Cassidy still felt torn. On one hand, she was curious about Devon’s new idea, and although she didn’t want to admit it, especially not to Devon, it sounded kind of fun. On the other hand, a dating club could turn into a real train wreck. As she waited for the final bell to ring, having finished this week’s civics test with ample time to spare, she pondered all that had been said at lunch. The more she thought about it, the more she knew it made absolutely no sense to participate in Devon’s stupid scheme.
Really, what would her parents think if she suddenly announced that she wanted to date guys? Dad had been so proud of her for being “such a sensible girl.” And the sensible thing would be to simply nip this nonsense in the bud. She would tell her friends in no uncertain terms that the Dating Games club was a bad idea, that she had no intention of being involved, and that if they were smart, they wouldn’t either. The end.
Cassidy had been nurturing doubts about Devon Fremont from the get-go. She’d only met Devon once before the school year—through Emma—but based on some of the stories Emma had shared, Devon was trouble. When Cassidy learned that Devon was transferring to Northwood, she’d felt her guard going up. She hadn’t wanted to step away from her friendship with Emma, but it seemed clear that Devon had already staked her claim there. At the time Cassidy simply told herself that she didn’t need a best friend. She was used to being something of a loner. She called it independence. Plus she had God. If Devon needed Emma by her side, why should Cassidy try to stop her?
Yet she was unsure. Perhaps she was being disloyal to Emma, but something about Devon definitely bugged Cassidy. It wasn’t that she was jealous either. Something about the fast-talking, fun-seeking, showy redhead had roused her suspicions right from the start. If Devon hadn’t been such good friends with Emma, Cassidy never would’ve befriended her at all. Not that they were exactly friends, but she’d tried to be civil to Devon. It was the Christian thing to do.
But then Devon tossed out this stupid Dating Games idea. Seriously? No, Cassidy’s mind was made up—she was definitely out. The sooner she told her friends, the better. She let out a sigh of relief and looked at the clock—and that was when she noticed Lane Granger sitting two seats ahead of her. Lane was jiggling his number 2 pencil between his fingers and watching the clock too. Like her, he’d finished the test early. But then she always knew he was smart.
Cassidy stared at the back of Lane’s blue plaid shirt, admiring how perfectly it fit over his broad squared shoulders. She also liked the way his dark brown hair waved so attractively around his perfectly shaped ears. She sighed inwardly. She’d been secretly crushing on this guy since the beginning of her sophomore year. Unfortunately, Lane didn’t even know she existed. Okay, that was an overstatement. They’d been on various committees together last year. They’d even had some brief conversations. Still, it was like they lived on different planets.
And yet . . . maybe not. After all, they did share some commonalities. Like her, Lane was comfortable in taking on roles that involved leadership. The interesting thing was that when Lane was in charge of a committee, Cassidy was suddenly able to follow. With Lane at the helm, she was content to take a backseat. Even if she wound up flipping pancakes or filling balloons with helium, if Lane was giving the orders, she would gladly take them. The problem was, once the project ended, she never got more than a polite nod or a friendly “hey” from the attractive senior.
Cassidy pressed her lips together, thinking carefully now. Had she missed something? What if Devon’s weird Dating Games club could somehow secure Cassidy a date with Lane Granger? Wouldn’t that be enough to change her opinion on dating . . . and Devon? Cassidy knew that Lane attended a church. Not hers, unfortunately. But she’d been watching him long enough and closely enough to know that he was one of the good guys. And as far as she could tell, and to her huge relief, he wasn’t dating anyone in particular. Maybe she’d made up her mind about Devon too quickly. She knew she had a tendency to be overly judgmental. What if the DG club could actually work?
Cassidy watched as Lane leaned over to reach for his backpack, and as he turned in his seat, their eyes met and a warm rush ran through her. Instead of looking away, like Cassidy was tempted to do, Lane kept his eyes steadily on her—almost as if he was actually seeing her! Was it really possible? When he finally turned away, she could feel her face flushing and a strange fluttery feeling inside of her chest. She took a deep breath to steady herself. Wow!
Okay, maybe she needed to rethink her ideas about dating. She wondered how long Lane’s single status would last. Especially since he was often surrounded by girls. Plus, as a senior, he probably could have his pick of the girls in the school. She’d always assumed his female buddies were from his church because they all seemed like solid friends who had known each other for years. But it seemed likely that some of those girls, just like Cassidy, were hoping to be more than just friends.
