Bewitching (14 page)

Finally, she won over the dragons and gorgons, the eighth-grade popular girls, the ones who’d see her as competition. If she wasn’t French-braiding Jacqueline Ortiz’s hair before school, she was teaching Jordyn Pryor how to make friendship bracelets after. She always complimented people’s new outfits. Everyone adored her, but I was the only one who was her sister.

The cool thing about Lisette’s popularity was, it made me fit in too. I liked it. Like, I was going to the school’s annual hoedown. I’d never gone before, mostly because I’d had no one to go with.

It was almost Halloween, and fall was in the air. Well, as much as it could be, considering we were in Miami, and it was eighty degrees out. Still, the scent of Bath and Body Works’ caramel apple room spray filled the bathrooms at school, and on the morning announcements, they talked about the hoedown, which had games, hayrides, a pumpkin patch, and even a way to throw your friends in jail.

“Should we wear costumes?” I asked Lisette when she finished high-fiving a girl who’d gotten an A on a math quiz. “Like Western wear? I could get my mom to take us to Party City.”

Lisette shook her head. “Tayloe says only little kids do that. Just wear something cute, like the sundress we bought last week.”

But the next day, when I went out to Tayloe’s mom’s car, she, Courtney, and Midori were all wearing matching denim minis, plaid skirts, and boots. “Lisette will be out in a sec.”

“Oh, whoops!” Tayloe said. “Didn’t you get the memo?”

I stared at her. “Memo?”

“It’s an expression, Emma. There wasn’t an actual memo.” This was Courtney, talking real slow, like I was stupid. Maybe I was. “But we discussed it at dance yesterday, that we’d all wear minis and boots.”

I nodded. Lisette had tried to talk me into signing up for hip-hop class with them, but I’d taken a year of dance when I was little, and at the end of that year, Miss Janie had explained to Mother that I might want to find another outlet for my talents. “Everyone is good at something. With Emma, it just isn’t dance,” she’d said.

Now, I looked at Courtney. “But Lisette told me you weren’t…” I stopped. Lisette was finally ready, and as she stepped out the door, I took in her outfit. Denim skirt, True Religion. Plaid skirt and boots, exactly like the others. “You told me no costumes,” I said.

“Oh, we changed our minds later and decided to wear denim after all.” She climbed across me to the seat behind. “I told you.”

“You didn’t.”

“Sure I did. Last night. Maybe you had your earbuds in and didn’t hear me.”

I shrugged. “I’ll just go change then.”

Tayloe’s mom tapped on her watch. “Honey, I have to drive Linc to his game. I really can’t wait anymore.”

“It’s okay,” Tayloe said. “I’m sure a lot of people won’t have Western stuff on.”

I sat back down. What else could I do?

Of course, when we got there, every single person had on a Western costume, from the parent volunteers, in designer boots and jewelry from trips out West, to little kids in cowgirl outfits and sheriffs’ badges. I was the only one there not at least wearing jeans.

I thought about calling Mother, asking her to bring me something. I considered what girls like Courtney or Lisette would do in this situation. They’d act like it didn’t matter. Or like it was intentional and they wanted to stand out.

So that’s what I did. I started toward the games.

I saw Kendra, who was wearing a cowgirl outfit that looked about a hundred years old, with a leather skirt, fringe, and even a holster, though that was empty, and a huge ten-gallon hat.

“Hey, you look just like Annie Oakley,” I said.

“That’s what I was going for. Did you know she started shooting when she was six?” She scowled. “But they made me check my pistols at the door. You can get in trouble for bringing even a water pistol to school.” She pointed at the empty holsters.

“Crazy, right?” I said.

“Emma, are you coming?” Courtney said.

“You’re with them?” Kendra asked.

“Um, yeah. They’re friends of my sister’s.”

Kendra nodded.

“Come on, Emma,” Courtney called.

“See you. I really love the outfit.”

I went to join the others, walking toward the games. They were little kids’ games, like a fishing game where you caught cowboy hats instead of fish.

“She is sooo weird,” Courtney said when I joined them.

“Shh.” I noticed Kendra was still behind us, though she’d paused to adjust her hat. “She’ll hear you.”

“So?” Courtney cast a glance backwards. “She’s obviously begging for attention, so I’ll give it to her.”

I wanted to say that Kendra was always nice and they shouldn’t just judge people by how they were dressed. I wanted to. But I was already dressed all wrong and, unlike Kendra, I didn’t like drawing attention to myself. I nodded and shut up.

