Trading Faces (21 page)

“Oh, well. You'll have to come next time, Cashmere.” Sydney dismissed her. I did catch the dirty look Cashmere gave me.

“So. Is Thursday good for you, Payton?” Sydney asked me.

Well, actually, not really. I'll have a mathletics meeting. And also, I won't be Payton.

I focused intently on eating my turkey wrap.

“Let's go shopping Thursday,” Sydney said. “Bring your credit card; we're doing some serious damage, Payton. I saw this coat that's so you—it's a hundred and fifty bucks, but so worth it.”

A hundred and fifty dollars? Didn't I just have a spending spree that blew out my savings? Wasn't that enough?

“And you need new jewelry,” Cashmere said. “That
P
cuff is growing old.”

“Definitely,” Sydney said. “That cuff has to go.”

I twirled the
P
cuff around my wrist. This lunch wasn't as fun as I'd expected. I hoped something good would happen.

Ooh! And here it was. Ox was walking into the cafeteria.

Ox!

And he saw me, and he waved and smiled at me.

Ox waved and smiled at me!

I smiled and started to wave back. Sydney waved, too.

“That Ox,” Sydney said. “He's so quiet, but who cares with those football muscles.”

Mmm.
So true,
I thought.

“Did you see him wave at me?” Sydney said. “He totally likes me.”

I nearly choked on my turkey wrap.

“You guys would make the cutest couple!” Cashmere squealed. “You could go to the football games and cheer him on from the stands and it would be so romantic.”

“Finally!” Quinn said. “Ox has never paid any attention to any girls.”

Uh
.

“I don't know,” I said weakly. “I think you and Cameron look so good together.”

“Cameron and Noah are kind of juvenile compared to Ox,” Sydney said. “Ox is so . . . mature.”

“Sydney, he's coming over!” Cashmere squealed.

“Watch me work my magic,” Sydney said, swiping on some lip gloss. “Watch and learn, girls. Watch and learn.”

Uh
.

Uh
.

What do I do? What would Payton do?

I looked down and busied myself unwrapping a pack of cheese crackers. Maybe Ox would just pass by, and then Sydney would forget about him and move on to one of her other gajillion guys, and I could catch him later and—

“Hey,” Ox came right up to our table.

“Hi, Ox!” Sydney said, all flirty.

“Hey, guys,” Ox said. “Hey, Payton.”

“Hey!” I squeaked.

He looked at me and smiled. I smiled weakly back. Man, he was so cute. His blue shirt made his eyes stand out and—

“I'm sooo psyched for the pep rally today!” Sydney said to him.

“Yeah, me too,” said Ox. “Hey, Payton. Still up for today?”

Uh
.

“Up for what?” Sydney asked.

“Meeting me at the pep rally,” Ox said. “Payton? You still want to?”

Uh
.

I so still wanted to. But I caught the look on Sydney's face. This was too much pressure for me.

“Glah!” I said to him.

Yes, I said “glah.” I choked, okay?

He gave me a funny look.

“Ox! Dude! Get over here!” Some guys were calling him over to their table.

“Well, see ya at the pep rally,” Ox said.

I watched him walk to his lunch table. Then I turned to face the six eyes staring at me.

“Payton. Is there something you'd like to tell us?” Sydney said.

I looked up at her. She looked pleasant, but Quinn and Cashmere were staring down at the table.

“Like, what's up with you and Ox?” Sydney asked me.

“Uh,” I said. “I don't know. He sort of asked me if I wanted to sit with them at the pep rally.”

“Eee!” Quinn said. “He's saving you a seat with the football players? That's so major!”

“And you weren't going to tell your very best friends about this?” Sydney said. “Especially, for example, when one of them—
me
—was saying how she might consider going out with him?”

Uh
.

“I wasn't sure how to—,” I stammered. “I didn't know what to—”

“Payton, I can't believe you're stealing Sydney's crush!” Cashmere said. “I mean, she told you she liked him. She's even giving up Cameron and Justin for him!”

“I wasn't stealing anyone's crush!” I said. “I didn't know Sydney might like him, and—”

“Well, now you do,” Sydney said to me.

I looked over at Ox. He looked up and smiled at me again.

“You're not going to sit with him at the pep rally, are you?” Cashmere asked me.

Uh
.

“Then it's settled,” Sydney said. She waved and smiled at Ox.

“Once Ox knows he has a chance with Sydney, it would be all over with you anyway, Payton,” Cashmere whispered to me under her breath.

“So now I totally need those sneakers ASAP, Payton,” Sydney said to me.

“Sneakers?” I stammered.

“Duh, my CocoBella sneakers,” Sydney said.

Uh. Oh. Those sneakers. I'd forgotten about that. Apparently she hadn't.

“You
can
get those sneakers—right, Payton?” Cashmere looked at me slyly.

Uh
.

“They'll look perfect when I'm cheering on Ox at the game,” Sydney said.

