Crush Alert (2 page)

I
think Mondays are just horrible!” Maeve pronounced with a dramatic flourish as she munched on her tuna salad sandwich and glanced around the table at her friends. The Beacon Street Girls, otherwise known as the BSG, sat in the cafeteria together as they did every day at Abigail Adams Junior High. Chaotic sounds of kids laughing, talking, and eating filled the lunchroom, mixing with smells of pizza, hamburgers, and French fries.

“Don’t worry, Maeve. Lots of people hate Mondays,” Charlotte chimed in as she popped a potato chip into her mouth. “Even me, and I love school!”

Charlotte gave a little shiver as she thought about how she’d snuggled down in her covers this morning after the alarm went off. She would have liked to stay there the entire day, reading, scratching Marty (the official BSG mascot) under his chin, and drinking hot chocolate.

But her dad had come in, urging her to “rise and meet the day.” He wasn’t a Monday morning person, either, but
when it came time for them both to get going he would sometimes sing Charlotte out of bed in a loud, off-key, operatic voice. Today had been one of those mornings.

“I love Mondays…especially this Monday!” Avery exclaimed. “We’re having a pickup soccer game after school today.”

“In February?” Isabel asked.

“Hello! Haven’t you noticed the warm spell we’ve been having?”

“Ahh.” Maeve let out another dramatic sigh and stared at her soggy sandwich. “Well, in
my
very personal opinion, Mondays are the worst! Starting with those pop quizzes Ms. O’Reilly gives us in social studies. I mean, really, who can face a pop quiz at eight o’clock in the morning?”

Katani shook her head, her gold hoop earrings swinging from her ears. “Maeve, did you stay up late watching reality TV again last night?”

Maeve gasped. “I had to find out what happened to Chad and Lara!” She shook her red curls in disgust. “Besides, how can I learn how to become a great actor if I don’t watch great actors?”

Avery hooted, “Maeve! Get real. Chad and Lara aren’t actors! They’re just paid show-offs.”

Maeve giggled. “You’re right, Ave. But Chad is sooo cute.”

Isabel took a bite out of her apple and chewed thoughtfully. A strand of dark hair fell into her eyes and she flipped it aside. “Seriously, I’m not a big fan of pop quizzes either, but I think I like Mondays too. I’m always more inspired at the beginning of the week. That’s
when I’m most creative and I do my best artwork. I’m all relaxed from the weekend, and I feel pumped for a new challenge.”

Maeve leaned forward on her elbows, her eyes sparkling with mischief. “Okay, guys. Enough about Mondays. Let’s discuss something much more interesting. Like Fridays. Like
this
Friday in particular—
hello
, everybody—the Valentine’s Day Dance! I just can’t wait!”

All of a sudden, her hands flew to her chest. Maeve, the “great” actor, was off and running. “I mean, it will be just like that old black-and-white movie where the girl goes to the dance and meets the prince in disguise. He falls in love with her and she has no idea that he’s royalty. It’s with this English actor named Sir Laurence Olivier. Doesn’t that name sound lovely?” Her eyes danced as she waved her sandwich with excitement.

“Loverly,” mouthed Avery at the other BSG.

“Well, I agree with Maeve. The dance is going to be totally
maravilloso
!” Isabel said, beaming at her friends. “I can’t wait. I came in early this morning with the decorating committee to hang up the posters we designed last week.” Isabel’s artistic skills were famous at AAJH, so it was no surprise to her friends that she’d been asked to help make posters.

“So,” a determined Maeve continued. “Has anyone thought about who they’d like to go to this
marvelous
dance with?”

There was silence at the table. “Ms. Ramsey,” Maeve said, staring pointedly and holding a fake microphone under Charlotte’s nose. “Inquiring minds want to know:
What
are
your thoughts about a certain dreamy, popular, handsome boy with the initials NM?”

A rush of pink flooded Charlotte’s cheeks as her friends exploded into giggles. “Nick’s just a friend,” she mumbled, secretly wanting to throttle Maeve.

Undaunted, Maeve folded her arms, raised her eyebrows, and smiled coolly. “Next! How about our dear friend Katani? Who should she go to the dance with?” Putting her finger to her cheek, Maeve turned to face her sophisticated friend.

“That’s easy,” Isabel chimed in, wiping her mouth with a napkin. “Reggie. Ever since he gave her that rose at the science fair, that boy’s been talking to the Kgirl every chance he gets. It’s like he’s in L-O-V-E,” she spelled.

