Chapter Thirteen
Everybody Wants to Rule the World
Monday, September 26
Who knew so many people were sugar junkies? The line for the bake sale was crazy. Caleb sat at the table making change, trying to ignore the surprised faces when people saw him working the cash box. Mandy stood next to him, wearing something sparkly and fluorescent as usual. She laughed and joked, calling everyone by name. It was like she had a school photo directory in her head.
“Three dollars, Pete,” she said to the hulking football player holding a bag of cookies with sprinkles. The guy handed Caleb a five and Caleb handed him back two dollar bills.
“Dude,” the hulk said, “I gave you a ten.”
“No, you didn’t,” Caleb said, raising his eyes to glare at the caveman. The guy glanced at Mandy, who looked at Caleb, a question in her eyes. He cocked an eyebrow. “I think I can tell the difference between a five and a ten.”
“You trying to rip me off, Torrs?” the hulk said, his bulky frame looming over the table, causing everyone else to stare.
“No,” Caleb said, standing up. “I’m trying to teach you to count. Pretend I’m the Count on Sesame Street.” Caleb held up his hands, both middle fingers extended and spoke in an exaggerated Dracula accent. “Five minus three is two…”
The hulk flushed and stepped back from the table. “Whatever.” He turned and stormed away.
“That wasn’t nice, Caleb,” Mandy said softly, leaning in so only he could hear her.
His body tensed as her hair brushed against his biceps. He knew it hadn’t been nice, but whatever. He was still churned up after helping her with her paper yesterday, and then talking at the park. He wasn’t sure what the hell to do with all the weird feelings banging around inside him. It was like he’d been sucked in by some whirlpool and couldn’t escape. Even worse, he couldn’t decide if he wanted to escape.
“I don’t care if it wasn’t nice, Disco. The guy was trying to rip us off.”
“Us?” Mandy gave him a small smile that made his stomach do something weird.
He frowned. “Us. You. The freaky Spirit Squad of Doom. Whatever.” He sat down and returned to manning the cash box.
Mandy turned back to the boisterous line of customers, and they fell into an easy rhythm, her telling him how much was owed, him making change, then J.T. foisting Spirit Week fliers on people as they walked away from the table.
Everyone knew her. Everyone. From the scrawniest freshman to the most popular seniors, she knew them all. He’d never seen anything like it. Maybe that’s what happened when you photobombed every committee photo in the yearbook, except she wasn’t photobombing. She actually did stuff on all those committees.
“I’m voting for you as queen, Mandy,” a pretty dark-haired girl said, shooting Caleb a nervous glance like he might bite. “Maybe Gus will be king. You guys would be so cute together.”
“Oh, um, thanks,” Mandy said, handing a plate of cupcakes to the girl. “Four dollars,” she said. Caleb heard her voice wobble. He shot her a glance as he handed the girl change, but she wouldn’t look at him.
Caleb wondered what he’d have to do make sure Gus never got elected king. But wasn’t that exactly what she wanted? To go to the damn dance with Gus on her arm? He could picture the two of them on stage, wearing fake crowns and waving and smiling at everyone.
A crowd surged the table as more people arrived before the first bell. Caleb was so busy he barely had time to look up to make eye contact when he made change, but whenever he did, he saw the same expression: shocked surprise. Was it really so unbelievable that he’d participate? Apparently so.
“Do I get a discount?”
Caleb glanced up at the voice. Gus. Of course he was a cheapskate. Except he wasn’t being cheap, he was flirting. With Mandy. Caleb narrowed his eyes.
“Oh, uh, I don’t…um…”
Mandy tittered like a delirious bird. She didn’t get that way around him. Yeah, she got flustered and pissed off with him, and yesterday they’d connected in a totally different way. But she didn’t act like this with him.
“No discounts,” Caleb announced, crossing his arms over his chest.
Gus glanced at him dismissively, turning his attention back to Mandy. “Not even for me?” He winked at her.
Caleb stood up. “Are you seriously flirting with my girlfriend, dude?”
