4:25 PM
November 15th
The glare from the stadium lights blinded Alicia and kept her from seeing Briarwood score the winning goal. But she heard all about it from the announcer.
“The Tomahawks kick butt once again thanks to their star forward, Derrick Harrington,” a man’s voice bellowed through the speaker towers. Everyone jumped to their feet and waved their orange-and-blue flags. Alicia and Faux-livia waved their pink knit mittens.
“Whoo-hoo!” Derrick shouted. His teammates lifted him up and carried him toward the bleachers. They rubbed his shaggy blond hair and sprayed him with Evian water. When they put him on the ground, Derrick turned his back to the crowd and pulled down his shorts. They cheered and hollered while he stuck out his tiny white butt and wiggled it back and forth.
“That makes standing out here in the freezing cold almost worth it,” Alicia said, putting her mitten back on her hand.
“I don’t care how immature everyone says he is—I think he’s cute,” Faux-livia said.
“He could be if he stopped wearing shorts all the time.” Alicia sat down on the cold metal bleachers. “I’ve never seen him in long pants. Not even at dances. His knees are purple from the cold.”
Faux-livia sat down and stuffed her hands in the pockets of her red puffy coat.
“He reminds me of my old yellow Lab, Smash,” Faux-livia said. “I think it’s the brown eyes and the blond hair. …”
“Probably.” Alicia never asked Olivia to clarify. It usually just confused her more. Besides, Derrick was walking up the cement steps and she didn’t want to miss her chance to greet the star player.
Alicia crouched down, pretending to pick something off the ground, and swiped a quick coat of light pink gloss across her lips. “Nice game!” she called out when she resurfaced.
“Yeah, you were so on today, Derrington,” Faux-livia shouted.
Alicia quickly elbowed her in the ribs.
“Ow,” Faux-livia said.
“You’re lucky you’re wearing that coat or it really would have hurt,” Alicia whispered.
“Why’d ya elbow me?”
“He doesn’t know we call him Derrington,” Alicia said through her teeth. “When you’re talking to him, use his real name.”
“Sorry.” Faux-livia rubbed her side. “I thought he’d think it was funny how we blended his first and last name together.”
Alicia knew Faux was right. But Massie made up Derrington, and Alicia didn’t want Olivia to get credit for it. Of course she could have lied and said the nickname was her idea, but Massie would find out. She always did.
“Yes!” Alicia murmured when Derrington and three of his teammates stopped in front of their seats. “You guys were sooo Beckham-y today.” She tilted her head and smiled sweetly.
“Thanks, Alicia,” Chris Plovert said as he lifted a bottle of Gatorade to his mouth. A line of blue juice dribbled down his chin.
“Hey, Alicia, look,” Danny Robbins said, pointing at Chris’s face. “He likes you so much he’s drooling.”
Chris punched Danny’s lanky arm, then used the sleeve of his team jersey to wipe it away. “You’re the one who’s always looking for her in the stands,” he said.
“It’s your older sister I’m looking for,” Danny said, flashing a mouthful of silver braces.
The two boys started giggling and punching each other. A few other guys on the team heard them joking around and forced their way into the tight circle.
Alicia was enjoying the rush of confidence that always came from so much boy attention. That, combined with her recent experience at Teen Vogue, made her feel unstoppable. She scanned the bleachers to make sure Massie, Claire, Dylan, and Kristen were still there. They were. And they were looking straight at her. Perfect!
“Relax, boys, you’re too old for her,” Derrington mumbled. He put his sweaty arm around Alicia.
“The eighth grade is so not too old for me.” Alicia wiggled to free herself from his grip. She ran her fingers along the inside of her pink knit cap and casually loosened a few strands of black hair. She knew they’d look sexy blowing around her face.
“What about the eleventh grade?” Harris Fisher asked.
Alicia reached into her bag and peeled off a yes sticker. She pressed it against the sleeve of his leather jacket.
“We love eleventh graders.” Faux-livia’s navy blue eyes stayed fixed on Harris.
The boys giggled and punched each other all over again.
Cam rolled his two different-colored eyes. “Ignore him. He’s a complete stranger.”
Alicia smiled and looked down at the gray cement. There wasn’t a girl at OCD who hadn’t heard of Harris Fisher. He was Cam’s hot older brother. He had two gorgeous green eyes, whereas Cam only had the one.
“What about Massie? Does she like older guys too?” Derrington asked.
Alicia pretended she didn’t hear Derrington’s question and quickly changed the subject.
“You better be nice to us because we may not be around for much longer,” Alicia said. She casually unbuttoned her gray coat so they could see the Dixon she was wearing around the top of her jeans.
“Why, where are you going?” Derrington mumbled, not noticing that her butt was wrapped in black mesh.
“Yeah, where are you going?” Faux-livia asked. Her eyes were wide with panic.
Alicia squeezed Faux-livia’s hand. “We got a modeling contract with Teen Vogue and they might want us to drop out of school and move to Manhattan.” She tried to sound blasé.