At times she’d imagined ways she could break into Lane’s social circle. She’d even considered visiting his church, but that felt a little like stalking, so she had simply admired him from afar. Really, it seemed that Lane Granger was meant to be only a pleasant fantasy for her. That is . . . unless . . . maybe this was the year that would change. Maybe she and Lane could finally—
Her daydream was smacked back to reality by the ringing of the release bell. As she scrambled to grab her test paper and gather her stuff, she made up her mind. Just like that, she knew she was in. As she followed Lane to the front of the room and dropped her test right on top of his, she couldn’t wait to go to Devon’s meeting today. If Devon could convince her (starting with a reasonable set of rules) that the Dating Games club was not going to be skanky or stupid or sleazy, Cassidy would join. Besides, she assured herself as she walked toward her locker, she could always drop out if she didn’t like how it was headed. In the meantime, she could watch out for Emma and her other friends. Really, part of her reasoning was selfless and altruistic.
After she exchanged some books at her locker, she checked her phone and saw that Devon had already texted her. The plan was for everyone to meet at Costello’s Coffee at 5:00. As she walked toward the music department, she texted a confirmation back to Devon. Feeling like she was about to embark on an exciting adventure, she went into the choir room where the jazz choir was already gathered. They were expected to rehearse after school every day until the jazz concert in three weeks. Mr. Spencer was already at the piano, and Cassidy quickly found her place with the other sopranos. Singing in choir was the only nonacademic activity she truly excelled in. Being picked for jazz choir on the second day of school had been the highlight of her year so far. As a result, she always gave these practices 100 percent—and more, if that was possible.
However, she realized as they were wrapping up, she’d only given the music 90 percent of her energy today. The missing 10 percent was due to the distracting thoughts of Lane Granger that were still dancing through her head. That, combined with the hopes that this Dating Games club was going to change her life, had caused her to give less than her best effort in jazz choir. As she walked to her car, she felt sincerely embarrassed. Why was she turning into such a little fool? Wouldn’t she be totally humiliated if anyone knew what she’d been thinking about these last couple of hours? What had happened to the usual sensible Cassidy Banks? Maybe that was what boys did to a girl.
And yet . . . maybe it was because she was usually such a practical, down-to-earth, and sensible girl, but it was surprisingly fun to entertain these unexpected ponderings about a boy. Even if this was just a brief interlude, it was still amusing. She reassured herself that she could still pull the plug on this Dating Games club—possibly for everyone’s sake. Perhaps that was the only reason she was going to meet them at Costello’s. At least that was what she told herself.
She unlocked her car, a white Toyota with nearly 150,000 miles on it. It was nearly as old as she was but as dependable as her father. Dad had surprised her with this car last spring, not long after she’d secured her driver’s license and not long after she’d told Dad about her plans to postpone dating and romance until she finished high school. Whether it was getting her license or her consistent good grades or that particular announcement that had landed her a car, she could never be sure. But she felt reasonably certain that Dad wouldn’t take the car away from her if she went on a date. That wasn’t his style.
Although her parents encouraged her to honor God with how she lived her life, they also allowed her to make her own decisions. Well, about most things. Sometimes they intervened, but they didn’t usually need to because Cassidy was normally as levelheaded as (sometimes even more than) most adults. That was exactly why, before she started her car, she called her mom and left a message that she would be home a little bit later because she was meeting friends for coffee at Costello’s. Naturally she didn’t go into the details of this coffee date. Perhaps she would tell Mom later, after she decided it was not a good idea, and they would laugh about it together.
Cassidy fastened her seat belt, checked her mirrors, and carefully backed up. Dad had warned her more than once that it was the overconfident drivers who caused the most wrecks. “Pride comes before the crash,” he would jokingly tell her. She’d also signed a pact never to text while driving—and she took it as seriously as she took her pledge not to have sex until marriage. While a pledge like that might’ve been an oddity in schools like Brewster High, where Devon used to go, Cassidy believed it was probably the norm at Northwood Academy. It comforted her to know this. Their high school was like a safe zone, a haven in a wild and crazy world.
As expected, Cassidy was the last one to arrive at Costello’s. “Did I miss anything?” she asked as she joined them with her mocha in hand.