J.T. skittered over to them like an excited puppy. Mandy shot Caleb an annoyed look, but then she bit her lip. He hoped that mixed signal meant something entirely different from her narrowed eyes.
“Power down, Red Ranger,” J.T. muttered under his breath. “Don’t make a scene.”
Caleb side-eyed him. “Do I look like I need a wingman?”
J.T. nodded. “Yep. Blue Rangers always be calming Red Rangers the hell down.”
Caleb rolled his eyes, then refocused his glare on the tool.
Mandy, apparently oblivious to everyone but the Octo-Gus, handed Gus a plastic bag full of Rice Krispies Treats and Gus handed her a dollar bill.
“Uh, no,” said Caleb. “Those bags are three bucks.”
“I get a friend discount,” Gus retorted, but the slimy way he said friend made Caleb’s skin crawl.
J.T. stepped forward. “Seriously? You’re gonna cheap out on the spirit committee? On your friends?” J.T. made the word sound even dirtier than Gus had, adding a leer that made Gus take a step back, and made Caleb grin.
“Whatever.” Gus dug into his wallet and threw a five-dollar bill on the table. He smiled at Mandy. “I’ll see you later.”
J.T. turned to Caleb. “See how that worked? Blue Ranger saved the day.”
Caleb snorted. “Yeah, ri—”
“What’s with you guys?” Mandy interrupted, hands on her hips, eyes blazing. “Why’d you have to—”
The first class bell rang, stopping her midsentence. All of their customers scattered and Mandy turned away to stack leftover items in cardboard boxes, making her frustration clear.
Caleb grabbed a box and began tossing in items, speaking quietly so only J.T. could hear him. “Tell me straight. You think that tool is good enough for her?” He tilted his head toward Mandy. “I don’t get what she sees in him.”
He stopped, wondering when he’d decided to confide in J.T. But he had to make sure that this stupid ruse was worth it, for her. Because he had serious doubts.
J.T. stacked brownies in the box. “Last year I would’ve said yes. But something happened to him over the summer. It’s like he got bit by a man-whore spider or something, from what some of the girls are saying.” He glanced at Caleb. “Mandy’s blind to it, since she’s crushed on him since kindergarten.”
Caleb glanced at her. “Maybe it’s time for her to move on from kindergarten.”
J.T. smirked. “Maybe. You got someone better in mind for her?”
They stared each other down, just like when they were kids battling over whose turn it was to use the Power Rangers Blaster gun.
“Maybe,” Caleb finally said, wondering why the hell he was admitting it out loud.
J.T. squinted his Bowie eyes, then nodded. “Okay. I’ll do recon on the Octo-Gus, see if he’s really as much of a dick as the girls are saying.”
“And if he is?”
J.T. smirked. “If he is, I’ll let you know, Red Ranger. So you can figure out your next move.”
Caleb picked up the box and stepped away from the table. “You’re not gonna shut me down?”
J.T. shrugged. “Not yet. Not ’til I figure out who the real good guy is. And the real bad guy.”
Caleb snorted as they passed the principal’s office. “You make it sound like we’re living in a comic book with villains and superheroes.” He slanted him an assessing look. “And sidekicks.”
J.T. grinned. “When you think about it, that’s pretty much what high school is, isn’t it?”
…
Mandy didn’t like how the bake sale had ended. That had been weird with Gus sort of flirting with her. It was what she thought she wanted, but what about Kay? Why would Gus do that if he was still with Kay? She didn’t like Kay, but there was still a basic boyfriend code, and she worried he’d just violated it.
She ignored her history teacher, instead staring out the window and chewing on her pencil. Maybe Gus hadn’t been flirting. Maybe he was just joking around, like he used to when they were all friends. Well, all except Caleb.
Caleb. She didn’t know what to do about him. Yesterday had been amazing, like a day to keep in a snow globe, under glass, preserved forever. She pictured the two of them on the park bench, talking and holding hands—like people who’d both suffered some bad stuff, and were just sort of…bearing witness with each other.
