Status: over.
Deception
Alex Gaskarth
After school, I step into the bathroom to change for cross country. The season's almost over, so I won't be seeing Liz's electric blue "GO KALEB!" banners anymore. Coach Greeley wasn't insanely happy when Liz tried to get me out of trouble when I was late to the last meet. I had to run around the 4.3-mile lake five times. I threw up after each lap.
Second stall. You know the drill by now.
"Ericka Robinson slept with Alex Gaskarth last night."
This news is brand new; the scent of the dry erase marker is still there. I furrow my brow. Alex Gaskarth...does the name sound familiar? Yes, of course.
Someone knocks on the stall.
I shriek, and the girl sprints out of the bathroom.
"Alex Gaskarth is hott."
"Alex Gaskarth's a whore."
"Alex Gaskarth is great in bed."
"Alex Gaskarth--"
"Kaleb, are you in there?"
The last one I read:
"Alex Gaskarth had sex with Kaleb Wagner."
I shout, "Yeah, I'm here." I wipe my name and write "Opal Masterson" in my place. I'm sure she'll appreciate this as much as I do. "Lori, what are you doing here? You don't have a way to get home now."
"It's okay; Zack's picking me up. We're going on a 'real' date now." I step out of the stall, and she's fixing her clumped mascara. "We're going to some cheap pizza place, because he works at a skate park and doesn't make much money. Can you believe that? I mean, seriously."
"Lori, don't turn into a gold digger." This girl needs to get a grip; at least she has a boyfriend. I have the school population predicting I'll be pregnant in the next couple weeks. "Zack really seems to like you...I think."
"Kale, to be honest, I have no idea what the hell is racing through that kid's mind. It's obviously not sex." She applies her cherry lip gloss. "So I don't know what's going through his mind."
"Maybe he wants a relationship." I tie my hair up in a ponytail and proceed to change into my blue shorts. "Be happy he's not staring at your boobs whenever you talk."
"At least I have boobs, Miss Flat-chest." Lori presses her C-cups against the tiled wall. "For a girl at 5' 6", your B-cup doesn't really follow up with the rest of your body."
"Oh, shut up." My mom had small breasts. I blame her. "At least I don't have an emo tween sister."
"Oh my God, she gets more 'mall goth'-esque every day. It's disgusting. She whines about how mom and dad don't give her money, when she's richer than I am." Lori packs up her cosmetics into her little pink bag and reaches for her sunglasses. "She needs to stop buying those stupid pants with the chains. You know what I'm talking about, right?"
"She wears those?" I put on my "I love my athletic trainer" shirt on. I glide to the door. "I'll see you later. Have fun on your date."
She rolls her eyes.
> >
"i h8 mi life" is the text I get after practice. I hop into my car and hope Dad and Liz aren't planning another "family" outing. I'm sure Liz has the bright idea of going out to that same fancy place where I met Jack and Alex.
Actually, that doesn't sound like a bad plan after all...
I turn up the volume knob when the radio decides to play "You and Me" by Lifehouse. How is it that all the guys who like me end up being creepy failures who don't have a romantic bone in their bodies? It's not fair. Lori can get nice guys that aren't losers and aren't dorks. Why can't I do the same?
Is there something wrong with me?
I pull up in the driveway and open the front door. It's Liz and some other woman, chatting over coffee. Liz stands up, but I'm already halfway up the stairs. "Kaleb!" she calls, and I whip around. "Come downstairs. I want you to meet my best friend, Angela." I grumble about my misfortune but follow her back down the stairs and stand awkwardly next to my "step mom".
"She's very pretty," Angela compliments, smiling falsely. She's lying, I can tell. "She reminds me of those Greek sculptures at the National Gallery of Art. She's gorgeous, Liz." Liz grins, patting my back.
"Can I leave now? I've got loads of homework." I frown innocently, and Liz sighs. She gives me a nod, and I sprint up the stairs and lock my door. First, let's start with Physics...
My cell phone buzzes, and I've received an epic text from Lori:
"so zack & i went to get pizza, & we ran into alex & jack. we talked 4 1 hr about skool sports. ur bby alex plays lax. zacks a meathead & he kept putting an arm around me. jack left to c his gf. i forgot her name. but alex is singl. he has a thing 4 qt runners. *ww*"
I glare at my red phone.
"wut r u suggesting?"
I finish ten problems, and my phone buzzes again.
"so zack, alex, me, & u r going 4 ice cream this weekend."
That little..!
"call it off."