“Nothing much,” Emma said quickly.
“Ha!” Bryn elbowed Emma. “Only that our little Emma has been crushing on a particular guy.”
“Really?” Cassidy found this hard to believe. Shy, quiet Emma had actually admitted to something like this? She sat down. “Who?”
“No one,” Emma snapped. “They’re delusional.”
“So if Isaac McKinley asked you to homecoming, you’d tell him to go take a hike?” Devon said in a teasing tone.
Emma rolled her eyes, but Cassidy could tell by her flushed cheeks that she was actually embarrassed. “Really?” Cassidy pressed. “You like Isaac?”
Emma just shrugged, then looked down at her drink.
“See,” Devon proclaimed. “This is exactly why we need the DG. Emma needs our help.” She patted Emma’s back. “That’s what friends are for.”
Emma gave her a meek smile. “Just don’t make fun of me, okay?”
“Okay.” Devon nodded. “In fact, we should probably have that in our rules. No making fun of each other when it comes to dating or anyone’s taste in guys.”
Everyone seemed to agree with Devon. In fact, the rest of them seemed surprisingly agreeable—and it was clear that Devon had taken the lead.
“So you started making rules without me?” Cassidy was trying not to feel too left out, but it wasn’t easy. She looked around the table, wondering how she really fit in with this mix of girls. First there was the gorgeous blonde Bryn, a way too fashion-driven but relatively nice girl who could sometimes act like an airhead. Then there was Abby with her flawless dark skin, sleek black hair, fabulous smile—smart and fun and witty. And even though the flashy Devon with her red hair and exuberant ways got to Cass, she knew that Devon was out of her league when it came to attracting boys. Really, Emma was the only one Cassidy felt truly comfortable with. She was fairly ordinary looking with her dishwater blonde hair and a plain gray hoodie. Until Devon came along, Cassidy and Emma had been best friends. “I thought we were all in this together,” Cassidy said quietly. Maybe they’d rather she hadn’t come.
“Don’t worry, we were waiting for you,” Bryn assured her.
“Did you bring your iPad?” Abby asked. “We voted unanimously for you to be our secretary.”
“Really?” Cassidy blinked as she reached for her bag.
“Do you mind?” Devon asked in a surprisingly polite way.
“No, that’s okay.” Caught off guard by their warmth, Cassidy pulled out her iPad. “So is that a real rule?” she asked. “No making fun of each other?” She started to type it out.
“Maybe we could say it in a more positive way,” Abby suggested. “In speech class, we’ve been focusing on rephrasing ourselves to sound positive.”
“How would you say it?” Cassidy paused, ready to hit Delete.
Bryn got a thoughtful look. “How about we say something about loyalty instead?”
“How do we want to word this?” Cassidy asked. “I mean, you probably don’t want to say it like the Ten Commandments. ‘Thou shalt be loyal to thy friends’?”
They laughed.
“No, that’s a little stiff,” Abby told her.
“How about the Girl Scout Law,” Cassidy said. “I will do my best to be loyal to my—”
“No, no, no,” Bryn insisted. “I have bad memories of Girl Scouts.”
Cassidy wanted to argue this point but realized it wouldn’t get their rules written. Instead she focused on the keyboard, typing out a short simple sentence. “How about this? ‘We will be loyal to each other.’”
A few more suggestions and tweaks were made and finally, Cassidy read the first rule. “We will be loyal to our friends in the DG.” She looked at them. “Does that sound all right?”
They all agreed, and now Devon suggested the next rule. “We will help our friends in the DG to find dates.”
“Dates with good guys,” Emma added.
Cassidy typed this in. “We will help our friends in the DG to find dates with good guys,” she told them.
“How do we define good?” Abby asked. “Good looking? Good at sports? Good in—”
“Not that kind of good,” Emma said. “Good in character. We don’t want anyone in the DG to date a jerk. Right?”
“Right,” Bryn echoed.
“Absolutely,” Devon said.
They continued suggesting rules, going over them, agreeing on some, and dumping others. Eventually they had a set of ten rules. They weren’t exactly the Ten Commandments, but there were some similarities. Although she didn’t point this out. She didn’t want them to laugh at her again.
“Go ahead and read the rules,” Devon told Cassidy.
Cassidy read:
Dating Games Club Rules
“That sounds perfect,” Devon told Cassidy. “You make a really good secretary!”
