The Good Girl's Guide to Being Bad

by O'Gorman, Cookie

  “What’s your name again?”

  “Sadie Day.”

  “Ooh!” Eric said, pointing a finger too close to my face. “Sister Sadie! The nun, right? How the hell are you, girl?”

  “Not bad,” I sighed.

  Colton laughed and pushed Eric’s finger away. “Alright, now that everyone’s acquainted, let’s go.”

  Eric whooped and jumped to his feet while Colton and I followed close behind. Once we were in the car, trailing Eric’s black SUV, it took us about 10 minutes to get to Principal Wexler’s house. We parked a street away, but as we walked closer, I could see the lights were off in the house. There were several trees in the front yard that would make it perfect to TP. The excitement was almost too much, and Colton turned to me, stopping me with a hand on my wrist.

  “Are you sure you want to do this?” he asked.

  I watched as the other boys continued toward the house, rolls of toilet paper in hand, then looked up to him.

  “Yeah,” I said, feeling how bright my eyes were, how my hands tingled. “I can’t explain it. Even though I know the principal is okay with it, it still feels like we’re doing something illegal. Not bad illegal but fun illegal, you know?”

  Colton snorted at that. “Fun illegal? I’ve never heard that before.”

  “Glad I amuse you. Now, can we go? I don’t want to miss it.”

  Colton nodded, and we joined the others. Decorating Principal Wexler’s front lawn was such a rush. As the toilet paper sailed from my fingers through the air, I couldn’t contain my smile. The other guys were having a great time as well, soundlessly jogging around, hefting the rolls up, letting them fly over and over again. Colton caught my eye at one point, his smile as wide as mine. And I could totally understand why the principal would let us do this. The paper was like streamers at a birthday party. The effect of all that white on the pitch-black backdrop of the sky was beautiful like art. We were done in few minutes, but it was fun and illicit and awesome. I felt the overwhelming need to thank Principal Wexler for giving me this moment that I would remember forever, so I scrawled a quick note and left it in his mailbox.

  Colton drove Eric home first and dropped me off last.

  “Did you have fun?” he asked as we parked outside my house.

  “The most fun,” I said back, still feeling the excitement running through my veins. “Is this how you feel all time?”

  “What do you mean?”

  “I feel so energized. So alive.”

  Colton grinned. “That’s what happens when you break the rules. Congratulations Sadie, you are officially woke.”

  “What are we doing tomorrow?” I asked.

  “I had a few ideas. I’ll come over early.”

  “Can’t wait,” I said then not thinking about it, just doing what I felt, I leaned over and kissed him on the cheek. “Thanks, Coach.”

  Colton stared back at me, his face unreadable. “No problem.”

  “I’ll see you later.”

  As I hopped out of the car, walked to the house, I saw that Mom’s light was still on, shining from her window. She’d stayed up like she promised, and I couldn’t wait to tell her everything. It had been the most exciting night of my life. I wanted to share it with her. Once I was in the house and had locked the door, I looked back, noticing Colton’s car was still there. He had waited for me to get inside before driving away.

  Yep, definitely the most exciting night of my life.

  When the doorbell rang at 7:15am the next day, I was surprised to find Kyle standing on my doorstep. He was carrying a box of Krispy Kreme doughnuts and an armful of DVDs.

  “Hey stranger,” I said sleepily, “where’ve you been?”

  Kyle put a hand on his hip. “I think I should be the one asking that question. My brother told me all about it, and I can’t believe you didn’t call me last night.”

  “Sorry,” I said unable to hold back a yawn.

  It was nearly 4:00am when Mom and I had finished talking—she’d listened to all the details of my night, and I’d enjoyed reliving every second of them. But after that, I’d crashed. Hard. I was still in my pajamas, for goodness sakes, and my hair gave new meaning to the term bedhead.

  “I didn’t know if you’d have time to talk after working so hard on your project.”

  “I can’t tell if you’re being sarcastic or not,” he said.

  “It was twenty percent sarcasm, eighty percent exhaustion. I’m going on less than four hours of sleep, Kyle. And besides school, I haven’t seen you almost all week.”