Finish my Physics homework, and start on Calculus...my phone goes off again.
"u call it off."
You've got to be kidding me.
"u're a bitch."
Three problems later, I've got another text from the lovely Lori.
"u kno u luv me."
Second stall. You know the drill by now.
"Ericka Robinson slept with Alex Gaskarth last night."
This news is brand new; the scent of the dry erase marker is still there. I furrow my brow. Alex Gaskarth...does the name sound familiar? Yes, of course.
Someone knocks on the stall.
I shriek, and the girl sprints out of the bathroom.
"Alex Gaskarth is hott."
"Alex Gaskarth's a whore."
"Alex Gaskarth is great in bed."
"Alex Gaskarth--"
"Kaleb, are you in there?"
The last one I read:
"Alex Gaskarth had sex with Kaleb Wagner."
I shout, "Yeah, I'm here." I wipe my name and write "Opal Masterson" in my place. I'm sure she'll appreciate this as much as I do. "Lori, what are you doing here? You don't have a way to get home now."
"It's okay; Zack's picking me up. We're going on a 'real' date now." I step out of the stall, and she's fixing her clumped mascara. "We're going to some cheap pizza place, because he works at a skate park and doesn't make much money. Can you believe that? I mean, seriously."
"Lori, don't turn into a gold digger." This girl needs to get a grip; at least she has a boyfriend. I have the school population predicting I'll be pregnant in the next couple weeks. "Zack really seems to like you...I think."
"Kale, to be honest, I have no idea what the hell is racing through that kid's mind. It's obviously not sex." She applies her cherry lip gloss. "So I don't know what's going through his mind."
"Maybe he wants a relationship." I tie my hair up in a ponytail and proceed to change into my blue shorts. "Be happy he's not staring at your boobs whenever you talk."
"At least I have boobs, Miss Flat-chest." Lori presses her C-cups against the tiled wall. "For a girl at 5' 6", your B-cup doesn't really follow up with the rest of your body."
"Oh, shut up." My mom had small breasts. I blame her. "At least I don't have an emo tween sister."
"Oh my God, she gets more 'mall goth'-esque every day. It's disgusting. She whines about how mom and dad don't give her money, when she's richer than I am." Lori packs up her cosmetics into her little pink bag and reaches for her sunglasses. "She needs to stop buying those stupid pants with the chains. You know what I'm talking about, right?"
"She wears those?" I put on my "I love my athletic trainer" shirt on. I glide to the door. "I'll see you later. Have fun on your date."
She rolls her eyes.
> >
"i h8 mi life" is the text I get after practice. I hop into my car and hope Dad and Liz aren't planning another "family" outing. I'm sure Liz has the bright idea of going out to that same fancy place where I met Jack and Alex.
Actually, that doesn't sound like a bad plan after all...
I turn up the volume knob when the radio decides to play "You and Me" by Lifehouse. How is it that all the guys who like me end up being creepy failures who don't have a romantic bone in their bodies? It's not fair. Lori can get nice guys that aren't losers and aren't dorks. Why can't I do the same?
Is there something wrong with me?
I pull up in the driveway and open the front door. It's Liz and some other woman, chatting over coffee. Liz stands up, but I'm already halfway up the stairs. "Kaleb!" she calls, and I whip around. "Come downstairs. I want you to meet my best friend, Angela." I grumble about my misfortune but follow her back down the stairs and stand awkwardly next to my "step mom".
"She's very pretty," Angela compliments, smiling falsely. She's lying, I can tell. "She reminds me of those Greek sculptures at the National Gallery of Art. She's gorgeous, Liz." Liz grins, patting my back.
"Can I leave now? I've got loads of homework." I frown innocently, and Liz sighs. She gives me a nod, and I sprint up the stairs and lock my door. First, let's start with Physics...
My cell phone buzzes, and I've received an epic text from Lori:
"so zack & i went to get pizza, & we ran into alex & jack. we talked 4 1 hr about skool sports. ur bby alex plays lax. zacks a meathead & he kept putting an arm around me. jack left to c his gf. i forgot her name. but alex is singl. he has a thing 4 qt runners. *ww*"
I glare at my red phone.
"wut r u suggesting?"
I finish ten problems, and my phone buzzes again.
"so zack, alex, me, & u r going 4 ice cream this weekend."
That little..!
"call it off."
Finish my Physics homework, and start on Calculus...my phone goes off again.
"u call it off."
You've got to be kidding me.
"u're a bitch."
Three problems later, I've got another text from the lovely Lori.
"u kno u luv me."