Landry in Like (2 page)

A
fter school
, I went to find India. She and Devon were standing at her locker.

“So you guys—”

“How could you tell Ericka about you and Vladi kissing before us?” Devon asked.

“I didn't. I told Tori and she must have—”

“Oh, so now Tori gets all the news first?” Devon asked glaring at me.

“I was going to tell you guys. Honest! I was planning to until all this stupid test stuff happened and then Tori was—”

“Save it,” India said, walking past me.

“Wait! You guys.” I tried to catch up to them, but they were walking so fast I couldn't keep up. I felt the tears well up in my eyes, and I couldn't get on the bus crying so I ran to the bathroom. I was composing myself when I remembered what my mom said about not missing the bus, and I tore out of the school toward the bus line … just in time to see the busses all pulling away. Oh man, my mom was going to kill me. I pulled out my phone debating whether or not I should call her. Then I noticed I had a text from Ashanti asking where I was.

I wrote back that I missed the bus because India and Devon got mad at me, and I didn't know when my mom would be done with her meeting. She texted back:

Ashanti:
Yeah, they're grilling Peyton now on why she didn't tell them about the kiss, but she said it was your news to tell. Let me see if my dad can come get you, okay?

I said a silent prayer Mr. Russell was available. Otherwise, I was stuck at the school until at least six p.m.

Ashanti wrote back. He said he'd meet me at the front of the school. I texted back smiley faces and hearts.

I went to wait and Mr. Russell's car pulled up.

“Thank you so much,” I said as I got in the passenger seat.

“Not a problem,” he said. “I do have to stop at the grocery store to pick up dinner. Do you mind going with me since it's on the way?”

“That's fine,” I said.

We drove over to My Lil' Foodie Mart, and he pulled out his phone. “My wife emails me a list, but then she sends texts with more items. How does she expect me to remember all of that? I'm supposed to make dinner for Ashanti and me tonight, and have I mentioned I hate to cook?”

“My mom and I get the pre-made dinners from the deli.”

“I thought they just made subs and things like that.”

“You can order the stuff they serve in the café, and they'll box it up for you. It's not on the sign, but my mom asked them once so now they do it for her all the time.”

“Get out of here. Are you for real?”

I nodded. “They don't advertise it, but they will do it. You just have to know the menu by heart or else you have to sit down and order and eat it there.”

“And you know the menu by heart?”

“My mom hates to cook, so I can recite that menu in my sleep,” I said.

“That's my girl. What do they have?”

“The lasagna is my favorite — oh, and the dumplings are amazing. And you can add any a'la carte item, too. My mom always tries to get me to order a vegetable, but their seasoned fries are sooo good.”

“These dumpling are homemade or what?”

“Yup, and get a cup of chicken soup to go. You won't be sorry.”

“Little Miss Albright, you have changed my life. Okay, dumplings, soup, and fries to go.”

Mr. Russell went up to order, and the guy behind the counter nodded at me. How sad. I was there picking up take-out so often that he knew me.

I helped Mr. Russell carry the food back to the car. He drove me to my house and handed me one of the bags.

“Don't forget your dinner,” he said.

“You didn't have to do that,” I said.

“You have shown me a way — a better way — of not cooking and still getting a nice hot meal,” he said.

I thanked him for the food and the ride and went inside. As I sat down and started to eat my dumplings, I texted Devon with my free hand that I was sorry. Honestly, I didn't mean for her and India to be the last to know, but did they have to get so mad about it? It always felt like I was walking on eggshells around them — and around Ericka and Tori, too. After all, Ashanti had taken her lunch hour to help me study and got her dad to pick me up.
That
was a true friend.

My phone rang and it was Peyton. “I am
so
over Devon and India right now,” she said.

I swallowed hard. Last time Ericka called me saying something like that about Tori, Tori had been on the other line listening. It had been a test. But Peyton wouldn't do that to me… would she?