“Step right up!” the guy behind the baseball toss game said. “Get the ball in the horse’s mouth and win a prize!”

I recognized his voice and, looking under his cowboy hat, his face. Warner. He had on a blue plaid shirt that matched his eyes, and he looked cute. “Wanna try, li’l missy?” He tipped his hat. Our eyes met, and he smiled. “Hey, it’s Dancing Emma. You going to play?”

“Oh, I’m not good at sports.” Dad had tried for years to teach me to throw, and my balls always ended up yards short of the target.

“I’ll try.” Courtney handed Warner her ticket and stepped back, backing right into Kendra. “Do you mind, freak?”

Kendra’s eyes widened, and I could have sworn I actually saw them flash green, like a cat in headlights. “I’ll give you all the space you want. It won’t help.”

“Good.” Courtney held out her hand to accept a softball. “Watch an expert, people!”

I knew she was, in fact, an expert. Courtney had played softball for years, until she decided it was tomboyish and that she preferred shopping. When she threw the first ball, the old Courtney coordination came right back. It soared toward the target, then suddenly swerved wide left, almost hitting Warner. He leaped out of the way.

“Whoa, pardner. That’s quite a curveball.”

“Fail!” Kendra yelled.

“Sorry.” Courtney glared at Kendra. “My hand slipped.”

But the second ball did exactly the same thing. Warner ducked. “Last one,” he said. “I hope.”

“Ha, ha, you’re sooo funny. I wasn’t concentrating. Now, everyone quiet.” Courtney looked back at Kendra again. “Do you have to stand there?”

“It’s a free country. I’m waiting my turn.”

“Fine. Just be quiet.”

This time, Courtney took a long time positioning herself, then stared at the target. I could tell she was really mad about missing the first two. Courtney had never been a good loser. She whispered, “Eye on the ball. Follow through.” Then, she let it go.

The ball soared through the air as if magnetized to its target. It would definitely go in. Then suddenly it looped upward, bounced off the back of the booth, and then directly into Courtney’s nose.

“Oh!” She clutched it. Then she started screaming at Warner. “How did you do that? This game’s fixed.”

Warner had been stepping forward, probably to see if she was okay. He backed off. “Are you kidding? It’s a kids’ game. Why would it be fixed?”

“I don’t know. So the PTA won’t have to give out lame-o prizes.”

“I know how you could settle it,” Kendra said. “If someone else threw, and they got it in, it would show it wasn’t fixed.”

“No one could.” Courtney turned to me. “Can you stop gawking and get me some ice?”

“How about you, Emma?” Kendra said. “Why don’t you try?”

“Oh, I can’t throw.” I wasn’t particularly excited about displaying my extreme lack of coordination in front of Warner.

“It’s not hard,” Warner said. “You get three tries. Hey, I tried dancing.”

“Yes, Emma,” Courtney—who knew how bad I threw—agreed. “You should try. If you miss too, it will prove it’s rigged.”

I knew my missing would prove nothing, but I shrugged. “Sure.” I stepped up to the game and accepted three softballs. Mr. Hunter, the assistant principal, moseyed by in a sheriff’s costume. He had a packet of “warrants” people could purchase for a dollar, to put their friends in jail. He tipped his hat.

“Just throw it lightly.” Warner stepped around the table so he was standing beside me. He took my arm and demonstrated. His grip was firm, and his hands were warm. His chest pressed against mine as he swung my arm, and I could feel his heartbeat. “Good. That’s the secret.”

“No coaching,” Courtney said.

“Courtney, years of lessons couldn’t help me.” I lined up behind the counter and aimed. I wasn’t even really trying, but to my surprise, the ball flew right into the hole.

“Very good!” Warner patted my shoulder.

Behind Courtney, Tayloe was clapping. Courtney glared at her, and she stopped. “Lucky shot!” She held her nose. “Try again.”

I threw the ball, this time without aiming or anything. Again, it went right in.

“Two for two,” Warner said. “You should try out for softball. One more and you win the big prize.”

I knew that was the kiss of death. Any time I expected to win, I messed up. So I threw the third ball, expecting an epic fail.

It went in.

“Look at you, Emma!” Warner crowed. “Do you want the teddy bear or the Snoopy?”

“Um…” I couldn’t believe it. “I guess Snoopy. It’s Halloween, right? Great Pumpkin and all.”

Warner pulled one from a box under the table. “Here you go, Emma.”

I loved the way he said my name. God, that was so hokey. I took the dog from him. He held on to it an instant longer than necessary, and our fingers touched.

