Front Page Face-Off (22 page)

“Aww.” Jenner squeezed me. “Look at you! Caring about other people. Between you and Paige, it almost feels like Christmas.”

“Speaking of Paige.” I nodded down the hall where she was leaning against her locker, filing her nails. “I should probably go thank her.”

Jenner and I walked up to Paige, but before I could say anything, Paige spoke first.

“I hear Ava's sparkling personality is really showing.” She glanced up from her perfectly rounded nails and smirked. “Not that I've had a chance to judge for myself. Apparently, she's not coming back until next week.”

I nodded. “Until then, I'll be thinking of ways to apologize that won't end with her spitting in my face.”

“Good.” Paige returned her nail file to her locker. “Then you'll be too busy to think about the bad news I have to give you.”

“Let me guess.” I squinted and massaged the sides of my skull. “I'm no longer eligible for the Debutantes.”

She sighed and patted my shoulder. “Sorry. But if you want, you can still tell me what you learned about Katie.” She
gave me her most winning smile, complete with toothpaste-commercial gleam.

I sighed and patted her shoulder. “Sorry. Not gonna happen, but I
can
tell you she didn't get invited to any Nouveau Fashion premiere.”

Paige thought about it for a second and shrugged. “Good enough for me.”

“Are you guys going to give the spot to Ava, then?” Jenner asked her.

“Actually,” said Paige, “the Debutantes talked, and we decided not to include a member of the newspaper staff. We realized that Ava and Delilah would do more harm for our reputation than good.”

“That's true,” I said. “Especially since I plan to behead a live chicken in the cafeteria for an encore.”

“Oh. Heh-heh.” Paige laughed nervously and looked around. “Listen, Delilah,” she said in a low voice, “I like you as a person. And Jenner, I bothered to learn how to say your name, so that should tell you something.”

“Definitely,” said Jenner, winking at me.

“Great.” Paige clapped her hands together. “Then you'll both understand that even though we might be friends … I can't be seen with you right now. Not until the whole thing with Delilah blows over, anyway.” Paige winced and bit her lip. “You understand, right?”

“Of course.” I elbowed Jenner and she nodded solemnly. “It was very noble of you to risk your reputation just to tell us
this
much.”

Paige rolled her eyes and grunted. “You guys think I'm shallow, don't you?”

“Only as shallow as a wading pool,” I assured her. Paige opened her mouth for an argument, but I stopped her. “I'm kidding. You were nice enough to defend me in front of the headmaster. We shouldn't expect you to do too much at once.”

“Yeah, we're just hoping that by next semester, you'll still remember we're in the same grade,” agreed Jenner.

Paige looked pained but backed away. “Okay. I guess … bye for now. And good luck with your lives.”

As Paige hurried away, Jenner turned to me and smiled. “‘Bye for now and good luck with your lives.' She should write greeting cards.”

“I should have known it wouldn't last,” I said. “My hair clashed with everything in her wardrobe.”

Jenner sighed and rubbed her bruised arm. “Well, you didn't get into the Little Debbies. …”

“Nope.”

“You didn't steal Ben away from Ava. …”

I shook my head. “If anything, I brought them closer together.”

“And if you're lucky, you'll be a probationary member of the newspaper.”

I rubbed my hands together. “All in all, I'd say a pretty successful start to the school year.”

Jenner laughed. “Was it seriously worth it?”

“Well …” I thought about everything that had happened recently—the people I'd gotten to know, the
good
things I'd done and learned … none of which would have happened if it hadn't been for Ava and the newspaper. “It was totally worth it,” I said. “Although, if I could have changed one thing …”

“Yeah?”

I wrinkled my nose. “I would
never
have worn your gym clothes.”