After that connection she’d been surprised he’d acted like a jerk today, but that was the weird thing about him—he ran hot and cold, and she never knew which it would be. Maybe he was regretting how much he’d confided in her yesterday, and showing her his notebook.
“Ms. Pennington, is there an alien invasion occurring outside the window that the rest of are not able to see?”
Scattered laughter jolted her out of her musings and she blinked, staring at her crabby teacher. She bet he’d never been confused about love. He probably lived alone or with a dozen cats. Whoa. That was seriously mean. What was wrong with her today?
“No,” she said, sighing heavily. “I’m just…distracted.”
Her teacher’s face pinched like a sour lemon. “As usual. Let’s try focusing on the Constitution, shall we, Ms. Pennington?”
Let’s try focusing on your need for a nose-hair trimmer, Mandy thought, then she clapped her hand over her mouth so she wouldn’t laugh out loud. That was totally not something she’d ever say.
But Caleb might.
“You want a lift to work tomorrow night?” Cammie asked as she and Mandy sat down at Caleb’s lunch table.
Before Mandy could answer, J.T. joined them, plunking down next to Caleb. Mandy didn’t know how Caleb felt about her maintaining the fake GF thing today, but she figured she might as well eat lunch with him. Especially because she couldn’t stop thinking of the notebook in his pocket, and all it signified.
Caleb glanced up, shook his head like he couldn’t believe they were swarming him again, then took another bite of his pizza.
“Sure,” Mandy said.
Cammie nodded, tearing into her bag of veggie chips. “We have a birthday party. It’s gonna be crazy.”
Mandy sighed as she opened her yogurt container. Build-a-Buddy birthday parties could get out of control, depending on how many kids showed up and how involved, or not, the parents were. Sometimes they were fun, though. She glanced at Caleb, wondering if he’d had any birthday parties after his mom left. Had his dad planned them? Or maybe Helen? The thought of a young Caleb with no mom at his birthday parties made her want to hug him, which she knew was a bad idea, especially in front of everyone.
“You should have a birthday party there, Red Ranger,” J.T. joked.
Caleb rolled his eyes and took a drink from his water bottle. “I don’t do birthday parties.”
“That’s ridiculous,” Mandy said, forgetting her vow not to embarrass him. “Birthdays are important and should always be celebrated.”
“Yeah,” Cammie said. “Which is why you shouldn’t have bailed on your birthday, going to that stupid party with Gus instead of going dancing with J.T. and me.”
She felt her cheeks heat, remembering that night Caleb had given her a ride home. He was remembering it, too, judging by his smirking face.
“Wish I’d known it was your birthday that night, Disco. I’d have made it…special for you.” He arched an eyebrow, keeping his gaze pinned on hers.
Cammie choked on her drink, and J.T. sat up straight, glancing at Mandy with an expression she couldn’t decipher. It was almost like he thought Caleb was funny. Which he most definitely was not.
“In your dreams,” Mandy snapped, hoping to hide how much his words had impacted her, making her whole body flush and tingle.
His responding grin was maddening. Infuriating. Stupidly sexy. “Oh, you’re definitely in my dreams. Starring role, in fact.”
Cammie was choking so hard Mandy had to whack her on the back, which was at least a distraction from whatever game Caleb was playing. Because it was a game. It had to be.
That real guy she’d hung out with yesterday? He was gone. Fake jackass boyfriend was back.
Jiro and Liam approached their table holding trays of mystery meat.
“Yo,” Jiro said, sliding next to Cammie. “You gonna live, Cam? I don’t want my girl choking to death.” Cammie held up a hand, gasping for breath, then managed to stop coughing long enough to give Jiro a quick kiss.
Liam squeezed in next to J.T., who leaned over and whispered in his ear, making Liam blush. They shared a secret smile that made Mandy insanely jealous, then ridiculously happy for them, all in the space of five seconds.
She glared at Caleb. This jealousy bad karma stuff was all his fault. She leaned across the table, grateful her friends were distracted by their boyfriends. “Well, you better enjoy those dreams, Your Broodiness,” she angry-whispered, “because that’s as close as you’re getting to kissing me.”
