“Katie…”
“I mean, I would’vediedinside if I went to school with Jesse for like a year and he never paid attention to me and then he went to grad with you instead. And it’s not like I could be mad at you for it. It would’ve been torture.”
“You are sympathizing way too much with the devil in my story,” I warned her.
“Hey,” she said brightly, “that’s a Stones song.”
“Does our entire existence have to be a Stones song?” I said dryly, knowing the answer to that.
“Yes. Unless it’s an Aerosmith song, a Police song, a David Bowie song, or a Dirty song.”
“Of course.”
“I forgot Queen.”
“You’re annoying me right now. This guy is not a rock star and he’s not my hero. Quit trying to make him into my Jesse Mayes.”
“I’m not,” she protested. “I’m just saying maybe you can drop the hatred a notch and try to reason with him. You two have a strange little history and maybe you can find a soft spot somewhere in him because of that. A connection. Remember that rapport thing you rock at?”
“Uh-huh.”
“Look, if I know anything about douchy rich dudes, and I do, as you may remember I almost married one, they are especially horrendous in the teenage years. And usually the girls they do the stupidest shit to are the ones they like the most. He was probably just intimidated by your awesomeness and the fact that you didn’t worship him.”
“Right.”
She sighed. “You know, Jesse’s told me that I was… How do I put this?Refreshing.” She rolled her eyes a little, smiling. “He was used to girls chasing him. They still chase him. At least, they try. But I wasn’t drooling over his money, his status, his talent… hisanything, when we met, other than the fact that I just likedhim. He fell in love with me because of that.”
“He fell in love with you because ofyou, Katie,” I informed her.
“You know what I mean,” she said. “I may not be super savvy when it comes to men or anything. You know I never really was. But I know that guys don’t generally kiss girls unless they like them. So, if this guy who was super popular in school kissedyouat your senior grad, there was a reason. And maybe it wasn’t as diabolical as you want to think.”
“Maybe,” I said. “And by the way, you’re doing it again.”
“Doing what?”
“I told you, this guy is not my Jesse Mayes. I repeat, he’s not my hero. He’s not a good guy. He’s just the devil tricked out in a gorgeous suit.”
“Great,” she said, undeterred. “Then you can relate to him about fashion.”
I sighed.
“Just go talk to him. Win him over. I know you can.”
“I don’t want to win him over, Katie, if I hadn’t made that clear. I completely resent the position he’s in.”
“Yet, he’s in it.”
I groaned. “I. Hate. This.”
“To hell with winning him over, then,” she said. “Win the right to keep your job. You earned it.”
When I glanced over at Dane’s table again, I watched as Shane Madrigal got up and left. Well… there was my moment.
Now or never.
Time to strike.
“Okay,” I said, forcing myself to my feet. “Maybe you’re right.”
