Puppy Love (22 page)

“Hold on, back up a sec,” I said. “I didn't have a date with Jamal. I mean, yeah, we'd talked about maybe getting together again after class, but that was just a group thing.” I hesitated. “Um, wasn't it?”

“No,” Robert spat out. “It wasn't. Jamal tracked me down online yesterday, wanting to find out what you like to do. He was super nervous about it—really wanted to impress you.”

My mind spun, trying to take in this new development. “So it wasn't a group thing.”

“Catch up, genius.” Robert pushed Muckle off his lap and started the car. “I thought we'd covered that part. Yes, today was supposed to be just the two of you. On a private picnic with all your favorite foods.”

“A picnic?” I gasped. “I always thought that was the most romantic date ever.”

“Duh. I know.” Robert shot me a sour look. “Who do you think suggested the idea? He went all out, too—figured out the perfect spot overlooking Spring Creek, ordered the food, downloaded some new stuff on his iPod—that was thanks to me too. For a cool guy, he has some pretty questionable tastes in music.”

“Oh, man.” I felt horrible. Had Jamal really done all that to impress me? He was so sweet! Not to mention cool, and funny, and good-looking . . .

Suddenly it dawned on me that maybe I shouldn't have been
so quick to write him off as not my type. Here I'd been pining after exotic, not-so-actually-amazing Adam, when maybe my real dream guy had been right under my nose the whole time!

Robert still looked cranky. “Poor guy is probably down by the creek right now, cleaning up the blanket and stuff he set out there this morning to surprise you.”

I grabbed his arm so abruptly that he swerved halfway onto the shoulder. “Quick,” I ordered. “You have to take me there! To the picnic spot, I mean. Maybe it's not too late. I can apologize, see if he still wants to hang out, maybe have that picnic after all.”

“Really?” Robert brightened. “So you do like him. I knew it!”

“I didn't,” I replied. “I mean I didn't know I did. Or something. We can figure it out later, okay? Now hurry—we don't want to miss him!”

My heart raced along with the Volvo. It seemed to take forever to get there, but finally Robert pulled off the road at a scenic overlook. There were a couple of other cars parked there.

“He's here!” I cried, staring at one of the cars—a distinctive grape-colored Volkswagen. “I'm not too late! Where's the picnic spot?”

“Go look over the wall,” Robert instructed. “You should be able to see it down the hill to the left.”

“Oh, great.” I undid my seat belt. “So you set it up so the whole world could stop here and gawk at us?”

“Just go!”

I jumped out of the car and hurried over to the wall that kept
scenic-overlookers from tumbling down the steep bank to the creek. A flash of movement caught my eye down to the left, and I leaned forward eagerly.

Then I gasped. It was Jamal—locked in an embrace with Rachel!

Chapter
Twenty

I
stumbled back to the
Volvo and clambered in, grabbing Muckle's collar to keep him from leaping out. “Get out of here,” I told Robert. “It's too late. I blew it.”

“What do you mean?” He stared at me. “I thought you said that was his car.”

“It is.” I shook my head. “But I'm an idiot. I just realized who my real dream guy is, but now another girl has him. And it's all my fault—why couldn't I see it before this?”

“Because you were blinded by Adam's beauty.” Robert sounded sympathetic. “But what are you talking about? What other girl?”

“Rachel. I just saw her and Jamal down there. Together.” I grimaced at the image now seared into my brain. “They were looking pretty chummy, if you know what I mean. And that part's
definitely my fault. I've been pushing the two of them together for, like, the past week because I felt bad about not liking Jamal back.” I hugged Muckle, who was sitting quietly in my lap for once. “At least I didn't think I liked him back,” I added, my voice muffled by the puppy's fur.

Robert didn't say anything. Instead he started the engine and pulled out of the overlook. He liked a dramatic scene, but I guessed even he didn't want to witness my humiliation if Jamal came up there and saw me right then.

“I can't believe I was so stupid,” I said as we hit the highway. “I mean, I thought Jamal was cool from the first time I met him. I just never thought of him that way, you know? Despite the fact that he was actually available and seemed to be interested in me. Unlike every other guy I've ever had a crush on, including Adam.” I grimaced. “Now that I'm coming to my senses, it's too late. And I can't even hate Rachel for it, because she's so awesome too.”

“I'm so sorry, sweetie,” Robert said. “I truly am.”

“I know.” I buried my face in Muckle's furry coat, allowing a few tears to soak into it. I felt like an idiot for crying, but then again, I was an idiot. I didn't deserve a guy like Jamal.

Which was a good thing, because I didn't have him.

*  *  *

I was walking Muckle after school the next day when my phone buzzed in my pocket. Fishing it out, I was surprised to see that it was Rachel.

“Hello?” I said, wondering if I'd somehow mentally summoned
the call. After all, I'd spent the past twenty-four hours telling myself over and over again that I was happy for Jamal and Rachel. That they were both great people who'd be great together. Better than me and Jamal, probably. Maybe.

“Lauren? It's Rachel.” It was hard to miss the snippy tone of her voice. Which didn't seem like her. “We need to talk.”

“Okay,” I said cautiously. “What's up?”

“It's about Jamal.”

I gulped. Could she tell I liked her new boyfriend now? But how? I hadn't seen either of them since the overlook, and I was positive neither of them had seen me there. And I certainly hadn't shown much interest in Jamal before that. Unfortunately.

“Jamal?” I echoed, playing dumb.

“Yes, Jamal,” she snapped. “I've never seen him like this. You really hurt him, ditching him like that yesterday.”

“I know,” I said. “I realize that now. It was a mistake; I didn't realize we were supposed to—but so what?” I interrupted myself. “He's with you now, right? You can comfort him.” Okay, it came out a little more bitter than intended. I couldn't help it.

