politely. “Gemma is the real photographer.”

  Tag looked Jess up and down. “Are you the boyfriend?”

  “Tag!” I playfully swiped his arm. “He’s my friend. His name is Jess. But where’s Mary? I should tell her I’m here. I don’t want to make any trouble.”

  “Oh, Mary knows all about it,” he said, waving a hand in front of my face. “She went all willy nilly when I first told her about it, but when she saw how excited we all were, she gave in. She’s hard as nails, that woman, but she’s mush in the middle.”

  We followed Tag to the cafeteria that was draped in more fake garland and paper cutout snowflakes. Against the far wall was another Christmas tree and an oversized chair. “That will be perfect,” I said, pointing to it. “We’ll take everyone’s picture in front of the tree.”

  Jess and I walked around shaking hands and giving holiday greetings to all the people waiting for us in the cafeteria. Most of them were in wheel chairs or hovering over their walkers. Tag was one of just a few people that could still walk freely. Everyone was dressed in their Sunday best with most of the men in suits and the women all in dresses and pantyhose.

  “Something’s missing,” I said, mostly to myself, then turning to Jess who was glued to my side, I said, “Do you have your cell phone?”

  He pulled it out. “Yep.”

  “Could you call Drew and ask her to come? Tell her to bring all the makeup she can find.”

  For the next three hours, the cafeteria was turned into an energetic photo studio. Everyone who wanted their photo taken was lined against the wall in folding chairs. While I took the pictures, Jess wrote down names and helped each person from their wheel chairs or walkers onto the oversized chair. While everyone waited, Drew went from one person to the next with a bucket of cosmetics, making each person look alive and at least fifteen years younger. It was amazing to see these people who a week ago had looked hopeless and half dead now look energized and happy and full of life.

  “I have to hand it to you,” Mary said as I began cleaning up the remains of our photo shoot. “I saw laughter coming from people who haven’t so much as smiled since they came here. I hardly recognized some of them.”

  “It wasn’t me,” I said as I carefully packed my camera into its case. “It’s the camera. I think there’s something about having their picture taken that makes people feel important.”

  Tag was suddenly behind me. “When are we going to see our pictures?”

  “I’ll print them tonight and drop them off tomorrow.”

  “Good,” Tag said gruffly. “I want to get my cards out by Monday.”

  “Well, you looked so handsome, Tag,” I said. “All your family and friends are going to be really impressed.”

  Tags eyes sparkled, and he handed me an envelope.

  “What’s this?”

  “Just a small pool from those who could pitch in to show our appreciation.”

  “Oh no,” I said, shaking my head. I tried handing the envelope back. “I can’t accept this.”

  “Actually, you can,” Mary said from behind the tree. “During the holidays, you can accept gifts from the residence. It’s impolite not to.”

  I shook my head once more. “But I’m volunteering,” I said. “I don’t want any money.”

  Tag looked hurt. “Just take it. Use what you need to print the pictures and give the rest to the homeless. I don’t care.” Before I co
uld refuse again, he scooted toward the door; then he turned once more and said, “You and your friends are good kids. Merry Christmas.”

  When Jess, Drew, and I got to our cars in the parking lot, I tried offering them the money. “No way,” Drew said. “I had way too much fun to get paid.” When I shoved it at Jess’s chest, he kept his hands wedged in his pockets and looked at me like I was crazy.

  “Well, what am I supposed to do with it? If I take it, the past three hours won’t count toward my community service.”

  “It’s Christmas,” Jess said while opening his passenger side door for me. “I’m sure you’ll find something to do with it.”

  We said good-bye to Drew; then Jess and I headed back to our neighborhood. As we drove through town, shopkeepers were turning on their Christmas lights, and smoke from some of the older home’s chimneys filled the air with the smell of winter. “I never thanked you,” I said still looking out the window, “for your project and what you said. I didn’t deserve it, not after the way I’ve been acting, but it was still really nice to hear it.”

  “I meant every word.”

