Free The Unquiet by Jeannine Garsee

office.
    “I’m not doin’ anything,” Dino protests, with a conspiratorial smile for me.
    “Exactly. Get back to work, or get out.”
    “God,” Meg murmurs when Dino slinks away. “He’s, like,
obsessed
with you.”
    Is he? Why? Why is he bothering with
me
? Is it because I’m new, so he wants to hit on me before Meg, or anyone else, poisons my mind against him?
    Or, worse, does he somehow see through me? Has he already pegged me for a girl who’d consider ditching lunch to smoke some bud, and whatever else he has in mind? Because the old Rinn, the sick Rinn, might’ve done exactly that.
    No, she
definitely
would’ve done that. And enjoyed every second.
    “Why don’t you like him?” I ask, because it’s obvious Meg doesn’t.
    “Because A, he’s a burnout. B, he’s a horn dog. C, he’s trash. And D, he’s Jared’s cousin—which means if I marry him, I’ll be related to the jerk.”
    “So,
why
don’t you like him?”
    My quip sends Meg into splutters. Mr. Lipford then levels his glare on
us
. Quickly I fake some intense interest in my project, acutely aware of Dino’s eyes on me, too.

     
    After school, when I break for freedom, Dino steps in front of me as I trot down the steps. I slam on the brakes, losing my balance. “Hey!”
    “Sorry, sorry,” he stammers, catching me before I fall intohim. He adds as I hoist my book bag back up, “Hey, can I talk to you a sec?”
    I glance around for Nate, who’s been meeting me after school. Then I remember he has band practice tonight. “Okay,” I say cautiously.
    Dino guides me down the steps to the sidewalk and then stands there a moment, his hands shoved into his shabby jacket, the wind tossing his dark hair. “Okay, um, what I wanted to ask you was … um, about Saturday night?”
    “Saturday night?” Confused, I think for a second. Then I remember.
Oh, no, no no … please don’t ask me this.
    “Yeah, um, you know. Homecoming. So I was wonderin’ …” Red-faced, Dino gulps hard, like he just swallowed a peach pit; I’m terrified he’ll choke before he can spit out the words. “You want to go? I mean, y’know … like … go with me?”
    “Oh.” My own cheeks grow warm. I hate to hurt people’s feelings. “I’m sorry, Dino. I’m already going with someone.”
    “You are?” Clearly he’s astonished. “I thought, you know, you bein’ new here and all, I … well, I just figured nobody would’ve asked you yet.”
    You thought wrong
. “I’m really sorry,” I repeat. “But I appreciate your asking me,” I add, surprised by my own sincerity. Fine, he’s a stoner. But is he as bad as Meg says?
    As I turn away, he asks, “Um, who you going with?”
    “Nate Brenner.”
    “Nate Brenner?” His unexpected smirk catches me off guard. “That figures.”
    Miffed now, I walk away.

3 MONTHS + 23 DAYS
     
    Tuesday, October 28
     
    Lacy struts around my room, rubbing her flat stomach. “I e-mailed Chad ten times over the weekend and he still hasn’t answered me! Now what do I do?”
    “Blow your brains out?” Tasha suggests. “Oh, wait. You don’t have any.”
    Meg slaps down her pen. “Look, we’re supposed to be planning the Homecoming decorations. Can’t you guys at least
pretend
to be interested?”
    “Why don’t you jump down Rinn’s throat?” Lacy retorts. “I mean, she invites us over for this and she hasn’t said a word this whole time.”
    Busted, I lower my paint roller. I’ve been rolling gray paint nonstop and the second coat’s almost done.
    “Homecoming’s Saturday,” Meg whines. “We have to do the cafeteria on
Thursday
. I can’t do this by myself!”
    “There’s not that much to do. There’s already decorationsleft over from last year, right? Besides”—I aim this at Lacy—“Cecilia offered to help. Maybe we can get her back.”
    “Yeah,” Lacy drawls. “Orca can do the refreshments. If she doesn’t gobble ’em all first!”
    Tasha groans. “You’re so mean,