Freaks of Greenfield High (17 page)

To his surprise, Caro acknowledged Bettina with a curt nod, but ignored the rest of B’s group, including Vanessa. Leaving Jay to join the cafeteria queue, she took the seat across from Emma.

Tyler studied his sister’s tense, angry face. “Slumming, huh?”

“The air’s not so putrid over here.”

“Ah. You gave Shawn the good news, huh? Guessing he didn’t take it well.”

Caro unpacked her sandwich and took such a vicious bite that Tyler winced. When she’d finished chewing she said, “Jerk tried to make out like it was my fault he was horn-dogging around. Like, if I put out, he wouldn’t feel the need to get his thrills elsewhere.”

“Dick,” Emma said. “And speaking of dicks, hope his shrivels up and drops off.”

Caro gave her a wan smile. “Thanks, Em.”

Tyler reached across the table to squeeze his sister’s wrist. “I’m sorry, sis.”

“Don’t be. I always knew Shawn was an ass. Maybe I thought I could change him. Or maybe I didn’t know what the heck I was thinking. To add to my pain there’s Nessa. So much for being my best friend and having my back. The minute I dumped him, she stepped in to ‘console’ him. She’s been all over him like a rash today. It’s enough to put me off food for life.”

Tyler tossed his own sandwich aside. Vanessa and Shawn? Jeez. What was the girl thinking? “Doesn’t he know she’s the one who uploaded the clip of him Dumpster diving?”

Caro snorted. “Yeah. He knows. But evidently she talked him ’round. Or something.”

Heavy emphasis on the “or something”. Caro obviously figured Vanessa was putting out to keep Shawn happy, but Tyler knew there were other things Vanessa could give Shawn to keep him on-side.

“Matt’s pretty annoyed about being dumped,” Caro said.

Since Tyler had been in Matt’s place, he knew “pretty annoyed” was putting it mildly. “What about your place on the squad?” he asked his sister. “There’ve been, ah, some rumors—”

“With regionals so close, Bettina knows she can’t afford to drop me from the squad. And the squad means everything to her. So if it comes down to keeping me happy, or keeping her step-brother happy, guess who she’ll choose?” Caro smiled, but it didn’t reach her eyes.

“Darn,” Emma said. “I was kinda hoping you’d get kicked off the squad so you could come and play for us.”

“Aww, that’s so sweet,” Caro said. “Sorry Em. It’s those uniforms of yours. I wouldn’t be seen dead in one. Truly hideous.”

Emma shrugged. “Bet some of the guys would beg to differ. Pity. Guess we’ll just have to pin our hopes on some new blood.”

Sara, the team’s catcher, and the rest of the girls started grabbing seats at the table. “Sorry.” Tyler dumped his bag on the seat next to him. “I’m saving this seat for someone.”

“Someone named Jay, I’ll bet,” Caro said. “And speaking of Jay, I bet
she’s
got awesome ball skills.”

“Jay?” Sara said. “Isn’t that the chick who dumped Vanessa on her ass yesterday?”

Emma smirked, obviously relishing the memory of Vanessa’s humiliation. “Yep. That’d be her. The girl with the long hair, holey jeans, and screamingly red t-shirt, waiting in the queue.”

Sara nodded her approval. “She’s cool.”

“Yanno?” Emma gnawed a fingernail as she gave Jay a once-over.“She’s got a style all her own. Bet you’re itching to make her over, right Caro?”

“The thought had crossed my mind.”

Emma huffed on her non-existent nails and pretended to polish them on her t-shirt. “Seriously. Don’t muck with perfection, sweetie.”

Caro eyed Emma’s outfit of baggy jeans and a sloppy, fire-engine-red t-shirt, and wisely took another bite of her sandwich. Tyler bit his lip to keep from laughing at the expression on his sister’s face.

A buzz drew his attention. He glanced up, took it all in, and quickly dropped his gaze again. Vanessa’s gloss-slicked lips were downturned. She and Shawn were deep in whispered conversation, casting dagger-like glances in his direction.

“Ah crap,” he muttered, watching as Vanessa stroked Shawn’s arm, and then left him to approach Tyler’s table. “Here comes trouble.”

