The Core Four Series

by Stacy Borel

  “Hadley.”

  I didn’t want to look up at him so I innocently took a bite of my hot dog. “Hmmm.”

  “I saw that.”

  I looked up and realized just how close he was standing. My eyes shot back to the food on the table. “Saw what?”

  “You looking at me.” I could hear amusement in his tone.

  “What are you talking about?” I needed to do something besides just sit here like a total weirdo. I started to clean up our table. My cheeks were flushed and I knew I was breathing harder.

  He bumped my shoulder with his hip. “You are so easy to get worked up.”

  I stopped what I was doing and looked forward. Gritting my teeth, I tried not to smile at his playfulness. I didn’t want him to get to me more than he already had. “You’re an ass.”

  “Oh, listen to you. Getting all feisty.”

  “Am not.” I need to get inside.

  He chuckled. “Hadley, go do your homework, or whatever it was that you were going to do to avoid me.” He leaned over me and took a wrapper out of my hand. The brushing of skin felt like it was sizzling. “I’ll clean up.”

  “Okay,” I whispered on a breath of air.

  I scooted a few inches away from him. If I had stood, I would have been against his body. “Thanks for the food.”

  “No problem.” I took a few steps to leave and he called after me, “I’m going to text you, and when I do, I expect an answer back.”

  My shoulders drooped. “Okay,” I squeaked.

  I tried to rush into the building as fast as I could but I was certain I’d heard a laugh coming from him before the door shut. My god, I was in trouble.

  Chapter Five

  I WAS GETTING READY for church on Easter Sunday, a tradition my family had had for as long as I can remember. I was excited because this year we were going together with the Brooks family and I was going to try to sit next to Wrigley. My mom was currently French braiding my hair and I was painting light pink nail polish on my fingernails. My mom had finally felt I was old enough to do it and not make a mess of it. I mentally rolled my eyes. I was in sixth grade for heaven’s sake. That was plenty old enough to paint my own nails. All the girls were doing it. Now if I could convince her I was ready to shave my legs. I’d think it was a miracle.

  “Sit still, Hadley, or I won’t be able to smooth out all of these bumps,” Mom scolded me.

  I painted my last nail and held my hands up to look at my work. Perfect! I think Wrigley will like them, especially when I tell him I did them by myself. They dried in no time, and I was ready to put on my dress. Mom and I had search high and low for this one. I wanted one I could twirl in. One that would make me feel like I princess.

  After sliding it over my head, I stood in front of my full length mirror and looked at myself. I had to admit, even I thought I was picture perfect. The nails, the hair, the dress… I was ready to finally tell Wrigley that I loved him. And not like I loved my cat, but loved him like I wanted to hold his hand on the playground. He was going to get one good look at me and wonder why he’d never noticed me before now.

  “Oh, Hadley, you look so cute.”

  “Beautiful, Mom. Cute is what little kids are. I’m beautiful.” I beamed at myself.

  She smiled at me. “Yes, you sure are.”

  I turned when I heard a whistle behind me. My dad was standing in the doorway looking at me. “Well, aren’t you a sight.”

  I loved it when my dad complimented me. He made me feel like I was the most special girl in the world. Which, next to my mom, I was since I was his only child. But still.

  “Thanks, Daddy. Have you seen me twirl?” I knew he had but he entertained me anyway.

  “No, I sure haven’t.”

  I twisted and started to spin around and around, my dress billowing in the air. It puffed out as the fabric caught the wind and the pink color of it shimmered in the light. I was grinning from ear to ear when I stopped and waited for his reaction.

  “Do you know you cute you are, Princess?”

  My mouth dropped and I frowned. “Beautiful.”

  My mom was now standing next to my dad and she nudged him. “Cute is for babies.”

  He cleared his throat, his mouth twitching from holding in a grin. “I stand corrected. Beautiful is most certainly what you are.”

  I beamed. “Thank you.”

