qualities. And clearly Wallace saw something in her. If a guy of his quality could love her, then she must be a good person.
“Like that’s all that matters,” Wallace said, slapping the cover over his iPad. “First of all, she has a boyfriend.”
“Yes, but—”
“And also, she’s popular.” Wallace lowered his voice as a pair of cheerleaders passed close by our table. “And she wants to stay that way, believe me.”
“So? Who’s to say she can’t go out with you and stay popular?” I capped my juice again and took a bite of my bagel.
Wallace barked a laugh. “Honestly, sometimes it’s like you come from another planet.”
My face flushed, and when I swallowed the bagel, it felt like a knife going down my throat.
“Also, there’s history. History you don’t just get over,” Wallace muttered, pressing his hands into his jeans.
History, huh? Gods, how I wished for my powers. If I had them, I could simply call up this so-called history. Find out exactly what had happened between them and know, in an instant, how to fix it. But I couldn’t do that, and I didn’t have the time required to conduct a therapy session right now. I had been on this planet for over four weeks, and my sand timer was getting perilously close to the midway mark. Plus, Artemis and Apollo were out there somewhere, just waiting to spill my blood and kidnap my love. This had to happen, and it had to happen now.
What I had to focus on here was the fact that Wallace liked her. And Darla clearly had some sort of feelings for him. It was the blush that had told me. The blush she’d gotten when she’d seen him at Goddess on Sunday. It wasn’t just any old blush. It was the blush of love.
“Wallace, trust me. I can make this happen,” I said confidently. “You guys looked pretty cozy at Boosters yesterday. What were you talking about?”
“Homecoming. I think she can win. She doesn’t,” he said flatly. “It’s pretty clearly important to her,” he added, glancing past me at a huge poster Darla had hung in the cafeteria—her and Orion laughing over Zeus knew what.
Wallace fiddled with a string hanging off the corner of his iPad case. The tingling beginnings of an idea danced inside my mind.
“So show her she can win,” I said slowly.
“What?” Wallace asked.
“Do your thing with the numbers,” I said, twiddling my fingers at his iPad. “Create an app for that or whatever. You’re good at that stuff.”
“I guess I could take a poll or something,” Wallace mused, narrowing his eyes.
“Yes! Perfect! Take a poll and show her where she stands,” I suggested. “You could even . . . I don’t know . . . offer to be her campaign manager or something.”
“Then she’d have to be seen with me.” Wallace snorted a laugh. “She would never—”
“Okay, okay. Baby steps,” I said. “But you can do it, right? Come up with a projected vote or whatever?”
“Well, yeah. Of course. I just need a good sampling of voters,” he told me.
“So do it!” I told him. “Show her you care about her. That you want her to succeed. Use your powers for good!”
“Okay. I think I will.”
Outside, thunder rumbled, but Wallace was already tapping notes into his iPad. I watched his fingers fly over the screen, feeling a giddy glow deep inside. This was going to work. I was going to secure love for one of my best friends, set Orion free from his relationship, and complete my mission.
It was a win-win-win. And the game was officially on.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Darla
My pinky toes were killing me. I should have known when I bought these stupid wedges that I’d never make it through a whole day of school in them, but they made me six inches taller, so I’d pretended it wasn’t an issue. But as I hobbled to my locker after the final bell, I was sure I could hear the poor little digits audibly screaming.
It was my father’s fault. I hadn’t seen the man in five years but was totally jinxed with his short-person DNA.
“Like that’s all that matters,” Wallace said, slapping the cover over his iPad. “First of all, she has a boyfriend.”
“Yes, but—”
“And also, she’s popular.” Wallace lowered his voice as a pair of cheerleaders passed close by our table. “And she wants to stay that way, believe me.”
“So? Who’s to say she can’t go out with you and stay popular?” I capped my juice again and took a bite of my bagel.
Wallace barked a laugh. “Honestly, sometimes it’s like you come from another planet.”
My face flushed, and when I swallowed the bagel, it felt like a knife going down my throat.
“Also, there’s history. History you don’t just get over,” Wallace muttered, pressing his hands into his jeans.
History, huh? Gods, how I wished for my powers. If I had them, I could simply call up this so-called history. Find out exactly what had happened between them and know, in an instant, how to fix it. But I couldn’t do that, and I didn’t have the time required to conduct a therapy session right now. I had been on this planet for over four weeks, and my sand timer was getting perilously close to the midway mark. Plus, Artemis and Apollo were out there somewhere, just waiting to spill my blood and kidnap my love. This had to happen, and it had to happen now.
What I had to focus on here was the fact that Wallace liked her. And Darla clearly had some sort of feelings for him. It was the blush that had told me. The blush she’d gotten when she’d seen him at Goddess on Sunday. It wasn’t just any old blush. It was the blush of love.
“Wallace, trust me. I can make this happen,” I said confidently. “You guys looked pretty cozy at Boosters yesterday. What were you talking about?”
“Homecoming. I think she can win. She doesn’t,” he said flatly. “It’s pretty clearly important to her,” he added, glancing past me at a huge poster Darla had hung in the cafeteria—her and Orion laughing over Zeus knew what.
Wallace fiddled with a string hanging off the corner of his iPad case. The tingling beginnings of an idea danced inside my mind.
“So show her she can win,” I said slowly.
“What?” Wallace asked.
“Do your thing with the numbers,” I said, twiddling my fingers at his iPad. “Create an app for that or whatever. You’re good at that stuff.”
“I guess I could take a poll or something,” Wallace mused, narrowing his eyes.
“Yes! Perfect! Take a poll and show her where she stands,” I suggested. “You could even . . . I don’t know . . . offer to be her campaign manager or something.”
“Then she’d have to be seen with me.” Wallace snorted a laugh. “She would never—”
“Okay, okay. Baby steps,” I said. “But you can do it, right? Come up with a projected vote or whatever?”
“Well, yeah. Of course. I just need a good sampling of voters,” he told me.
“So do it!” I told him. “Show her you care about her. That you want her to succeed. Use your powers for good!”
“Okay. I think I will.”
Outside, thunder rumbled, but Wallace was already tapping notes into his iPad. I watched his fingers fly over the screen, feeling a giddy glow deep inside. This was going to work. I was going to secure love for one of my best friends, set Orion free from his relationship, and complete my mission.
It was a win-win-win. And the game was officially on.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Darla
My pinky toes were killing me. I should have known when I bought these stupid wedges that I’d never make it through a whole day of school in them, but they made me six inches taller, so I’d pretended it wasn’t an issue. But as I hobbled to my locker after the final bell, I was sure I could hear the poor little digits audibly screaming.
It was my father’s fault. I hadn’t seen the man in five years but was totally jinxed with his short-person DNA.
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