Now that I have an honest-to-goodness-boyfriend, I’m like super-duper nervous to go to school. JuneBug doesn’t help on FaceTime. “You’re big-time baller now. You’ve bagged the hottest hottie in the senior class!”
I sigh. “I’m not so sure about that. I feel like I’m under a microscope. I mean I know he fell for me just the way I am, but still.”
“Stop frettin’ and sweatin’. Just go with it! It’s just another day of high school.”
“Easy for you to say, but I’ve never had a boyfriend.” I clap my hand over my mouth. I can’t believe I just said that, and by the look on her face, neither can JuneBug.
“Never?”
“What am I, a broken record? We’ve had this conversation.”
“Never, ever? You’re seventeen years-old! You’ve gone to a public school all your life. It ain’t like you’ve been in a convent ‘til now.” She goes all Nancy Drew on me. “Have you?”
I get defensive. “Shut up, JuneBug. You know that’s not true. I’ve just been busy with sports. Besides, I don’t need a guy to make me feel worthy. I’ve got more sense than that.”
“Chillax, girl. I’m just saying it’s not like you’ve been hit with an ugly stick. I’m surprised is all. And are you insinuating that I need a guy to boost my confidence? Cause that is sooo not true, and you know it.”
“I’m not insinuating anything, JuneBug. I’m just nervous, and you know what happens then. Stupid word bullets start firin’.”
“Fine. I forgive you.”
“Thanks, cause I’m dyin’ over here. I’ve changed my clothes like five times this morning.”
There’s a pause while I hold out the phone, and she makes a face. “Why didn’t you show me the other outfits?”
Panic button hit. “What’s wrong with this one?”
“Oh, my…nothing!”
“Hold up. Someone’s honking outside.” I peek out the window. “Oliver’s out there.”
I tear down the stairs with my phone still on, flat in my hand.
Oliver’s looking sooo sweet. “I kind of wanted to give you a ride today since we’re together now.”
Feminine pride awakened. “That’s very nice, but I can drive myself to school.”
He looks wounded. “Oh, alright.”
“Girl! Take the ride!” my phone yells at me.
He raises his eyebrows at the phone in my hand. I’m conflicted. “Can we pick up JuneBug?”
“Yeah, but you’ll have to split the breakfast bagel I got you.”
I look over to see a bag sitting in the passenger seat, a dart to my heart.
“Breakfast bagel boyfriend better get a snack!” My face flames red and I mute JuneBug, unable to look at Oliver as I rush around the Scout to hop in.
He chuckles. “Don’t you need your bag?”
“Oh yeah, that. Give me a sec.”
I race back in the house and pause to unmute my phone.
“You’d better be ready, JuneBug!”
She yells back. “Turn it off! Turn it off! I’m getting motion sickness!”
I hold it against my stomach as I lunge up the stairs. “I hope you puke, big-mouth brash girl.”
I grab my bag and run back to his Scout. I climb inside. I turn to say something, but I’m cut off with a kiss. I grab his knee for a reality anchor and squeeze it to get his attention, but I still forget where I am for a few seconds. He pulls away, looking triumphant. “JuneBug?”
“Right. So she lives…”
“I live four blocks down. I could have done without hearing your make-out sesh this morning.”
I turn my head to look out the window while Oliver laughs before answering. “Turn off your phone, JuneBug.”
We get to JuneBug’s. I reach over and honk the horn. She comes tearing out the door, shoes under her arm, cereal bar in one hand, sloshing her coffee this way and that with the other, as she runs through her yard. I swear if I ever show up to get her and she’s completely dressed, without food or drink in her hands, the world might come to an end.
She hops in his Scout and shoves me across the seat until I’m hip to hip with Oliver. “Whaddup Bee-yotch?”
I wrinkle my nose at her. “Any chance you can change your morning greeting?”
“Nope.”
Soon we are at the school. JuneBug pipes up. “Ready to rub your new relationship in Red’s face?”
I laugh until I see Oliver’s face. “You know that’s not why I’m with you. But after the grief she’s been giving me, it’s definitely a bonus,” I assure him.
He’s all serious. “You want me to talk to her?”
“No. I’ll handle her,” I vow.
He grabs my hand. “No punching.”
I rip my hand from his. “If she starts something, I’m finishing it.”
I get out of the truck and look at him over his Scout hood. “Don’t even think about opening my door. I draw the line there.” I scurry around to lean on his grill. I enjoy his little strut as he saunters over to me, giving me a heated look that makes me forget anyone else is around.
He leans in and backs me up against the grill. “What’s wrong with being polite? My momma raised me right.”
He bumps against me and we kiss. I’m sinking in a quicksand of love. Oh boy. How am I supposed to go through a whole day of school, thinking about this??
The touch of my true love’s kiss sends me straight into orbit. My heart does laps around the planets in outer space. I’ve got stars in my eyes. He’s my Jupiter, Saturn, Mars, all wrapped into one beautiful package… how could a girl get so lucky? They ought to name the biggest Star in the sky after him..
“Katie? Katie?” I snap out of it. I’m looking into his beautiful eyes. “Um, yes?”
“Were you just naming the planets?”
What can I say… Um, maybe?” He laughs and takes my hand. We start across the parking lot. Out of the corner of my eye, I spy Spitfire red and her entourage. She’s not happy with me. I can’t decide if I should be worried.
