Ellie sat on the front porch, her knees pulled up inside her ski jacket, trying to keep her body warm. Nan had said the boys would be there by five. It was now a quarter after, and they hadn’t shown up yet. Maybe Nan got it wrong. Maybe they didn’t want her to go to the game with them. Maybe it was all a big joke.
She looked down at her feet. Earlier she had polished the left toe cap of her heavy black boot with a black magic marker she found in a kitchen drawer, and she was quite pleased with her handiwork until she looked at the other foot and realized she should have done the same to it. In retrospect, it would have been easier to leave it alone, but her boots were looking rather worn and she didn’t want to appear like someone who couldn’t afford new ones, even if it were true.
“If we stay here,” she told herself, “I’m going to have to get a part-time job to pay for some new clothes.”
She was thanking her lucky stars she had remembered to pack her black skinny jeans. They had been getting a little tight so she almost left them behind, but she thought she looked hot in them, and thankfully she managed she squeeze herself in one more time.
“I hope Tom likes them,” she said. “I hope Tom likes me.”
Tom was the reason it had taken her ten minutes to pick out a top. The choice between sexy or warm was not normally a brain drainer, but it was freezing out today. She eventually caved into the weather and threw on her favorite bulky black sweater. Picking out earrings to go with the outfit had not been any easier. Not if you have as many holes in your ears as she did. She finally settled on two silver hoops. The other holes would just have to be naked tonight.
The day had gone by slowly, as she had spent most of it alone on the front porch, imaging how the evening would unfold. Ryan would be conveniently playing ball on the field and she would have Tom all alone in the bleachers. As alone as you could be at a high school football game. The other girls would be staring at her of course, but with looks of envy rather than looks of “who the hell are you?” It would be chilly, and Tom would put his arms around her. Then after the game they would ditch Ryan and go somewhere. Just the two of them. They’d share a passionate kiss under the moonlight, and there might even be a thundercloud when it happened because the world would be so damn jealous.
“No sign of them yet?” Helena asked, peeking through the door.
Ellie shook her head.
“Hang in there. It’s not like Ryan to be late,” she comforted. “You mother and I will be walking over to the game a bit later, if they don’t come by. Not that they won’t,” she added quickly.
“You and Mom are coming?” she asked, trying to hide the disappointment in her voice. They had not been a part of her perfect date scenario.
“She doesn’t know it yet, but yes,” she said. “Don’t worry, we’ll sit down in front with the rest of the parents. You won’t even know we’re there. It’ll do Helen some good to get out of the house. It will do us all good.” She watched as her granddaughter’s face turned pensive. “What’s wrong, Ellie? Is it something I can help you with? I’m sorry about this morning.”
“That’s okay, it’s not you. Or Mom. I’m just feeling a little lost, that’s all.”
“Lost as in I’m fifteen? Or lost as in I’m someplace new?”
“Can you read my mind?”
Helena laughed. “No. My talents lie in another direction."
“I was kidding, Nan."
If only she knew, Helena thought. “You’ll never be fifteen again, Ellie. Don’t be too hard on yourself. They’ll show up.”
“Maybe Ryan didn’t really mean it,” Ellie said glumly. “Why would they want to be nice to me? They hate me. They call me “Goth-Chic.”
“Goth-Chic?” Helena smiled. “It could be worse. Your mother’s nickname when she was your age was Pumpkin Butt.”
The unmistakable sound of Ryan’s car coming around the corner interrupted their conversation.
“See, there you go,” Helena said, “that noise you hear is your finely tuned limousine approaching. Apparently Ryan never made it to class on time.”
“They’re coming?” Ellie squealed, as all the insecurities that were weighing heavy on her mind suddenly vanished.
“I’ll leave you alone to enjoy the moment,” Helena said, heading back inside. “Have fun. We’ll see you later, Goth-Chic.”
Ellie forced a weak smile. Maybe the nickname wasn’t so bad.