  “I know,” he said, holding up the doughnut box and DVDs. “And because I’ve been such a crappy BFF, I brought a peace offering.”

  I crossed my arms. “Those better be fresh.”

  He opened the box, and I got a whiff of sugary doughy goodness.

  “Was the light on when you got them?”

  “Bright red, and I got original glazed.”

  My favorite.

  “Okay, well what else do you have there?” I asked, mostly of curiosity. Kyle had me at “original glazed,” but I kept a straight face, wanting to see what he was planning. We used to have BFF days all the time, but with his project taking up so much of his time and me doing my list with Colton, we hadn’t had one in a while.

  “Dance movies,” he said as if it was obvious. “I know how you love a good dance movie, Sadie.”

  “What’s not to love? The sappy plots, the characters who never seem to see that they’re perfect for each other, the amazing final dance scene.” I could feel myself smiling. “There better be a lot of shirtless Channing Tatum in those movies.”

  “Oh, you know it,” he said.

  “Well, come on in then,” I said, and Kyle walked inside, making himself right at home.

  “Those diamonds look incredible in your ears by the way.”

  “Thanks, Kyle,” I said, glad that he’d noticed.

  We’d already started attacking the doughnuts, had just sat down and were about to put in our first movie when the doorbell rang again. With a shrug to Kyle and my second doughnut in hand, I made my way back to the door.

  This time it was Colton.

  “Hi,” I said in surprise. “What are you doing here?”

  “I told you I was coming early,” Colton said back, eyeing me up and down. I did the same to him. He hadn’t put in his piercings today, and though I knew he had to be as sleep deprived as I was, he looked fresh as a daisy in a plain white tee and jeans. How did guys do that? Colton’s lips twitched as he stared at my hair. “I’m guessing you forgot.”

  “I didn’t forget. I just got up.”

  “Obviously.” He was grinning now.

  I tried not to squirm under his appraisal but failed miserably.

  I went to run a hand through my hair but remembered the doughnut just in time. That’s all I needed, I thought, bits of frosting in my hair, the perfect accessory to complete my morning ensemble.

  “Looks like you already have some, but I brought breakfast,” Colton said, holding up a grocery bag. “Eggs, milk, flour, the whole nine. Everything you need to make pancakes is in here.”

  My throat closed up a bit. “Pancakes?”

  He nodded.

  “That’s on my list,” I said.

  “I know,” Colton said. “I don’t get why you’d want to make your own pancakes when you can buy a mix, but hey. If that’s what you want, Coach Colton is here to deliver.”

  When Dad used to live with us, he’d always made them from scratch each morning, and no mix could ever compare, I thought but didn’t say. I was still trying to get it through my brain. Colton Bishop brought me breakfast. The world must’ve turned upside down over night.

  “Hey, is Kyle here? I saw his car out front.”

  Before I could answer, Kyle was stepping past me, pulling Colton into a one-armed guy hug.

  “Colt,” Kyle said. “What brings you to the Day residence?”

  “I brought breakfast,” Colton repeated.

&n
bsp; “Me, too.” Kyle’s eyes narrowed, zeroing in on the bag in Colton’s hand. “So, let me get this straight. You got up before noon on a Saturday to bring Sadie breakfast?”

  There was an odd note to his voice.

  “Yeah,” Colton said. “Is that a problem?”

  Kyle shook his head. “I don’t know if it’s a problem or not, but you have to admit, it is freaking weird.”

  “It’s on my list, Kyle,” I said to clear up any confusion. “Making pancakes from scratch is #21.”

  Kyle still looked suspicious. Suspicious of what I wasn’t exactly sure, but I didn’t like the frown on his normally happy face.

  “He’s just being a good coach,” I added.

  Colton leaned over to his brother. “She means the best coach.”

  I rolled my eyes but smiled.

  “And now, she’s smiling at you,” Kyle sighed. “My God, what have I done? I feel like I’m on a different planet or something.”

  “I’m not smiling at him,” I retorted. “I’m smiling at the pancakes.”

  Colton leaned in again. “She was smiling at me. I’ve totally replaced you as Sadie’s favorite.”

  Kyle elbowed his brother in the stomach for that one, and Colton grunted out a laugh.