We get to our lockers, and I let go of his hand long enough to grab my stuff for first hour. He walks me to the door. I guess I can handle a little possessiveness… I head into yearbook. Spitfire Red sits at my desk like she’s the queen. No matter. I got the guy. I’m taking the high road today—just like every other day when it comes to the scheming maniac.
I linger in the doorway until the bell rings. She doesn’t move. Fine. I’ll just go and sit in her chair. Two can play this game.
I get out her stuff. I hold it up and look through it like it’s the most interesting stuff I’ve ever seen. Her jaw twitches while I continue on with my inspection. If one of us blows her top first, it won’t be me. Hmm. What’s this? A red marker resting at my fingertips, begging to be used? I snatch the Never-to-be-used-red-marker and mark up her photos with it.
She flies out of my chair and stomps across the room. Just before she gets to me, I coolly lay the marker down and walk on the outskirts of her warpath back to my seat, keeping her in my sights at all times. She grabs the red marker and waves it in the air. She holds a marked page in the other. Her shrill voice pierces my eardrums. “Ms. Dante, Katie violated my yearbook pages with her red marker!”
Ms. Dante gives me a look of annoyance and then looks back at Livvy. “Girls, what is this all about?”
I shrug my shoulders and speak with all coolness, sincerity, and false confidence. “I honestly have no idea. I mean, I wrote some suggestions on her things while she was sitting in my chair. It’s an erasable marker. It comes right off.” I watch Red grab a tissue and start wiping. The Kleenex is red, but her photos are marker free. She plops down, defeated. Katie 1, Spitfire Red 0.
I want to say something so bad, but instead, I get out my pages and continue working as the ever-studious editor. Today is a busy day. We’re going through all the pictures and choosing the best ones to exhibit the school clubs, of which there are many. I make sure they don’t all have Oliver in them, but it’s kind of hard, as he’s involved in many things. I finish with about ten minutes left; happy I’ve chosen a nice variety of students and poses for each organization. I place all these photos in an envelope.
I glance over at Spitfire, who’s been giving me the Evil Eye the entire hour, which I’ve pointedly ignored. However, I don’t trust her in the least, so I hurriedly compile a second set of “fake photos” and place them in an envelope and label them as well. I slip the real collection into my schoolbag and leave the fake collection in my desk. It’s probably unnecessary overkill, but after the fiasco we just had and my humiliating Red in class, one can never be too careful.
Drat. Three minutes left and I can’t take Red’s death stare any longer. She’s itching to be slapped. So hard. I raise my hand. “Ms. Dante, may I run down to Mr. French’s class to take pictures, please? They’re testing their catapults in physics.” I race past four classroom doors and skid to a stop. My camera bumps my side as I dash into the room. I rush over to Oliver’s table and give him a mini rundown of first hour.
“Did she really do that?” His voice is almost accusatory. What’s that about?
I get defensive. “Yes! She started it. I didn’t do anything to her.” I smack my forehead. “Where’s your catapult? I’m here to take pictures.”
“They’re over there.”
I rush over and snap a few photos. I run back to his desk, and plop down across from him. I lean in. “I’m not about to let Red intimidate me, Oliver. She was being absolutely awful. I’m not exaggerating.” The bell rings. I rush back to yearbook.
The rest of the day flies by, as my boyfriend does his best to distract me every hour, and I do my best to ignore him, but I can’t hold back the permanent sappy smile that’s plastered on my face. The final bell rings and school’s out.
I walk out with Oliver to his Scout and let him kiss me for a solid three to five minutes. I pull away. “I have to go to work.”
He opens my door. “Your chariot awaits.” I hop in, followed by JuneBug.
“You’re just as weird as she is.” JuneBug snaps at Oliver as he starts out of the parking lot. JuneBug leans forward. “Yo. Drop me at the preacher’s house.”
I’m in shock. “Did you just say preacher?”
“There’s a new kid. He’s staying there. His name’s Ernesto. He’s from Spain. He’s like an exchange student, and he would have been here two weeks ago, but he got held up in customs or some crazy shit. And he had to spend like two to three weeks in an actual jail cell. He’s totally the bomb. I’m asking him to the dance.”
I’m at a loss for words, but she’s looking at me expectantly. “Um, intriguing, JuneBug.” I’m excited for JuneBug cause she’s excited. I’m sure Ernesto is nice enough, but I can’t help wonder why he really got held up in customs. There’s got to be more to the story than what she said, I think. I don’t know.
What if... Ernesto is forced to be a member of a gang from his homeland under extreme duress because they’re holding his whole family for ransom back home, and so he came here to recruit and to start up an army of like drug runners and become an underground drug lord posing as a high school senior? What if he like has connections and they start selling firearms? What if.. Athens, Ohio, ends up on Dateline?”
“Ow!” I have a sharp pain in my side.
“Katie! Earth to Katie.”
“What? I had a really cool dark world story going on…”
JuneBug sighs. “I’m not even going to ask. What do you think? You guys want to double date with us the night of the dance?”
“Yeah, sure. That’d be cool.”
She does a double take. “You sure? What about you, Captain Sexy?”
Oliver coughs. “What’d you just call me?”
JuneBug answers, all annoyed. “Oliver. Do you and Katie want to double date with me and Ernesto to the dance?”
“I guess that’d be alright.”
She jumps out of the truck, slamming the door. “It’s a Deal-io. Wish me luck!”
I watch in wonder as JuneBug marches up to the minister’s house, all self-assured and brave.
I mutter out loud. “She’s not afraid of anything.”
Oliver laughs. “Nope.”