Accidental Crush (16 page)

I grab his arm. "Shane, you have to ask him!”

“What?” He
raises his eyebrows and his eyes grow to twice their normal size.

“You have to ask Todd. You're friends. I mean you're in a band together.”

“Oh, yeah, sure, I’ll just go up to him and say, ‘
Todd you’re just dating Rebecca because it’s easy, right? You don’t actually like her?
’ I don’t think so.” 

“Okay, well, you don’t need to put it quite like that. M
aybe we should have Sid do it,” I say under my breath, thinking it through a little more.

“You are crazy. The truth will come out. You just have to be patient,” Shane
says, adopting a fatherly tone. 

“Okay, oh-great-wise-one.” I hate when he
uses this I-know-more-than-you tone. 

Suddenly, the
air fills with noise signaling the end of our conversation as the marching band makes their way back out onto the field and Sid makes her way up the bleachers.

“Do you think Todd really likes Rebecca?” I
ask as soon as she sits down. Her eyes widen with surprise.

“We were just wondering because Rebecca mentioned he
isn’t into PDA at rehearsal.” Shane tries to justify the sudden interest.

“I don’t know. He doesn’t really talk about her at home.” Sid
shrugs off the question.

“Do your parents know he’s dating her?”
I’m not going to let this go so easily and I’m feeling pretty brave.

Sid
gives me a look, like
are we really still talking about this
before she answers, “Yes, but only because she calls and texts him all the time.”

“Has she come over for dinner?” I’m not even sure why I
ask, I just want to know. I’ve been to Sid's house a million times for dinner, but I’m not sure that counts.

“No, but they’ve only been dating for a week. My parents know her from games and stuff. Why do you guys care?"
 

Shane and I
look at each other. "We just have a theory," Shane says. I am so happy he takes that one. 

"What is it?" Sid
asks, curious. 

"We think Rebecca is more of a convenience than a crush for Todd." Shane is so good with words
; thankfully.

Sid
takes a minute to really ponder this. Her face suddenly lights up and she sits up a little straighter. "I think you're right!" she says, getting more excited. "I never really thought about it, but he never talks about her. And even when I push for details, he never wants to talk about it." 

We all just
look at each other in silence. My surge of joy is back.

"Okay, Shane, your mission is to find out Todd's true feelings." I
am giving an order more than asking this time. 

"Yes. It's perfect! He won't tell me. And it doesn't make sense for Ash to ask him, but you are in rehearsals with him every day. It's the perfect place to bring it up," Sid
says, planning the entire conversation in her head already.

"Except for the fact that Rebecca is there, too."
 Shane looks at us like we are insane.

"Oh, come on. You'll figure it out," I
say, latching on to Sid's enthusiasm. It is fun to have Sid in on it, too; even if she has no idea why I really want to know the truth. She isn’t hard to convince, she’ll do almost anything to have one up on Todd. 

"Okay, so you'll report back to us. Same time. Same place," Sid
chimes in. We are a good team. Especially when it comes to convincing Shane. 

"Right," Shane
says, dismissing both of us.

"Shane you better come through. We're counting on you." I
throw in a little extra guilt to finish it off. I know Shane won’t be able to resist. 

Chapter 10: More Rumors

It
is the week of the big game, us versus the Wildcats. This is even bigger than our homecoming game. We play the Wildcats every year, but this year, this game will determine so much. Since both teams are undefeated, whoever wins will go on to the state championships. College scouts are coming so there is added pressure and, if we lose, it will be the last game of the year. Everyone knows how much is riding on this game and you can feel the energy in the halls.

Other than the fact that the biggest game of the year
is this Friday, it is a typical Monday. As per our new normal, Sid is spending more time with Simon and Shane is at Sour Lollipops
rehearsals, so I am alone at my locker a lot these days.

We
get out of Spanish a little early because Senora Gonzales has a migraine. Besides, let's face it, she couldn’t care less if we actually learn Spanish or not. The hallway is silent; it’s nice to be the only one in the hall for once and not have to deal with pushing through crowds just to get to my locker.

While I
am arranging my books, I hear voices coming from The Quad right down the hall. Familiar voices. It’s Brian, but who is he talking to? I need to be discreet; I don’t want anyone to know I’m here. I’m able to hide behind my locker door and, if I stand on my tiptoes, I can see through the slats. It’s Gretchen! By some miracle I can hear them perfectly, even though they are talking softly. This is yet another time that the teasing closeness of The Quad is proving to be a real positive.

"
Gretch, I'm being honest. I know you don't want to believe it, but Ryan and Blythe are together."