Cassidy thanked her, wondering if she’d judged Devon too harshly. Really, she was pretty nice. And the DG rules sounded fair and smart. Nothing to suggest this might turn sleazy or skanky. All very reassuring.
“If Cassidy’s secretary, who’s president?” Bryn asked.
“Devon, of course,” Abby told her. “It was her idea.”
“But shouldn’t we vote?”
They voted, and since there was no opposition, Devon was unanimously elected president of the DG. However, although Cassidy had voted for Devon and started seeing her in a better light, she still wasn’t completely convinced. If she hadn’t already been appointed secretary, she might’ve made a run for this office herself, which made her wonder if Devon hadn’t set it up like that on purpose. Although it was possible that Cassidy was just being suspicious. Why not hope for the best and just see how it went?
“Do you want me to make an acceptance speech?” Devon teased.
“Sure,” Bryn told her.
“I was just kidding.”
“I want to hear a speech,” Cassidy insisted.
“Yeah, go for it,” Abby urged.
“Okay.” Devon’s brow creased as if she was thinking. “As your new president of the newly formed DG, I promise to devote myself to seriously improving your love life—I mean your dating life.” She giggled. “As your president, I promise that by the homecoming dance, we will all have dates. Or else I’ll resign as your leader.”
“That’s a big promise,” Cassidy told her. “I mean, it’s only about three weeks until homecoming.”
“Yeah,” Emma agreed. “Maybe we should give this a little more time.”
“I didn’t promise we’d all have a perfect date,” Devon said with a mischievous grin. “We might have to do a little settling while we’re getting the kinks worked out of the club. But we’ll just consider it good practice, right?”
Cassidy wasn’t so sure. “Are you saying I’ll have to go out with a guy I don’t really like?”
Devon shrugged. “I’m saying we should be open to the possibilities. After all, it’s called the Dating Games. Doesn’t that suggest that we should be open to playing with it a little?”
“But no jerks,” Emma reminded her.
“Yeah, yeah.” Devon waved a hand. “No jerks.”
Cassidy was still concerned. “But what if I don’t like the guy you find for me to go—”
“Come on, Cass,” Devon said casually. “So what if your first date isn’t your dream guy? It’s not the end of the world, is it? I mean, it’s not like you’re going to marry him and have his babies—are you?”
The others laughed and Cassidy tried to act like it was humorous, but at the same time she resented Devon making fun of her.
“Anyway, I think we made real progress. Now I think we should promise to uphold these rules.” Devon held up her hand as if to make a pledge. “You guys in?”
Cassidy glanced around the coffeehouse to see if anyone was watching them, but other than the barista and an elderly couple in the far corner, the place was pretty much empty. She wasn’t even sure why she cared.
“I know it’s kind of silly,” Devon admitted, “but if we’re going to take the DG seriously, I think we should all make the same pledge.”
So right there, at a back table in Costello’s Coffee, they all pledged to uphold the Dating Games rules.
“Let the games begin.” Devon held up her coffee cup like she was giving a toast. The others did the same, clicking their cups together. “Now we need to make it clear which guys we’re setting our sights on. Like I said, let’s not go to pieces if we don’t score a first date with our Mr. Right just yet. But at least we’ll all know who we’re aiming at. That way we can work together.” She pointed to herself. “I’ll begin. I’ve got my eye on Harris Martin.”
Bryn’s big blue eyes widened in surprise, and although she didn’t mention it, Cassidy wondered if Bryn might’ve had her eye on the same guy. Harris Martin was considered one of the hottest guys in school.
“We know that Emma is interested in Isaac.” Devon grinned at Emma. “Which is pretty convenient.”
“I kind of like Kent Renner,” Abby told them.
“But you’re already friends with Kent,” Bryn pointed out. “You’ve known him for years.”
“Yeah. That’s the problem. Kent just thinks of me as a friend. I need to get through to him somehow.”
“Which is exactly why the DG is here.” Devon nodded. “We will help each other.”
Devon looked at Cassidy, as if she was waiting to hear about her main crush. But Cassidy wasn’t ready to reveal this yet. She decided to delay the inevitable by putting the spotlight on someone else. “How about you, Bryn?”
Bryn’s mouth twisted to one side like she was pondering something. “Well . . . I’ve always kind of wanted to get to know Jason Levine better.”