“AKA the skanky ho,” Caro said, loud enough for Emma to hear and whoop with laughter.

“Well, if it isn’t Greenfield High’s ex-Boy Wonder,” Vanessa said, fixing Tyler with a saccharine sweet, insincere smile. “I have no idea how you managed to sabotage my upload, but it’ll be a wasted effort when I send the clip that’s still on my phone to Principal Harris.”

It seemed to have escaped Vanessa that Jay’s stunt was far more of a conversation-starter than watching him take on Shawn.

Vanessa was out to get him—no two ways about it. Ironic considering if he spilled the truth about Homecoming, it’d start a shit-storm… with her taking center stage. God only knew what her reasoning was. It didn’t make any sense. Tyler gave her his widest grin. “Gee, Vanessa. You shouldn’t have gone to all this trouble just for me. I might end up owing you a favor. Or something.”

Her eyes narrowed and loathing twisted her pretty face. “In your dreams!” she spat.

“Nightmares more like,” Caro said, glaring at her former BFF until Vanessa flushed and fiddled with the hem of her short-shorts.

“Hey, Nessa,” Emma interrupted with a toothy grin.

Uh oh. Tyler knew what that grin heralded. Em had a way with words that was legend amongst her teammates. Vanessa was about to be on the receiving end. This was gonna be ugly.

“I’ve been dying to know. Are you a skanky ho twenty-four-seven? Or only when there’s a penis you feel the need to impress hanging round?”

Vanessa opened her mouth as if to reply, frowned, then abruptly turned her back and flounced back to her friends.

“Ouch! That’s gotta hurt. Nice one, girlfriend!” Caro high-fived Emma.

Tyler’s gaze followed Vanessa’s swaying rear.

He waited for the ache of pure yearning to course down his spine. He used to think Vanessa was the prettiest girl he’d ever seen. Even after she’d dumped him for Matt, he’d still thought her model-worthy gorgeous. But today she just wasn’t doing it for him. Compared to Jay, she just seemed brittle and spoiled and….

Bland.

Bettina and Shawn’s peeps were all twittering about their oh-so-important little lives—nothing unusual there. But for once, Vanessa seemed apart and separate from them, as though she’d cocooned herself in her own little world. All her flashy, “look at me!” arrogance had drained away. Her eyes were downcast. She’d wrapped her arms around her middle. She looked entirely miserable, like she was doing her utmost not to burst into tears. When Bettina prodded her for a response, she lifted her head and caught Tyler staring at her. She flipped him the finger and turned her back, linking her arm in Shawn’s and cuddling up to him.

He laughed but there was no joy in it. More fool him for sticking out his neck and trying to protect her. He should have spoken out and left her to deal.

He spotted Jay approaching and moved his bag, indicating she should take the seat he’d saved. “What’s so funny?” she asked.

“Vanessa. She never fails to live down to my expectations.” He glugged the last of his water and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. “You set?”

Jay patted the pocket of her jeans. “Yes.”

“Outstanding.” And seeing a measure of his own glee glinting in her eyes, he grinned. “Hey, guys,” he said to his team. “Y’all know Jay?”

“Yeah,” Rachel, the team’s relief pitcher chimed in. “We all know Jay. She’s the one who dropped Vanessa on her chubby ass, and introduced Shawn to the inside of a Dumpster.”

Caro choked on a mouthful of water. “Looks like your reputation has preceded you, Jay.”

“Apparently so,” Jay said. “I trust that’s a positive thing.”

Rachel grinned at her. “Oh yeah. Very positive.”

Em caught Jay’s eye. “Wouldn’t mind a word with you later. I have a favor to ask.”

Jay nodded. “Of course.” She picked up her burger, took a huge bite, and wrinkled her nose.

“Whassup?” Tyler asked. “Does it taste off?”

“I don’t believe I care for the taste of pickle,” she said, sounding awfully surprised by the fact. She fished the pickle out and inspected it. “It doesn’t look particularly appetizing, either.”

He couldn’t help laughing at her. She sounded like a little kid, disgruntled at being made to eat her vegetables. “Just as well you don’t have to eat it, then.”