“Come on.” Courtney yanked my arm so hard I almost dropped Snoopy.

“One sec,” I told her. I held up Snoopy to Warner. “Thanks. It’s so cute.”

He smiled. I noticed when he smiled, he had a dimple on the right side but not the left, and it had freckles in it. “Well deserved. Hey, listen, I told my mom I’d work until eight, but after that, um…” He looked down at the box of Snoopys.

“Emma!” Courtney said.

“Would you, um, would you want to go on the hayride with me?”

I hugged Snoopy tight. “Really? I mean, yeah, I’d love … like that.”

I looked around to see if Courtney was mad, but all four of them had disappeared. Only Kendra stood behind me still, grinning.

“Great.” Warner looked at Kendra, like he’d just realized she was there. “So meet me here at eight?”

I nodded. I knew I should go find Lisette and the others, but part of me just wanted to stay there with Warner and Kendra. It was less stressful, hanging with the nerds because I was one too.

Then, Tayloe came back. “Are you coming, Emma?”

“I guess I should go,” I told Warner.

I tried to keep myself from skipping. Midori, Lisette, and Courtney were all at the fishing game. When I got there, Courtney pointed at Snoopy. “You should give him to me. After all, I’m the one who got injured.”

I hugged Snoopy closer. I knew I should probably give him to her, just to shut her up, but I didn’t want to. It was like Warner had given it to me. I remembered how it had been, back when we’d been friends, how Courtney had always called the shots. I looked at Lisette for help.

“You should give it to her,” Lisette agreed.

“Maybe I can win you another one,” I said.

“Let’s not pretend that was anything but beginner’s luck,” Courtney said. “I know you can’t throw. I literally tried to teach you a thousand times. Besides, I’m not going back to that geek.”

“Did you see his neck?” Lisette said. “He looks like one of those pencils, the kind with a head for an eraser.”

“Yes!” Courtney shrieked. She looked at me, still hugging Snoopy. “Oh, forget it. It’s a dumb prize anyway. What do you guys want to do?”

“I told my mom I’d buy a pumpkin,” Tayloe said.

“Great idea.” I was glad to change the subject. I turned to Lisette. “Dad and I always carve one together. We could buy one and bring it home. Last year, I even bought this special book with jack-o’-lantern designs that cast a shadow on the wall in back of it.”

“I’ve seen those,” Tayloe said. “They’re cool. Let’s go.”

We headed toward the pumpkin patch. I snuck a glance back at Warner over the top of Snoopy’s head. He was watching me. I smiled and glanced at my watch. Half an hour until our date. Was that what it was? I felt energy surge through my body. Okay, so he was a little geeky, but in a cute way, and I was geeky too.

The pumpkin patch was crowded with people our age, plus families with little kids running around. I remembered when I was younger, we’d come here to choose our pumpkins, Dad and I debating the merits of each one, tall and skinny versus short and round. I glanced back at Lisette. She was talking to Mr. Hunter, but then she ran over to me.

“Find anything?” she asked.

“Hmm.” I pointed to one. “This one does have a good face.” The design I had in mind was a tree, so I wanted a tall pumpkin.

“How about this one?” Lisette held up a short, fat one.

I pretended to examine it. “Bad stem.”

“Stem?” Lisette said.

“Daddy says it has to have a good stem, to pick it up by. He’s really picky about pumpkins.”

“Oh.” Lisette scowled and pointed to another round pumpkin. “How about this one?”

“Maybe. It will be so much fun to do this together.”

“Hey, guys,” Midori said. “Let’s take a picture of us with the scarecrows.”

“Good idea.” Courtney gestured Lisette and me toward the display of scarecrows and hay bales. “Come on.”

They all got out their cell phones. I didn’t like having my picture taken, so I said, “I’ll take it. You guys pose.”

“No, Emma,” Lisette said. “I’ll have someone snap it. You pose with us. Put your purse down there.”

Flattered that they wanted me so much, I joined them. I tried to stand behind Tayloe, to hide. Lisette recruited a seventh-grade boy and handed him our phones. We crowded into the display.

“Say pumpkin pie!” the boy said.

“Pumpkin pie!” we all chorused.

Just as he finished taking the picture with the fifth phone, mine, Mr. Hunter approached us. “Is one of you young things Emma Bailey?”

“Um, that’s me.”

He held out a sheet of paper. “Well, little lady, I’m afraid I’ve got a warrant for yer arrest.”