"Oh, right. Dips.h.i.t is the one who sent the text."
Sarah continued, now talking quietly to herself, "Although I guess I"m going to have to change his name on here since I can"t say dips.h.i.t anymore ... what should I use? Oh! I know ... " She started typing on her phone keys. D-U-N-G-B-E-E-T-L-E "Well, he can kiss my b.u.t.t. I"m not his girl. He"s made that perfectly clear."
Sarah continued typing on her phone.
"Don"t text him back, just ignore him," said Candi.
"I"m just answering him. He asked me for your cell number."
"Don"t tell him!"
"Too late."
The lunchroom was completely full to capacity now. Candi turned to look at Kevin"s table. It was loaded with the usual suspects all the members of the rugby team, cheerleaders, and Gretchen, who was sitting across from Kevin, staring at him and then Candi with an angry look on her face.
Kevin looked up at Candi and stared at her. He was being b.u.mped and jostled by the group at his table and the one behind him, but he just elbowed them off. He couldn"t take his eyes off her. He jerked his head sideways, signaling her to come over.
She met his stare defiantly. She shook her head at him, signaling to him that he must be out of his mind. No way in a million years was she going to get up and go over there, just because he told her to.
"He wants you to go over there."
"I know."
"Are you going to go?"
"h.e.l.l to the no."
Sarah laughed. "Good for you. Make him work for it."
"I"m not making him work for it, I"m just not going to be treated like some stupid girl who has to go running after mister rugby stud."
Her phone beeped in her purse. She sighed loudly as she fished it out. She had a text from an unknown number. The dungbeetle.
COME SIT WITH ME.
"Pfft. Not likely."
NO THX, she texted back.
Sarah laughed as she looked at Candi"s face. She was cute when she was mad. She looked over at her brother. He looked frustrated. "What did you tell him? Whatever it is, he looks veeerry frustrated."
"I don"t care."
Sarah just smiled.
Candi"s phone beeped again.
I NEED TO ASK U SMTHNG.
Candi"s fingers flew over the keys.
NOT INTERESTED.
Kevin stood up a couple seconds later, still holding his phone and looking at the screen. He looked over to where Candi was sitting.
"Uh-ooohhhh," said Sarah ominously.
"What?" whispered Candi.
"He"s standing up. He looks cranky."
Candi"s phone beeped.
DON"T MAKE ME DO IT.
Candi"s heart leapt into her throat. She felt b.u.t.terflies racing around in her stomach. What is he talking about? Do what?
She turned around and watched him stand up on his seat.
"Holy horsepuckies, he"s standing on his seat, Candi!" said Sarah, mouth wide open, laughing her b.u.t.t off at what she knew was coming.
"Oh my G.o.d, Sarah, make him stop!" whispered Candi as loudly as she could. Her face was nearly catching on fire it was so hot.
Kevin cupped his hands on either side of his mouth, and began to yell. "HEY CANDI! CANDI BUCKLEY! WILL YOU GO TO PROM WITH ME?"
The cafeteria was dead silent for a full five seconds.
Then the cheering started, along with banging on the tables and benches. It was ma.s.s pandemonium in the cafeteria, everyone cheering and hollering, making as much noise as they could while waiting to see what Candi was going to do.
The words Candi wanted to hear, from the guy she wanted to hear them from. But now she wasn"t so sure. Her heart was raw from his indifference over the past few weeks. She didn"t know if she should give him another chance.
"He"s waiting, Candi," reminded Sarah, trying to be heard over the ruckus. "Everyone"s waiting, to see if the prom queen is going to say yes to the prom king." She smiled, riding the wave of craziness.
Candi threw up her hands. "Now that"s just ridiculous. Three months ago I was invisible at this school."
"Well, you"re not anymore," said Sarah.
Candi"s phone buzzed on the table. She sighed heavily. "This is getting old."
I WAS HOPING TO SEE U IN ONE OF THOSE GRa.s.s SKIRTS AGAIN.
Tears came to her eyes. Memories of the island and the night of their island prom came flooding back. She stood up suddenly, throwing her purse over her shoulder. She probably should try to stay mad, but she couldn"t. She was happy. He hadn"t forgotten. She turned her head and saw that he was moving down the aisle between the tables, staring right at her. Guys were slapping him on the back as he pushed by.