“Black Chic!” Ryan yelled through the open window, as the Toyota squealed up to the curb. “Hurry up. Tom took too long trying to be perfect. We’re going to be late if we don’t move it.”
“Excuse me?” Ellie questioned.
“Try again, Lachey,” Tom said from the backseat. “He hasn’t thought that nickname through, Ellie. I’ll explain it to him later.”
“Well, she didn’t want us calling her Goth-Chic,” Ryan shrugged. “She’s always in black. That’s all I meant. I am a man of irony. I’ll just call her GC. Come on up front with me, GC.”
Sitting in the front with Ryan was not what Ellie had been thinking about all afternoon. She was hoping that Tom would come to her rescue and insist she sit in the back with him.
“GC is too much like Jacey,” Tom said. “We can’t have two Jacey’s. I’ll go mental. Ow! Watch where you’re elbowing me.”
Ellie looked at Tom and then at Ryan. Ryan’s hands were firmly on the steering wheel. He couldn’t have elbowed Tom even if he had wanted to.
“Erm, and wot is wrong with the name Jacey?” a new voice said.
“No, no, no,” Ellie said to herself. There couldn’t be a female voice in the car. There couldn’t be a female with a perfect little British accent, sitting in the back with Tom. Her Tom. Nan hadn’t mentioned anything about a girl. Nan had mentioned some other guy, “J.C.” somebody or other.
“Right,” the voice said. “So this is the new girl you’ve been talking about.” The girl reached around Tom, and looked out the window at Ellie. “Hello, El,” she said, her voice sounding softer and sexier than Ellie had ever heard someone her age sound. Not that Ellie spent a lot of time thinking about the sexiness of a female voice. She did however, spend a lot of time sizing up her competition when necessary. This would be one of those times.
“I’m Jacey Sumner. It's nice to meet you. I’m getting rather tired of having to keep these two in line all by myself,” she smiled. The perfect little smile. The perfect little smile to go with her perfect blonde hair.
Ellie wanted to rip her perfect little face off.
“Would you be more comfy sitting back here with me?” she asked. “Tom, go sit in the front with Ryan.”
Was she out of her perfect little mind? Apparently not. Apparently she had Tom wrapped around her perfect little thumb. He was already half way out of the car.
“You know, it’s really okay,” Ellie insisted, her stomach knotting the whole time, “I can get in the front with Ryan. It’s no big deal.”
Tom didn’t help. With what could only be described as an awkward expression of chivalry he held the rear door open for Ellie. It would have almost been romantic if she hadn’t almost wanted to throw up. Her dream boy, was holding the car door open so she could sit beside what could only be described as his dream girl.
“Get in the car, Ellie,” he said. He sounded eerily like her mom. She walked around to the front passenger side of the car and got in beside Ryan instead. Tom shrugged and went back to his original spot.
“Are we done with the musical chairs?” Ryan demanded. “I’m going to be late for the game.” He threw the car into gear and hit the accelerator. His three passengers immediately fastened their seatbelts as he took the corner a little too fast.
“If I look straight ahead,” Ellie thought to herself, “I’ll get a last glimpse of life if we crash, and better yet, I’m not going to have to look at her.”
Jacey leaned forward and tapped her on the shoulder, forcing Ellie to turn around. Some people just didn’t pull their lap belts tight enough.
“E
rm, I was just wondering,” Jacey began, “if you are a devil worshiper. Because you’re really, really pretty, but really… I can’t put my finger on it.” She gazed at Ellie intently.
Tom and Ryan burst out laughing.
“I was just wondering,” Ellie began, “if you were a cheerleader. Because you’re really, really pretty, but your rah-rahs are really...I can’t put my finger on it.” Ellie turned her head away from Jacey.
“Chic fight!” Ryan said delightedly.
“Sorry, El,” Jacey tried to explain, “I didn’t mean to tick you off. It’s just that there were some boys from Manchester, where I’m from, who were into that sort of thing and they turned out to be very scary lads. That’s all. Not that you’re scary. You’re not. I think really fit.”