What
?
I have to use all my might not to react out loud or move a muscle.

"How do you know Brian?"
Gretch sounds really upset.

"When I went out with Blythe this weekend
, I knew something was up and I finally got her to admit she likes Ryan."

"Yeah, but that doesn't mean they did anything." Gretchen
shakes her head in disbelief.

"You're right, but I saw them together." Brian
pulls her closer to him.

When?
It sounds like Brian is making this up.

"When?"
Gretch asks. For once we are on the same page.

"Listen, I know you really care about him and it's hard for me to tell you this because I care about you," he
says as he strokes her hair away from her face.

"When did you see them, Brian?" Gretchen
asks again. She sounds upset and frustrated. Through the slats of my locker I can see she is starting to cry when Brian wipes a tear away with his thumb. Then he leans in and kisses her. She kisses him back as a natural reflex and then pushes him away.

"Brian what are you doing?" She
is clearly angry and her voice is shaky.

"Come on,
Gretch, you know we've always belonged together. So if Ryan and Blythe want to be together, why not let them?" Brian pulls her back to him. He is so convincing and really good-looking when he is pretending to be sincere. 

This can't be true. Brian has to be lying. What is going on?
Ryan never went anywhere this weekend and he was constantly talking to Gretchen on the phone. I think about going over there, but before I can, I see Gretchen hug him. She is crying into his chest and he is gently rubbing her back. I can’t watch anymore of this; I feel a burning in my stomach I am so angry. I need to talk to Ryan. I need the truth.

"Oh, hey, Todd." I hear them both say. I quickly step back up on my tiptoes to see. Brian and Gretchen
are already standing apart and Gretchen is trying to hide the fact that she’s been crying. Did Todd see them together? 

"What's going on?" Todd
asks and from his tone he must have seen something.

"Nothing," Gretchen
responds while quickly wiping her face and pretending she has something in her eye.

"Are you sure?" Todd
questions, looking right at Brian.

"Yeah, everything is good," Brian
says, clearly lying. Todd isn’t stupid. He's known Brian for too long to be fooled by his charm and charisma.

"Well, I've gotta get to practice. Bye, guys," Gretchen
says and she disappears before either of them can respond; leaving both of them alone.

"What is going on, Brian? She was obviously crying," Todd
asks, making it clear he isn’t going to drop this. He has never been one to back down from a challenge or walk away when he knows something isn’t right. It’s just one more thing that I love about him.

"She was upset about Ryan; I was just comforting her,"
Brian says, recognizing Todd isn’t going to drop this. I can't help thinking,
she wouldn't have been upset if you weren't lying to her!

"Don't do this, Brian. Don't get between them. It's not worth it." Wow, he
knows Brian too well. I really am impressed.

"Nothing is going on," Brian
says, getting angrier.

"I
will
tell Ryan." Todd steps closer to him and I can tell that Brian knows exactly what he means; he doesn’t need to say another word. That's the other thing about Todd, he's really honest. I'm glad he's got my brother’s back. Brian obviously doesn't.

"There's nothing to tell, but thanks for the vote of confidence." Brian
takes a step closer to Todd, making it clear he isn’t going to back down, either.

"I saw you two. I know what I saw. Just think about what you are doing. That's all I'm saying." It
is clear Todd cares about Brian and all of their friendships, but before they can say anything else, the dismissal bell rings and the hallway instantly starts to fill with people. I can't hear or see anything else. The only positive is the crowded halls are the perfect camouflage and no one will know I’ve been standing there.

What do I do? Do I talk to Ryan? Blythe? Todd? I
need advice; where are Sid and Shane when you need them? I need to get the truth. As if someone answers my question for me, I see Blythe coming down the hall.

"Hey, Blythe." She
’s in a zone of deep thought, so I wave my hand to get her attention.

"Oh, hey, Ash!" She
looks at me and I can tell something is up.

"Can I talk to you?"

"Sure," she says, welcoming the conversation to start.

"Not here."

"Okay, come to my locker with me." She realizes how full the hallway is. "Then, we'll go to my car."

Just then, Todd and Brian
are coming down the hall with definite tension between them.

"Hey, Ash!" they both
say, but only Todd acknowledges Blythe. Brian is stone-faced, as if no one is standing next to me.

After they
are far enough down the hall, I whisper, "WHAT. WAS. THAT. What happened?"

"Car," Blythe
responds.

