CHAPTER NINE

I spent the next couple hours on my phone, playing games and generally killing time. I texted Nat but didn’t hear back. She had cheerleading practice, though, so that wasn’t too strange. Vince checked in to see what had happened with Juarez. Turned out he was right about getting grounded.

Dude, I texted back, u won’t be the only 1 by the time my parents are done w/me.

Finally, seven o’clock rolled around. I grabbed a burger and drove over to Marco’s. My costume was simple enough to put on in the car, no problem. Nat and I were both going as pirates. I secretly thought it was a kind of boring idea, but she wanted something that we could do as a couple. So I’d put together the usual gear: wooden sword, eye patch, vest, bandana tied on my head, some cool lace-up boots I’d found at a thrift store. I’d even practiced saying “Arrr!” and making puns about booty and buried treasure.

I was ready. Now all I needed was my lovely shipmate.

Trouble was, Nat wasn’t on the scene. I toured Marco’s house and backyard, eyes peeled. I saw three fairies, two butterflies, a ladybug, a nurse, and a startling number of sexy vampires, but no pirate girl. So I chilled with some guys from the photography club for a while, then texted Nat again.

“Hey, Captain Sushi! Arrr!” A guy in an Iron Man mask punched me in the arm—not in a friendly way. I didn’t need to see under the mask to know it was Kevin Scofield. I stomped away before he started making cracks about my missing first mate.

Another ten minutes passed before my cell phone sounded the Natalie chime. Her text was in all caps. Not a good sign.

CAN’T MAKE IT, SRRY

Why not?

I REALLY DON’T FEEL LIKE PARTYING WHEN THE WHOLE SQUAD IS MAD @ ME. THX 4 THAT BTW.

So Natalie was upset that my exposé had hurt her social standing. Great.

If there’s one thing I can’t stand, it’s arguing by text. Take one angry person, add another, and force them both to type it all out, one line at a time. Yeah, there’s no possible way that could go wrong. My usual policy is to stop texting the minute I start feeling annoyed with someone.

But I was too—well, too annoyed to remember that right then.

I didn’t mean 4 that 2 happen, I texted back.

EVRY1 SAYS MY BF BACKSTABBED OUR COACH N NOW SHE’LL BE FIRED

She’s not getting fired. I got suspended. I’m fine tho, thx 4 askin

UR SUSPENDED???

Yeah, 1 week

SO U DID FAKE THOSE PIX

No! I already told u I didn’t. But Juarez doesn’t believe me.

I DON’T BELIEVE U EITHER

Fine, don’t. Still tru.

U DON’T GET SUSPENDED 4 DOIN NOTHIN WRONG

Um, I just did

U FAKED THE PIX 2 GET BACK AT HER. JUST ADMIT IT KAI.

We shld talk F2F, let me come pick u up.

4GET IT. IM DONE WITH U.

Nat. Come on.

Nat???

She didn’t answer. I called, but she didn’t pick up. Left a message, but—you got it—she didn’t call back.

I tried to process what had just happened. My girlfriend—my gorgeous, funny girlfriend—had just dumped me. By text message. Over a few photographs. Not even sexy photos of some other girl or something. A few very boring photos of a math teacher with an eraser in her hand.

It was starting to suck to be me.