“Who even are you?” I say, refusing to be intimidated. This is my school.
“I’m new.” She flashes me a bright, but fake, smile. “I’m also Zane’s ex-girlfriend. And just so you know, he’s not over me. Now that we’re at the same school again, it only makes sense that I be his homecoming queen.”
My stomach flips.
She pats me on the arm in this condescending way. “So you should just gracefully bow out now.”
She turns on her heel and prances away, her body language showing that she thinks she’s got everything all figured out. She thinks she intimidated me. She thinks she’s won.
I could let this crush my spirit and run home and fall apart crying myself to sleep. Or I could give her some of her own medicine. Zane hasn’t given me any indication that he wants to date some old ex-girlfriend. So why should I believe her?
“I’m sorry,” Krissy says. “What are you going to do?”
My lips press together into a smirk. “Let’s make sure I win this thing.”
Eleven
Zane
My dad callsme while I’m talking with some guys in the parking lot, only by the time I reach for my phone, I’ve already missed the call. He calls right back immediately, which is odd. Usually my parents just text me when they know I’m at school since I can’t exactly answer a call in the middle of class. I guess he knows my first class hasn’t started yet.
“Let me see what my dad wants,” I tell my friends.
They nod and start heading toward the school. The tardy bell will ring any minute now. I wish I could have walked in with Zara but I still need to play it cool. We only went on our first date last night.
“Hello?” I say, answering the phone and grabbing my backpack out of my truck.
“You need to come home now,” Dad says. “My Uncle Teddy died.”
“Oh,” I say, surprised. I know my dad has an Uncle Teddy, but I’ve only met him a couple of times when I was a little kid. I don’t mean to discount his death, but why would I need to go home? I didn’t even know him. “I’m sorry to hear that,” I say, because I know my dad was close with the man when he was a kid. He used to tell me that his dad and uncle were inseparable, so he was always at his uncle’s house. Of course, he hasn’t been there in years.
“Yeah, so hurry home. I need your help.”
“Help with what?” I ask.
“It’s a long story.” Dad sounds resigned, which is unusual because he’s usually a pretty upbeat guy.
“Okay, I’ll leave now.”
I stare at the school, knowing that if I try rushing inside to talk to Zara, the chances of finding her are slim. I don’t even know which class she has for first period. Also, if I walk in, I can’t walk back out without getting in trouble for skipping school. I get back in my truck and text her.
Me: Hey, I’m so sorry but my dad just called me and demanded that I come home to help him with stuff.
Zara: Wow, is he okay?
Me: I think so. But I don’t know if I’ll be able to drive you home. Do you have another way to get home?
Zara: No problem. I can walk.
Me: :(
Zara: lol! It’s not a big deal! I promise!
It feels like a big deal. This is the day after our first date and I don’t even get to see her or take her home. I’m trying not to be a jerk about this on my drive home. I know my dad losing a relative is a sad thing, and I need to be there for him, so I tell myself I’ll have the rest of the year to drive Zara home from school.
When I get home a few minutes later, my parents are in the kitchen, both of them talking on their phones. Dad is pacing around anxiously, talking loudly, and throwing up his arms every few seconds.
“What’s going on?” I whisper to Mom, who is having a much calmer conversation.
