25

Okay, so. Life is now officially awesome.

I don’t think I’m overstating even a little when I say that the past month—it’s been exactly thirty days since Thaddeus first kissed me—has been the best in my existence, if not the history of the world. Just looking at the guy makes me so nervous that I want to throw up. Yup, he’s that good-looking. And cool. I love how he just sits on the sidelines and watches what goes on instead of being all aggro about ruling the social circle, like Madison and Hayes. Not that he couldn’t rule the school. He just chooses, instead, to be cool about it. Which is why everyone likes him.

But you know what else is awesome? Being the coolest-guy-in-school’s girlfriend. People who before had no idea who I was now go out of their way to talk to me. I mean, the MGs had already put me on most people’s social radar, but now it’s like I’m the most popular MG. I’ve had two invitations to go to exclusive beach house parties, plus an invite (from Orang-Anna) to go to Sun Valley for winter break. On top of that, three guys have asked me out behind Thaddeus’s back, including Jim, the boy in the rugby shirt who ignored me on the first day of school. He passed me a note in math class: If you ever get sick of Thad, I’m all over it, hottie. So much for bros before hos.

Of course, it’s not like Thaddeus and I are that hot and heavy or anything. It’s funny: Kids spend so much time wondering what the popular people are doing, and it turns out we’re doing nothing exciting at all. Mostly, Thad and I just hang out, reading or playing chess. (He’s not as good as I am, but he’s catching on.) We’ve been going out a month, but we’ve kissed only twice—the first time was that day by the bike. Overall, I have to say, it’s been pretty chaste, except for one afternoon last week.

We were outside my grandmother’s house. We’d been walking in the park when it started pouring, so we ran to the grandma-mansion, but not before getting completely soaked. The front door was locked, and we ran to the side door in the garden. I was just yanking it open when he suddenly grabbed me and pulled me back outside.

You know what rocks? Kissing in the rain. Even though Reggie and I made out a few times, I’ve never kissed anyone like that before. There are all these places for the hands to go, new places to touch, and I swear I completely forgot where I was until Thaddeus stopped.

“Wow,” he gasped.

“Seriously.” I stared at him, scared of the bump I’d felt pressing into my hip. The last time I’d felt that, I had to fight Reggie off. Was Thaddeus going to pressure me the same way? Before I had time to worry about it too much, he kissed me again. But when things started to get really crazy—I mean, my heart was pounding so hard, I felt like I’d just biked up Shasta—Thaddeus pulled back.

“I’d better go,” he said. “Homework.” He took off, and I went inside to change my clothes. All I could think about was that if he’d wanted me to go all the way, I would have felt quite differently this time. It was a pretty trippy thing.

Now I just wish he’d hang out with me more at school. Everyone’s noticed that he doesn’t. Especially Madison, who says as much during break.

“Why don’t you ask Thaddeus to have lunch with us today?” she says, grabbing my history notebook. Hayes might not be going anywhere, but Madison’s hot on a fashion internship. It requires a 3.75 GPA, so she has to actually care about her grades all of a sudden. “It would be a good move for all of us. That way everyone will know that the whole thing is normal and that there’s no stickiness because he and I went out last year.”

I look at her seemingly innocent face. I guess I have no reason to doubt her—after all, she stood up for me in the kitchen when she thought Thaddeus was messing with me. Still. Would she really want me to go out with her ex-boyfriend?

“I would ask him to have lunch,” I say somewhat uncomfortably, “but he told me he doesn’t like to eat with his sister.”

“Really? Huh. He used to eat with us last year. Oh well. See you at the bench.”

I watch as Madison struts toward the lawn, and then I immediately make a beeline for Thaddeus’s locker.

“Hey, why don’t you have lunch with us today?” I ask. “I’d love to hang out with you.”

He shakes his head. “No way. A man cannot be seen having lunch with his own little sister at school.”

“But you and your sister get along. You’re, like, the only siblings in the universe who actually enjoy each other’s company.”

“True. But part of the reason is that we don’t spend time together within these hallowed halls.”

“Well,” I can’t help saying, “you used to eat with Hayes when you went out with Madison.”

A cold expression passes over Thaddeus’s face. I put my hand to my necklace, scared of what I’ve said. Why did I bring that up? I’m such an idiot.

“You’re right,” he says grimly. “But that relationship didn’t turn out so well, did it?”

I shake my head, scared to say anything else.

“Listen, I don’t want to get into this now, but let’s drive out to Tybee Island after school today,” he says gently. “I’d love to show you the beach. And, no—I never took Madison there, just in case you were wondering, okay?”

That much I know is true. Madison thinks Tybee is for rednecks. She’s strictly a Hilton Head girl.

“Okay,” I say, beaming. This plan is so much better than him coming to lunch with the MGs. In fact, as I cram down my three BLTs on the lawn later, I can’t stop grinning.

“Damn, Smiley,” Dex says. Despite his showdowns with Madison, he pretty much always eats at the bench now. “You back on the pipe again?”

“No… just in a good mood.”

Madison rolls her eyes. “Oh my God. Everyone around me is annoying me with their perfect relationships.”

“So you and Jason are okay again?” I ask Hayes.

“Yup,” she says. “The gris-gris totally worked. He came over last night with, like, a thousand roses.”

“I don’t even want to know what a gree-whatever is,” Dex says. “You girls are dirty.”

Hayes smiles wickedly and takes another bite of peanut butter pie.

Oh, Dex, I think. If only I could tell you the truth.

“So, are we hitting the Awful later?” he says as we walk to our lockers. “Thursday tradition.”

“Oh, crap. Dex, I can’t.”

“You’re canceling? Sacrilege.”

“I know. I’m sorry. I’ve got… a date.”

Dex shakes his head. “Man. First, you say you aren’t dating Hot-eus. Now you’re so up in it, you’re choosing him over Eggos and Country Crock. How could you?”

I grin. “I’ll make it up to you.”

“It’s cool. Just be careful.”

“What do you mean?”

“Something’s up with you,” he says. “It’s not just the hair and the insta-skinniness—which, by the way, I totally don’t trust. Diet pills went out in the eighties. Didn’t you know?”

“I’ve just been—”

“Biking a lot. Right. Last time I checked, you weren’t signed up to train for the Tour de France, Alex. And that’s the only way to explain the twenty pounds you’ve dropped in the last month. I don’t know if it’s because of Thaddeus or what, but I think these girls are getting their claws into you.”

“Don’t be crazy,” I say. “I’m my own person. If nothing else, my mom taught me that.”

“Fine, but if I catch you listening to Lady Gaga, I’ll seriously know you’re possessed.”

I laugh nervously.

“Okay,” he says. “Later days. And next Thursday, Awful Waffle, three o’clock. No excuses.”

I nod. “Count on it.”

Dex flashes me a thumbs-up. Then he hoots and moonwalks all the way down the hall and out the door.