Abby’s brows arched. “Wow, you’re setting your sights pretty high there, girlfriend.”
Bryn shrugged. “Why not?”
Everyone knew that Jason was considered by many to be the “golden boy” of Northwood. A senior, he was great looking, popular, athletic, class president, and an all-around good guy. As far as Cassidy knew, no one didn’t like Jason.
“Yeah,” Devon said. “Why not? I’ve seen him around. He’s easy on the eyes and seems nice. Why shouldn’t Bryn go for him? He’s not taken, is he?”
“Jason used to date Amanda Norton,” Abby told her. “She’s a senior too. But according to gossip, Amanda was the one who broke up with him, and that was back in the summer.”
“I never heard why they broke up,” Bryn explained. “But I heard one of Amanda’s friends acting like Amanda outgrew Jason.”
“That’s ridiculous,” Devon said. “Probably just sour grapes.”
“Except that I heard she’s dating a college guy,” Abby told her.
“So why shouldn’t I go after him?” Bryn glanced at Devon like she was looking for backup. “I mean, I realize these are just the Dating Games and some of you might be willing to settle. But, hey, what if I go for it big-time? Is there a problem with that?”
Devon smiled. “I don’t see why.” She turned to Cassidy. “How about you? Who’s your dream dude?”
Cassidy felt heat rising up her neck. This was something she’d never told anyone . . . something she’d never wanted anyone to guess. Now they were encouraging her to open up and lay her heart on the table in front of them—just like that? Could she even trust them?
“I know who it is,” Emma said quietly.
Cassidy narrowed her eyes. “I don’t think so.”
Emma nodded a bit smugly.
“Who?” The other girls pressed Emma.
“Can I tell them?” Emma asked Cassidy.
Cassidy shrugged. Had she let this slip out to Emma? It seemed unlikely—although there was a time when she’d felt Emma was a safe confidante. Now she wasn’t so sure.
“Fine,” she told Emma in a slightly snippy tone. “Go ahead if you want, but I’ll bet you don’t even know which guy I’m thinking of.”
Emma tilted her head to the side with a twinkle in her pale blue eyes. “It’s Lane Granger.”
Cassidy attempted not to appear shocked or fall out of her chair. Instead she looked down at her mocha as if it was thoroughly fascinating. How did Emma know this?
“Lane Granger?” Bryn said with a mix of surprise and admiration in her voice. “Who would’ve guessed?”
“I know Lane pretty well,” Emma said. “In fact, he could become my first Dating Games project.”
Cassidy frowned with concern.
“I mean, if it’s okay with you.” Emma looked uneasy. “I’ve known Lane since grade school. We have chemistry together this year. He talks to me.”
“I think that’s a brilliant idea,” Devon told her. “Just remember the DG rules. You’re going after him for Cassidy. No one else.”
Emma nodded. “Absolutely.”
Abby pointed at Bryn. “Didn’t you used to be pretty good friends with Harris?”
“My Harris?” Devon’s eyes lit up.
“Harris Martin,” Bryn said quietly.
“Don’t you guys still talk sometimes?” Abby asked Bryn. “I mean, I’ve seen you . . . right?”
Bryn shrugged like she was unsure or uncomfortable. Cassidy could tell that she felt cornered.
“How about it?” Devon pressed hopefully. “As a member of the DG, can you work on Harris for me?”
Bryn’s blue eyes flickered with uncertainty, but she nodded. “Yeah . . . I guess so.”
Devon frowned. “That’s not very convincing. I mean, seriously, are you in this or not, Bryn? If you want out of the club, you can just say—”
“No. I’m in it,” Bryn insisted.
“Then you should help Devon with Harris,” Abby insisted, but then she smirked at Bryn. “That is, unless you want him for yourself.” She elbowed Bryn. “Do you?”
Bryn looked embarrassed now. “No, of course not. I’ll talk to Harris for you,” she assured Devon. “I promise, I will. As soon as possible.”
“Well, then.” Devon smiled. “Like I said, let the games begin.”
Cassidy suspected that the games had already begun. She also suspected that the wise choice would be to bow out from this crazy excuse for a club. But it was like she couldn’t somehow. Like her feet were glued to the floor. Maybe it was similar to watching a train wreck (or participating in one), but for some unexplainable reason—whose name began with L—she just wasn’t ready to miss out on this.