Free Rival by Sara Bennett Wealer

just because I wanted to wait until I actually had something to talk about.
    â€œWant a beer?” Miles asked me.
    â€œNo thanks,” I said. “I don’t drink.”
    â€œAs of when?”
    â€œAs of now.” I prayed he wouldn’t bring up the scene with Dan Hummel and the Mardi Gras beads. Or all the other times he’d seen me doing stupid stuff while trashed on crappy keg beer.
    â€œThen soda it is,” he said. “Care to join me in the living room?”
    Boodawg had a fire in his parents’ fireplace, and I sat in a big leather chair while Miles took the ottoman. We talked about swimming. About whether I should run for student council. About people who were at the party and people who weren’t. He drank his beer, getting looser as he reached the bottom. His eyelids were starting to droop. He leaned in closer. His bangs were in his eyes, and I kept wanting to reach up and brush them away.
    All of a sudden, cold air went across the back of my neck. Somebody had walked in the front door. Miles looked over my shoulder.
    â€œChloe’s here,” he said. “Who’s that with her?”
    I turned around, and there was Kathryn.
    She had on a sixties-looking wrap dress that probably really was from the sixties. Her hair was down around her shoulders, which I had never seen before. She alwayswore it in a ponytail when we hung out. On her feet were the boots I had given her for her birthday. Chloe and Dina each had an arm, and they were showing her off, introducing her to everybody they ran into. Kathryn looked a little overwhelmed, but she smiled and went along with it. If you didn’t know her, you’d never know just how shy she could be.
    I got up. “Wait here,” I told Miles. Then I went over to where the three of them were giving Boodawg their coats.
    â€œHey!” Kathryn looked surprised to see me. “I thought you were going home to practice.”
    â€œI thought you were ordering pizza with Matt.”
    She took off her scarf and handed it to Bud. “I was getting ready to call him, but then Chloe called and asked if I wanted to come out.”
    â€œShe did?” I shot a look at Chloe, who waved a little wave.
    And then there was Miles, suddenly standing next to me. He stuck his hand out for Kathryn to shake.
    â€œI think I’ve seen you around school,” he said. He nudged in closer, getting between Kathryn and me. “You’re taking Trig or something like that, right?”
    â€œYes!” The gold in Kathryn’s eyes flashed. “Your locker must be on the math wing. You’re always there when I get out of class.”
    â€œFascinating,” said Miles. “Now why didn’t I notice you sooner?”
    I stood there, staring at Miles’s back, feeling the warm, happy feeling from just a few minutes ago drain away. I broke off and grabbed Chloe’s arm.
    â€œWell, hey there, Brooke,” she chattered as I pulled her over to the fireplace. “Long time no see!”
    â€œWhat are you doing?” I asked.
    â€œWhat do you mean?” Her shoulders went up in a clueless shrug.
    â€œYou know what I mean. Calling Kathryn. Bringing her here.”
    â€œYou’re kidding, right?” Chloe put her hands on her hips. “The whole point of the rush party was making new friends. But we were supposed to share them, not go off and treat everybody else like they’re lepers.”
    â€œI didn’t treat you like you’re a leper,” I said, reaching for an excuse that was true enough to sound convincing. “We’ve been busy with music. You hate that kind of thing.”
    But Chloe isn’t stupid. There was no way to pretend I hadn’t been avoiding her for three weeks straight.
    â€œSo what are you saying, Brooke?” she said. “That Kathryn can only be your friend?”
    â€œThat’s not what I meant.”
    â€œThen what did you mean?”
    I