The Secret Crush (12 page)

 

With nothing else to do, Zee sat next to her father, thinking about her latest problem.
How am I going to invite everyone to my party if I can't tell them about it?
Zee felt awful about the fight and wanted to make up with all the girls as soon as possible.

Mr. Carmichael tossed an unopened envelope into the kitchen recycling bin. “Junk,” he said. “Junk. Junk.” He added a catalog to the pile.

“That's it!” Zee exclaimed.

“What's it?” her father asked.

“I'll make homemade invitations for my party today,” she explained, picking up the catalog and a magazine that had gotten buried. “I'll cut out pictures and make funny captions.”

“I thought you said you already had plans today. I believe your exact words were, ‘shrivel up and die of boredom.'”

“Plans change, you know.”

“Flexibility is a fine quality to have.”

“Later, dude!” Zee stood up and headed to her bedroom. She pulled a basket full of markers, paper, scissors, and glue sticks from under her bed. “This might actually be fun.”

Zee grabbed her iPod, which had somehow stayed off the forbidden list, and stuck it into the docking station.

Then she turned up the volume and began cutting, folding, and gluing.

Hmmm. Now the hard part—what to say. These had to be invitations
and
apologies, all in one. “Roses are red/violets are blue,” she recited. “I'll admit I was wrong/if you do, too.”
Just kidding.

Zee put her pen to the first card. “I was a jerk/I made a mistake./So let's give this scene/a second take.” Zee quickly scribbled down the verse, then kept writing. “Come to my house./We'll all play a part./Wear a wild costume./This is sealed with a—” She glued a pink heart at the end of the final line.

Zee made a card for everyone, then stared at the stack. How would she deliver them since she wasn't allowed to contact anyone? When she heard Adam's feet pounding
down the stairs, she had an idea. She followed him into the kitchen. Dressed in his tennis clothes, he was on his way out the door.

“While you're out, can you deliver these to my friends' houses? It's really important.” Zee held the stack of cards out in front of him.

Adam stared at the stack. “Are you kidding?”

“No.” Zee shook her head.

“Funny, that's what I was going to say.” Adam grabbed his tennis racket from the counter and stepped outside. “Bye-onara.”

Zee sighed and wondered what she was going to do. Then she remembered the person who might want to patch things up with the group as much as she did: Chloe. Zee found her father and put her arm around his shoulders. “Hello, Daddy.”

“What do you want, Zee?” he asked suspiciously.

“I'm going to try not to be offended by your implication.”

“And then will you tell me what you're after?”

“Yes, I will. I was wondering if I could make one teensy-weensy phone call to Chloe—” Zee began. Her father's eyes grew wide. “Keeping in mind that she's the one who was looking out for me the other night
and
I need her help to
tell my friends I'm sorry.” She handed her dad an invitation. “I want her to deliver these.”

Mr. Carmichael read the card. “Just
one
phone call?” he asked.

Zee made an X across her chest. “I promise.”

“Well, okay.”

“Cool beans!” Zee threw her arms around her dad's neck. “You're fantabsome.”

“Is that a compliment?”

“The best!”

As Zee raced out of the room, her dad shouted out, “One phone call!”

“Got it!” Zee told him. “Like a prisoner.”

When Zee called, Chloe was heading to her soccer game. “I'll stop at your house on my way home and pick them up,” she promised.

Zee reached into the bottom of her book bag to get a pen so she could address the invitations. No pen. She pulled out her binder and textbooks, then looked at the green flier on top. Friends' Day! Zee had completely forgotten.

“Cool beans!” Zee mumbled to herself. “The invitations will arrive just in time for me to actually have my friends back for Friends' Day!”

Tap, tap.

“Come in!” Zee called out.

Mrs. Carmichael opened the door slightly, then pushed her head through the crack. “How's it going?”

“Fine,” Zee told her. “I'm trying to figure out if I should wear my green high-top Converses on Monday—or if that'll look too much like a string bean.”

Mrs. Carmichael pointed to the mess of craft supplies spread out on the floor. “How about cleaning that up while you think?”

“Okay.” Zee got down on her hands and knees to organize the chaos as her mother shut her bedroom door again. She looked at her computer and wondered how many emails she hadn't been allowed to read. Mostly, she wondered how many Landon had sent and what they said. She knew she wouldn't be able to find out until the weekend was over. After all, if her parents—or Adam—caught her, a double grounding would only make matters worse.

 

Zee looked at the last question. That was it! Maybe he was just as confused as Zee. She needed a way to let Landon know she liked him. She looked at the art supplies lying all over the floor and decided what to do.

Zee turned the dial on her combination lock, then jerked it open. She checked herself in the mirror that hung inside her locker and adjusted the light blue scarf around her neck that highlighted her green sweater perfectly. A note fluttered from the shelf to the floor. She picked it up.

“What's that?” Chloe asked. She'd worn an olive-green tank top with a light green long-sleeved shirt and camouflage capris.

“I don't know,” Zee said.

“What's it say?”

The outside was decorated with green smiley stickers. Zee opened it up and read, “‘You're a great friend! Happy Friends' Day! (Think green.)'”

“Who's it from?” Chloe wondered out loud.

“It just says, ‘a secret admirer.'” A smile spread across Zee's face. “But I know who that is.”

Chloe grinned, too. “You do?”

“Landon, of course!”

Chloe's smile disappeared. “Why do you think it's Landon?”

“Because he wants me to know he likes me,” Zee said as she started walking to class.

Chloe hurried to catch up with her. “Maybe it's someone else—who just wants to be sure you like him first before he tells you.”

“That doesn't make sense,” Zee countered. “How can he find out if I like him if I don't know who he is?”