“What do you mean?” I asked.

“They're upset you told Ericka before them about you and Vladi having your first kiss and because I already knew about it.”

“Are they mad at you?”

“I dunno. Whatever. So did you get home okay? Ashanti said she was getting her dad to pick you up.”

“Yeah, thank goodness. My mom probably wouldn't have picked up the phone while she was in the board room.”

“Did you talk to Vladi today?” she asked.

“Nope, but I just got home. Um, can I ask you a question? Is he supposed to call me every day? Is that what boyfriends do?”

Peyton cracked up. “How should I know? The only guy that's ever called me was Stuart, and he'd get so nervous that he'd repeat himself. By the way, don't tell India that. She doesn't know he used to call me. I'm not trying to keep a secret from her exactly, I'm just trying to avoid her getting mad and holding a two-week grudge. Well, that's unfair. Her grudges are more like ten days, tops.”

I laughed and knew for sure now India and Devon weren't on the other line.

“Now, now, you shouldn't round up like that,” I said. “You know, I'd never admit this, but the whole idea of having a boyfriend kind of makes me anxious.”

“Yeah, but you guys were sorta together before.”

“And then he dumped me. Plus, once we said we were going out we never actually went any place. It was just calls, emails, and texts, which — don't get me wrong — were great and less scary than going out someplace, but what if…”

“What if what?” she asked.

“He wants to go out on a date or something? I don't even know if my mom would let me go. And right now in the sports season there aren't any basketball games or anything I can say I'll be at to meet up with him or anything.”

“A lot of people go to the mall in groups. Do you think she'd let you do that?”

“Probably not, and I'd be grounded forever if I said I was going in a group and she found out there were boys included. Besides, the mall has that weird policy about too many teenagers together. They think we're all, like, in a gang or something,” I said.

“Oh right, that ‘guardian must accompany a group of minors' thing. So lame. See? I don't even get asked to go out in groups big enough to worry about that,” she said laughing.

“Oh please, guys are intimidated by how pretty you are,” I said.

“Whatever, says the TV model.”

“Oh wow, Vladi's calling me right now,” I said.

“Pick up!”

“I can't hang up on you for him. That goes against girl code.”

“Landry, I am so hanging up on
you
right now. Call me as soon as you get off the phone with him. I want details. Bye,” she said.

I clicked over, took a deep breath, and said, “Hello?”

“Hey, Landry. How was your day?” Vladi asked.

“Kind of crazy. I forgot I had a huge social studies test today. I only found out about it at the bus stop.”

“Oh man, what happened?”

I pulled my knees up to my chest. “Well, Ashanti and I snuck sandwiches in the library and borrowed her friend's flash cards to help me study, so I was a little more prepared.”

“That's awesome. Ashanti's a good friend.”

“The best.” My phone beeped and I saw I had a text from Devon to, “Call her immediately.” I didn't want to get off the phone with Vladi just to have to explain myself to her.

“So how do you think you did on it?” he asked.

“Um, okay. Not fabulous, but way better than average. It was all still fresh in my mind when I sat down to take the test, you know?”

I asked him about his day, and he started to tell me when my phone beeped again. This time it was India asking where I was and why I wasn't responding to Devon's text. Seriously? Like I couldn't have a life and be busy or something?

“Later on I'm going over to Steve's to play video games,” he said.

“That should be fun,” I said as I texted India I was on the phone and couldn't talk.

“Uh, are you busy or something?” he asked.

“No, why?”

“You seem distracted and I can hear a weird thing like you're getting texts or something.”

“Yeah, it's just… some stuff with India and Devon.”

“You girls have so much drama going on all the time,” he said.

“No, it's just…” Great. The last thing I needed was for him to be reminded I was still in middle school. “Girl stuff. Nothing major.”

“I love how girls in high school act like they're so mature and over drama and yet they are so crazy sometimes,” he said.

“So it's
still
like that in high school?”