  “Hey man, I was kidding,” Colton said. “What were you guys doing before I got here?”

  “We were about to sit down and watch a bunch of highly underrated dance movies,” Kyle said, smiling at Colton’s grimace. “Did you want to watch, too?”

  “I don’t know,” Colton said. “Dance movies aren’t really my thing.”

  “You should stay,” I said.

  As both pairs of eyes flew to me, I realized how odd that sounded, coming from my mouth, directed at Colton. Honestly, I realized it even as I’d said the words but hadn’t been able to stop them.

  “After we make the pancakes, there’s going to be a ton of food. There’s still a bunch of doughnuts left,” I rambled on. “Kyle and I couldn’t possibly eat all that. And even when Mom wakes up, she doesn’t like eating a lot for breakfast. So…like I said, you should stay, Colton. If you want.”

  Kyle was looking at me like I was nuts. Colton looked like he was trying not to laugh. And I felt my cheeks begin to redden as I stood there.

  “I’ll stay,” Colton said. “Thanks for the invite, Sadie.”

  Once he had walked past us into the house, I turned to Kyle, who was still staring at me with a what-the-heck-was-that expression.

  “Hey,” I said, patting him on the arm. “There’s enough room for doughnuts and pancakes in my life, Kyle. Stop looking so stressed.”

  “Sadie, we talked about this,” he said. “I don’t want to see you get hurt.”

  “I won’t.”

  “Colt’s just doing this for the bet. You get that right?”

  “Yes, and I’m just doing it for my list,” I said. “It’s no big deal. We used to hang out all the time as kids anyway before Colton got too cool for school. Although, he didn’t seem to like it much when I was around.”

  Kyle laughed. “He didn’t like it because I hogged all your attention.”

  “Oh whatever,” I scoffed.

  “It’s true,” he said. “Colt would probably kill me for telling you though.”

  That made literally no sense whatsoever. Kyle was so off base, and I was about to tell him that when Colton reappeared in the doorway.

  “Are you two coming or am I making these pancakes alone?” he said.

  And with that, the three of us went inside, and I learned how to make my very first batch of pancakes. They turned out well—not as good as my dad’s, but not too shabby. When Mom woke up, she even ate a couple. Kyle and I were in a Channing-induced coma of love while Colton scoffed and grumbled under his breath. We’d watched Step Up, Step Up 2: The Streets and were currently watching the opening credits for Magic Mike when the doorbell rang for the third time today. I figured it was the postman dropping off a package for Mom until she called my name. Must be for me, I thought.

  Turned out it was for me.

  But it wasn’t a package.

  The first thing I noticed was the police officer’s uniform and how Mom stood so stiffly beside the door. The second thing was the cruiser parked at the curb.

  “What’s up, Mom?” I asked, coming to stand next to her.

  “This officer’s here to see you, baby,” she said.

  Her voice sounded strained, and I could completely understand why. When the cops came to your house, asking for your child, it was never a good thing. At least, it was never good in the movies or on TV. I had no real-life experience. Until now.

  “Me?” I asked. “Why would he want to see me?”

  “Are you Sadie Day?” the officer asked, and I realized it was the same man who had pulled me and Colton over that time for the lights.

  “Yes, sir,” I said. “And I remember you. Officer Hilliard, right?”

  “That’s right.”

  “Nice to see you again,” I said without thinking. “Just so you know, I haven’t forgotten to turn on my lights at night. Not once.”

  “Good to hear, Miss Day. Good to hear,” he said then got to the real reason for his visit. “I’m here because I received a call from a Stanley Wexler about someone TPing his front yard last night. Would you happen to know anything about that?”

  “Yes,” I said. “I was there.”

  Kyle came over at that point and stood behind me.

  “What’s going on? Everything alright?” Kyle asked.

  Officer Hilliard squinted, examining Kyle closely. “Colton Bishop, is that you? Good Lord, I should’ve known you’d be involved in this.”

  Colton walked over then, standing on my other side.

  “Nope, that’s my brother, Kyle,” Colton said, and despite the circumstances, he seemed relaxed. “How’s it hanging, Hilliard? Are you keeping criminals and truants off the streets?”