“I guess he didn't think of that,” Chloe said quietly.

“Huh?”

“Nothing.”

When the girls turned the corner, Jasper was heading in their direction. He was wearing his khaki dress pants with a green collared shirt and his blue uniform jacket. He also had on his new sneakers.

“You look happy,” Jasper said to Zee, turning to walk with her and Chloe.

“I am,” Zee told him. “I got a Friends' Day card in my locker.”

“That's ace. Do you know who delivered it?”

“Umm…yeah.” Zee hurried her pace, eager to get to
first period—and Landon.

When the three friends arrived in class, Landon hadn't gotten there yet. But Kathi zipped across the room as soon as she saw Zee. She was juggling an armful of cards and flowers.

“Who gave you all that?” Zee asked.

“A bunch of guys,” Kathi said without much interest. “Mostly eighth graders. You want one?”

“No, thanks,” Zee said, holding her own card tight to her chest.

“This is for you.” Kathi handed Zee a small cardboard box, then said, “Happy Friends' Day!”

“Thanks,” Zee said, lifting the lid. Inside was a thin silver necklace chain with a flower pendant. It wasn't Zee's style, but it was nice of Kathi to think of her.

“My aunt gave it to me for my birthday,” Kathi explained. “I didn't like it, so I thought you would—since I know you like used stuff.”

Even when she was being nice, Kathi was Kathi. It was hard for her not to think about herself first. “It's pretty,” Zee said. “Thanks.”

“Hey, Zee!” Chloe said, placing the bow on her cello strings. “Listen to what Jasper and I wrote for the musical this weekend.” As she started to play, Jasper joined in on his bass.

Zee tried to listen, but she kept looking at the door.
When is Landon going to get here?
she wondered.

Suddenly, the music stopped. “That's all we have so far.”

“That was really good,” Zee said.

“Did you really li—” Jasper began.

At that moment, Landon walked into the room. Zee grabbed the card she'd made for him and hopped out of her chair.

Chloe grabbed Zee's arm. “Where are you going?” she asked.

“To thank Landon for his card.”

“Why?” Chloe's voice sounded panicked now.

“Because it's polite.”

“Ummm…ummm…” Chloe desperately searched for words. “The card said it was from a secret admirer. Maybe he wants it to stay a secret.”

“That sounds exactly right!” Jasper chimed in.

“If he wanted that, he wouldn't have made it so obvious.” Zee shook her head. “You guys are just worried about my mom. Don't—I'm not breaking any rules.”

“That's not it.” Jasper stood up next to Zee. “Maybe he's shy. You don't want to embarrass him.”

“If anyone is shy, it's you,” Zee told Jasper and patted him
on the back. She turned away and rushed over to Landon. “I got it!” she said to Landon.

“Got what?” Landon asked. His face was blank.

“The card.”

“What card?”

Zee's heart dropped. Could she have been wrong about Landon? “You have no idea what I'm talking about, do you?” she asked.

Landon shook his head. Zee hid the card she had made him behind her back and slunk away to her seat.

“What happened?” Chloe asked.

“I'm not sure,” Zee said. “But I don't think Landon is my secret admirer.”

“Do you have any other ideas who it might be from?” Jasper asked.

“No,” Zee said, looking absentmindedly back at Landon.

By the time Zee turned around, Marcus had appeared next to Chloe. “For you!” he said, and with a flourish handed her a rose. Chloe blushed and looked as if she might melt into a puddle right there. After a squeaky “Thank you,” she was speechless.

Behind Marcus's back, Zee gave her friend a thumbs-up.

Then Marcus moved down the aisle where Jen and
Kathi were sitting. “For you,” he said. “And you.” He gave each girl a rose. Jen smirked and looked at Chloe.

Next Marcus circled around to Missy, then back to Zee, delivering his last two roses. “Sorry, guys,” he said to the boys. “None for you. Please don't be
green
with envy.”

“Darn!” Conrad said, snapping his fingers. “I wanted a pretty flower, too.” The boys laughed loudly.

Zee was relieved that everyone was watching the boys, because Chloe seemed embarrassed. She'd obviously thought Marcus had gotten a rose especially for her.

But when Chloe saw Zee looking at her, she whispered, “Well, at least we know Marcus isn't your secret admirer.”

Zee giggled and glanced over at Landon.

 

When Zee arrived in French class, Jen was resting her head in her arms on top of her desk. Zee slid into the chair next to her. “What's up?”

Jen didn't bother to lift her head. “I can't decide which I
hate more—Valentine's Day or Friends' Day,” she said. “It's just another day of watching Kathi get all the attention.”

“Tell me about it,” Zee agreed. “I think Friends' Day is supposed to be more about friend-friends than girlfriends and boyfriends.”

“I guess that's the problem. I've got enough buddies.” Jen sat up. “I saw what happened with Landon.”

“I didn't know my humiliation was so obvious.”

“Don't worry about it. Probably no one else noticed,” Jen reassured her. “Besides, guys are weird.”

“You mean…like Marcus?” Zee asked.

“Yeah—and whoever gave you that card.”

“You know about the card I got?”

“I heard you talking to Landon. Why doesn't the real guy just confess?”

A bell rang overhead to mark the start of the period. A moment later, Marcus ran across the room, then suddenly put on the brakes. He sat in the desk in front of Jen. “We can start now,” he joked. “I'm here!”

Jen rolled her eyes and sighed. Zee knew how she felt. Would they ever figure guys out?

 

As Zee locked her diary, she got a text from Jasper

Zee really needed to finish her final scene
and
write her solo song, but for once she was actually glad to be too busy for her friends. She was still embarrassed and confused about what had happened with Landon that morning, and she wasn't ready to talk with Jasper and Chloe.