  My parents continued to get ready while I stood in front of my mirror, alone in my room and practiced exactly what I was going to say to Wrigley. I said my words out loud like he was standing right in front of me. I didn’t go kissing my mirror or anything, but if he wanted to kiss my cheek, I’d be okay with that. Each time, I blushed, knowing that this was going to go exactly how I wanted and that smile of his would be for me. I was about to do another practice round when my parents called my name from downstairs. It was time to go.

  My heart started beating faster. When I got outside, both mom and dad were climbing into the car and waited expectantly on me. I stood there, perplexed, why weren’t we walking down to the Brooks’ residence? We were supposed to go together. I had planned how I was going to convince my dad to let me ride with Mrs. Brooks. The boys always sat in the same seat and there was always an open spot in the back by Wrigley.

  Opening the door, I slid as disappointment washed over me. “Are we driving down to the Brooks’ house?”

  “Hmmm?” My mom twisted in her seat to look back at me. “Oh no, Donna called this morning and said that she wasn’t feeling well. She invited us to come down later today for brunch if she’s feeling better.”

  “Wonder if she has that twenty-four-hour bug that has been going around.” My dad chimed in.

  “Possibly.”

  I sat in the backseat feeling so much disappointment I was beginning to get teary eyed. I had the perfect dress, I’d practiced what I was going to say, I was ready. Sure, I could tell him later if I got him alone at his house, but his house was always so full of people I didn’t think it would happen. Also, it would be weird if I showed up all decked out in my Easter dress when it was meant for church. Mom and I hadn’t bought an outfit for Easter day. I normally would put on my play clothes after church. Suck it up, Hadley. Make a new plan. The way I pep talked myself, you’d think I was preparing for war.

  Church had dragged. That was probably wrong of me to feel that way, but I struggled to hold still. I got a lot of compliments about my dress, which normally would please me, but I’d wanted a certain person to like it. Of course, I grumbled under my breath every time someone mentioned that I looked adorable or cute. How did people not know this was an insult?

  We were driving back home when Mom’s phone rang. “Hello? Yes. How are you feeling? That’s good. I’m sure it’ll be fine if you take it easy.” There was a brief pause. “Hadley and I will come down shortly. David is going to be working on the deck this afternoon and has to run to the hardware store, otherwise he’d join us. Would you like me to bring anything?” Silence. “Okay, sounds good. We will see you soon.”

  When she set her phone in her lap, Mom looked over at my dad. “Donna is feeling okay at the moment, so we will go down for maybe an hour. I’ll give her some help with cooking and I’ll bring you home a plate.”

  “Oh, make sure you toss on a couple extra deviled eggs, would ya? Donna’s are the best.” I could practically hear my dad’s stomach growling from back here.

  Mom slapped his arm. “I should be insulted by that.” She chortled, “But I love them too.”

  Dad chuckled. “No worries, Dear. Nobody beats your meatloaf.”

  The two talked back and forth until we pulled into the driveway. Neither had any clue that I was attempting to figure out how I would find time in an hour to say what I needed to say. Wrigley’s whole family and likely his grandparents and maybe some other neighborhood kids would be gathered at their house. The Brooks’ residence was always the place to be when there was a holiday or something going on.

  “Hadley, why don’t you go g
et changed and make sure you hang up your dress neatly in your closet please. I’d like to leave in ten minutes.” My mom instructed.

  “Okay.” I responded.

  Racing up the stairs, I changed into a pair of peach shorts, and a mint green tank top that had a ruffle around the collar. It was as dressy or nice as my play clothes were going to get. I looked at myself in the mirror and decided to pull my hair into a ponytail. The braids left my long locks wavy and bouncy. Adding a peach colored bow to the top made was perfect. I eyeballed my ballerina jewelry box on my dresser. I kept my roll-on shimmer gloss in there. I wondered if my mom would notice if I added a little bit of pink color to my lips. Besides, it smelled like strawberries and it tasted good.

  “Ready to go?” My mom called up to me.

  “Coming.”

