pounds upon her front door.”
“Way to go, Kelly,” said Honey.
Wendy played sound effects, stringed instruments and ratta-tap-tap of knuckles on wood.
I had sound effects of my own to endure. Laughter from every classroom at Cummington High. At me.
I put my head down on my arms and hid from my world. Which of them was worse—Will or Wendy? Bad enough that Will told. But my own brother’s girlfriend using me like that? Turning me into material? Just the day before she had defended me and I had trusted her. She was definitely paying me back for riding in the backseat when she wanted to be alone with Parker.
Will’s back remained motionless, broad and, in annoying coincidence, plaid. A wool plaid shirt I would gladly have strangled him with.
“Greg is not a man to glance backward,” Wendy continued. “Jumping into his midnight blue car, Greg takes to the road. As he cruises past her house, the alluring Octavia, gowned in ruffles and velvet, redolent of lilac, rushes out into the street.” Every time she used one of my words, she leaned into it and laughed slightly. “Greg slams on the brakes and shouts, ‘Octavia! What is your romance quotient? Come! Take a test ride with me.’ ”
Faith said, “I think this is the best dialogue she’s done in weeks.”
Everybody else said, “Shhh!”
“But Octavia is beyond romance.” Wendy’s voice turned throaty. She rasped, “ ‘Forget romance, Greg,’ says Octavia. ‘I’m pregnant.’ ”
There was no need to say “Shhh!” this time.
“ ‘What I need is money,’ says Octavia.”
I don’t suppose our teen pregnancy rate is different from the rest of the nation, but here in Cummington, wecertainly don’t refer to it. Teen sex, if indeed there is such a thing, occurs beyond the city limits.
In her bright wrap-up voice, Wendy continued, “Tune in tomorrow to find out if romance can—”
The mike went off.
There was time for everybody to notice that Octavia had not asked for marriage but for money. I could think of things she could do with Greg’s money but regardless of her final selection, Octavia was not going to make Cummington happy.
Dr. Scheider read a few more announcements in a shaken voice.
Then the final bell rang and the class instead of leaving school burst into a discussion of the soap dialogue. They had forgotten my quiz. They talked about Octavia and Wendy.
When everybody was too caught up speculating about Wendy’s future to be aware of him, Will turned around and held up his hand like a stop sign. “I didn’t do it,” he said fast.
I snarled at him.
“Really. I didn’t tell her. Honest.”
“Right. Wendy overheard us from the principal’s office. Two floors and a half mile of hall from here.”
“I don’t blame you for suspecting me. Any detective would. But I’m innocent. It’s coincidence. She picked forty-seven out of thin air.”
“No air is that thin.”
Will didn’t give up. He was long enough to lean across the space between our desks, put both enormous hands on my books and look mournfully into my face. I considered smacking him but it would just draw more attention my way.
He was truly upset. I looked into the conceited eyes that had never bothered to focus on me and realized that Will Reed really wanted me to believe him. He cared about my opinion of him.
I could not understand. He had told Wendy—nobody else could have told her—and he could only have done it to be mean, so why care about me now?
“Could she have found your magazine?” asked Will. “Maybe you left it out and she and Park found it with your answers written in.”
I
had
left the magazine in Park’s car. Maybe she and Parker had taken the quiz. Jerk that I am, I had circled my answers. Wendy could add. Wendy would love adding up that she, Wendy Newcombe, was a Queen of Romance, and I, Kelly Williams, had failed the course.
I sighed and nodded. “Could be, Will. Okay. I believe you.”
Will’s anxiety faded. He
“Way to go, Kelly,” said Honey.
Wendy played sound effects, stringed instruments and ratta-tap-tap of knuckles on wood.
I had sound effects of my own to endure. Laughter from every classroom at Cummington High. At me.
I put my head down on my arms and hid from my world. Which of them was worse—Will or Wendy? Bad enough that Will told. But my own brother’s girlfriend using me like that? Turning me into material? Just the day before she had defended me and I had trusted her. She was definitely paying me back for riding in the backseat when she wanted to be alone with Parker.
Will’s back remained motionless, broad and, in annoying coincidence, plaid. A wool plaid shirt I would gladly have strangled him with.
“Greg is not a man to glance backward,” Wendy continued. “Jumping into his midnight blue car, Greg takes to the road. As he cruises past her house, the alluring Octavia, gowned in ruffles and velvet, redolent of lilac, rushes out into the street.” Every time she used one of my words, she leaned into it and laughed slightly. “Greg slams on the brakes and shouts, ‘Octavia! What is your romance quotient? Come! Take a test ride with me.’ ”
Faith said, “I think this is the best dialogue she’s done in weeks.”
Everybody else said, “Shhh!”
“But Octavia is beyond romance.” Wendy’s voice turned throaty. She rasped, “ ‘Forget romance, Greg,’ says Octavia. ‘I’m pregnant.’ ”
There was no need to say “Shhh!” this time.
“ ‘What I need is money,’ says Octavia.”
I don’t suppose our teen pregnancy rate is different from the rest of the nation, but here in Cummington, wecertainly don’t refer to it. Teen sex, if indeed there is such a thing, occurs beyond the city limits.
In her bright wrap-up voice, Wendy continued, “Tune in tomorrow to find out if romance can—”
The mike went off.
There was time for everybody to notice that Octavia had not asked for marriage but for money. I could think of things she could do with Greg’s money but regardless of her final selection, Octavia was not going to make Cummington happy.
Dr. Scheider read a few more announcements in a shaken voice.
Then the final bell rang and the class instead of leaving school burst into a discussion of the soap dialogue. They had forgotten my quiz. They talked about Octavia and Wendy.
When everybody was too caught up speculating about Wendy’s future to be aware of him, Will turned around and held up his hand like a stop sign. “I didn’t do it,” he said fast.
I snarled at him.
“Really. I didn’t tell her. Honest.”
“Right. Wendy overheard us from the principal’s office. Two floors and a half mile of hall from here.”
“I don’t blame you for suspecting me. Any detective would. But I’m innocent. It’s coincidence. She picked forty-seven out of thin air.”
“No air is that thin.”
Will didn’t give up. He was long enough to lean across the space between our desks, put both enormous hands on my books and look mournfully into my face. I considered smacking him but it would just draw more attention my way.
He was truly upset. I looked into the conceited eyes that had never bothered to focus on me and realized that Will Reed really wanted me to believe him. He cared about my opinion of him.
I could not understand. He had told Wendy—nobody else could have told her—and he could only have done it to be mean, so why care about me now?
“Could she have found your magazine?” asked Will. “Maybe you left it out and she and Park found it with your answers written in.”
I
had
left the magazine in Park’s car. Maybe she and Parker had taken the quiz. Jerk that I am, I had circled my answers. Wendy could add. Wendy would love adding up that she, Wendy Newcombe, was a Queen of Romance, and I, Kelly Williams, had failed the course.
I sighed and nodded. “Could be, Will. Okay. I believe you.”
Will’s anxiety faded. He
Similar Books