“Huh?” This time Rachel sounded confused. “He's not with me right now.”

“No, I mean like
with you
with you. You know—boyfriend-girlfriend?” I took a deep breath. “I saw you two yesterday. At the overlook? You were hugging. Or something. I didn't stick around to watch,” I added hastily, not wanting to sound like a Peeping Tom.

“What? But we didn't . . .” There was a moment of silence. Then she laughed. “Oh, wait—you saw us hugging? It must have been when I came to help him clean up the picnic he set up for you. And I was trying to make him feel better about being blown off by you.”

“You mean—I thought—but—,” I stammered, trying to take in what she was telling me.

She didn't let me finish. “Jamal is a lot more sensitive than he seems,” she said. “I've gotten to know him better this year, and I never realized it before. A lot of girls are always after him, but he never really went for it with anyone—until he met you. He put himself out there for you, big-time.”

“H-he did?” How was I supposed to feel about that? From her tone, I couldn't quite tell.

“Uh-huh. But now I'm afraid he might have given up on you. And that's a shame. You guys would've been good together. Everyone could see it.” She paused. “Except you, apparently.”

“Yeah. Looks that way.” Now I knew how to feel. Terrible. This was a guy I had stuff in common with. Unlike Adam. I'd realized by now that the only thing I had in common with him was an interest in dogs.

Jamal was different. We had fun when we were together. He was easy to talk to, easy to be with. He made me laugh. He liked horror movies. He got along with Robert. I liked his friends, too—at least the ones I'd met so far.

But it didn't matter. “Guess I blew it, huh?”

“I guess,” Rachel said softly. “Anyway, I just thought you should know how I felt. Sorry, I'm not usually so mean.”

“I know. And it's okay.” I said good-bye and hung up, then immediately hit Robert's number. I was sure he'd yell at me too, but I still wanted to talk to him. Maybe he could help me figure out a way to make this okay.

But I doubted it. Even Robert's powers might not be up to that task.

*  *  *

By Friday morning, I wasn't feeling much better about things. I moped through breakfast and barely had the energy to slick on some lip gloss after I got dressed. What was the point in trying to look good? Nobody cared. Especially me.

When I heard Robert's car horn outside, I hurried downstairs—and almost tripped over Muckle, who was dancing around by the front door. Oops.

“Oh no,” I blurted out. “I haven't walked you yet!”

Mom stepped in from the living room just in time to hear me. “It's all right,” she said, reaching for the leash hanging on the coat closet doorknob. “Robert's already here. I'll take the dog out.”

“You will?” I blinked at her. “But I'm supposed to—I mean, you said—I mean, I thought—”

Mom snapped the leash onto Muckle's collar. “You've really stepped up to the plate lately, Lauren,” she said as she straightened up. “Don't think your father and I haven't noticed. I mean, I haven't
been to the dry cleaner's all week—if this keeps up, they won't recognize me anymore!” She winked.

Yes, winked! And smiled! While talking about Muckle!

“B-but—,” I stammered.

Mom wasn't listening. Because she was—drumroll, please—petting Muckle! Yes, she'd just leaned down again and given him a pat on his furry little head!

Aliens. It had to be the aliens. Or maybe not. It was only then that I realized Muckle hadn't had an accident in the house in three full days. I'd been too distracted to pay much attention to stuff like that, what with the whole romantic disaster my life had become lately. But it obviously hadn't escaped my parents' attention. And maybe Mom didn't mind having a dog around so much when he wasn't ruining the decor every five minutes.

Robert's horn blared again. “You'd better go, Lauren,” Mom said. “You don't want to be late.”

“Um, okay. Thanks, or whatever,” I mumbled, still too confused to be coherent.

At least something good had come out of this whole situation, I thought as I grabbed my stuff and headed outside. Adam might not be my dream guy after all, but he was one heck of a puppy trainer.

*  *  *

“I've got an idea,” Robert said as we drove out of the school parking lot that afternoon. “You need to snap out of your funk. What better way than the Disguise Game?”

I groaned. “Not in the mood.”

He ignored me. “I was thinking we dress up as serious athletes and go hang out somewhere. Drink some smoothies. You know. Do whatever it is that serious athletes do when they're not athleting and stuff.”

I rolled my eyes. “If we can pass ourselves off as serious athletes, we'd truly be the masters of disguise.”

“Good. So you'll do it?” He grinned.

“I didn't say that,” I protested. But it was no use. Robert's mind was made up, and that was that. It was easier to go along with him than try to fight it.

An hour later we were back in the car, this time decked out in our disguises. Robert was wearing tennis whites and aviators, while I was dressed in vintage eighties baggy gray gym shorts and leg warmers that were straight out of
Flashdance
. Even Muckle was in on the act this time—Robert had tied a jaunty bandanna around his neck.

“I feel like an idiot.” I fingered the slick polyester fabric of my shorts. “Where are we going in this crazy getup, anyway—1985, perhaps?”

“If that's a
Flashdance
reference, the original film came out in '83,” Robert informed me.

“Thanks, Captain Trivia. But seriously, where are we going? I don't want anyone I know to see me in this.”

“You'll see.” He smiled mysteriously and kept driving.

I slumped down in my seat, figuring it didn't matter who saw
me looking like an eighties outcast. My life was over anyway. Well, my love life, anyway. Because I was pretty sure I was never going to get over this. First finding out that Adam, the guy I'd thought was so perfect for me, was actually . . . not. And then to have the whole Jamal fiasco happen on top of that? It was too much. Maybe I'd become a nun or something.

My gloomy thoughts circled around in my brain like buzzards over roadkill as Robert drove on, humming along with the radio. After a while, I snapped out of it just enough to realize we'd been on the road for a long time. Sitting up, I saw that we were entering a neighboring town.