If this girl could put her foot any further into her own mouth, she’d be choking, Ellie thought. “Look, for the record, I’m not a devil worshipper. I’m not a worshipper at all.”
Jacey sat back in her seat, playing with the cross that hung from her necklace. The five-minute drive to the high school suddenly became very, very quiet.
“This is it, Goth-Chic.” Ryan finally declared, as they arrived at the school. “All you need to know about this place is there is one kick-ass football team here. Look around. Do you see this many people here on a regular school day? No. I rest my case.”
The parking lot was already full but that didn’t pose too much of a problem for Ryan, as he calmly pulled the Toyota up beside the garbage dumpster. “Reserved parking,” he said, as he got out, moved the dumpster onto the lawn single handedly, returned to the car and parked it where the dumpster had been. “Works every time,” he said with a smirk.
“Just once I’d like to get here early and smell, oh, I don’t know, fresh air?” Jacey complained as they all got out of the Toyota.
“I’ll catch ya all later,” Ryan said, ignoring her. “You just look for the guy making all the plays, Goth-Chic. That’ll be me. Number 12. The last of the dozen.”
Ellie started to roll her eyes.
“Easy, Goth-Chic,” Tom assured her. “The scary part is he really will be guy making all the plays. He’s a demon on the field.”
The bleachers were almost full by the time the three spectators wished Ryan a good game and headed for their seats. Ellie saw empty spots in the first row, but as she turned towards them Jacey gave her sweater a tug from behind.
“It’s kind of like church, El,” Jacey explained. “We want to sit at the back. The front rows are where the parents sit.” She started up the stairs with Tom following, puppy-dog like, behind her.
“How about there?” Ellie asked, pointing to empty seats beside another girl who was also dressed in black from head to toe. Thank God there was at least one other girl in Troy that didn’t look like she had stepped out of a photo shoot for Prom Queens-R-Us.
“Erm, no. Let’s keep on going, shall we?” Jacey replied, dragging Tom by the hand. “I see some empty seats up at the back.”
Ellie reluctantly followed as Jacey found a spot big enough for two and a half people. True, it was the only other available spot, but Ellie already knew how this was going to play out. Jacey would be forced to cuddle with Tom, or even worse, sit on his lap, and there wasn’t a whole lot she could do about it. This night was beginning to really suck.
“Why can’t we sit down there with that other girl?” Ellie asked Tom.
“Tara and Jacey. They don’t really get along,” he whispered to Ellie. “They’ve got this love-hate thing going. Tonight it’s hate. I’ll tell you about it some time.”
“Is there a problem?” Jacey asked, sitting down on the metal bench.
Tom slunk beside Jacey and patted the seat beside him, motioning for Ellie to sit down. “Not when I’m sitting with the hottest girls in town,” he said, putting his arms around both of them.
Jacey grinned.
Ellie wanted to die.
Football was not her thing to begin with. To her, it was right up there with golf under the Jeopardy category “stupid games you play in the rain.” So to divert her attention away from Jacey, and unbelievably from Tom, she turned and studied the crowd.
Ryan had been right about the turnout. It looked like half of the town had shown up to watch the game, if her quick math count had been right. Either there wasn’t much else to do in Troy on a Friday night, or football was a really big deal here.
“Is it always this crowded?” she asked.
“They’re on a winning streak,” Tom told her. “As long as that continues, everybody will show up no matter how cold it gets. Everyone loves a winner, and I don’t think these guys are planning on loosing anytime soon.”
“Unfortunately,” Jacey sighed. “You might want to bring a blanket next time, El. And ask for some hand warmers for Christmas. It’ll be spring before the season is over and we get our Friday nights back.”
“Weather is part of the game,” Tom insisted.
Ellie saw Helena and her mom arriving at the field. Helen would never have gone to a football game at her old school, she knew. She wondered what secret power Helena had over her to get her mom to do things she didn’t enjoy.
