Status: over.
Deception
Riley
I storm out of Calculus to the Ford, Riley leaning against the rusting body. He raises his eyebrows. "What happened? Everything okay?"
I purse my lips before I begin. "Mr. Pearson took my phone, so my dad has to come get it now." I kick the tire. "I hate you, Lori!"
"Now, now. Hate is a strong word, Kaleb," Riley says, laying a hand on my shoulder. It's not like she's here or anything. Lori couldn't read minds even if she were Supergirl. "Calm down. She didn't mean for you to lose your phone...to the administrator's office."
"Well, it happened. And now I have to tell my dad that my phone was on during the school day, and I was caught texting during class." I heave a sigh. "This is officially the worst day ever."
"How about we go get something that'll take your mind off of this?" We climb into the dumpy Ford and drive off the school parking lot. "How about we go out for some ice cream?" I think about what Lori told me; what if she was right? I could be leading myself into a trap. I love Riley, I really do--but only as a friend. I feel a pang of guilt as I open my mouth.
"Riley, I gotta go home. I better tell my dad now before I start thinking of excuses." Surprisingly, this is the truth. "Is it okay if I just drop you off at home?"
Riley sighs. "Yeah, that's fine, but you have to make time for me," he warns, wagging a finger in my face. I slap it away playfully as I switch lanes. Pulling up next to me is a beaten up, white Audi van. The light turns yellow, and we both slow down. I glance out the window and see Jack raising his eyebrows and moving his mouth. He rolls down the window, and I hear a faint "hey!".
All of a sudden, I see the window going back up, and Jack's head almost getting caught by the glass. He turns to glare at Alex, and then puts up his hand to his ear and mouth, like a receiver. "No!" I shout as the light turns green. Jack mouths "why not?", but Alex slaps his head.
I continue driving down to Riley's house, the stereo softly playing "La La Lie". "Since when did you become friends with people in the 'in'-crowd?" Riley asks, voice slightly angry. "And can we please listen to something not Andrew McMahon-related?"
"We're friends. Is that such a big issue?" Is Riley jealous? I mean, Jack's essentially harmless, and Alex is pretty chill. So I'm friends with some "popular" people. What's the problem?
"Kaleb, I don't want you to get hurt. I mean, you've heard all the stories about Gaskarth. His history with girls. The rumors. Kaleb, this is your life we're talking about here--"
"God, you're making it sound like I'm friends with a serial killer." I take a right and enter the epitome of white, middle-class suburbia. "They're really not that bad, Riley. I don't understand why you have to bash them like that!"
"Well, I don't know, Kaleb. Maybe it's because I care about you?" He rolls his eyes and presses pause. "You weren't friends with them before now, so why start?"
"They're great guys, and I think you'd realize that if you actually gave them a chance." I press the breaks in front of a house with red shudders. "Bye, Riley."
"Bye, Kaleb." He slams the door shut.
After ten minutes of hyperventilating, listening to Andrew McMahon's sunny, Beach Boys-esque music, and driving back home, I see the Toyota parked in the driveway. I lock the truck's doors and stumble into the house to be greeted by Dad sitting at the table.
Oh shit.
"Kaleb, I want you to sit down," he commands, arms crossed. "I received a call from the school."
"Okay." I slide down into the chair, squeezing the seat with my hands.
"I heard you had your cell phone taken away."
"Yes, I did."
"You were texting during class."
"Yes."
His eyebrows furrow. "Why were you texting during class?"
"I don't know."
"Were you texting Lori during class?"
"Yes."
"Why during class, Kaleb? You should be learning, not talking to your friends!"
"But, Dad--"
"No 'but's. Liz went to go pick up your phone. I've already decided a punishment for you." He points to the home phone. "I took the texting off your cell phone, and this is the only phone you'll be using for a month. You won't be going out, unless it's for winter track conditioning, practice, or meets." He hands it to me. "Tell Lori 'thank you' for getting your phone taken away. You should probably be blaming yourself too."
I take the phone and murmur "thanks, Dad" as I drag myself up to my room. I dial Lori's number, and within three rings, she picks up.
