Liars and Losers Like Us(3)

I tally up any other nominations I could have gotten in the other classes today. I do have other friends, but not like really close friends. I’m not sure I’m important enough for anyone else to have raised their hand for me. In our class, the only people that got nominated were the coolest kids, me because of Kallie, and the joke vote for Maisey. I’m an in-betweener. Not cool enough for the popular girls to ask me to hang out, but not uncool enough to be hanging out with Maisey Morgan and her crew. Well, it’s not so much of a crew as it’s just two other girls she hangs with in the halls between classes and the library after school. Tera Welmore, the girl who wears a uniform to school even though we have no dress code, and Anne Violet, the class brain, who’s GPA is probably a four point ninety trillion. They’re all equal in nerd stature, but somehow, Maisey’s always managed to get the brunt of the teasing. But at least she has friends to hang with.

Now that Kallie is Todd White’s girlfriend, things are different. If she’s not at work, she’s with him at some party everyone’ll be talking about on Monday. She used to invite me, and I went to two or three, but every time I’d end up sitting there, by myself, pretending to drink a warm pissy-tasting beer while waiting for someone to ask me what I was doing at such a cool party. After a couple awkward Friday and Saturday nights, I stopped accepting the invites.

I grab my phone and dial Kallie to confront her about the nomination, since Todd, in one of his signature boy-bander impersonator outfits—blazer, jeans, and sneakers—was waiting for her right after class. As usual, he swooped Kallie up to rush her home so they could “hang out” before her parents got back from work.

“Kallie, do you know how embarrassing that was today? Why the hell would you nominate me?”

“Because, why not?” Kallie asks. “You deserve it just as much as anyone else—don’t be so modest.”

“Modest? Good one. I tried talking you out of it, so why would I want to be on court? Not like I’d get on there anyways. I’m the Libertarian candidate. You wasted your vote.”

“Actually, someone else told me they were nominating you and I thought if I did too, it might better your chances.”

“What do you mean someone else?”

“Hey, wouldn’t it be so awesome if we both get on the court? And even better if Molly Chapman doesn’t?”

“You and I both know there’s no way Molly’s name won’t be on that list. Just because she’s Todd’s ex doesn’t mean that everyone else hates her now.”

“I’m just tired of being nice. Wherever me and Todd go, there she is with her side bitch, Jane. Molly’s the ex-girlfriend that won’t go away. I mean, hello? Are you forgetting about the email she wrote when Todd and I first started dating?”

I laugh. “You stole her boyfriend. You’re lucky it was just an email. Even Jane was more pissed than Molly.”

“First off, I wouldn’t call an email with attached Bible verses, just an email. Second, I didn’t steal him. Todd got bored and started hanging with someone fun. As for Jane Hulmes, barf. She’s Molly’s best friend, so I get it. But she’s a bitch even without a cause. You should’ve seen her at lunch the other day. She cut in front of Maisey Morgan. Then, Maisey’s friend Tera—in her maroon sweater and khakis—was like, ‘Hey, that’s not cool.’ And Jane goes, ‘Who cares, it’s not like Maisey eats anyway.’ ”

“That sounds like Jane. I don’t even know why Molly hangs out with her.”

“When it comes down to it, they’re both bitches. Molly just tries to keep it on the down low. She kept telling Todd she wasn’t having sex until marriage, but you and I both know she gave it up at summer camp two years ago.”

“So everyone says. Who even goes to summer camp anymore?”

Kallie laughs. “Who cares, it’s still hilarious.”

“Well,” I say, “like you said, you’re fun, she’s not. Let’s stop worrying about her.”

“You’re right. I’m like Beyoncé and she’s Be-yawn-cé.”

I cough into the phone. “Ahem. Can we get back to me for a second? Who are you talking about? Who said they’d vote for me?” As soon as the words come out, I get a pit in my stomach. “It’s not a joke, is it? No one’s trying to Maisey Mouse me are they?” I laugh, but in all seriousness, I need her confirmation.

“Oh Christ, Bree, get real. Who else? Chip said he was voting for you too. But don’t say anything. It’s not a secret that he’s still psycho over you, but he made me swear not to say anything. I promised on my grandmother’s grave.”

“So basically, Nana’s going to die now because you have more allegiance to me than to Chip? I’m honored, but damn, I’m gonna miss your Nana.”

We laugh, and Kallie says, “Oh hell no, I was swearing on my dad’s mom. She died when I was two.”

Laughing with Kallie sends a wave of guilt into my stomach. These are the times I wish I had her to talk to about my parents’ divorce. Instead, I tell her I’ll talk to her tomorrow.





TWO


It’s Friday morning—the day we’re supposed to find out who’s on Prom Court. Kallie’s called me every night stressing about it. She’s worried that Todd will be nominated and not her. And the angelically evil Molly will sink her fake nail tips back into him. I tell her in a hundred different ways that Molly sucks, but she’s still sweating it.