It
feels like twenty years before we finally make it to her white BMW. I've never been in Blythe's car. It is all beige leather inside and it still has that new car smell. It is really nice and clean, but her cool vibe resonates throughout the interior. She has a dream catcher hanging from the rearview mirror and there are photos of her friends from home taped up all over the dashboard. I'm sure her dad loves that she’s taped pictures on her extremely nice, extremely new car; somehow I don’t think Blythe cares. Of course it’s a stick shift; I think only really cool people know how to drive a stick shift. Automatic cars are so easy, they don't require any work. With a stick, you have to work for your ride. Plus, you just look cooler driving one.

Once we
are finally inside, I can't wait any longer. "What is going on?"

"Well, you might have noticed Brian isn't talking to me."

"Yeah, I did notice. That's why I'm asking, for the millionth time, what's going on?"

She
squints her eyes. "But you wanted to talk before that, so what's going on with you?" Man, she's good, and unfortunately, she's right.

"Okay, true, but what I was going to ask you is directly related to what I think you might have to tell me!"

"What is going on with you, Ash?"

I
sit back in the soft leather bucket seat and take a deep breath. "I overheard Brian and Gretchen talking." I wait a second for a reaction and there isn’t one. This is totally different than talking to Sid and Shane, but I continue, "Brian was telling her that you and Ryan are together, he said you liked Ryan and you were both together behind their backs." It all comes out as one long sentence.

"
What
? He told Gretchen that?" This is the reaction I’ve been waiting for. "Gretchen?" she asks again.

"Yes. I thought he was lying, but I wasn't sure." I
look down at my shoes, afraid to look at her just in case Brian is being honest.

"He is more than lying, he's trying to start trouble." Her anger
is building.

"Well, what really happened?" I
want to believe her, but I’m still apprehensive.

"I told him the truth. I told him I just wanted to be friends. I was honest because I thought it would solve everything, not make things worse." She
stops and I can tell she is thinking about something. "I told him I liked Ryan." She shakes her head, realizing what Brian is doing as she says it out loud.

"I knew it!" Relief
floods through me.

"But I never told him we were together. That one he's making up on his own." She
is so angry, her southern accent is the thickest I’ve ever heard it. She has to be telling the truth. "How could he do that to one of his best friends? What did Gretchen say?"

"She didn't believe him at first, but he was really convincing. I mean, I even started to believe him."

Blythe doesn’t say anything for a minute, then she starts a confessional as she stares out the front window. "Brian told me how he really felt. He was honest for once and he said he really cared about me, but it just made me realize that it isn’t there for me. I thought about pretending I had stronger feelings for him and I almost did, but I couldn't do it. I wouldn't want anyone to lie to me about their feelings." It’s clear Blythe needs to get this off her chest so I don’t dare interrupt. "I had to tell him the truth. I told him I really liked him, but as a friend and I had feelings for someone else. He kept pushing, saying he had to know who, so I finally told him it was Ryan. I just wanted to be honest, get it all out in the open. I didn't mean to make things worse. You have to believe me, Ash." She finally turns to look at me, I forgot what an awesome color green her eyes are. They’re like a bright sea green encircled with a deep emerald and they are filled with sincere honesty.

"I do believe you," I
say it so quickly I almost don’t realize it’s coming out of my mouth. I do believe her and, more so, I respect her for finally being honest and not forcing something that is never going to happen.

"I'm worried about Ryan. I mean, if Brian is lying to Gretchen and she believes him, what’s going to happen?"

I know Blythe is genuinely concerned and I don’t have the heart to tell her what I already saw. I know what is going to happen and I need to stop it, but how? “I guess you’re not coming to football practice today?” I ask sarcastically, trying to change the subject.

“Yeah, I think it might be better for everyone if I skipped this one,” she
says, smiling for the first time.

***

When we finally all me
et up at the bleachers, Shane is bursting. I can tell he’s come through on the mission Sid and I guilted him into just by the look on his face.

“I’ve got information.” His devious smile and the way he
sings the word ”information” makes it clear he wants us to suffer a little before he tells us what happened.

“Come on, Shane, we’re dying.” Sid
pulls him down so he is sitting next to us.

Shane
looks at me and then at Sid, then back to me. “Okay, but you owe me.”

“You’re right, we owe you.” I
want the information so badly I will agree to just about anything at this point.

“They are dating…”

I feel my heart sink, I already knew they were dating, but hearing it again is just as painful as hearing it the first time.

“But Todd totally admitted he doesn’t think he likes her as much as she likes him.”

My stomach does a flip, but I have to play it cool for Sid’s sake. “What did he say exactly?”

Shane
smiles at me. “He said he really likes her, but as much as he likes to hang out with her, he doesn’t know if there is anything else there.”

“So we were right.” Sid
smiles.

“Seems that way.” Shane
leans back on the bleachers, pleased with himself.