He was distracted from Jay’s amusing pickle issues when Matt wandered over to their table. What the hell did
he
want?

Matt snagged an empty chair from the next table and loomed over Caro, waiting patiently until she took the hint and inched over to give him some room. He grinned at her as he popped the tab on his soda. “Hey, babe. Whassup?”

She gave him cool, unimpressed eyes. “Oh, you know. The usual. Devil worship, animal sacrifice, bathing in blood on a daily basis—all that woo-woo stuff we boyfriend-less girls are forced to do to amuse ourselves.”

Matt choked on a mouthful of soda and spluttered for a bit before it occurred to him she was kidding. He waved his can in her direction. “Yeah, right. Good one.”

Tyler snickered. His sister always had an answer. She’d gotten
that
gene, too, whereas he always thought of the perfect thing to say hours later.

“What are you doing here, Matt?” she said. “Shouldn’t you be over there schmoozing with the ‘in’ crowd? Being seen at our table won’t do much for your social cachet.”

He scowled. “Whaddya think I’m doing? Same as you. Avoiding certain people so I don’t fricking smack ’em into orbit.”

Caro didn’t appear to have the least sympathy for Matt’s plight. She angled her body to give him her back, and ignored him to chat with Emma.

“Hey, Tyler,” Matt said. “Can I talk to you about something?”

After the stunt Matt’d pulled with the video, Tyler wasn’t feeling particularly magnanimous. “If you feel you have to.”

“In private. How ’bout I meet you after school?”

“I’m coaching.”

“After practice. I’ll give you a lift home.”

“Yeah. Okay.” He’d take the ride, but it’d be a cold day in hell before he’d help Matt out.

“Thanks, dude.”

“Whatever.”

Matt rose from his chair and sauntered off.

“What was that all about?” Caro jerked her chin at his departing back.

“Dunno. But I’m curious, so I’ll give him thirty seconds of my time—after he’s dropped me home.”

“Do you think that’s such a good idea?”

He was about to respond when Emma tapped her on the shoulder, demanding her attention again. Tyler followed their gazes. Bettina had finally decided that the table next to his was worthy of her designer jeans-clad rear. She flicked her wrist at Shawn, and watched with a bored expression while he turned on the charm to oust some star-struck freshmen girls who were only halfway through their lunches.

Emma exchanged a glance with Caro. “Never changes, does he?”

“Nope.”

“What were you
thinking
, girlfriend?”

Caro pretended to menace Em with her half-eaten sandwich. “Same thing as the rest of you. More’s the pity.”

Both girls swiveled in their chairs to look at the “he” in question, who was holding court at his table. As usual.

Caro shook her head, and mournfully contemplated her apple. “He’s a looker, though.”

Em snickered. “Yeah. If you like Ken dolls.”

From the quirk of her lips, Caro was obviously amused by her friend’s comment. “I think my next boyfriend will be someone who doesn’t take longer to get ready to go on a date than I do.”

“He might be a prize a-hole, but he’s got it going on for sure,” Sara said.

“Yeah. Stellar bod. Pity ’bout the toxic personality.”

“He’s one hot himbo and his old man’s loaded. Who cares about his personality?”

“Yeah. I sure wouldn’t say no to guy-candy that fine.”

Tyler couldn’t believe his ears. Jeez. Was that all girls cared about? How hot a guy was? How loaded his wallet was? They all knew Shawn was a douche, but still they admired him.

Girls. All the same. Dumber than freaking mud.

Em redeemed herself somewhat by blowing such a truly rude raspberry that her teammates quit with the Shawn-fest to roll about in their chairs laughing. “He’s a man-slut who can’t keep his hands to himself. We deserve better. End of story.”

“You gotta admit, he’s a reeeally hot man-slut, though,” Sara said.

Em conceded the point. Reluctantly. “Okay. You got me on that one. Malibu Ken is one hot man-slut.”

“He knows you’re talking about him,” Jay said. “See how he’s thrusting out his chest, stretching out his legs and angling his body toward us? He feeds off the attention. You should ignore him. That’s what I do whenever he bothers me.”