Chapter 16
After talking with Jaxon for the entire cast party and then resting Sunday, I feel better but I’m still so furious at Josh. When he casually comes up to me before school and tries to talk, all the pain and anger I’d been holding onto all weekend explodes, “have a good time at your party Saturday night? I had a great time at mine, thanks for asking Josh."
"What party? My parents had clients over for dinner Saturday night," he said.
"Excuse me, I have to go talk to my friends, you know, the ones who HAVEN’T stabbed me in the back repeatedly,” I say with barely suppressed fury.
“What the hell’s wrong with you now Kat? What’s going on? I was hoping we could talk today.”
He should have tried out for the senior play his acting surprised is spot on target.
“Us? Talk? No. No, I don’t see that happening. If you want to talk, why don’t you go talk with your giggly new BEDWARMER. She had LOADS to say to me Saturday night when I called your cell and she picked up.”
Instead of bursting into flames, his face goes pale white as a ghost.
“Kat wait, please, you don’t understand,” he said grabbing me by the arm.
I shake him off, “NO! YOU DON’T UNDERSTAND. I’M DONE! I DON’T WANT TO HEAR ANY MORE OF YOUR STUPID APOLOGIES. THEY DON’T MEAN ANYTHING. NOW LEAVE ME ALONE!”
I take off running into the school as fast as I can. Running away is good.
Through my mad all day, I start to notice people whispering behind their hands when I walk past and giving me weird looks in the hallways. By the time I get to lunch, I’m still burning, but Laurel is strangely subdued and is also the only one at the table.
“Hi, where is everyone today? I mean I figured the asshat wouldn’t be here, he’s not that stupid, but where are Jaxon and Player?” I ask her.
“Um, Eli is in the principal’s office and Jaxon went home early sick to his stomach again.”
“Player get busted breaking into the girl’s locker room with a camera or something?” I joke.
“NO! Eli wouldn’t do that. I mean, he…he got into a fight earlier…today, and was suspended from school for two days.”
“Holy crap Laurel! Two days? That’s serious. What happened?”
“This guy, a junior who was in the show and was at the cast party, he was saying something in 2nd period and wouldn’t shut up when Eli told him to stop. Then Zach overheard what the guy was saying, and Zach was at the party too, but this junior wouldn’t shut up so Eli and Zach, they both…they made him shut up.”
"WHAT? I can't believe they got into a fight like that. That doesn't sound like either of them. What happened?" I'm in total disbelief.
"It took two security guards and the teacher to break up the fight," she adds.
"What was the kid saying that got them so mad?"
Laurel starts to furiously chew on her thumbnail as if it’s is a fresh chocolate chip cookie from Mrs. Fields.
“Laurel, what the hell is going on? And I’m not in a mood for any of your stunts right now ok, just tell me what you know.”
She drops her thumb and gives me a sad look that makes me even more worried than I already was. Laurel NEVER looks sad. It goes against her bubbly upbeat nature.
“There’s a rumor going around the school about something that happened at the cast party Saturday night.”
“Annnnd? Spill it already. What’s the rumor?”
She is looking everywhere except at me until I grab her by the arms, “Laurel what is it?”
She takes a big deep breath before she said, “that you and Jaxon were hot and heavy at the cast party, that...you guys slept together, and that you went at it all night. You guys didn’t come out of the room for almost three hours.”
I don't remember leaving school early, but here I am at noon, sitting on the couch in my living room trying to figure out what the hell happened to my quiet life.
My phone chimes ping. ping. ping.
All three of them are texting me:
I'm sooooo sorry (Jaxon)
You ok? Where are you? (Laurel)
About time. Now if you want to know how it's done right, call me (Player)
I don't want to see another living soul but when the doorbell rings a half hour later, I get up to answer it out of habit.
"I was promised snacks," Player said pushing his way in heading straight to the kitchen.
Jaxon guides me, still zombie-like, back to the living room where I go stand by the window looking out at the oak tree and all its beautiful new green leaves starting to grow back.
"When I heard about Player and Zach, and then you went missing, I went back to school and found Player and Laurel right away and told them what really happened Saturday night," Jaxon said sitting on the couch looking up at me.
I shoot him a questioning look of surprise laced with fear. How much is everything?
