with you.”
I strained to hear more, but suddenly, some superloud music started playing. I couldn’t hear a thing. But I’d heard enough. After a few more seconds, Gabe stood up and walked away. I never saw the girl. But I’d be damned if I wasn’t going to find out who she was.
First, I had a job to do, though. I crawled out, brushed my hands off, and met up with Johnny and Mar at the gym entrance. I pulled Mar to me and whispered, “I have to tell you something. Later.”
“Uh, Fiona?” Johnny said. “My buddy Noah is running the sound. He said that at eight-thirty, he’s supposed to stop the music. They’re going to bring up the lights so Principal Miller can make a speech or something. Might be a good time to do it. With the lights on. So people can see.”
“Ooooh, I like how you think, Johnny Mercer,” I said. I also realized that if we waited a bit, I’d have a chance to tell Mar about Gabe. I figured I should probably wash the hepatitis C off my hands, anyway, so I said, “I’m gonna run to the ladies’. Wanna come, Mar?” I didn’t really give her a choice, of course; I dragged her off by her elbow. We got to the bathroom and I checked around to see if anyone I gave a crap about was in there. Nobody was, so I said, “So guess what? Gabe is seeing someone.”
Marcie fluffed her hair in the mirror. “He is? How do you know?”
I got some soap and started washing my hands. In the fluorescent light of the bathroom, I could see they were 56 Kristin Walker
pretty nasty. So were the knees of my cargos. I kinda turned my back to Mar, but I think she might’ve noticed anyway. “I heard him talking to her,” I said.
“Who was it?” She pulled a lip gloss out of her pocket and started applying.
“I couldn’t quite see.”
Marcie raised her eyebrows at me in the mirror. “What do you mean, you couldn’t quite see?”
“I was sort of hiding.” I left out where.
Marcie turned and glared at me. “You were eavesdropping.”
“Yeah, so?”
She slapped the sink and looked at the ceiling. “Fiona. Dignity. Come on.” I could read the pity in her face. She was so above these sorts of machinations. She always had been. Proper, well-bred. But stable and comforting. Actually, those were some of the reasons I liked her. Probably because I was none of those things.
“You don’t have any idea who it is, do you?” I asked. Marcie turned back to the mirror. “What makes you think I know?”
“I bet Amanda knows. I wonder if it’s one of the cheerleaders. Do you think it could be Tessa Hathaway?”
“Tessa Hathaway? Her boyfriend started college this year. Do you really think she’s gonna drop him to go back to high school guys?”
“Maybe she’s lonely.”
“Let it go.”
“I’ve got to find out.”
CHAPTER 7
57
Marcie sighed. “Look, let’s get back out there. Johnny’s waiting for us.” She straightened the little black stones on her necklace. Checked her amethyst earrings.
“Yeah, okay.” I dried my hands and we left.
We found Johnny sitting on the bleachers across the gym. Mar and I sat on either side of him. His shoulders sloped as he scooted forward to the edge of the seat and looked at his watch. He said, “Twenty-seven minutes until the speech.”
“We’ve got some time to kill,” I said.
Marcie stood back up and adjusted the strap on her lavender tank top. “I’m going to get something to drink. You guys want anything?”
I shook my head. Johnny said, “No, thanks.”
“Okay. I’ll be back.” She walked off toward the corner of the gym where the snacks were.
“Don’t be late,” I called, kidding. But not.
Marcie fake-smiled over her shoulder. “I wouldn’t miss it for the world.” Then she disappeared into the crowd of dancers gyrating around the gym floor.
“She doesn’t seem too excited about this whole thing, does she?”
Johnny shrugged. “Not much.”
I took off my glasses and pulled my hand into my sleeve so I could wipe the
I strained to hear more, but suddenly, some superloud music started playing. I couldn’t hear a thing. But I’d heard enough. After a few more seconds, Gabe stood up and walked away. I never saw the girl. But I’d be damned if I wasn’t going to find out who she was.
First, I had a job to do, though. I crawled out, brushed my hands off, and met up with Johnny and Mar at the gym entrance. I pulled Mar to me and whispered, “I have to tell you something. Later.”
“Uh, Fiona?” Johnny said. “My buddy Noah is running the sound. He said that at eight-thirty, he’s supposed to stop the music. They’re going to bring up the lights so Principal Miller can make a speech or something. Might be a good time to do it. With the lights on. So people can see.”
“Ooooh, I like how you think, Johnny Mercer,” I said. I also realized that if we waited a bit, I’d have a chance to tell Mar about Gabe. I figured I should probably wash the hepatitis C off my hands, anyway, so I said, “I’m gonna run to the ladies’. Wanna come, Mar?” I didn’t really give her a choice, of course; I dragged her off by her elbow. We got to the bathroom and I checked around to see if anyone I gave a crap about was in there. Nobody was, so I said, “So guess what? Gabe is seeing someone.”
Marcie fluffed her hair in the mirror. “He is? How do you know?”
I got some soap and started washing my hands. In the fluorescent light of the bathroom, I could see they were 56 Kristin Walker
pretty nasty. So were the knees of my cargos. I kinda turned my back to Mar, but I think she might’ve noticed anyway. “I heard him talking to her,” I said.
“Who was it?” She pulled a lip gloss out of her pocket and started applying.
“I couldn’t quite see.”
Marcie raised her eyebrows at me in the mirror. “What do you mean, you couldn’t quite see?”
“I was sort of hiding.” I left out where.
Marcie turned and glared at me. “You were eavesdropping.”
“Yeah, so?”
She slapped the sink and looked at the ceiling. “Fiona. Dignity. Come on.” I could read the pity in her face. She was so above these sorts of machinations. She always had been. Proper, well-bred. But stable and comforting. Actually, those were some of the reasons I liked her. Probably because I was none of those things.
“You don’t have any idea who it is, do you?” I asked. Marcie turned back to the mirror. “What makes you think I know?”
“I bet Amanda knows. I wonder if it’s one of the cheerleaders. Do you think it could be Tessa Hathaway?”
“Tessa Hathaway? Her boyfriend started college this year. Do you really think she’s gonna drop him to go back to high school guys?”
“Maybe she’s lonely.”
“Let it go.”
“I’ve got to find out.”
CHAPTER 7
57
Marcie sighed. “Look, let’s get back out there. Johnny’s waiting for us.” She straightened the little black stones on her necklace. Checked her amethyst earrings.
“Yeah, okay.” I dried my hands and we left.
We found Johnny sitting on the bleachers across the gym. Mar and I sat on either side of him. His shoulders sloped as he scooted forward to the edge of the seat and looked at his watch. He said, “Twenty-seven minutes until the speech.”
“We’ve got some time to kill,” I said.
Marcie stood back up and adjusted the strap on her lavender tank top. “I’m going to get something to drink. You guys want anything?”
I shook my head. Johnny said, “No, thanks.”
“Okay. I’ll be back.” She walked off toward the corner of the gym where the snacks were.
“Don’t be late,” I called, kidding. But not.
Marcie fake-smiled over her shoulder. “I wouldn’t miss it for the world.” Then she disappeared into the crowd of dancers gyrating around the gym floor.
“She doesn’t seem too excited about this whole thing, does she?”
Johnny shrugged. “Not much.”
I took off my glasses and pulled my hand into my sleeve so I could wipe the
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