  I raced down the steps, put on flip flops and grabbed juice box to suck down on the short walk. It was spring but it was already getting hot for Georgia. Being five houses down made for a quick walk. Mom rang the bell and Paul, Wrigley’s dad, answered the door.

  “Happy Easter to the both of you,” he said cheerfully.

  “Happy Easter,” I replied politely.

  My eyes immediately began scanning the entry and dining room that was to the left. Nobody was around, but I could hear voices coming from their kitchen. Sounded like there were several people here already. Great, I mentally grumbled.

  “Everyone is either out back or in the kitchen cooking. Did David come with, or will he be following behind?”

  My mom answered, “No, he had to take care of some things on the deck and this next week is so slammed for him at work, he had no other time to get it done. He said to say hello though and he will be here for poker night.”

  Paul smiled. “Always busy. Probably should have told him poker was cancelled.” He leaned in closely. “It’s really not but none of us can beat him. He takes all my money.”

  Mom laughed. “You just need to work on your poker face.”

  “Hilary is that you? Don’t let Paul hold you hostage at the front door. Paul leave that woman alone, she’s heard all your stories,” Donna called from the kitchen.

  My mom’s eyes grew wide and she playfully poked Paul. “No hostage situations. Better go help her or she will wear herself out before she can even begin to feel better.”

  “Truth.” Paul looked down at me. “Hadley, the boys are outside if you want to go out and say hi.”

  I blushed. “Okay, thank you.”

  My mom and I made our way through the house to the kitchen where there were platters of food spread across the island. I could smell the charcoal from the grill outside and hamburgers cooking. There was everything imaginable to eat. Jello salad, fruit trays, vegetable trays, chips and dip, cookies, scalloped potatoes, cooked ham was coming out of the oven, and deviled eggs. I was glued to my mom’s side like she was my last life line.

  “I’m so glad you could make it!” Donna exclaimed the moment she saw us. “Hadley, honey, you look darling with that bow.”

  I beamed, thankful that someone noticed. “Thank you, Mrs. Brooks.”

  “I’ve told you before.” She clucked her tongue. “You may call me Donna.”

  I nodded and tucked my face into my mom’s arm.

  “This smells amazing, but what can I help you with?” Mom asked. “Looks like you have a ton of help already.”

  I scowled when I looked at the table tucked in the breakfast nook and saw Claire sitting peeling potatoes. She had on her Easter dress still, but Mrs. Brooks must’ve given her an apron to keep it clean. Why was she even here? She couldn’t be here. Not when I was going to try to talk to Wrigley. I knew Claire had had a crush on him since forever, and if she were here to get his attention, I didn’t stand a chance against her. First, no church service with him and him seeing me in my dress, and now competition with Claire Monroe. It was clearly not my lucky day and I was starting to wonder if I should wait another day to talk to Wrigley.

  “Claire, thank you for peeling all of those potatoes. You did a great job.” Mrs. Brooks commended.

  It’s a potato. You can’t screw up peeling a potato. I thought to myself as I glared at her. She looked over at me and gave me a very catty smile. She knew she was being a suck up and getting in Wrigley’s mom’s good graces. It was making me upset. I tried to smooth my face and give her a pleasant smile in return but I had a feeling when my mouth attempted to turn up, it came out crooked and awkward.

  The back door slammed shut and it sounded like a heard of elephants trampling through the house. Three rambunctious boys came racing into the kitchen huffing and puffing. It was Dodger, Marvin; Dodger’s best friend, and Wrigley. My breath caught in my throat and I watched him with rapt attention. He was wearing a pair of black gym shorts that hung to his knees, a dark red t-shirt that read ‘Hang ten’ with a hand giving a shaka, and a black baseball cap that was pulled low over his eyes. His dark hair peeked out from the edges and flipped up around his ears. I let out a little sigh and couldn’t help how gorgeous I thought he was. He was tall for his age. Most of the ten year olds were still my height, but Wrigley hit a small growth spurt during winter time and he was two inches taller than most of the boys in our grade.

  He had yet to notice me as he walked over to the island and started to pick up a deviled egg. Donna caught him before he could touch it. She slapped his hand away.