He catches my drift and clarifies, "about what I told you."
"It's cool. Just means I now have zero competition at school," Player said flopping down with a huge bag of Doritos on the couch next to Jaxon, "but no staring at my junk dude, no matter how tempted you are."
"As if. I'd hit on Josh way before you," he said.
I can't help it. I start crying and can't stop these huge sobs that feel like someone's ripping them right out of my throat.
"Crap."
"Shit."
"Oh sweetie," Laurel said as they all jump up and race over to hug me at the same time.
That night I don't have much to say at dinner and it bothers my parents but they don't say anything. I haven't exactly been Miss Sociable the last month. Instead they talk to each other and quietly put food on my plate trying to get me to eat something.
"Carol called me today at work. She had to leave early to get Josh from school. Apparently he got suspended for two days for fighting with a senior. She wanted some advice about how to handle it," Mom said.
At school the next day I hear that it wasn't Josh's only fight, just the only one he got caught for. No one else said anything to me except Tiffani Sobhiani gives me a dirty look but that's nothing new. I do notice there are several guys around school sporting scratches, bruises on their faces, and two who have split lips. None of them will look me in the eye, and a few girls who give me small smiles of apology with little nods of their head.
Player, Zach, and Josh must have had a very busy day yesterday.
There's also a new rumor to occupy everyone.
Someone put a pair of girl’s white lace panties up on the cafeteria billboard stapled to a huge poster board that said, "Tiffani, you left these in the Prop Room. XOXO -- P."
Player did it on purpose to draw attention away from me.
What's another day of detention between friends?
I get through the next week still in zombie mode, but Laurel bullies me into a trip to the mall looking for a prom dress that I think is pointless because I'm not even sure I want to go. We head into this one shop pompously named SASS where a sales woman in her early 20s comes over to us. “Tell me you’re not shopping for prom night ladies because our inventory is really quite low you know.” Her slight British accent reminds me of Liam and I sigh a little louder than I meant to, which made Laurel jiggle my arm.
“We already have dresses, but I’m not sure my friend’s has that WOW! factor,” Laurel told her.
“Whatever that is,” I say almost rolling my eyes at her.
“Well, let’s see if we can find you some wow! What will your date be wearing? Are you color coordinating with his sash, tie, and kerchief?” she asks.
“I don’t have a date. I'm not going,” I tell her.
“I’m her date, and yes, she is going,” Laurel said giving me a firm look.
“You’ll make such a striking couple. SASS caters to all types of relationships,” she confides, “we just want everyone to look their best,” Saleslady said with a sugary sweet smile. Creepy.
“No, no we’re not a gay couple. Not that I wouldn
’t be into you if I was,” I assure Laurel.
“You bet your ass you would. I’m totally hot and in demand. You’d be waitlisted baby.”
No stopping the eye rolling this time. Laurel always knows how to help me kick a case of the blues; even one as bad this.
“But for the record, I was asked,” why do I feel compelled to keep telling people that; as if I have to justify it or something.
“She was asked three times. She turned them all down flat,” Laurel chimes in. She doesn't share that Jaxon and Player were the first ones who asked, and Liam did too, but before I could answer him he had to up and leave school when his Dad was transferred back overseas without notice. Before he left, he did tell me I was the first person who made him wish his Dad worked as a plumber instead of a diplomat. Laurel told me that was really something. Doesn’t feel like it.
“Impressive,” Creepy Saleslady said with admiration, “holding out for Mr. Right is always a sensible option,” she told me.
“It sounds more impressive than it is,” I explain.
“All three hunchbacks dear?”
“No. They're all really…nice. They just…didn’t quite…fit. And one was deported. So I probably can’t really count him anyway.”
I’m wistful and suddenly felt sadder. If that’s even possible.
Laurel notices and grabs my arm to pull me forward saying, “she has a Mom with a guilty conscience who forked over her credit card. We need some serious retail therapy pronto.”
“Buck up ladies. You are definitely in the proper shop. Maybe it’s not the third one that’s the charm, but the fourth. I have a few things we kept in the back. There's one in particular I’m thinking would look quite fetching with your dark hair and blue eyes. Definitely wow to spare, if you'll follow me please.”
And with that, I let Laurel drag me like a rag doll to the back of a high-end designer dress shop for some wow.