"Where are you going?" asked Sarah.
"Kevin"s on his way over here. I"m leaving."
"Are you blowing him off?" Sarah was confused. She knew Candi loved her brother and that her blockhead brother loved Candi back. She could see him coming their way with a determined look on his face and she had a pretty good idea about what he was going to do. He had gone down on one knee for her before ...
"I"m not that easy," explained Candi, smiling confidently at Sarah.
Sarah beamed back at her. "That"s my girl! Let me know how it works out. I"ll see you at home."
Candi glanced over her shoulder long enough to see Kevin battling the last of the crowd to get to her. He didn"t care who was watching and it seemed like almost everyone was.
"Candi! Candi, wait up!" he yelled.
The crowd picked up the chant banging the tables with every syllable, "CAN-DI! CAN-DI! CAN-DI! CAN-DI! ... "
She walked quickly towards the side exit doors of the cafeteria. As she opened the doors and stepped out into the sunshine, she realized that she liked the idea of a home with Sarah in it. Not because of what it would do for her social status, but because she genuinely loved her like a sister. She laughed to herself about how ironic that was.
Six months ago she would never have imagined herself walking out of the cafeteria with Kevin Peterson shoving chairs aside to come running after her, while she looked forward to an evening spent with her pregnant friend Sarah Peterson and the baby daddy, her brother Jonathan.
Life has a crazy way of working out, even when it"s totally wrecked.
The End.
... or is it?
ABOUT THE AUTHOR.
Elle Casey is an American writer who lives in Southern France with her husband, three kids, and Hercules the wonder poodle. In her spare time she writes young adult novels.
A personal note from Elle ...
If you enjoyed this book, please consider leaving positive feedback on Amazon.com or any book blogs you partic.i.p.ate in. More positive feedback means I can spend more time writing! Oh, and I love interacting with my readers, so if you feel like shooting the breeze or talking about books, please visit me. You can find me at ...
www.ElleCasey.com www.Facebook.com/ellecaseytheauthor.
www.Twitter.com/ellecasey.
www.Shelfari.com/ellecasey.
OTHER BOOKS BY ELLE CASEY.
War of the Fae: Book One, The Changelings.
War of the Fae: Book Two, Call to Arms War of the Fae: Book Three, Darkness & Light.
War of the Fae: Book Four, New World Order.
My Vampire Summer.
A YA Fantasy novella, featuring female protagonist Iona Candella, an American girl spending the summer in Sommieres, France who plans to read a hundred books on her Kindle to pa.s.s the time, but meets an interesting neighbor who changes the course of her life instead. Books, intrigue, romance, danger and more ... all in a convenient novella-sized package.
Wrecked.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS.
No writer is an island, and I am no exception. I"d like to acknowledge several people to whom I am very grateful, including Lady Olivia and Sir Richard who loaned me bedrooms in their apartment in Paris so that I could write in peace with Lady O even delivering my favorite lunch to me while I typed away. You"ve supported me since the day I stepped on French soil (in all of my endeavors), and I will never forget it. I also want to thank my editors R.W. Jensen and Beth G.o.dwin who really put a fine polish on my writing your suggestions were always right on the money; I wish I could write with you hanging over my shoulder! Thanks to Guillermo Flores Jr., my Coast Guard veteran who cleaned up my radio chatter; super big hugs, G! Thank you to all the people who encouraged me over the years to write; you know who you are. Thanks to my extended family in New York, California, Florida, Maine, Illinois, and Colorado for being so cool. Thanks Creative-Club on elance for my cover art. Thanks Apple for my Mac. Thank you France for giving me and my family all that you have. Thanks DDG crew of Sommieres; you ladies are amazing ... time for another GNO! Thank you Breaking Benjamin your music kicks a.s.s; I want to meet you guys some day so I can fawn over you. To those who have taken the time to review my books, thank you; when you see me, introduce yourself so I can hug you. Last, to my fans ... I love you all! Without you I"d still be dreaming of being a writer. From the bottom of my heart, THANK YOU.
To everyone who has bought my book, I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I did writing it!
end.