“He is not,” Katani protested, but fought back a smile while struggling to keep her famous Kgirl cool. Reggie, aka Math Boy, was cute. In fact, he was downright adorable, especially since he had given up the geek look for preppy. And just last week he had left a funny card taped to her locker.

“Talking doesn’t mean we’re in love or anything, but the boy does have style now.” Katani brushed an imaginary piece of lint from her black shirt—a shirt she’d bought at the used-clothing store, ruffled the collar, and voilà: her creation looked fresh off the New York runways!

“Better watch out, Katani,” warned Charlotte. “The romance queen, here”—she nodded at Maeve—“is pelting everyone with love arrows!”

On cue, Maeve shot an imaginary arrow at Isabel.
“Ladies and gentlemen, this lovely lady here might already have a date to the dance!”

Isabel wadded her lunch bag into a ball and looked around the table at her friends. “Really? With who?” she asked, feigning innocence.

“Kevin Connors,” the other BSG chimed. Kevin was Isabel’s
special
friend—a rather sensitive artist type who had also just happened to be one of AAJH’s all-star athletes. The two of them had been hanging out ever since Kevin stuck by Isabel when the Queens of Mean were spreading untrue rumors about her a couple months before.

Isabel permitted herself a tiny smile but refused to comment. She was going to love every minute of the dance whether Kevin went with her or not, just because she would be there with her friends. But it
was
fun to imagine whom each of the BSG might go with. She turned the spotlight back on Maeve. “Okay, Ms. Entertainment Reporter for AAJH. Now it’s your turn. Spill! Who’s your dream date?”

Maeve bit her lip, looked around to make sure no one was in earshot, and confessed. “Dillon…of course. He’s the cutest guy in school.”

Katani groaned and threw her hands up in the air. “Girlfriend, you think half the boys at Abigail Adams Junior High are the cutest.”

“Yes, that’s true,” said the aspiring movie star, flipping her hair over her shoulder. “But Dillon is the cutest of the cute!”

“Maeve, you’re one of a kind,” Katani pronounced, the rest of the BSG nodding in agreement.

Maeve slurped the last drop of her strawberry milk, then leaned forward to ask the one BSG who had been flicking peas into a milk carton goal for the whole conversation what her plans were. “Okay, Ave. Fess up. Who will have the honor of escorting you to the Valentine’s Day Dance?”

Avery shrugged as she sent a pea flying across the room at Billy Trentini. “I dunno,” she answered while ducking the piece of Fig Newton Billy sent back at her. “I just want to do what I always do…”

“And,” chorused the BSG, “see what comes up!”

Avery gave her friends her signature thumbs-up. They knew she was the kind of girl who liked to go with the flow.

Maeve shook her head. “Avery, but this is different! It’s the Valentine’s Day Dance! You’ll be, like, the
only
girl in this school who doesn’t care who she goes with.”

“No big deal.” Avery shrugged, popping a piece of cookie in her mouth. “Besides, I won’t be the only girl without a date.”

When her friends continued to look at her skeptically, she leaned back in her chair and stretched her arms above her head. “Seriously,” she said, gesturing toward a table of boys who were all watching to see how many Fig Newtons Billy Trentini could cram in his mouth, “if you think any of
them
are going to ask a girl to the dance, you are craaazy!”

Maeve grimaced as she saw Billy’s face swell up like a squirrel’s. “I guess you’ve got a point.”

“Well, promise me that you’re at least going to dance?” Katani teased.

Everyone laughed, including Avery. Her “creative” dance moves were legendary!

Suddenly a long arm encircled Avery’s neck in a gentle choke hold. Before she knew it, five knuckles dug into her head.

“Hey!” Avery yelped, wiggling away to see to see Dillon grinning behind her. “I figured it was you, doofus!”

When Avery wasn’t hanging with the BSG, they could usually find her chilling with Dillon and his posse—the Trentini twins, Henry Yurt, and occasionally Nick Montoya. Avery and Dillon liked the same things: the Red Sox, soccer, basketball, baseball. Avery thought it was too hilarious that many girls at school (including Maeve) were totally crushing on the dude. And to make things even funnier, Dillon hardly ever noticed girls in the hallway drooling over him.

“What? You don’t like my special super noogies?” he asked as he pushed back a shock of blond hair.