“Look,” Tom noticed, “the Helens have shown up.” He watched as the LaRose women took the empty seats down front. “It’s like your Nan has season tickets. She always sits at the 30 yard line.”
“Really?” Ellie pondered as the teams took to the field. She was learning something new about her grandmother every day.
A minute later the starting whistle blew, sending a hush over the crowd. Troy had won the coin toss, and elected to receive. Ellie saw Ryan taking his position. He was a linebacker. She knew that much.
“Did you hear about the girl that’s missing?” Jacey asked innocently.
“Ellie wouldn’t know her,” Tom reminded Jacey, momentarily letting Ellie off the hook. “My Dad said there might be a town-wide search tomorrow. Do you want to come if there is one?”
“Erm, I don’t know,” Jacey hesitated. “I’ll think about it.”
“What about you, Ellie?” Tom asked. “Are you up for a little search and rescue?”
“Maybe,” Ellie offered up. Her head was beginning to pound. She wished they’d get off the subject. She was trying as hard as she could to get the image of the little girl out of her head, not in it. She turned her attention back to the game. Ryan, she couldn’t help but notice, was pretty agile for his size. That surprised her.
She wasn’t the only one noticing him. She could see a man in the front row videotaping his every move. She watched as his camera followed Ryan up and down the field.
“What’s going on?” she asked Tom, pointing to the videographer.
“Scout,” Tom replied. “Ryan’s up for a ticket out of town.”
“That’s pretty cool,” she said. She could hear the tone of the crowd change as the other team took possession of the ball.
“Get ‘em,” Tom screamed, following the play. “Run, Lachey run. Yeeeee.....sss!” He threw his arms into the air, accidentally smacking Ellie across the head. “Sacked!”
“Ow!”
“Sorry, Ellie,” Tom apologized. “I got a little carried away.”
“You should see him when there’s a touchdown,” Jacey laughed. “He does a little thing with his booty.”
“You know,” Ellie said, thinking this might be a good time for the third-wheel to bail. “As much as I would love to see him do that, I think he’s going to need a little more room, so I’m going to move.” She grabbed her purse and stood up. “I’ll catch up with you guys later.”
“Don’t go, Ellie.”
It had been Jacey who said that, not Tom, Ellie noted with disappointment.
“It’s okay. I’ll meet you by the car after the game,” Ellie tried to say like it was no big deal. She glanced around and noticed that a seat beside that other girl, Tara, was still unoccupied. She gave Tom and Jacey a half-hearted adios wave as she turned into the aisle.
“To
m, you hurt her feelings. Go after her and apologize,” Jacey said.
“Let her go,” Tom said, putting his arm around Jacey.
She removed his arm from her shoulder. She had a pretty good idea where Ellie was going. “Tom Williams, look what you have done. You’ve forced her to go to the dark side.”
Ellie made her way down the rows until she reached the seat beside the girl Jacey apparently hated. She was lucky to find that it was still unoccupied.
“Do you mind?” Ellie asked politely.
“Actually, I do,” the girl snipped.
“Sorry?” Ellie queried in disbelief.
“Yes, you are,” the girl said.
“Do you have an issue with me or something?” Ellie prodded. “I mean the seat is empty, and I thought, judged on your clothing, that maybe we’d have something in common. I almost bought that jacket at the Undercurrent. That’s such a hot store, don’t you think?”
The girl glared at her. “Oh, we have issues all right. Lay off my boyfriend, for starters.”
“Your boyfriend?”
“Ryan Lachey. The football star. He’s mine.”
The picture started to become clearer for Ellie. “Um, okay...I’m not quite sure how we got off to a bad start, but I’m willing to try again. My name is Ellie LaRose. I’m Ryan’s next door neighbor. That’s all. He gave me a ride over here tonight because I’m new, and I don’t know my way around.”
“I know your type,” the girl snarled. “You know your way around better than anyone.”
“Excuse me?”
