From Twinkle, With Love(29)
Anyway, that’s one-tenth of the people we need to show up so we can have our pick for the remaining four roles. We’re ten percent of the way there! Huzzah! If I wasn’t so nervous about tomorrow I might pay attention in econ. Poor Mr. Newton just can’t compete with auditions for my first-ever paid gig though. Not even if there’s a quiz next week, which I am sure to only squeak by with a C on.
Brij just passed me a note. Wow. I didn’t think he was a note-passing kind of guy.
Do you want to study together for the quiz?
Sure. But I bet Maddie might want to come too. Is that okay?
Yep, no worries. I can bring Matthew.
Okay, cool. How about Sunday afternoon, maybe around two? We can meet at the library.
Sounds good.
Muahaha. Now I’ll stick them together and neither Maddie nor Brij will know what hit them. I should consider opening a matchmaking thingy on the side. Ooh, and maybe I could invite Sahil, Skid, and Aaron too. They’ve all been complaining about econ being overwhelming. Misery loves studying econ together.
Love,
Twinkle
June 9, 11:07 a.m.
From: [email protected]
To: [email protected]
Subject: Re: An ode to you
Dear N,
I love that poem. You are clearly extremely talented. Here’s one for you:
I wish I knew who you were
Your masked identity is like a burr
In my soul, dear N,
Please come forward and let this end!
Not that I don’t enjoy our e-mails. I just really want to know who you are. When can we meet up?
Love,
Twinkle
Tuesday, June 9
Honors Calculus
Dear Nora Ephron,
You are never going to believe what just happened.
So, I was at my locker getting my books when Sahil stopped by. It’s funny. I never noticed that his locker was so close to mine, but now that there’s less than a month and a half until school gets out, we’re friends who eat together and hang out and stuff. Go figure.
“Hey,” he said, smiling at me. “Meet me here after school and I’ll give you a ride to Red Fox.”
“Sure,” I replied, thinking inside how Sahil wouldn’t forget and ditch me like Maddie had. I mean, it’s Sahil.
And then, almost like my thoughts had conjured her, Maddie walked by with (as usual) Hannah and Victoria.
“Hey, Maddie!” I called, raising my hand to get her attention.
There was a pause after she looked my way, and my heart clenched. She wouldn’t ignore me when we were two feet away, would she? Of course she would, this cynical part of my brain said. She’s Maddie 2.0 around Hannah.
After another millisecond of hesitation, she smiled. “Hey, Twinkle.” I let out a breath as she walked over, trailed (reluctantly) by Hannah. Victoria came, too, but she looked neither pleased nor displeased to see me. Victoria’s teenaged Switzerland, I think.
I kept my eyes on Maddie, ignoring Hannah as completely as she was ignoring Sahil and me. My philosophy was that it was best not to give people an opportunity to act their worst. “Thanks for the cupcake. It was delish.”
“You’re welcome.” Even as she smiled, she darted an uneasy glance at Hannah, who’d sighed loudly and stepped away to talk to Victoria. Sahil shifted beside me, probably not used to being so close to Hannah’s irk. I, on the other hand, was a professional irk-bearer.
“So, I’m studying with Brij and Matthew on Sunday,” I said, closing my locker. Glancing at Hannah, I lowered my voice and waggled my eyebrows. “Do you want to come? I know how much you liked his binder.” I stretched the word “binder” out to about twenty-two syllables.
Maddie gave me a look, like she was plotting something deep and dark. “Yeah … and how’s the planning for the movie coming along? Because, as I recall, there are some perks to doing it for a pretty girl like you. …”
Oh my God. She was teasing me about Neil right in front of Sahil, and she was using those puns to torture me. Tit for tat—you got me, Maddie.
My cheeks fiery hot, I said quickly to Sahil, who was watching us in confusion, “Um. Do you, Skid, and Aaron want to come, too?”
“Sure,” Sahil said. “Thanks. But what perks is Maddie talking about?”
I widened my eyes, and Sahil and I looked at her together. My heart thundered. I wasn’t completely sure I wanted Sahil to know about my centuries-long unrequited crush on his brother.
I mean, yes, there was definitely something between Sahil and me. But I’d already decided that we were just going to be friends. So telling him would be better. So he’d know there was no chance for us. But a small part of me just kept thinking about how, if I told him, there would be no chance for us. That felt too … final. I wasn’t ready.
“Oh, that. I just, um, it’s not—” Maddie started to say, and then Hannah grabbed her by the arm. Maddie shot me a guilty look, but then Hannah said, “Maddie,” and she, Hannah, and Victoria all began to talk, their backs toward me. It was pretty obvious I was being purposely excluded from that conversation.
Don’t get me wrong. I was glad for the interruption. But also? It was super rude. And it made me feel like total crap. Did that guilt cupcake offering mean so little, Maddie? I suppose you’re right back to being Hannah’s doormat at my expense again.