said. I darted a look at Lauren to see how she was bearing up, you know, under the circumstances. The circumstances of her boyfriend talking to me, I mean. She had her eyes half-lidded like a lizard’s. It was clear she was wishing herself anywhere but there.
“Do you want to sign up?” I asked Mark, holding out the clipboard. “It would probably get a lot more people, you know, if they see your name on here.”
“You think so?” Mark asked. But he was already reaching for the pen and scribbling his name. “What should I put for talent?” The smile he cocked at me was lopsided, a charming blend of uncertainty and self-effacement. “I don’t know if ‘spokesmodel’ has the right tone.”
“I’ll put spokesperson,” I said, smiling back at him. And, because I didn’t want her to think I was trying to ignore her, or anything, I said to Lauren, “Would you like to sign up, Lauren? Maybe you could offer to chauffeur people in one of your dad’s BMWs, you know, off his lot.”
The look Lauren gave me was glacial. “Thanks,” she said sarcastically. “But I’m not going to drive some schmo around all day in one of my dad’s brand-new cars.”
And, to emphasize just how bad of an idea she thought it was, Lauren flicked a glance at Alyssa, who nearly choked on her diet soda, she laughed so hard when Lauren added, “God, could she be more of a Steph?”
Mark, however, didn’t seem to see anything funny about the situation.
“Jeez, Laur,” he said, looking down at her pointed little rat face, framed by his (comparably massive) arm and shoulder. “It’s for charity. Well, I mean, for the senior trip. What are you giving her such a hard time for?”
Now Alyssa actually did choke on her soda. She sprayed a mouthful of it across the (by now almost empty) cafeteria.
Lauren, for her part, looked up at Mark and, her rat face tightening, said, “Gawd. I was just kidding.”
Then she snatched the clipboard away from me, scrawled her name on it, and wrote, WHATEVER , under TALENT .
Which is probably best, since I don’t think there arethat many people who would bid to see Lauren KISS MARK FINLEY’S ASS, since we get to see that for free every day.
I made a mental note to remember to repeat that to Jason later, since I knew how much he would appreciate it, as witticisms go.
“Happy?” Lauren asked, shoving the clipboard back at me.
“Great, thanks so much,” I said as if I were completely oblivious to her rudeness. “This is really going to make such a difference. You wait and see.”
Then I gave her a final smile and a wave, and turned around to head to my next class.
----
Are you a popular girl? You can be, by doing what popular girls do.
Popular girls:
Are respectful and polite to everyone.
Put themselves in others’ shoes and think of the feelings of others first.
Are generous with their time and talents.
Are cheerful and outgoing.
----
Twelve
STILL D - DAY
MONDAY , AUGUST 28, 4 P . M .
Jason and Becca were kind of quiet on the ride home from school.
I told myself it was because I was a little late meeting them by The B. That’s because everywhere I went in the hallways, people were stopping me and asking if they could sign up for the talent auction. I had more than a hundred volunteers. That was way more than I’d anticipated. It was almost more than we could reasonably auction off in a night.
Jason and Becca didn’t want to participate. Even though I pointed out they both had very marketable skills.
“Jason, you could give golf lessons. People would love it,” I said to him in the car on the way home. “Or you could offer tours of the observatory. And, Becca, youcould hold private scrapbooking seminars.”
But Jason reiterated his refusal to take part in anything that might benefit Mark Finley. And Becca said only, “Oh, no way. I’m not good enough for that. Besides, I don’t think my parents would let me, you know. Be auctioned.”
“ You’re not being
“Do you want to sign up?” I asked Mark, holding out the clipboard. “It would probably get a lot more people, you know, if they see your name on here.”
“You think so?” Mark asked. But he was already reaching for the pen and scribbling his name. “What should I put for talent?” The smile he cocked at me was lopsided, a charming blend of uncertainty and self-effacement. “I don’t know if ‘spokesmodel’ has the right tone.”
“I’ll put spokesperson,” I said, smiling back at him. And, because I didn’t want her to think I was trying to ignore her, or anything, I said to Lauren, “Would you like to sign up, Lauren? Maybe you could offer to chauffeur people in one of your dad’s BMWs, you know, off his lot.”
The look Lauren gave me was glacial. “Thanks,” she said sarcastically. “But I’m not going to drive some schmo around all day in one of my dad’s brand-new cars.”
And, to emphasize just how bad of an idea she thought it was, Lauren flicked a glance at Alyssa, who nearly choked on her diet soda, she laughed so hard when Lauren added, “God, could she be more of a Steph?”
Mark, however, didn’t seem to see anything funny about the situation.
“Jeez, Laur,” he said, looking down at her pointed little rat face, framed by his (comparably massive) arm and shoulder. “It’s for charity. Well, I mean, for the senior trip. What are you giving her such a hard time for?”
Now Alyssa actually did choke on her soda. She sprayed a mouthful of it across the (by now almost empty) cafeteria.
Lauren, for her part, looked up at Mark and, her rat face tightening, said, “Gawd. I was just kidding.”
Then she snatched the clipboard away from me, scrawled her name on it, and wrote, WHATEVER , under TALENT .
Which is probably best, since I don’t think there arethat many people who would bid to see Lauren KISS MARK FINLEY’S ASS, since we get to see that for free every day.
I made a mental note to remember to repeat that to Jason later, since I knew how much he would appreciate it, as witticisms go.
“Happy?” Lauren asked, shoving the clipboard back at me.
“Great, thanks so much,” I said as if I were completely oblivious to her rudeness. “This is really going to make such a difference. You wait and see.”
Then I gave her a final smile and a wave, and turned around to head to my next class.
----
Are you a popular girl? You can be, by doing what popular girls do.
Popular girls:
Are respectful and polite to everyone.
Put themselves in others’ shoes and think of the feelings of others first.
Are generous with their time and talents.
Are cheerful and outgoing.
----
Twelve
STILL D - DAY
MONDAY , AUGUST 28, 4 P . M .
Jason and Becca were kind of quiet on the ride home from school.
I told myself it was because I was a little late meeting them by The B. That’s because everywhere I went in the hallways, people were stopping me and asking if they could sign up for the talent auction. I had more than a hundred volunteers. That was way more than I’d anticipated. It was almost more than we could reasonably auction off in a night.
Jason and Becca didn’t want to participate. Even though I pointed out they both had very marketable skills.
“Jason, you could give golf lessons. People would love it,” I said to him in the car on the way home. “Or you could offer tours of the observatory. And, Becca, youcould hold private scrapbooking seminars.”
But Jason reiterated his refusal to take part in anything that might benefit Mark Finley. And Becca said only, “Oh, no way. I’m not good enough for that. Besides, I don’t think my parents would let me, you know. Be auctioned.”
“ You’re not being
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