Breakaway by Kat Spears

was trying to make light of the situation, blow it off as Mario and Jordie made jokes, but he still seemed bothered by the whole thing. It was weird, this sudden problem he had with the way we spoke to each other, had always spoken to each other.
    â€œCome on,” I said, and put a hand at the base of Chick’s neck to move him along.
    â€œI was just thinking,” Chick said as he dragged his feet and kicked at the gravel, stirring dust up with his already filthy high-tops. “What with Sylvia dying and all. We should be more careful. About saying things you can’t take back later.”
    â€œSure, Chick. I get it,” I said. From the angle of Mario’s head I knew he was listening to our conversation, had heard what Chick said about Sylvia, but he didn’t give any other indication he was listening.
    We walked in awkward silence after that. Maybe afraid that anything we said might set Chick off again. Maybe thinking about Sylvia for a minute like I was. Maybe all of us unsure what to say to each other if we couldn’t talk shit about each other’s moms.

CHAPTER NINE
    I was walking to school the next week when Jordie pulled up to the curb and honked at me. Since Jordie lived on the opposite side of town, I wondered why he had gone out of his way to pick me up. As I slid into the shotgun seat, I winced at the sound of “Bangarang” pumping out of the car speakers. Sometimes I couldn’t even figure how I got to be friends with a person who had such terrible taste in music. When Jordie got his iPhone, he gave me his old iPod since he didn’t need it anymore. I had to delete just about every playlist and start over, the music all so awful.
    Jordie had finally mustered the balls to call Cheryl and ask her to go out with him Saturday night—told me all about it on the drive to school. Actually, he had texted her to ask her, which was kind of a chickenshit way to ask a girl out. I didn’t have a cell phone. If I wanted to ask a girl out, I had to actually talk to her.
    â€œCheryl and I are going to go to the movies on Saturday night,” Jordie said.
    â€œGood for you.”
    â€œI need you to go with me,” he said.
    â€œWhat do you mean, go with you? On your date?” I asked in disbelief.
    â€œWell, she wants me to bring someone for her friend so we can all go together.…”
    â€œOh no. Uh-uh,” I said. “I’m not taking out her ugly friend so you can get your freak on.”
    â€œCome on, Jaz, you know I would do it for you,” Jordan whined.
    â€œI don’t know any such thing,” I said and Jordie grinned. “Who’s her friend, anyway?”
    â€œYou know that girl Raine, the one who was at the game last week?”
    â€œAre you kidding me?” I asked. I wondered if Raine knew Jordie and Cheryl’s intent. It didn’t seem possible that Raine would have agreed to go on a double date if she knew I was the friend Jordie was bringing.
    â€œI think she’s hot,” he said, misunderstanding my surprise. “I mean, except for her hair and her clothes, of course. Besides, you don’t have to marry her. Just go to the movies with us and once I have a chance to work my charm on Cheryl, you and Raine can get lost for all I care.”
    I gave him my patented look of disgust, then sighed. “Just a movie?”
    â€œJust a movie.”
    â€œAnd you’re buying,” I said. Statement, not a question.
    He hesitated for a beat and I thought I had him—Jordie could be a cheap son of a bitch, cheap in the way only rich people know how to be—but then he agreed. “Yeah, all right. But if I’m financing the whole thing, the least you can do is go for pizza before the movie.”
    â€œMan, how good of a friend do you think I am?” I said with a scowl. “There’s nothing in this deal for me. I’m only doing this out of the goodness of my heart, you