Plain and Smallâs instead.â He raises one eyebrow.
âI called her about practice.â
âAnd threw your phone at the wall?â
The jig is up but I definitely donât feel like talking about it. âDrop it, bro.â
Devon sits up and folds his legs across each other. âNo. Whatâs up? Do you like her or something? Iâve kind of been getting a vibe.â
âI said drop it, Devon. Sheâs buying a guitar for Sean. She obviously is into him.â
âHuh.â Devon looks off like heâs thinking. âI knew about that. Think she was just being a Good Samaritan. She hasnât mentioned that she was into him.â Then he looks at me again. âBut youâre into her?â
I lift my shoulders. âSheâs cool.â
âYou know, I wouldnât care. Sheâs my best friend. And youâre my other best friend. As long as you didnât get all weird around me, I might actually like the two of you together.â
âYeah, doesnât look like thatâs going to happen.â
Devon rolls his eyes. âAnd you people call me the drama queen.â
He walks back to the house and I wonder. Is he right? Am I overreacting? Again.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
The sight of you
The way you sing
Block out my doubts
Make my heart ring
Monday morning, I decide Iâm going to tear a page from Devonâs advice column and take a chill pill. I see Amber when she comes into school and itâs hard not to react in the woe-is-me way. Sheâs dressed like sheâs ready for the stage, not her normal school clothes, but more like sheâs got someone sheâs trying to impress. But Sean doesnât meet her. Devon and C.A. swoop in and flutter around her then lead her off to the art room. Good thing, too, because I see Amber Rose looking at her like sheâs ready to kill.
True to her word, Amber Rose doesnât talk to me. But Sarabeth does. âSo, hear you broke my girlâs heart on Friday. Congratulations, dick. Whatâd you do?â
âNothing, Sarabeth. We just arenât right for each other.â
âYouâre a dick.â But she doesnât start yelling about me being a cheater.
I catch Amber Roseâs eye. She nods once then looks away. I sigh. âGo away, Sarabeth. Make someone elseâs life miserable.â
âWhatever. Youâre dead to us, you know.â I guess Amber Rose is lucky to have a friend so loyal but sheâs making me crazy. I shoo her away with my hand.
When Sarabeth leaves, I head to class early for some alone time so I can figure out whatâs next. Maybe I can talk to Amber at lunch and ask her point-blank about her and Sean. Itâs better to know than to assume.
I sit through first, then second block. As I watch the clock, Iâm figuring out my strategy. Iâm going to walk right up to her and lay it out. âAmber,â Iâm going to say, âI donât think I was clear yesterday. When I said my girlfriend wasnât going to be a problem, itâs because I donât have one. Me and Amber Rose broke up.â Then Iâm going to judge her reaction. Iâll swallow a big mouthful of pride and ask her about Sean. I wonât know my next move until I hear her answer.
The bell rings. I gather my books and my nerve.
Down the hall, kids are milling and moving about,clanging lockers and yelling to wait up. Me? Iâm in quicksand. My throat is dry. My hands are nervous. This is so stupid. Iâm not this guy.
When I get to the first floor, I see Amber huddled with Devon and C.A. outside the library. A group of freshman girls walks by and just as they pass, Amber takes off. Toward me. I want to yell at her to watch out for the book bag on the floor but itâs too late. She hits it and goes flying.
I jog toward her. Devon and C.A. come running from the other direction. Mrs. Early appears from her office door. We all get to Amber