  I took a deep breath. “I do want to be friends with you, Jess. You have to know that you mean the world to me.”

  Jess looked at me as though he honestly hadn’t been sure that was true.

  “I just keep trying to pretend that nothing happened between us. That last summer didn’t exist. But it always still does, and I have no idea how to act around you or what to say.”

  “Just say what you’re thinking.”

  My chest was heavy. That felt impossible. “I’m thinking that I’m hungry. You want to stop and get something to eat?” I held up the envelope. “It would be Tag’s treat.”

  “That sounds great.” Jess said, but I sensed hesitancy in his voice.

  “But…?”

  “The Christmas dance is tonight. I should probably head home and get ready.”

  The Christmas dance. I had completely forgotten about it. Why should I have remembered it? It wasn’t like I was going. It wasn’t like Jess wasn’t taking Lauren, and it wasn’t like they weren’t going to fall madly in love under the mistletoe and disco ball. “Oh right,” I said pretending not to care.

  “I’ll take a rain check though.”

  And I knew that shouldn’t have annoyed me, but it did. It annoyed me that I was second to Lauren. It annoyed me that I was the friend and she was the date, and I was put on the back burner as a rain check. “Sure, maybe,” I said flatly, and the rest of the drive home was thick with silence.

  When Jess pulled into my driveway, I grabbed my stuff and reached for the door handle. “Thanks for coming with me,” I said, glancing back at him over my shoulder. “Have fun at the dance.”

  “Hey, Gemma,” Jess said just before I closed the door behind me. His head was pitched forward with anticipation. “We’re okay, right?”

  I bit my lip and forced a smile. “We’re good.” I said it because good was all I could expect right now. Good was all I could hope for. Good friends was all I was going to get from Jess Tyler. I closed the passenger door and headed into my house. I dropped my bag on the couch and walked into my kitchen, and sitting at the counter talking to my mom was…Lauren.

  Chapter 14

  “Lauren,” I said while glancing out the kitchen window to see if there was any way she could have seen me and Jess together. I wasn’t sure why, but I felt like somehow we had been cheating on her. “What are you doing here?”

  Lauren seemed oblivious to everything around her. “Gemma,” she said desperately as she lunged toward me. “I’m so glad you’re here.”

  “What’s wrong?” My heart was pounding. I hadn’t even thought to invite Lauren to the photo shoot that afternoon, but if I was being honest, I loved not having her there.

  Lauren’s eyes filled up with tears, and it was obvious that it wasn’t the first time that day. “My mom promised that she’d go dress shopping with me this morning for the dance tonight, but her car needs a new battery, and now she can’t afford it.” She wiped at the tears with both palms of her hands. “I know it’s such a stupid thing to cry about, but the dance is in three hours, and I have nothing to wear.”

  I stepped forward and touched her arm. “It’s not stupid. Um…” I bit my lip and mentally scanned my closet for possible dance options. But since I had never been to a high school dance, the options were coming up blank.

  “Bridget might have a dress she can wear,” Mom offered.

  I looked Lauren up and down. “You’re taller than she is. But it’s worth a try.” I left Lauren with my mom and ran up the stairs to Bridget’s room. When I opened the door, she was sitting on her bed, reading a giant book about public speaking.

  “What’s up?” she said, laying the book on her lap.

  “You’re never going to guess who’s here,” I said in a quiet but urgent voice.

  She sat forward, intrigued. “Who is it?”

  “Lauren.”

  She slammed the book shut and smirked. “What’s that little boyfriend stealer doing here?”

  I closed the door behind me and stepped closer to Bridget’s bed. “She needs to borrow a dress for the dance tonight.”

  “The one she’s going to with Jess?” Bridget’s eyes narrowed, and her jaw was propped wide. “I can’t believe the audacity of that girl coming to you for help.”

  I took a deep breath. “Do you have something in your closet she can borrow? Can I check?” I pulled open her closet doors.

  “There is no way I’m going to let that snooty girl wear one of my dresses. Not after the way she talked to you in the parking lot. She’s got an ulterior motive here, Gemma. You have to see that.”