"Heard about the cell. I'm really, really sorry. But what happened between you and Riley?"
"He was jealous."
"Of what?"
"Jack and Alex."
"You saw them? Where? Oh, Alex was looking for you at your locker. It was so cute. I told him you went home with Riley."
I grumble. "Why did you do that?"
"What else did you want me to tell him? You're traveling to Antartica? Off in the Amazon Rainforest? Visiting the pyramids? Partying with hott British guys?"
"Well, he was really mad at Jack for trying to talk to me, and I didn't get why." I pause. "By the way, do you know Jack's number?"
"I'll ask Zack; I'm sure he has it." She pauses. "He was probably jealous, Kales."
"This is no time for jokes, Lori." I hear murmuring in the background. A guy's voice. I wince. "Is Zack there with you?"
"Yeah." More conferring. "You got a pen?"
"Yeah."
"301-314-7585," she reads. "Oh, did you read the latest gossip in the stall?" I hear the crumpling of paper. "Okay, so...here's what it's been saying:
"Wagner and Gaskarth are in love.
"I'll kill Fagner.
"Bitch better get off my man.
"Gaskarth's been cheating with Smith.
"Gaskarth is using Wagner for her slut friend." Lori laughs, snorting a little too. "Wow, I'm a slut? They better watch it." I hear Zack grumbling in the background, and I'm pretty sure he's not happy about how the school's talking about his girl. "Anyway...the stuff about you and Alex. It's getting pretty intense."
"...Did you write 'Wagner and Gaskarth are in love'?" If only I'd been there to read it; I could check the handwriting.
"Honey, I don't write anything about anyone's personal life in there. Except for that one time when I wrote 'Buster Stevens has crabs', but it was true."
I heard a door slam and quickly tell Lori "good-bye". I trudge downstairs to greet by Liz, who frowns. "Kaleb, I'm really upset with you. How could you not be giving your teachers your complete, undivided attention? You were such a good girl; what happened?" She gives me a look. "It's that Lori, isn't it."
"No, of course not. It was entirely my own fault; I'll never do it again."
I cross my fingers behind my back.
I purse my lips before I begin. "Mr. Pearson took my phone, so my dad has to come get it now." I kick the tire. "I hate you, Lori!"
"Now, now. Hate is a strong word, Kaleb," Riley says, laying a hand on my shoulder. It's not like she's here or anything. Lori couldn't read minds even if she were Supergirl. "Calm down. She didn't mean for you to lose your phone...to the administrator's office."
"Well, it happened. And now I have to tell my dad that my phone was on during the school day, and I was caught texting during class." I heave a sigh. "This is officially the worst day ever."
"How about we go get something that'll take your mind off of this?" We climb into the dumpy Ford and drive off the school parking lot. "How about we go out for some ice cream?" I think about what Lori told me; what if she was right? I could be leading myself into a trap. I love Riley, I really do--but only as a friend. I feel a pang of guilt as I open my mouth.
"Riley, I gotta go home. I better tell my dad now before I start thinking of excuses." Surprisingly, this is the truth. "Is it okay if I just drop you off at home?"
Riley sighs. "Yeah, that's fine, but you have to make time for me," he warns, wagging a finger in my face. I slap it away playfully as I switch lanes. Pulling up next to me is a beaten up, white Audi van. The light turns yellow, and we both slow down. I glance out the window and see Jack raising his eyebrows and moving his mouth. He rolls down the window, and I hear a faint "hey!".
All of a sudden, I see the window going back up, and Jack's head almost getting caught by the glass. He turns to glare at Alex, and then puts up his hand to his ear and mouth, like a receiver. "No!" I shout as the light turns green. Jack mouths "why not?", but Alex slaps his head.
I continue driving down to Riley's house, the stereo softly playing "La La Lie". "Since when did you become friends with people in the 'in'-crowd?" Riley asks, voice slightly angry. "And can we please listen to something not Andrew McMahon-related?"
"We're friends. Is that such a big issue?" Is Riley jealous? I mean, Jack's essentially harmless, and Alex is pretty chill. So I'm friends with some "popular" people. What's the problem?
