Free Don't Tell Mother by Tara West Page B

hard stare. “Yep.”
    Sophie mimicked my posture and returned my stare.
    Gawd. Did I really look that mean?
    Cursing, I deflated my arms and rubbed my throbbing temple. My day was getting suckier by the minute. To make matters worse, that dizzy nauseated feeling was growing and I had a feeling it was directly related to the hollow in my gut.
    “What’s the matter, AJ?” Sophie placed her hand on my shoulder.
    Just that little show of affection from my best friend and I almost lost it. Turning from her, I choked back the mounting frustration from my crappy day. Taking a deep breath, I slowly exhaled. I wasn’t going to cry. Crying was for wusses.
    “AJ…” Sophie came up behind me, her voice laced with concern. “What’s wrong?”
    Forcing the tension from my balled up fists, I faced my friend. Although I was afraid of the answer, I had to know the truth. My entire team hated me. Did Sophie and Krysta feel the same way? “Why did you stay with the freaks at lunch?”
    Sophie quirked a brow. “The freaks? You mean Bob?”
    “Yeah.”
    “You seemed pissed.” She shrugged. “We thought you wanted to be alone. Besides, Pharoah showed us a cool magic trick. Wanna see?”
    A smile sliced through my ebbing tension. Sophie would never hate me. I didn’t think she could hate anyone. “Not really,” I laughed. “So you’re eating with me tomorrow?”
    “Duh.” Grinning, she rolled her eyes. “Yeah.”
    “Cool.” I nodded while straightening my shoulders. I was acting like a stupid little whiny girl over nothing. Must have been the hunger pains.
    “Is that what’s been bothering you?” Sophie asked.
    “You know, the usual.” Okay, enough talking about my problems. I didn’t want to get worked up again. Motioning toward the gym, I pointed toward the back entrance. “I need to get ready for the game.” Turning on my heel, I nearly ran head first into Krysta.
    “What’s up, girlies?” A smile stretched across her face.
    I rolled my eyes at her cheesy Coach Lowe attempt. “Ha, ha.”
    “Good luck tonight.” She jabbed me in the ribs. “So I take it you’re not going to the team party this Friday.”
    My jaw dropped, a million questions racing through my mind at once. “Who told you about the party?”
    Krysta cocked her head to the side. “Alisha told me she heard it from Victoria who heard it from Kurtis, who’s going out with Paige.”
    Information overload. I shook my spinning head. “What did Alisha tell you?”
    “They’re going to celebrate the game and get wasted.”
    My insides rumbled, a mixture of hunger and annoyance. “What are they going to celebrate if they suck at the game?”
    Krysta shrugged. “Paige told Kurtis you don’t need to win to celebrate, as long as you try.”
    I swore, loudly. “What kind of crap is Lowe feeding them?”
    Sophie grinned. “Beer, Friday night.”
    Who needed meat? I had enough anger to fuel a lifetime. “Not if I can help it.”
    ****
    Prep time before the game was tense. All the girls in the locker room averted their gaze whenever I looked in their direction—kind-of like they had a dirty little secret. They were unusually, quiet, too. Were they afraid of getting their butts stomped by our rivals or by me?
    Finding a private corner in the locker room, I stretched my muscles, trying to ignore the gnawing hunger in my belly. Only a few more hours, and what the heck, I was going to the snack bar and eating a big hamburger. Forget what Bob thinks. He didn’t care that I’d changed for him. In fact, I was beginning to wonder if he cared for me at all.
    Fighting a yawn, I rubbed my eyes. Why was I so tired all of a sudden?
    “Okay, girlies, let’s go have some fun.” Lowe hopped on a bench, hooting and pumping the air with her hands.
    Puke.
    I barely had the energy to give her a dirty look.
    The team jumped up and down, high-fiving each other and giggling. Maybe we should suit up the cheerleaders and have the team do the cheering. Honestly, I