“There is no excuse for you.”
“Okay, then...” Ellie said, moving away from the girl. She now had something in common with Jacey. She didn’t want to sit with this girl either.
Ellie weighed her options. She could go back up with Tom and Jaceyno option there as far as she was concernedor she could admit defeat and go sit with the Helens. That made her head hurt even more.
“At the risk of being branded a dork for life,” she thought to herself, “I think I’ll just say I have a stomach ache and call it a night.” She made her way over to where her mother was sitting. “Mom,” she said, her back to the field, “I think I’m coming down with something, I’m going to head back to the house.”
“Do you remember how to get there?” Helen asked.
Before Ellie had a chance to answer, a shock wave went through the crowd, and the fans were suddenly on their feet.
“Did you see that?” Helena asked. “That goon hit Ryan, and he didn’t even have the ball.”
Ellie turned around. The home team had gathered around their fallen player.
“That’s going to hurt for a while,” Helena said. “He took it on the shoulder.”
“He’s a big boy," Helen said. “I’m sure he can take it.”
The crowd gave Ryan a standing ovation as he picked himself up. They could see he was holding his right shoulder as he walked over to the bench and had words with the coach. He left the field shortly thereafter.
Ryan would probably stay until the game ended, Ellie knew, but waiting alone by the car was the lesser of all evils at the moment. She wasn’t certain if she could find her way home herself or not. Nighttime was probably not the best time to try to find out.
She made her way outside to the garbage area and tied her scarf around her nose. It wasn’t so much the smell that made her do this. The night had gotten colder and the tip of her nose was beginning to go numb. She sat on the hood of the car and tried to call Dina, getting only her voicemail once again.
“Out of sight, out of mind, I guess,” Ellie said disappointedly, putting her phone back into her pocket.
Five minutes later, Ellie heard the big metal door of the school open. She turned and saw Ryan making his way over to the car. He actually looked happy to see her. “Can you drive, Goth?” Ryan asked, throwing her the keys.
“Yes,” Ellie lied.
“I think I’m okay, but I don’t know how long it’s going to take for the painkillers to kick in.” He tried to rotate his shoulder but had difficulty doing so. “It hurts so much I don’t even want to hang in to the end of the game.”
“How’d you get painkillers? You haven’t even seen a doctor.”
“No doctor tonight, Goth-Chic. He’s looking for his kid. I keep a few in my gym bag for just such an emergency.”
“What about Tom and Jacey? Maybe Tom can drive your car. I’ll go back and get them.”
“Tom is the worst driver in Troy. There’s no way I’d let him behind the wheel. And Jacey’s just learning to drive a stick.” He studied Ellie. “You really can’t drive, can you?” he asked, snatching the keys back from her hand.
“I can drive. Stick or auto. But the license is a bit of a technicality.”
“It’s okay to say that, Goth-Chic. I’ll still respect you in the morning.”
“Then...is it okay to point out that having taken painkillers, you probably shouldn’t drive either?”
“True enough. Maybe we could walk home together. You can make sure I don’t stumble into a ditch. Tom and Jacey will figure it out. I can pick up the car tomorrow.”
“But what about your girlfriend?” Ellie questioned hesitantly. “Shouldn’t you walk home with her?”
“What girlfriend?” Ryan laughed. “What are you so nervous about all of a sudden Goth-Chic?”
“This girl just totally dissed me when I went to sit with her. She made it rather clear that there would be a voodoo doll with my name on it if I even glanced in your direction.”
“What were you doing sitting with some freak? How come you didn’t sit with Tom and Jacey?”
“It’s complicated.”
Ryan laughed harder. “Jacey has a way of doing that. What’s wrong Goth? Have you got a thing for Tom?”
“No...” Ellie said. She could feel her face getting warm.
“You DO have a thing for Tom. I know the look. I’ve seen it a hundred times,” Ryan laughed. “You’re a blusher, GC.”
“Please don’t tell him,” Ellie begged.