"Kaleb, I don't want you to get hurt. I mean, you've heard all the stories about Gaskarth. His history with girls. The rumors. Kaleb, this is your life we're talking about here--"
"God, you're making it sound like I'm friends with a serial killer." I take a right and enter the epitome of white, middle-class suburbia. "They're really not that bad, Riley. I don't understand why you have to bash them like that!"
"Well, I don't know, Kaleb. Maybe it's because I care about you?" He rolls his eyes and presses pause. "You weren't friends with them before now, so why start?"
"They're great guys, and I think you'd realize that if you actually gave them a chance." I press the breaks in front of a house with red shudders. "Bye, Riley."
"Bye, Kaleb." He slams the door shut.
After ten minutes of hyperventilating, listening to Andrew McMahon's sunny, Beach Boys-esque music, and driving back home, I see the Toyota parked in the driveway. I lock the truck's doors and stumble into the house to be greeted by Dad sitting at the table.
Oh shit.
"Kaleb, I want you to sit down," he commands, arms crossed. "I received a call from the school."
"Okay." I slide down into the chair, squeezing the seat with my hands.
"I heard you had your cell phone taken away."
"Yes, I did."
"You were texting during class."
"Yes."
His eyebrows furrow. "Why were you texting during class?"
"I don't know."
"Were you texting Lori during class?"
"Yes."
"Why during class, Kaleb? You should be learning, not talking to your friends!"
"But, Dad--"
"No 'but's. Liz went to go pick up your phone. I've already decided a punishment for you." He points to the home phone. "I took the texting off your cell phone, and this is the only phone you'll be using for a month. You won't be going out, unless it's for winter track conditioning, practice, or meets." He hands it to me. "Tell Lori 'thank you' for getting your phone taken away. You should probably be blaming yourself too."
I take the phone and murmur "thanks, Dad" as I drag myself up to my room. I dial Lori's number, and within three rings, she picks up.
"Heard about the cell. I'm really, really sorry. But what happened between you and Riley?"
"He was jealous."
"Of what?"
"Jack and Alex."
"You saw them? Where? Oh, Alex was looking for you at your locker. It was so cute. I told him you went home with Riley."
I grumble. "Why did you do that?"
"What else did you want me to tell him? You're traveling to Antartica? Off in the Amazon Rainforest? Visiting the pyramids? Partying with hott British guys?"
"Well, he was really mad at Jack for trying to talk to me, and I didn't get why." I pause. "By the way, do you know Jack's number?"
"I'll ask Zack; I'm sure he has it." She pauses. "He was probably jealous, Kales."
"This is no time for jokes, Lori." I hear murmuring in the background. A guy's voice. I wince. "Is Zack there with you?"
"Yeah." More conferring. "You got a pen?"
"Yeah."
"301-314-7585," she reads. "Oh, did you read the latest gossip in the stall?" I hear the crumpling of paper. "Okay, so...here's what it's been saying:
"Wagner and Gaskarth are in love.
"I'll kill Fagner.
"Bitch better get off my man.
"Gaskarth's been cheating with Smith.
"Gaskarth is using Wagner for her slut friend." Lori laughs, snorting a little too. "Wow, I'm a slut? They better watch it." I hear Zack grumbling in the background, and I'm pretty sure he's not happy about how the school's talking about his girl. "Anyway...the stuff about you and Alex. It's getting pretty intense."
"...Did you write 'Wagner and Gaskarth are in love'?" If only I'd been there to read it; I could check the handwriting.
"Honey, I don't write anything about anyone's personal life in there. Except for that one time when I wrote 'Buster Stevens has crabs', but it was true."
I heard a door slam and quickly tell Lori "good-bye". I trudge downstairs to greet by Liz, who frowns. "Kaleb, I'm really upset with you. How could you not be giving your teachers your complete, undivided attention? You were such a good girl; what happened?" She gives me a look. "It's that Lori, isn't it."
"No, of course not. It was entirely my own fault; I'll never do it again."
I cross my fingers behind my back.