“Some friend you turned out to be.”
“When you’re defendable, I’ll defend you, but you don’t have a defense, big mouth.”
Coach worked us hard and I did not feel like running extra laps when we were finished with practice, but I did because I didn’t have a choice.
The cheerleaders finished practice and left the field before us and I was glad because I didn’t want to face Claire’s wrath in front of the guys or the cheerleading squad. I guess that made me a coward, but Dane was right. I was going to catch hell from her, but it wouldn’t be until tomorrow, so I had all night to dread it.
After I finishing my laps, I walked out to my truck and East Franklin’s perfect couple was standing in the parking lot, apparently discussing the recent altercation between us. Coach was in the parking lot too, so I took the opportunity to twist the knife a little by taunting Claire, knowing Forbes couldn’t say a word with Coach right there.
“You looked good in practice today, Claire.”
My words didn’t provoke a response from her, but Forbes was livid and I loved it. I didn’t want to overdo it today with the Princess, so I opened the door to my truck and said, “I’ll see you tomorrow, Claire.”
I couldn’t stop this game of getting to Forbes through Claire now because it was too easy and I wasn’t hurting her. Not really. Maybe making her a little mad, but at the end of the day, it was all innocent.
* * *
I reluctantly admit I laid awake worrying about Claire last night, but not her wrath. It was her feelings I had on my mind and I began to feel like the ass**le she accused me of being.
I got to Humanities and she wasn’t in class yet, so I took the same seat as the previous day and waited anxiously to see what the Princess might have in store for me because I had already figured out just how sharp her tongue could be.
She entered the classroom and I felt my heart fall to my stomach as I realized I was even less prepared to see her than I thought. My anxiety level had me feeling ridiculously uneasy. I gathered my thoughts for the perfect apology, then watched her skip the seat next to me and ask Brad to swap with her, making him my partner for the day.
She was ignoring me, acting as though I wasn’t even in the room, and I didn’t like it. Oh, it was a brilliant plan on her part if she wanted to get under my skin because it was absolutely working.
Humanities was painful with Brad as my partner. He chose Recognizing Patterns as our ingredient for discussion, but the only pattern I recognized was him talking and me wanting him to shut up.
The only good thing about being partners with Brad is that he talked just to hear his own voice which meant I didn’t have to. While he rambled, I watched Claire, hoping she would look in my direction so I could wave the white flag to let her know she had won and my partnership with Brad could be considered penance for my bad behavior.
When the bell rang, Claire was up and gone, not giving me an opportunity to apologize to her. I walked to third period with the intention of making her talk to me, whether she liked it or not, even if I had to go through Restless Lip Syndrome girl in order to do it.
I waited until I knew Claire and her talkative bodyguard had gone into U.S. History before I entered. I wasn’t giving her another opportunity to get away from me.
She and Payton had taken seats on the opposite side of the room on the front row with no open desks around them and she thought she had won again, but she was wrong.
I walked over to the girl sitting behind her and said, “I forgot my glasses today and I can’t see the board. Would you mind trading your seat for the one two rows over?”
“No problem. Sometimes I forget my glasses, too.”
I took the seat behind Claire, giving me the upper hand because I was able to lean forward to whisper in her ear, forcing her to hear me out and I wasted no time getting to it.
“I know what I did was wrong and I’m sorry. Will you please just go ahead and cuss me out or whatever you have planned.”
No response. Again.
Buckley started class, but I wasn’t ready to let this go. When he turned his back to pull down a roll away map, I leaned close to her ear and said, “You don’t have to continue ignoring me. I get it. You’re pissed and you have every right to be. I said I was sorry. What else do you want me to do?”
Payton leaned over and said, “You can give it up because she doesn’t accept fauxpologies. Trust me.”
I wasn’t giving her a fake apology. This was the real thing-as real as it got for me, anyway. I whispered in her ear, “This is me being real. I am sorry.”
Then, she flipped me off over her shoulder.
Payton leaned over again and whispered, “Uh, that translates into fauxpology not accepted.”
“Yeah, thanks. I kind of deciphered that one on my own.”
Man, I thought Forbes has screwed with the wrong guy, but maybe I screwed with the wrong Princess.
I leaned back in my desk, accepting my temporary defeat, all while planning my next move. I would find a way to make the pretty Princess forgive me.
10 The Penalty Box
Claire
I spent all day ignoring Jessie Boone without giving in, except when I gave him the finger, and that doesn’t count because I didn’t speak out loud.
He thought he knew how this thing was going to play out. He expected me to walk in, let him have it, then accept the smooth apology he had worked on all night. Guess what! He had another thing coming because I wasn’t letting him off the hook that easily.
I was surprised at how well ignoring him was working and I loved how it was driving him crazy. Realizing he would grow immune to it soon, I knew I had to come up with an extension plan and who better to ask than Sergeant Spite herself.
While we were stretching before cheerleading practice, I told Payton, “Got a job for you and only a devious mind such as yours will do.”
“Loving it already,” she said, as she rubbed her hands together. “What cha got for me?”
“I’m not finished with Jessie Boone and I need ideas, something to make him think twice about using me as ammunition against Forbes.”
“Ooh, I’d love to help you put him in the penalty box,” she said while smiling and nodding in agreement. “In fact, I’d rather enjoy it. Let me think it over and I’ll have something together by the end of practice today.”
I noticed Payton spent a lot of time watching the football players instead of concentrating on routines. At one point during practice, Payton elbowed me and whispered, “He’s watching you between every play and his eyes didn’t leave you even when Gretchen bent over in those ridiculously short shorts to give him a look at her vajayjay.”