He leaned across the table so their faces were within inches of each other. “Your Broodiness? That’s what you came up with?” He shook his head in mock disappointment. “And who said anything about kissing dreams, Disco?”
Mandy sat back, blushing. “I-I didn’t mean—I…”
He took a long drink of water, keeping his eyes on hers, then wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. “My dreams are a lot more…involved…than just kissing.”
She opened her mouth to argue, to scream, something, anything, but her vocal cords seized because now he was playing footsie with her under the table and sending her look-over-there messages with his eyebrows.
She glanced over her shoulder to see Elle at a table, watching them with that freaky look made Mandy wonder if she was an escapee from Orange is the New Black.
Mandy turned back to Caleb. “I could ruin this for you right now. Throw my drink in your face and storm out of here. Elle would be all over you.”
“But you won’t do that. Right?” For once, he looked uncertain.
She grinned, happy to have the upper hand again. “Give me one reason not to.”
His eyes narrowed and he jutted out his chin. “Because of that guy,” he muttered. Mandy looked over her other shoulder to see Gus sitting with the lacrosse guys. Not with Kay. That was interesting. Gus caught her eye and smiled, and her heart skipped a beat. But then she turned back to Caleb, and her stomach tumbled over in a completely different way.
No, she told herself. She glanced at Gus again. Gus was always sweet. Unlike His Broodiness.
Caleb’s foot jostled hers under the table, and she turned to give him her most withering stare, but his sexy smirk heated her insides like a slow burn, making her forget all about wanting a sweet guy.
Mandy was heading to the parking lot at the end of the day, having successfully avoided Caleb, when Gus caught up to her.
“Hi gorgeous,” he said, blinding her with his smile.
She stumbled on her mom’s platform clogs, but managed to smile back. “Hi, uh, lacrosse star.”
His grin broadened and he placed a hand on her elbow, steering her away from the cars and toward the soccer field.
“Can I talk to you, Mandy? It’s important.”
She nodded mutely and let him lead her to a shaded enclave of trees bordering the field. Don’t get any ideas, she told herself.
“So, here’s the deal,” he said, releasing her arm and running a hand through his messy curls. “I know I can trust you, right? Because you’ve always been there for me.”
She nodded vigorously. Of course he could trust her. And of course she’d always be there for him.
He dropped his gaze and shuffled his Converse shoes. “It’s…sort of embarrassing, but I need to talk to someone who will believe my side of the story.”
“What is it?” she asked, finally finding her voice. “Are you okay, Gus?”
He raised his eyes, shrugging. “I don’t know what to do, Mandy. People…some people…are talking crap about me. Saying stuff that’s not true.”
Her pulse sped up as she thought of Cammie’s warning at the ice cream shop. “What stuff?”
He glanced at her, then looked away, and she could tell he was embarrassed. Of course he was! This was terrible. She knew those rumors weren’t true. No way was he a groper.
“Is it…” she took a breath, because she was embarrassed, too, but she had to let him know she understood, and that she was on his side. “Is it stuff about…girls and you, um, maybe pushing things further than—”
“Yeah,” he interrupted, his expression panicked. “God, this sucks, Mandy. I can’t believe you heard it, too.” He dropped his gaze again. “You know me. You know I wouldn’t…” His voice trailed away, and he glanced at her from under his eyelashes, his curls shadowing his forehead.
Poor Gus. Who would spread rumors like that? She pictured the sweet little kindergartner she’s grown up with. They had been by each other’s sides since day one, and the thought of someone hurting him hurt her, too.
“Kay?” She felt a spark of anger as he nodded, still not meeting her eyes. Of course it was Kay.
“We, uh, broke up and she’s…not handling it very well.”
They’d split? She knew she should express sympathy, but a tiny part of her was secretly giddy, which she knew was totally bad karma.
Be there for your friend, she told herself, don’t try to move in on him like a skank. He’s probably heartbroken. She took a step toward him, reaching out to touch his shoulder reassuringly. “You’re a great guy, Gus. I know that. I won’t believe anything Kay says about you. Whatever I can do to help…”
He straightened, smiling in a way that reminded her it was him she wanted. Not Caleb. But that was wrong to be thinking, when he and Kay had just split.