He is so cute
, Maeve thought, almost choking on her potato chips while Avery playfully slugged Dillon on the shoulder.

“Whoa!” he joked as he rubbed his arm. “Weight-lift much?”

“Hey, dude, you deserved it.”

Then Avery crossed her arms and announced, “It’s nothing compared to how you’re going to feel at the game today. I’m going to wipe the field with my new goal kick. I practiced all weekend with my brother, Scott.”

“I’ll believe it when I see it,” Dillon retorted, but he looked a little uncertain—Avery could be a fierce competitor.

Maeve anxiously chewed her bottom lip. Dillon was so dreamy! He used to think she was dreamy too, but she’d made a huge mistake when she lied to her parents and friends to sneak off to a basketball game with Dillon and his dad back in the fall. Things had sort of chilled since then.

But now, for some reason every time she saw Dillon’s beautiful smile and gorgeous blue eyes, her heart did a frantic tap dance.
I just know we’re destined to be together, and it’s up to me to make it happen!

Maeve tried to edge her way into the conversation, but Dillon kept goofing around with Avery. She couldn’t believe how Avery managed to be good buddies with just about every guy in the seventh grade.
Doesn’t that girl even notice when a boy is cute? What would Elle Woods from
Legally Blonde
do in this situation?
Maeve wondered.
Hmmm…take control!
came the answer.

Maeve inhaled, smoothed down her riotous curls, and put on her best movie-star smile. “Hey, Dillon.”

He turned around and gave her a friendly smile back. “What’s up, Maeve?”

Katani, Isabel, and Charlotte watched the usually confident Maeve turn three shades of pink and giggle. All the boys liked Maeve. There was something about her sparkly personality that made the day seem a little brighter for everyone.

But Dillon just shrugged and turned back to Avery. “Dude, did you finish your math homework?”

Avery raised her eyebrows. “Oh, yeah. I actually made it to school ten minutes early this morning and managed to finish the last problem. What about you?”

Dillon looked surprised, like he was sure Avery hadn’t finished either. The two of them often commiserated on what a waste of time homework was.

Maeve was getting frantic. Was
this
what Dillon wanted to talk about? Math homework? Her mind quickly tried to think of something to say to him—to make him look her way. Well, if it was math homework he wanted, then math homework he would get.

Finally she let out a high-pitched laugh that sounded like she had been sucking on a helium balloon. “I’m terrible at math. I mean, I’m barely scraping by with a C. I would love to have someone tutor me.”

“Um, Earth to Maeve. You already have a tutor,” Avery reminded her. “Remember Matt? The ‘charming college guy’ you couldn’t stop talking about, like, two weeks ago?”

Maeve could have killed Avery for embarrassing her like that in front of dreamy Dillon…the boy she adored! Instead, Maeve just blinked and stared at Avery. “Of course I remember Matt! I meant…you know…I need another tutor. Someone who is taking the same class, you know.” Maeve stumbled awkwardly over her words. “’Cause…like…I need a lot of help.”

“Gee, I could use a tutor too, Maeve. Can I have your guy’s number?” Dillon asked.

“Umm, sure,” she answered. With a sinking heart she watched him turn back to Avery. She barely heard Katani reassuring her that she was
not
actually that terrible in math.

As Maeve rested her chin in one hand, she tried to
quiet the uncomfortable thoughts swirling around in her head. Maybe she had read Dillon wrong. But boys were funny: Sometimes they ignored you if they liked you. Didn’t they?
Didn’t they?

Just then, Riley, leader of the AAJH jam band Mustard Monkey, passed by the BSG’s table. Every day he walked by them at least once during lunchtime. His eyes immediately locked on Maeve as he approached. Riley opened his mouth as if to say something, but changed his mind at the last minute. He made a U-turn. Charlotte and Isabel looked at the rocker boy curiously as he hurried away. “Strange,” Isabel mouthed to Charlotte.

“Dillon,” Charlotte whispered back. She and Isabel suspected that Riley had a serious crush on Maeve but was just too insecure to talk to her in front of other guys.

Meanwhile, Maeve was getting more and more concerned that however Dillon might have felt in the past, he definitely didn’t like her anymore.
I can’t believe this. I really can’t believe this
, Maeve wanted to shout.
Dillon’s having this whole long conversation with Avery, right at the lunch table, and he’s barely even said two sentences to me.
She swallowed the lump in her throat and tilted her face up toward the ceiling so the tears wouldn’t spill over.