“Really?” Derrington sat down on the bleacher beside Alicia and put his arm around her. “Did Massie get one too?”
“What is your obsession?” Alicia snapped. “This has nothing to do with Massie.”
“Sorry.” Derrington jumped to his feet. “I just thought because you’re such good friends—”
“Well, you thought wrong.” Alicia folded her arms across her chest.
“She is pretty enough to be a model,” Cam chimed in.
Harris followed his brother’s gaze down five rows of bleachers and straight to Massie Block. She was surrounded by a group of girls who were taking turns holding her black pug. Both Massie and the dog wore white scarves and fluffy earmuffs. Her cheeks were rosy from the cold. She looked like a beautiful snow angel under the hazy glow of the stadium lights.
“I second that,” Harris said. “She could definitely model.”
“Hey, Alicia,” Faux-livia said. “You should send Lucinda Massie’s picture. Didn’t she say she was looking for more—”
Alicia stepped on Faux-livia’s toe with the heel of her boot.
“Ow!” Faux-livia screeched.
“You guys are freaks.” Cam shook his head. He stuffed his hands in the pockets of his beat-up leather jacket. “I’ll be right back.”
“You’re the one with two different-colored eyes,” Alicia shouted after him.
Cam turned around and smiled. “Sure, make fun of the eyes, that’s sooooo original.”
“Whatevs.” Alicia watched him hop from one metal bench to the next. He stopped when he got to Massie, Claire, Kristen, and Dylan. What made them so interesting? Why wasn’t Alicia enough? Why did everyone choose Massie?
Alicia tried to seem interested while Chris, Danny, and Derrington recapped the boring details of their winning goal. But she was distracted by Massie. She did look pretty. Her hair was even glossier than usual and Alicia couldn’t help wondering if there was someone special she was trying to impress.
The minute she saw Massie whack Cam with her signature roundhouse kick, Alicia had her answer. All the signs were there … the ultra-glossy hair, matching outfits with Bean, and, most importantly, the kick-boxing moves she’d learned from her mother’s old Taebo workout DVDs.
Oh my God, Massie likes Cam!
“Can you talk to her for me?” Derrington mumbled in Alicia’s ear. He had seen her roundhouse kick.
“What?” Alicia said, annoyed. “You have to speak up.”
“Can you tell Massie to go out with me?” Derrington said louder. “Come on, you’re her best friend. She’ll listen to you.”
Alicia didn’t want to tell Derrington that she and Massie weren’t speaking. Then he’d take sides. And she knew exactly whose side he’d take.
“Sure,” Alicia said to the cement. When she looked up again, she caught Harris sneaking a peek at her boobs.
“When did it get so cold?” Alicia buttoned her coat and folded her arms across her chest.
“Six weeks ago.” Harris flashed a big toothy smile. “The Strokes just canceled their Chicago show because of a snowstorm.” He tilted his head back and looked up at the late afternoon sky.
Alicia did the same, even though she had no idea why. It wasn’t dark enough yet to see any stars.
“I swear if that happens when they come here, I’ll freak.” Harris returned his gaze to Alicia.
His green eyes were so intense, Alicia had to look away. “Are you going to their concert?” she asked.
“I wish. I’m still trying to get tickets. They always sell out when they play in New York. I even tried eBay.” Harris ran his hands through his shaggy brown hair. “I’ll probably have to buy from scalpers.”
“How many tickets do you need?” Alicia asked.
“Two.” He sighed
“Done,” Alicia said.
Chris and Derrington laughed.
“Yeah, right,” Derrington said.
“I’m serious,” Alicia said.
Harris’s green eyes flickered with amusement. “There’s no way you could actually get those tickets,” he said. “Could you?”
“Given,” Alicia said. She waved her hand through the air to show him how ridiculous he was being. “My dad has the ultimate hookup. We just saw Beyoncé last night.”
“Why?” Derrington mumbled.
“He’s a lawyer and he knows everyone.”
“No,” Derrington said, “why did you see Beyoncé?”
Chris Plovert busted out laughing. They high-fived each other.
Alicia turned to Harris. “Do you want the tickets or not?”
“Hell, yeah.” Harris threw his arm around Alicia and she caught a whiff of his new leather jacket. It smelled fishy, but Alicia didn’t mind. It meant the leather was real.
“Who’s the other ticket for?” Alicia forced herself to stare straight into Harris’s pupils, because her cousin Nina told her boys got turned on by direct eye contact.
Harris smiled and raised his eyebrows. He didn’t speak, but his green eyes seemed to say, “It could be yours if you play your cards right.”
Alicia felt prickly heat spread through her entire body. She immediately looked toward the soccer field.
“Hey, Cam.” Harris cupped his hands over his mouth and called again, “Cam, time to boogie.”
Alicia watched Cam say goodbye to her ex-friends and felt a little pang of envy. It wasn’t fair that he got to hang out with them when she couldn’t.
“Why. Are. They. Calling. You an EW?” Cam panted. He was out of breath from running up the bleachers.
Alicia stepped away from Harris and lowered her voice. “They didn’t tell you?” she whispered to Cam’s shoulder.
