Free Top Ten Uses for an Unworn Prom Dress by Tina Ferraro

undefeated. They could most definitely win without him.
    But, more importantly, she'd really gotten things twisted. Jared was too pigheaded to be swayed by anything I had to say. Meanwhile, Rascal had slipped that note into my locker, had been talking and pretty much flirting with me. He'd even kind of offered to fight Jared for me.
    Kylie flipped a handful of hair back off her forehead and continued. “I think, as their girlfriends, we should try to find a way to help them burn the hatchet.”
    “Bury,” I choked out.
    “What?”
    “Bury the hatchet, not burn.”
    She frowned.
    I put down the other mocha. As well as my guard. There was no reason to be nervous about this. “Look, I'd love to help, but I'm not Jared's girlfriend.”
    Her gaze narrowed. “That's not what people are saying.”
    People … who? People like Keith and Mitch from the Senior Bench? The ones who thought that I was putting out for him to drive me around? Or Rascal and his friends in Burger King? Yeah, real in-the-know people.
    “Sorry to break this to you, Kylie, but I know a little more on the topic of my love life.”
    She seemed to look right through me. “Well, I was thinking if the four of us got together, had pizza or something—”
    “No,” I said, standing. “No four of us.”
    “Nicolette,” she whined.
    “Look, can you talk Rascal into this sit-down?”
    “I figured we could sort of trick them. Maybe pick a time to meet at the same pizzeria.”
    “Yeah, well, nothing I can do.” Or even wanted to do.
    “If you could just talk to Jared …”
    “I hardly know the guy, okay? He's, you know, my best friend's brother.”
    Alison emerged from the shop, a cell phone to her ear. “Nic!” she called, then froze for a heartbeat while acknowledging me and my unusual companion. “Uh, Jared's on his way to pick us up!”
    I waved in recognition and turned to see Kyliestanding up. She dwarfed me in both height and social stature. “Promise me you'll talk to him.”
    I twisted my ring.
    “
Promise
me, Nicolette. This one thing. When have I ever asked anything of you?”
    Something inside me exploded. I wanted to find the mall intercom and respond in front of everyone:
    Ask anything of me?
    YOU are the reason I missed out on the most astonishing night of my high school life
.
    Ask anything of me? MUCH?
    But staring into her
Hello? Anyone home?
eyes, I bit back those words to give her what she wanted. I had a feeling that making her wish come true might be more fun than denying it. “Well, okay,” I said. “I'll ask him.”
    Smug satisfaction settled on her face. “Great. We'll talk Monday before geometry.”
    Talk?
At school? In front of people? Wow, Chunky sure was anxious for her man to play in the homecoming game.
    “Can't wait,” I said, going so light on the sarcasm I doubted she'd pick it up.
    I caught up with Alison, and soon we were heading across the mall, toward the parking lot, recounting the past few minutes.
    “You settle this thing between Jared and Rascal,” Alison told me, “and Kylie will be eternally grateful. At least as long as she remembers. She might even invite you to a party at her house or something.”
    I laughed scornfully. “Now, that's my idea of heaven. A whole night of watching the two of them make out!”
    Jared was idling at the curb outside Macy's. Sunglasses sat over his eyes, making him look oddly
GQ
-esque.
    Alison opened the door and slid into the back. I knew it was only so I could have Jared's full attention about the Kylie thing, but still, I appreciated her giving me the front.
    “So, Jared,” I said, moving the stack of flyers from the floor to my lap. “I had a heart-to-heart with Kylie in the mall.”
    “Kylie?”
    “Yeah. We ran into her.”
    “Or it could be Cherry called her when she saw us,” Alison piped up.
    I gave him a moment to let this sink in, knowing the guy brain didn't have the same ability to process rapid-fire, random information as the girl brain.