  “You have a twin,” Officer Hilliard muttered, shaking his head, looking from Colton to Kyle and back again. “Damn, the resemblance is uncanny.”

  “It really is,” my mom said. “I’ve known them since they were little kids and still have trouble telling the two apart.”

  “Don’t feel bad, Mrs. Day,” Kyle patted her shoulder. “Even our mom has that problem sometimes.”

  “Yeah, only seven days out of the week,” Colton mumbled then lifted his chin toward the officer. “What brings you here anyway, Hilliard?”

  “Somebody TP’d Wexler’s house again last night. Know anything about that, Colton?”

  “I might,” he said. “Or I might not. That still doesn’t answer why you’re here. Sounds like you don’t know who did it.”

  “Oh, I know who did it,” Officer Hilliard said.

  “How? Did someone see something?”

  Officer Hilliard shook his head, a smile playing on his lips. “Nope. Miss Day, here, left a note.”

  “A what?”

  Colton’s eyes widened as Officer Hilliard flashed us the note I’d left in the principal’s mailbox last night.

  “‘Dear Principal Wexler,’” Kyle read aloud. “‘Thank you so much for allowing us to TP your house. I’ve always wanted to be a part of a prank, and I had a wonderful time. If you need help cleaning up, please let me know.’”

  Colton groaned as Kyle laughed and kept reading.

  “‘I wouldn’t feel right if I didn’t at least offer. You are the best. Sincerely, Sadie Day.’”

  When he finished, Kyle turned to me with a grin and said, “Nice penmanship.”

  I rolled my eyes. Yes, I’d included a smiley-face at the end, but only the one. That was progress, right?

  “You left a note?” Colton asked in disbelief, turning to me.

  “Yeah,” I said as he closed his eyes. “What? I wanted Principal Wexler to know how much fun we had. Was that wrong?”

  Officer Hilliard still had that amused look on his face. “Were you aware, Miss Day, that the fine for littering i
n the state of North Carolina is anywhere between $250 and $1,000?”

  “No,” I breathed. Holy smokes, that was a lot of cash.

  “I didn’t think so,” he said. “No property was damaged, but the TPing is bad enough. Lucky for you all, Wexler has a good sense of humor.”

  “But I thought Principal Wexler said it was okay, that he allowed it.”

  The officer gave me a pitying look. “He’d have to be a saint to allow something like that.”

  “Colton?” I turned to him, a pit of dread opening in my stomach as I saw his dire expression. The implications of my actions were just starting to hit, and I had a feeling I already knew the answer to my next question. “He said it was okay, right?”

  Colton just shook his head. “I can’t believe you left a note. Who does that?”

  “Oh my God,” I gasped in horror. That meant I’d committed a crime, an actual real crime. I was a criminal. The cops had come to my house, were at our door, and I was having a hard time not freaking out. Kyle put an arm around my shoulders to offer his support, but I hardly felt it.

  “Baby, calm down,” Mom said, seeing my distress. “It’ll be okay. What happens now, Officer?”

  Colton stepped in front of me before he could answer and said, “I’ll pay the fine, Hilliard. Whatever it is I’ll pay. It was my fault, not Sadie’s. She didn’t know all the details.”

  “I gathered that,” Officer Hilliard said blandly.

  “But I wanted to do the prank,” I said. I was still miffed at Colton for lying, for withholding vital info, but I’d been just as much a part of last night as he was.

  “But I tricked you into it, so it’s my fault,” Colton insisted.

  “No,” I said, “I was the one who told you I wanted to do a prank, so I’m guilty, too.”

  Colton shot me a glare. “I’m trying to do the right thing here, Sadie.”

  I glared right back. “I don’t need you to stand up for me.”

  “Well, I am anyway,” he said and turned back to the officer. “Tell me what the fine is, and I’ll pay it.”

  Officer Hilliard seemed like he wanted to laugh but was trying to keep it professional.

  “Well Colton,” he said, “as much as I enjoyed that, it looks like there’s no need for your heroics. Wexler’s decided not to press any charges. Like I said, the man was amused by that note. He would like to take Miss Day up on her offer to clean his lawn though.”