Jayden re-read it. Damsel in distress. The phrase shouldn’t have disturbed him. After all, he didn’t believe in his grandmama’s crazy talk. He reminded himself that people who won the lotto got lucky guessing the right numbers. Maybe – on occasion – his grandmama did, too.
He typed a quick response.
A-
I’ve got to go directly home after school to babysit my two little sisters. I’ll be free by six. Meet at six, campus library?
J.
PS – lunch today?
He suffered through AP American History and Chemistry before her response came right before the lunch break.
J-
If you buy me lunch, you have to buy Emma lunch, too. So we don’t have to do lunch.
A.
He snorted and responded with a quick note for them both to meet him by the cafeteria in a few minutes.
Jayden went to his locker to put away everything but his wallet.
“Hey, Jay.”
“Yeah?” He glanced over at Tara. Her brunette hair was up in a ponytail, her makeup perfect and sophisticated as usual. A senior as well, their birthdays were separated by two months, and she’d opted to change her last name to their father’s after he officially adopted them. Washington was embossed across the leather case of her iPad.
“So I talked to Adrienne,” she said, leaning against the locker. “She’s real cool. You know she’s the girl who read my cards Sunday, right?”
“What? No way. She seems too … cool to be into that stuff.”
“Whatever, Jay. You can be such a jerk sometimes.”
Jayden closed his locker. “Is that it?”
“Kimmie’s gonna prank her Friday at the pep rally in front of the whole school.”
“How bad?”
“It’s stupid. She’s buying a spell from a bokor.”
“If it’s the same one she buys spells from to use on me, I’m not worried,” he replied. “That’s it? Just some stupid voodoo spell?”
“Well, for now!” Tara retorted. “She’ll prank her and kick her off the team. That’s if Kimmie doesn’t catch you staring at her all googly-eyed.”
“I don’t stare at her like that!”
“You so do, Jay. It’s so obvious. My big brother is googly-eyed!” Tara said in a voice she’d use to talk to a baby. She reached up and pinched his cheeks.
“Whatever,” he said and pushed her hands away. “Mickey –”
“Don’t start!” she snapped, holding up a hand. “I can’t stand that squirrely little man!”
Jayden laughed at the description. Her piece spoken, Tara marched away.
There were days when he could almost appreciate his stepsister. Tara was snobby and self-centered, but she wasn’t mean like Kimmie. No, Tara just thought the world revolved around her. She never went out of her way to prank anyone, and she’d always sided with him against Kimmie, her frenemy.
He went to the cafeteria and saw Adrienne and Emma awaiting him. Adrienne looked ready to bolt again and was holding her iPad tightly enough that her knuckles were white. Emma’s eyes widened at his approach, as if she didn’t realize he was serious until he showed up. She didn’t appear to be particularly pleased to see him. More nervous, which Jayden assumed was because she thought everyone at school was as angry with her about the accident last year as Kimmie.
“Hey, girls,” he said, flashing a smile.
Adrienne flushed. Emma appeared distraught.
He didn’t know what Adrienne found in Emma, who had been as stuck up as Kimmie from what he remembered of her, but he understood how hard it was for girls to not do something without their friends. Kimmie and Tara couldn’t.
He motioned them into the cafeteria. Emma made a beeline for the salad station, and Adrienne trailed.
Jayden grimaced. He didn’t eat salads. At least, not as main meals.
“She’s on a strict diet,” Adrienne explained when he reached them at the salad station.
“I need a cheeseburger or chicken or something,” he said, eyeing the greens displayed in shallow metal bins before them.
Adrienne giggled.
“You eat salads every day?” he asked.
She nodded, face red again.
“Salads it is,” he said cheerfully.
Adrienne appeared relieved.
He ordered the biggest Caesar salad they’d make him, paid for all three and joined them at a table in the corner.
“Jayden,” Emma said. “Did you really break up with Kimmie?”
“Yeah,” he said.
“I wonder if she’ll ever decide not to be mad at me.”
“She’s mad at both of us now. Not that I care. I’ve got enough going on to deal with that drama.”
Emma smiled. “Me, too.” She appeared to be relieved.
Adrienne was quiet.
“Oh, isn’t this cute?” Kimmie’s overly sweet voice edged into their silence.
“You lose a bet and have to eat with losers?” Kayla asked him.
Emma’s face turned red. Adrienne, however, looked angry.
“You, too, Addy,” Kimmie added. “You should be eating with us over there.” She pointed to the table where Tara and a couple other members of the cheer squad sat.
“I’m okay here. Thanks,” Adrienne replied quietly. “Emma is my friend.”
“Listen, Addy. You’ll never get a date for Homecoming if you hang out with girls like her. Choose your friends wisely,” Kimmie advised. “I don’t think you can afford a nose job, if she runs you into a brick wall like she did me.”
Adrienne glanced at Emma, who looked upset. Unable to tolerate the thought of a girl crying, Jayden stepped in.
“Hey, Kimmie, be nice,” he said. “It was an accident.”
“Whatever. You weren’t there,” Kimmie snapped. “Maybe you can take her to Homecoming, since I already have a date.”
“Sounds like a good plan,” he said calmly, unwilling to let her provoke him like she was trying to do.
Kimmie appeared as stunned as Emma. Adrienne was gazing at him hard, trying to figure out if he was being insincere like Kimmie.
“I brought this for you,” Kimmie said and set down a drink in front of Adrienne. “I read it’s supposed to be good for singers. Since you’ll be singing at the pep rally tomorrow, I wanted to do something nice for your first one.”
“Really?” Adrienne asked, features softening. “Thank you, Kimmie.”
“I’m not a jerk,” Kimmie said.
These words were meant for Jayden, and he ignored them to stuff his mouth with salad.
“We’ll see you at practice, Addy,” Kayla added.
“Thank you,” Adrienne said, a smile crossing her features.
The two cheerleaders walked back towards their table. Jayden picked up the drink Kimmie left, curious of its contents. Aware of Kimmie’s penchant for voodoo spells, he checked to make sure the seal was still intact before replacing the bottle.
“It’s supposed to be pH balanced and is expensive,” Adrienne explained. “I’ve heard of it but never tried it before.”
“Are you really taking me to Homecoming?” Emma asked, staring at him.
Damn. Jayden pointed to his mouth, indicating he’d answer when he was done chewing. He thought hard. If he went with anyone, it should be Adrienne. The look on Emma’s face was so hopeful, though, that he feared what might happen if he said no.
Adrienne was also expectant, as if she wanted him to take Emma. She was too sensitive about her status at school to suspect he was going to ask her.
“Sure,” he said at last. “As friends.”
Emma was stunned. Tears lined her eyes, and he felt badly for her. He knew she’d fallen out of favor with the popular girls like Kimmie, but he didn’t realize she was completely shunned. It didn’t seem right for her to be so miserable over an accident. Everyone in the car was drinking underage, and it could’ve been any one of them at the wheel. They were all at fault or being stupid in the first place.