I get to the music room for lunch before Lisa does. Other kids are here today, but they don’t seem to mind if you hang out. Maybe that’s why Lisa likes to meet here.
“Can’t stay,” Lisa says when she hurries in, texting. “I forgot I have a math test next period. I have to study. Walk to my locker with me?”
“Sure,” I say. I’m good with being seen with Lisa anytime.
We walk. I hope she doesn’t notice the sour-milk smell coming from my backpack. I really have to wash it. I tell her the video ideas Denny and I thought up.
Lisa frowns. She looks even hotter than normal when she frowns. Then she says, “I think Denny should just film us playing the song.”
“Playing the song? That’s it?” I’m stunned.
“I’d rather do simple and good than tricky and sloppy. And it’s not like those are new ideas. We’ve all seen that stuff a million times.”
“Yeah, but it’s how we’d put them together.”
“Ace, this is Denny we’re talking about.”
Lisa has a point. Besides, I don’t want to be tied to a chimney, and my mom’s already said we can’t smash her mirror. We turn into the hall where Lisa’s locker is.
“Okay,” I say. “Where should we film?”
“We’ll busk,” she says.
I freeze, remembering how I goofed up last Friday. Lisa keeps moving. “Come on,” she says, looking around and not at me. “It’ll be okay.”
I should say, You’re right, you make everything okay or something like that. Before I can even try for it, we’re at Lisa’s locker. Now she looks at me. “Tell Denny, okay? Noon Saturday in front of the liquor store.”
I nod. Then, as she’s about to turn away, I get bumped from behind, and I stumble into her. She grabs me before we both get squished into the lockers.
Behind me, a girl’s voice calls, “Nice pic. What a happy couple. Who should we send it to?”
“IIIIIIII knowwwwwwww,” says a different girl’s voice. I get myself turned around in time to see Nadia and Alison twitching their butts as they hurry off down the hall.
Lisa swears. She starts texting again. I back away. I don’t think she even hears my “See you Saturday.”
What was that all about?