  “I need to stop telling you every detail of my life,” I said as I flipped through the dresses in the back right side of her closet. There was only one, and I could tell that it was going to be way too small for Lauren. “Do you only have one dance dress?” I asked flipping through the rest of her clothes.

  Bridget sank into her pillows. “I had a 4.0 the entire time I was in high school. I didn’t have a lot of time for boys.”

  “Okay, this isn’t going work.” I stepped away from the closet. “Think, Gemma, think.”

  “Why are you helping her? She’s been such a brat to you. She’s taking over your life, Gemma, and I don’t think it’s an accident.”

  “You’ve been watching too much Bachelor,” I said as I crammed my brain for more options. “I haven’t been that great of a friend to her either. This is the least I can do to make it up to her.”

  “Well, you’re a better person than me.” Bridget picked up her book again. “If it were me, I’d buy her a hideous dress that smelled like garlic.”

  “That’s it.” I reached into my back pocket and retrieved Tag’s envelope. “I’m going to buy her a dress.” Before Bridget could stop me, I darted out of her room and down the stairs. I grabbed Lauren by the hand and ordered her to come with me; then I dragged her out the front door. “Where’s your car?” I looked up and down our street. It hadn’t occurred to me before that I didn’t see it when Jess and I pulled up to my house.

  “I walked,” Lauren said sheepishly.

  “You walked? From your house? You live five miles from here.”

  “Well, I was so mad at my mom that I told her I was going for a walk. So I walked over to Drew’s, but she wasn’t home. So then I thought I’d walk to town just in case by some miracle someone would sell me a dress for the amount of money I had in my pocket, which was ten dollars. But once I got there, I realized that was just stupid. So I came here.” Lauren looked over her shoulder. “Can we just hurry and get in your car? I don’t want Jess to see me like this.”

  We got in my car, and I drove us back into town. When I told Lauren my idea about Tag’s money, she refused, bu
t I insisted, and by the time we got to the dress shop, she had relented. We found her a dress that was on sale. It was an eclectic mossy green color with weird lace around the edges. I thought it was disgusting when I first saw it, but it was the only one in our price range, and of course, when Lauren put it on, it looked amazing. After we bought it, I drove her home. “Hope you have fun tonight,” I said as Lauren pushed her way out the passenger side door. “Bye.”

  “Bye?” The same desperate look from earlier swept across her face. “Jess is going to be here in an hour. You have to come help me get ready. You can do my hair while I do my makeup.” She looked at the clock. “My mom’s at work. Please, Gemma, I need you.”

  I considered this carefully. Jess was going to be here in an hour, which meant I had to be out of there in less than an hour. There was no way I was going to be caught watching the two of them prance off together into the night.

  “Gemma,” Lauren pressed. “Please.”

  “Okay, okay,” I said, scurrying out of the car. I followed her inside and up to her room. While Lauren showered, I picked out a pair of shoes and some jewelry to go with the dress. While she dried her hair, I painted her toenails; and when she was putting on her makeup, I was curling her long, auburn hair into loose curls that fell flawlessly around her shoulders and back. When we were done with her, she looked like royalty. We still had two minutes to spare.

  “Okay,” I said, grabbing my purse off her bed. “I’m going to go.”

  “No, wait.” She reached for me across the room. “Please don’t leave. I don’t want to be alone when he comes.”

  My shoulders fell with the weight of her pleading eyes. I couldn’t stay. Seeing her and Jess together would be the worst thing I could possibly think of. “I really need to go, Lauren. My mom’s going to flip if I’m not home before dark.”

  “Thirty seconds.” She took hold of both of my hands. “Please don’t leave me alone.”

  I reluctantly dropped my purse back on her bed and plopped myself down beside it. “Okay,” I said, “thirty seconds.”

  Lauren looked pleased that she had won the battle. She turned back to her mirror to double check every last inch of her dress, hair, and make-up. “You were with Jess today, weren’t you?”