“What’s it worth to you, Goth? Will you carry my gym bag for me? I can’t lift it with my shoulder the way it is. If you don’t tell anyone about that, I’ll keep quiet about your little high school sweetheart fantasies. Deal?”
“What’s wrong with your other arm?”
“I took that TV into your room for Helena. That’s a big bed you’ve got in there,” he teased. “Do you think about Tom when you’re lying there naked?”
Ellie grabbed his bag. “Deal. I’d also appreciate you calling off the Doberman with the short black hair and the nose ring.”
“Tara? Tara Wildman? Is that who you sat with? She’s not my girlfriend. Tara and I have an understanding that she doesn’t quite understand, is all.”
“You think?”
Ryan laughed. “See Goth, you’re picking the wrong guy. All the ladies, they go after Tom. They don’t see the potential in me. They probably will in a few years when I’m on Monday Night Football, but for now, I’ve got to coast. I take what I can get. I can get Tara. Life works in mysterious ways.”
“That’s not very nice,” Ellie replied, smacking his sore shoulder. “Your eventual superstardom does not give you the right to act like a pig for now.”
“Ow! Take it easy Goth. I hurt like a girl.”
“That’s probably the only no-bull thing you’ve said to me since we left the school,” Ellie noted. “There was some guy following you with a camera tonight. Is this injury going to ruin your scholarship chances?”
“I doubt it. I’ve got scouts coming out of my ass. And look at my ass, Goth. It’s a wide one. I’ll kill the fucker who did this to me next time we play. It was a cheap shot. I’m on a hit list.”
“Like a gang or something?”
“No. Like someone else wants my college scholarship.”
“My Nan could probably help you with your shoulder,” Ellie offered kindly.
Ryan turned and studied El
lie. He had known all the girls in his school most of his life, so it was nice to have someone new in town to talk to. Maybe that was part of the attraction. Ellie was someone who wouldn’t know about things he had done in the past, or not done in the past, and therefore wouldn’t judge him the way most of the other girls did. It seemed too good to be true.
“Why are you here, Goth?” Ryan asked, stopping in the street. “Why is a nice, hot, city-chic like you gracing us Troy-mongers with your presence? Are ya preggers?”
“You’ve got more in common with my mom than she thinks,” Ellie assessed. “Why does everyone assume I’m going to get pregnant? And why do they think Troy is the answer? Is there a condom factory here I don’t know about?” She shrugged. “I really don’t know why we’re here. My Mom just decided to leave her dead-beat boyfriend all of a sudden, so here we are.”
“Sorry to hear that,” Ryan offered. “I know what it’s like when people split up.” He cleared his throat uncomfortably.
“It’s okay. Sometimes ‘all of a sudden’ takes about five years too long. It was bound to happen. You sound like you’re talking from experience.”
Ryan didn’t answer.
“Okay, I’ll change the subject,” Ellie said diplomatically. “What kind of music do you like? Are you a rocker or are you into the whole gangsta-rap thing?”
“Both,” Ryan laughed. “But since we’re bonding here Goth, I’ll tell you something not even Tommy-boy knows. When I’m all alone, down in my basement...“
“Ryan...” she said nervously.
“I sing country.”
“What?” Ellie laughed. She tried to picture him in a Stetson hat and a blue denim shirt, with a guitar strung over his back. It somehow didn’t flow with the sweaty athlete image standing beside her.
“Maybe I’ll serenade you outside your window one night. I’ll sing you a hurtin’ song and I’ll steal your heart away.” He laughed and started back down the road. “There are lots of things we need to get to know about each other, Goth. Consider me a sheep in wolf‘s clothing.
“Don’t you have that backwards?”
“That’s for me to know, and you to find out,” he said, howling at the moon for effect.
Ellie stared at his face.
Goth,” Ryan stammered, “I was only joking around.”
“You don’t have two different colored eyes, do you?” she asked.
“What?”
“Never mind.”
Saturday...