“Uh, yeah, like bad. There's always something going on. This girl offended this other one and the whole world is ending because of it,” he said.

“At my school it's more like this person isn't talking to this person and no one completely understands why, but you can't say that to the other person or you'll start a world war.”

He laughed. “Yup. Well, I'll let you go handle all that so you don't get in trouble or whatever. I'll talk to ya later.”

I stared at my phone as he hung up and felt angry India and Devon were the reason he got off the phone with me. Sighing, I called Devon's phone.

“About time. I assumed you died,” she said.

“I said I was on the phone.”

“With who?”

“Does it matter?”

“Well, if you put us off for a guy then I'd say it
does
matter. Who was it?” she asked.

I'd never hear the end of it if I told the truth, but I felt sick as I lied and said, “My grandma.” Ugh, I hated being dishonest.

“Oh, well… whatever. So why didn't you tell us before you told Ericka and Tori? I'm putting you on speaker.”

I explained what happened and India said, “Hold on. We have to discuss it.”

What? They needed to have a meeting to talk over whether or not they were going to accept my explanation or get mad at me? I was so over this junk, but I held my tongue. Hillcrest Academy was such a small school, and I couldn't afford to get them upset with me and have to deal with glares across a hallway and people talking behind my back. Plus, with high school starting next fall, I needed all the friends I could get. I just hoped that once we got to ninth grade, I could make some friends I
didn't
have to tiptoe around.

“Landry?” Devon asked. “Okay, we talked about it and we understand.”

I wanted to sarcastically say, “Oh thank you soooo much,” but instead I said, “I have to start getting dinner ready for when my mom gets home.

“It's not even five. Your mom makes you cook?” India asked.

“She asked me to take some stuff out of the freezer and make a salad, so I better get going. See you guys later.”

I hung up and stuck my mom's frozen lasagna in the oven. I was stuffed from my dumplings, so I'd probably just take a couple bites when dinner was ready and save the rest for tomorrow. Once I set the oven timer, I sat on the couch, put on some music videos, and started my homework. I was halfway through my math when I got another call from Devon.

“Hey, India's in the bathroom, so I just have a second to talk without her around,” she said. “Are you mad at us?”

She didn't sound scared just sort of on edge and ready to pounce.

“No, I'm just tired and busy with dinner and homework stuff,” I said.

“You don't sound relieved though.”

“What do you mean?” I asked.

“When we said we weren't mad at you, India thought you should have sounded, like, relieved or something.”

Seriously? I didn't grovel on my knees thanking them for not getting mad at me and they were upset?

“I don't understand what you mean. After all, I told you what happened, so I don't know why you would have gotten mad. Ericka would have been upset over something like that, but you guys are so much more mature that I knew you wouldn't.”

“Oh right. Yeah, we are,” Devon said.

I took it one step further. “Vladi always talks about how girls are so full of drama, and I tell him it's just the immature ones.”

“Yeah, not us at all,” she said.

“Right. We're so above that.”

“Completely over it.”

“I better go check on the oven. Hope you guys have fun. Talk to you later,” I said.

I called Ashanti to tell her what just happened.

“You are a genius. Genius! You completely shut her down on all that mess,” she said. “I can't believe those girls sometimes.”

“I feel bad that I'm talking behind their backs, but I just couldn't get over they were upset I wasn't more grateful over being pardoned by the wardens.”

“Ha ha! That is exactly it — pardoned! Too funny. Well, I have some news.”

I asked her what was up, and she said Maggie and Halle had been invited to watch a weekend cheerleading practice by some of the high school cheerleaders who were going to be on the squad with them next year. Yasmin was also going to be on the team with them as well, which didn't exactly fill me with comfort seeing as she'd be using the same workout room as Vladi during practices.

“They didn't invite all the girls who made the team, so it's kind of a big deal and Halle asked if she could bring me and they said it was okay,” Ashanti said.