“I knew I could count on you, Mandy. You’ve always been there for me.” He ran a hand through his curls. “I know I haven’t hung out with you guys much since school started. But I needed to hang with the lacrosse guys. They’ve been playing together forever, and I just started on the team, so I needed to—”
“I totally understand,” she said, her heart full of sympathy for him. Cammie had been totally unfair, saying he was ignoring them on purpose. Everyone needed friends, true friends, and Gus definitely needed them now. “You know we’re always glad to hang out with you.”
He frowned. “I don’t know, Mandy. Lately J.T.’s been…” He shrugged again, kicking at the grass. “And Cammie, too.”
Well, she would take care of that. “Don’t worry about them. They were just hurt that you stopped hanging out with us. I’m sure they’ll be happy if you do again.”
He nodded, then shot her sideways glance. “What about your…boyfriend? Caleb? I don’t think he likes me much.”
Time slowed and her pulse raced as she tried to figure out what to say. Was it time to give up the facade? Tell him that Caleb wasn’t really her boyfriend? But she needed to talk to Caleb first. Come up with a breakup plan, and fast.
Because that was what she wanted, wasn’t it? Her stomach twisted. Her feelings about Caleb were so…intense. Confused. Anyway, he’d never like someone like her, not for real. As soon as Elle left him alone, he’d probably never look at Mandy again, which made her surprisingly sad. She’d miss harassing him at lunch, and he really did need friends.
Just like Gus did.
She blinked, refocusing on the guy in front of her, who looked so worried, so alone. “Caleb will be fine with you hanging out with us. Don’t worry about him.”
“You sure? He kind of, well… He’s not the type of guy I ever pictured you with.” His gaze locked onto hers, his blue eyes full of…something. Was that concern? Maybe, possibly, something else? She pushed the thought away, refusing to get her hopes up.
Her heart stuttered, and she ran a shaky hand through her tangled curls. This was so unexpected. So confusing.
“He’s, well, he’s…” She didn’t know what to say about Caleb, but the snow globe day they’d shared was enough to ensure she wouldn’t talk crap about him. “He’s…cool,” she finally said, which was pathetic and vague, but at least it wasn’t insulting. She wasn’t going to be like Kay and say undeserved bad stuff.
Gus nodded, his intense blue gaze still fixed on hers. “If you say so. But just remember, I’m here for you, too, Mandy. I always have been.” He took a step toward her, reaching out and lightly brushing her cheek with his knuckles. “I’d hate to see you get hurt.”
Mandy suddenly regretted wearing platform shoes because her knees wobbled, and she was pretty sure she was about to lose her balance. But at the last second she pulled it together, plastering a confident grin on her face. “That won’t happen. I know you’ve got my back, Gus, just like I’ve got yours.”
She wouldn’t get hurt, now that the nice guy was back in her life. Maybe this was a sign from the universe, telling her that it was time to break up with Caleb. Get back to normal.
Even if Gus never asked her to the dance, that was okay, right? He needed friends and she knew how to be a great friend, and so did Cammie and J.T. Plus, she was tired of all this hot-and-cold stuff with Caleb. Not to mention all the bad karma she was racking up by living a lie.
She took a deep breath. Okay. She just had to fake break up with her fake boyfriend, and everything would be fine.
…
Caleb debated before sending the text, but then decided to just do it. He’d been kind of a dick today because of the swirl of feelings Mandy was stirring up. He was pretty good at stuffing feelings, but it wasn’t so easy with her. Maybe she’d figure out this was his version of an apology.
He waited for her reply, which didn’t come as fast as he wanted.
He frowned at his phone, then typed, Justin Timberlake. Jim Carrey.
Her reply came slower this time.
He smiled and sent her a grinning devil face. Maybe all three.
She sent back a smiley face, but nothing else, clearly ending their conversation.
He sighed and set his phone aside. He’d do better tomorrow—tone down the asshole routine and act like…well, like a decent boyfriend.