direction, so Lizzie fell into step beside them. “What’d you guys bet on?” she asked.
“Oh, how soon Todd and Ava would hook up,” Jill said casually, smacking her lips together. She gestured to Sophie. “And now
this bee-yatch owes me a Mac Lipglass.”
Lizzie had to force herself to keep moving. Her legs felt like they’d been filled with concrete. “They hooked up?” she asked
as nonchalantly as she could.
“Yeah, at Todd’s party,” Sophie said. “Which is technically
not
the first week of school, by the way,” she reminded Jill.
“Yes, it is,” Jill said back to her.
“Todd’s party?” Lizzie asked in disbelief.
“I knew it would happen,” Jill put in. “I mean, she was all
over
him last week. And who else is Todd gonna go out with?”
The two of them turned into a classroom, leaving Lizzie in the hall. The bell rang. Doors shut. Everything went quiet. She
couldn’t move.
Todd and Ava.
Hooking up.
At his party.
Hours after she’d left him there.
She stood for minutes in the deserted hall, letting this sink in. At first it didn’t seem possible. But then she remembered
the distracted look in his eyes, the way he’d practically run away from her just now, and it made a sick kind of sense.
Finally she hitched her bookbag further up her shoulder and made her way up the hall. Todd had thought Ava was a cool girl.
Cool enough to hook up with only a few hours after she’d left his house.
But he likes me
, a small voice inside of her said.
He likes ME.
And then another voice spoke up and drowned that first voice out.
Not as much as you thought he did.
Lizzie held it together until lunch, when she and Carina and Hudson slid into a booth at the diner around the corner on Madison.
“So he’s about to kiss you, you leave, and then he hooks up with Ava the same night?” Hudson asked, her fork poised over her
cottage cheese and melon. “It just doesn’t add up.”
Lizzie glumly plunged her straw up and down in her iced tea. “Maybe he
wasn’t
about to kiss me,” she said.
“It’s my fault,” Carina said quietly over a gigantic platter of fries. “I should never have sent you that text.”
The diner was so packed with kids that it was hard even hearing herself think. In the next booth over Lizzie could see the
Icks, sharing a plate of fries and giving them steely cold stares.
“It’s not your fault, C,” Lizzie said, trying to sound positive. “I’d already freaked out. He probably thought I was grossed
out by him or something.”
“You could tell him you weren’t,” Carina suggested, dragging a fry through her ketchup.
“Now?” Lizzie asked. “You know how it is when a guy starts going out with Ava—they’re lost forever. She’s like the Bermuda
Triangle.” She poked at a floating lemon slice with her straw. “And maybe he wasn’t that into me in the first place.”
“Well then, that’s his loss,” Carina concluded, placing both elbows bossily on the table. “
He’s
the idiot here, not you.
You
are hot and smart and completely
un
forgettable. Ava was probably throwing herself at him. Just because he was dumb and unoriginal enough to take her up on it
doesn’t say anything about
you
.”
“I know, but it still feels awful,” Lizzie said quietly, swallowing back the tears.
“Hey.” Carina’s trademark smile of mischief appeared as she leaned back against the vinyl booth. “Call that photographer.
It’s the perfect reason to do it.”
“Now?”
Lizzie gave Carina an are-you-totally-insane scowl.
“Yeah. It’ll make you feel better.”
“I think I still have that card…,” Hudson said, diving into her bag.
“Wait! I can’t just decide I’m going to be a model because some guy turned out to be a jerk.”
“You’re
not
gonna turn into a
model
,” Carina moaned, dramatically rolling her eyes. “We’re talking about getting some pictures taken. To boost your self-esteem.
And to put up on your Facebook
“Oh, how soon Todd and Ava would hook up,” Jill said casually, smacking her lips together. She gestured to Sophie. “And now
this bee-yatch owes me a Mac Lipglass.”
Lizzie had to force herself to keep moving. Her legs felt like they’d been filled with concrete. “They hooked up?” she asked
as nonchalantly as she could.
“Yeah, at Todd’s party,” Sophie said. “Which is technically
not
the first week of school, by the way,” she reminded Jill.
“Yes, it is,” Jill said back to her.
“Todd’s party?” Lizzie asked in disbelief.
“I knew it would happen,” Jill put in. “I mean, she was all
over
him last week. And who else is Todd gonna go out with?”
The two of them turned into a classroom, leaving Lizzie in the hall. The bell rang. Doors shut. Everything went quiet. She
couldn’t move.
Todd and Ava.
Hooking up.
At his party.
Hours after she’d left him there.
She stood for minutes in the deserted hall, letting this sink in. At first it didn’t seem possible. But then she remembered
the distracted look in his eyes, the way he’d practically run away from her just now, and it made a sick kind of sense.
Finally she hitched her bookbag further up her shoulder and made her way up the hall. Todd had thought Ava was a cool girl.
Cool enough to hook up with only a few hours after she’d left his house.
But he likes me
, a small voice inside of her said.
He likes ME.
And then another voice spoke up and drowned that first voice out.
Not as much as you thought he did.
Lizzie held it together until lunch, when she and Carina and Hudson slid into a booth at the diner around the corner on Madison.
“So he’s about to kiss you, you leave, and then he hooks up with Ava the same night?” Hudson asked, her fork poised over her
cottage cheese and melon. “It just doesn’t add up.”
Lizzie glumly plunged her straw up and down in her iced tea. “Maybe he
wasn’t
about to kiss me,” she said.
“It’s my fault,” Carina said quietly over a gigantic platter of fries. “I should never have sent you that text.”
The diner was so packed with kids that it was hard even hearing herself think. In the next booth over Lizzie could see the
Icks, sharing a plate of fries and giving them steely cold stares.
“It’s not your fault, C,” Lizzie said, trying to sound positive. “I’d already freaked out. He probably thought I was grossed
out by him or something.”
“You could tell him you weren’t,” Carina suggested, dragging a fry through her ketchup.
“Now?” Lizzie asked. “You know how it is when a guy starts going out with Ava—they’re lost forever. She’s like the Bermuda
Triangle.” She poked at a floating lemon slice with her straw. “And maybe he wasn’t that into me in the first place.”
“Well then, that’s his loss,” Carina concluded, placing both elbows bossily on the table. “
He’s
the idiot here, not you.
You
are hot and smart and completely
un
forgettable. Ava was probably throwing herself at him. Just because he was dumb and unoriginal enough to take her up on it
doesn’t say anything about
you
.”
“I know, but it still feels awful,” Lizzie said quietly, swallowing back the tears.
“Hey.” Carina’s trademark smile of mischief appeared as she leaned back against the vinyl booth. “Call that photographer.
It’s the perfect reason to do it.”
“Now?”
Lizzie gave Carina an are-you-totally-insane scowl.
“Yeah. It’ll make you feel better.”
“I think I still have that card…,” Hudson said, diving into her bag.
“Wait! I can’t just decide I’m going to be a model because some guy turned out to be a jerk.”
“You’re
not
gonna turn into a
model
,” Carina moaned, dramatically rolling her eyes. “We’re talking about getting some pictures taken. To boost your self-esteem.
And to put up on your Facebook
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