Everyone has seen the prank. Everyone knows I was involved. And everyone has something to say about it.
Paul: Hey, did you really do it? Everyone’s talking about it. You’re a legend, man. A legend. Hey, only next time tell me so I can be a legend, too, okay?
Ethan and Mikey (who seem to be forgetting I saved their sorry skins last night): If you tell anyone, we’ll kill you.
Dean: I can’t believe your punk ass is getting all the credit. You still haven’t said anything, though, right?
The only person I haven’t heard from is Jayla. I figured I’d see her first thing. Paul and I walk the halls looking for her.
“I can’t believe you’re missing the first meet.”
“I know.”
“This is the worst news ever.”
“I know.”
(Everything you need to know about Paul: He’s the kind of person where I can say, “Hey, isn’t my Greenbottle Blue the coolest?! He’s got this awesome turquoise-colored carapace.” Instead of: “Hey, check out the big-ass spider I got for my birthday!” So, basically, the best kind.)
Then he reminds me of a missing critical item in my prank fallout list: “Have you talked to Coach yet?”
“Shit.”
He snorts. “I guess that’s a no.”
“Shit.”
“Yeah, it’s probably going to suck.”
When we finally run into Jayla, she’s outside the chorus room holding court over a gaggle of other freshmen. They’re fanned out around her, and she’s shining the way she always does when she’s in the spotlight. Then she sees me.
“Spencer!” She hops up and flings her arms around my neck. Like I’m so important. Totally worth jumping to her feet and interrupting her conversation for. She was the first girl to ever think I was worth noticing, period. Three months later, and it’s still my favorite thing about her. “Where have you been? I’ve been texting you all morning.”
I wave bye to Paul as he does the best-friend fadeaway. “I’m sorry. My parents took my phone. I’ve been looking everywhere for you.”
“It’s okay,” she says. I can feel her smile against my mouth as she kisses me in front of all her friends.
The hive buzzes with snickers and oooohs, but the attention only feeds her grin until it blossoms into a giggle. Some people like to talk shit about Jayla, saying she’s a drama queen and stuff. And yeah, she loves singing and being in plays and all that, and sometimes when she talks, it seems like she’s performing for an imaginary audience. But they can call her an attention whore all they want, because you know what? My girlfriend is awesome. It never fazes her when my tics flare up in public and people start staring, because she’s cool with being looked at. She always gives a big smile and a wave like they’re staring at us because we’re movie stars, and it totally calms me down, and I forget to feel like The Kid with Tourette’s Syndrome.
“Hey, you think we could go talk for a minute?” I glance to the circle of freshmen at my feet as if to say “without your entourage.”
“Sure!” She turns to them. “Spencer really needs me right now, but I’ll catch up with y’all later, okay?”
She can’t hide her excitement over the fact that she’s about to know ALL THE SECRETS. Her hand finds mine as we make our way to an empty stretch of hall and lean against a window. It’s as private as we’re gonna get unless we go somewhere that might get us into trouble. People stare and whisper as they pass us. A couple guys salute.
“So. What happened? Everyone in school is talking about it!” Her eyes sparkle at my minor celebrity, and she leans closer. “Were you really there?”
“I’ll tell you everything, I promise. But, first, did they post the Oklahoma! list yet? Did you get the part?” The way she’s been grinning, she must have—
“No.” And the grin disappears.
“Are you serious?”
“Justin Irby and this red-haired girl who’s a junior got the leads. And I’m playing Ado Annie. Opposite Calvin Jennings. Because I guess Ms. Pickett couldn’t handle the idea of any interracial kissing onstage.”
I pull her into a hug. “I’m so sorry. That is not okay.”
“Thanks,” she says into my shoulder. Then she pulls away. “And just in case you’re wondering, I heard the other girl audition, and I know I was the best.”
“Hey, I’m not doubting you. I’ve heard you sing.” I lace my fingers through hers. “Are you going to, like, appeal it or anything?”
“I don’t know. I have to spend three more years in her drama program, so I really don’t want to make waves this early. And I want people to know I deserved that role, but I don’t want to sound like the bitter actress who didn’t get the part. Or for people to say I’m an angry black girl. And, well, honestly, I’m a little scared.”
“Of Ms. Pickett?”
She shakes her head. “Not her exactly. Just, people. I don’t know what kind of backlash there would be. Sometimes the world doesn’t feel like the safest place, you know?” She’s quiet for a second. “But I did have one idea.”
“What is it?”
She smiles, and it banishes some of the sadness from her face. “Maybe I could act like Ado Annie is the star of Oklahoma! Upstage Laurey a bit?”
“YES.”
“You think?”
“Hell, yes. Sing circles around her. Dance the crap out of all your songs. Make sure everyone who’s watching wonders why you didn’t get that part.”
She squeezes my hand. “I think I will. But, hey. Tell me about the prank stuff because we’re running out of time, and gossip cheers me up. Did you do it?”
“Not exactly. I mean, I was there last night, kind of, but it was a senior prank. Someone called Pam and told her that the administration knew, so I came to warn everybody. And then right after I got here, Vice Principal Kahn showed up. Everyone else bolted, and I got caught.”
“That is so cool. Not the part about you getting caught. The part where you pretty much saved all the seniors’ asses. They must love you right now.”
I think about Ethan and Mikey cornering me outside the bathroom. “Oh, yeah. Totally.”
“And the cafeteria. Oh, wow, people are gonna be talking about this prank forever. I love how they blacked out the windows so it’s all dark in there.”
“Oh, y’all don’t even know the best part.” I tell her about Vice Principal Kahn and the penis confetti. Jayla laughs so hard she wheezes.
“That guy scares the crap out of me. People are gonna freak when they hear this.”
Her face is flushed with gossip she can’t wait to share, and I’m glad I could make her so happy. The warning bell rings, and we walk to art class together.
“Did you get in a ton of trouble?”
“Grounded for a month.”
She groans.
“Pam’ll probably give me my phone back after a few days, though. Dean never answers his, and it drives her crazy.” My upbeat act falters. “No dates, though.”
“Well, that’s okay.” She bumps her hip against mine. “We’ll just have to get creative.”
I have no idea what she’s talking about, but the mischief flickering in her eyes makes me want to find out.
“And you can still wrestle, right?” She bites her lip.
I tell her about having to miss my meet, and she turns into a tiny ball of rage and does a hilarious impression of Kahn.
“I have to see him every morning for a whole month,” I say. “Doesn’t that suck? He had me carrying water cups to the sink for over an hour this morning.”
“Yeah, I heard about that,” says Jayla. And then she says the part I’ve been dreading. “I heard Hope was there, too.”
“Well, yeah, but that’s just because we both got caught so we have the same detention.” Are we still in a hallway? Because it suddenly feels a lot like a sauna in here. The collar of my shirt tries to strangle my neck.
“So, you and Hope were the only two who got caught?”
“Yeah, but that’s only because she twisted her ankle.”
I can see the pieces fitting together in her head. “And everyone else ran, but you went back to save her?”
“Yeah, but you know me. I’d do that for anyone.”
She smiles, and it looks just the way a Jayla smile should, but her voice is soft. “I know you would.”