  “No sir, have you even washed your hands yet?”

  “No ma’am.” He dropped his head but I could see his grin from under the brim of his hat.

  “Don’t be rude. I know I’ve taught you better than that. Our guests get to dish up first. Has your dad finished the burgers?”

  “Yes. He told us to come in and let you know it will be just a couple more minutes.” Dodger answered.

  “Okay, thank you.”

  My mom had moved to the opposite side of the island from where Wrigley was standing and she was laying out napkins and utensils and making sure there was plenty of lemonade and ice water to be served. You couldn’t pry me from her side as I watched Wrigley sneak a couple olives off a tray. Dodger’s friend, Marvin, giggled at him and did the same. Just as he popped one in his mouth, Wrigley looked over and saw me.

  “Hey, Hadley. I didn’t see you.”

  I felt my cheeks get warm and I looked down. “We just got here.”

  “Nice. After lunch we are playing tag if you want to. We are going to do teams of four.”

  “Okay.”

  I could hardly get any words out. They were stuck in my throat. I was disappointed that there was no special reaction from him like there was from his mom. He didn’t pause or stumble to speak when he saw me. There was no appreciation over the fact that I had tried to be beautiful for him. But then again, maybe he was only acting like it wasn’t a big deal because he was around his brother and Marvin. Boys did that all the time. I knew because my dad talked about it before. Boys, at this age, liked to be busy and other things were cooler than girls or school. They liked sports, playing outside, and video games. Now I understood.

  “Hey Wrigley.” Claire sidled up next to me as if to showboat herself. She looked at me out of the corner of her eye.

  Wrigley blinked. “Hi, Claire. I didn’t know you were here.” He nearly choked on a carrot stick.

  She batted her lashes at him. “My mom dropped me off. I’ll play tag with you, but only if I’m on your team.”

  “That’s cool.” He was trying to play it off like it wasn’t a big deal, but I could totally tell it was a big deal.

  I made a pathetic attempt to try and ignore the way he was looking at her, but failed. I had no clue that Wrigley liked Claire. I should have known better. All of the boys in our class liked her. She was one of the girls whose moms let them shave their legs, put on make-up, and nail polish whenever they wanted. She often wore clothes that were bought from Forever 21 instead of where I still shopped, Justice. Claire wasn’t any taller than me, but looked like a fifteen-year-old who’d just
stepped out of a Tiger Beat magazine. I was feeling completely inferior.

  There were about fifteen people gathering in the kitchen when Donna spoke. “Okay everyone, I’ll have Paul say grace, and then we can all load up on food. Thank you all for coming. I’m sorry I’m not feeling one-hundred percent, but, hopefully, the food still tastes great. Happy Easter!”

  There were a few Happy Easter’s exchanged and mumbled before Paul began his prayer. Lunch went by slowly. Instead of a formal sit down, we scattered throughout the first floor and outside to eat. Wrigley scarfed his food in the living room with two of his brothers but then he ran outside to keep playing. I had a brief moment of glory when Claire scowled at him for ignoring her in favor of going outside. She had stayed in the kitchen, stuck talking to one of the other neighborhood moms, during lunch. I was grateful for it. My mom chatted up Donna, and I stood at the island, quietly eating my food.

  I was working up the bravery to peel myself away from my mom’s side when Wrigley came in looking for me. “Hey, we are starting a new game of tag, you done eating?”

  It was just what I needed. It felt great that he’d come just for me. I set my plate down and gulped the last few drops of lemonade from my glass. My mom wasn’t paying any attention, so I stood up and said, “All finished. Whose team will I be on?”

  “Marvin’s.”

  Ugh, really? “What about Claire?” She went outside right before he came and got me.

  “She’s on my team.”

  We were walking outside and I was trying to resist slapping the back of his head for being so stupid. First of all, Claire Dunaway didn’t give a crap about tag. She cared more about the color of her lip gloss. Second, she sucked at tag. He was only letting her on his team because she was flirting with him.