“No, they said you’d tell me.”
“Come on, Cam, I have to get Mom’s car home,” Harris said. Then he turned back to Alicia one last time. “Call me as soon as you find out about those tickets.”
“Given.” Alicia looked around to see if anyone heard Harris ask her to call him. But it was getting dark and almost everyone had cleared out.
“Cam, I’ll be waiting in the car.” Harris lifted the collar on his jacket to block the wind and walked away.
“Okay, one minute,” Cam said. “I just have to talk to Alicia about something.”
Alicia prayed silently while Cam led her to a bleacher. He sat down. Please, God, don’t let him ask me why they are calling me an EW. PLEASE!
“Aren’t you going to sit down?” Cam asked.
“No, I’m fine,” Alicia said.
Cam stood up. Alicia could smell his Drakkar Noir mixed with dried sweat. It smelled better than his brother’s fishy jacket, but she still liked Harris more.
“Alicia, will you talk to your friend for me?” he asked softly.
“What’s with everyone?” Alicia snapped. “Do I look like the host of The Bachelorette? Go talk to Massie yourself if you like her so much.”
“I don’t,” Cam said through the side of his mouth. “I like hair.”
“What?” Alicia crinkled her eyebrows. “Are you looking for a stylist?”
“NO, I like Claire,” Cam said, raising his voice. “CLAIRE.” He quickly looked at his friends, who were busy helping Faux-livia decide if she should tattoo her ankle or her lower back. “But I never get a chance to talk to her alone. Massie’s always interrupting.”
Alicia looked at the dark sky and winked a thanks at God for this small miracle. Massie liked Cam. And Cam liked Claire. Alicia couldn’t wait to spread the news.
“I’d be psyched to talk to Claire for you,” Alicia blurted. Cam shushed her immediately. Then she whispered, “But you have to do something for me in return.”
“Anything,” Cam said. He was looking at Claire in the distance. She was sharing a bag of candy with Dylan. For some reason that made him grin.
“Tell your brother to take me to the Strokes concert,” Alicia said.
“Can’t you just get more tickets?” Cam asked.
“That’s not the point.”
“Don’t tell me you’re a Harris groupie too.” Cam sounded disappointed. “That’s disgusting. He’s like four years older than you.” Then his eyes lit up. “Ohhh, wait,” he said, throwing his hands in the air and slapping his thighs. “So that’s why they call you an EW. Right? ’Cause that’s gross?”
Alicia stuffed her hands in the pocket of her coat. “Yeah, that’s why.”
“Fine, I’ll talk to him. But you have to talk to Claire.” Cam stuck out his right hand. “Deal?”
Alicia grabbed his hand and shook it. “Deal.”
Cam jumped to his feet and Alicia watched him walk away with Derrington and Chris.
“Congrats again on a great game,” Alicia called after them.
“Go, Hawks!” Faux-livia shouted.
“Let’s go,” Alicia said. “Massie’s packing up and I want to beat her to the parking lot.”
“Let’s walk across the soccer field,” Faux-livia said. “It’s faster.”
“Done.” Alicia led the way.
It was windy on the field and the two girls were walking fast. “So I think he’s going to invite me to the Strokes concert,” she announced, tightening the pink scarf around her neck.
“What are you going to wear?” Faux-livia asked. “Hopefully something that shows off your boobs.”
Alicia punched Faux on the arm. “Gross! Shut up! Why would you say that?”
“I saw him checking them out.” Faux-livia laughed.
“Puh-lease, he was not,” Alicia insisted. “Was he?” This time they both laughed.
“You should totally wear your Dixon,” Faux said.
“Too daytime,” Alicia said. “I’m thinking more Miu Miu with a splash of Calvin.”
“You always know exactly what to do when it comes to boys.”
“I learned a lot from my older cousins. You should come to Spain next summer and hang out with us. They’ll teach you everything.”
“If I did, would that make me your beta?” Faux-livia asked.
“Huh?” Alicia stopped walking and looked her friend in the eye. The cold temperature turned her breath into white puffs of air that came out of her mouth when she spoke.
“Well, didn’t you once spend the summer with Massie and her family in the Hamptons?” Faux-livia asked.
“Yeah, so?” Alicia wondered when the Massie comments would end.
“So isn’t that when you became her beta? ’Cause when you came back, she was the alpha and you were like her second in command.”
“Yeah, but I am so over being a second,” Alicia said softly.
“Then be an alpha,” Faux-livia said. “And I’ll be your beta. I’ve always wanted to be one.”
“Are you serious?” Alicia asked, still not moving.
“Totally. Betas have it made. They don’t have the pressure of leading, but they still get the status.”
“No, I meant about me being an alpha,” Alicia said.
“Given,” Faux-livia said. “I mean, you’re as good as going to the Strokes concert with Harris Fisher. Only a true alpha could have pulled that off. You’re a natural.”
Alicia peeled off a yes sticker and stuck it to Faux-livia’s cheek. For the first time ever, the ditzy girl actually said something right.