“Oh, look at that!” I exclaimed, pulling out Payton's cell phone. “I have a text message! Oh! I have a meeting with a teacher! Gotta go!”

“I didn't even hear it vibrate,” Cashmere said suspiciously.

“Bye!” I jumped up and grabbed my lunch tray. And . . .

I was wearing Payton's (Summer Slave) platform shoes, and I . . .

Oh, no. I tripped. The remains of my turkey wrap,
crackers, and soda spilled off my tray and . . . didn't land on Sydney. No, they didn't land on Ox.

They landed on the floor. Which meant I slipped on them.

And I landed on the floor too.

Crunch.
The cute skirt was now splotched on the rear. I jumped up and thought fast. I tugged the blue sweater down in the back, grabbed Payton's backpack, tossed my tray on the dirty dish counter, and rushed out of the lunchroom.

I didn't look back.

AFTER SIXTH PERIOD

Knock. Knock-tap-tap. Knock!

“Just get in here!” Emma opened the door and practically dragged me in.

“I need your help,” Emma said. “Things have gotten out of control.”

Out of control? In only one period? We'd already switched one more time last period and all had been totally fine.

Emma started babbling. “I have to go shopping for new clothes and a hundred-and-fifty-dollar jacket and you have to get more Summer Slave sneakers but they're not even out yet and that's not even the major
thing. She likes Ox! SHE LIKES OX!!!”

Oh. Kay. Clearly my twin sister had lost her mind.

“Too much pressure,” Emma cried. “Too much social pressure!”

“Emma!” I shook her shoulders. “Get a grip! Take a deep breath!”

Emma took a deep breath.

“You're right,” she said. “Where have my priorities gone? I'm a champion debater, for gosh sakes. Okay. I've made my decision. I can't go to the pep rally.”

“What?” I said.

“I have to give up,” Emma said. “My little crush on some jock is not worth messing things up for you.”

“I don't care if you go out with a jock,” I assured her. “In fact, I think it's cool. Hey, does he play basketball? Maybe you'll even want to try out for basketball cheerleading with me!”

“Are you insane?” Emma asked. “No, what I mean was, I have to give up. Sydney likes Ox; thus, I cannot.”

“Really?” I said. “You're giving up your crush because of Sydney?”

“Payton, your friendships with people are more important than some . . . silly . . . crush. I can't risk Sydney being mad at you all over again just because I
like Ox. You and your happiness are more important to me.”

Wow. Emma was giving up that for . . . me? For my happiness?

“Wow!” I threw my arms around her. “Emma, you are the best!”

“Yeah.” Emma sighed. She looked sad. “I know.”

“So, we're not trading places?” I asked her.

“No, you still have to do VOGS,” Emma said. “I've had enough trauma for one day. I'll just hide out in the library during the assembly so I don't have to deal with Ox.”

Phew. I was hoping she'd say that
. I'd been kind of excited about VOGS all day.

“Okay, then,” she said. “Let's switch.”

Clothes were tossed back and forth! Lip gloss put on; lip gloss wiped off! Hair up; hair down! Cuffs traded; bags handed over!

“I'm ready,” I told Emma. It took her a little longer to get ready, since she had to do her hair and put on lip gloss. “Wish me luck.”

“Good luck,” Emma said. “Wait! Don't forget your schedule.”

She held the switching schedule out to me. I opened the
door and casually stepped out of the janitor's closet and—

OOF!

Right into Jazmine James! Our backpacks fell off and papers flew everywhere.

“Oh!” I said. “Um! I'm so sorry!”

“Ouch!” Jazmine said. “Did you just attack me? Is this sabotage, Emma? Are you trying to keep me from anchoring VOGS out of jealousy and a justified fear that I am better than you?”

“What? No!” I said. “I'm not trying to attack you! I just . . . fell.”

Jazmine looked around.

“You fell out of the janitor's closet?” she asked me.

“Um,” I tried to think of an excuse. “Yes. Yes I did. I was spacing out and went in there thinking it was the bathroom.”

I leaned down to pick up our stuff, which was all over the floor. I handed some of Jazmine's papers and notebooks back to her. She scooped up the remaining papers and looked through them.

“These are yours,” she said, giving me a couple. “And these are mine.”

Jazmine was putting the papers in her backpack when I heard a creak.

And then the door to the janitor's closet started to open.

Oh, no! Emma was about to come out! There's no way Jazmine would believe both of us twins would have accidentally thought the janitor's closet was a bathroom!

I leaned against the door.

“So! Jazmine!” I said loudly, hoping Emma would hear me. “What's new, JAZMINE? JAZMINE JAMES?”

The janitor's closet door started opening again. Obviously, she couldn't hear me. I leaned against it with all my strength.

“Stay! Stay!” I hissed into the crack in the door.

“Are you talking to yourself?” Jazmine asked. “You know, I heard you were going to be competition for me in the brains department. But frankly, I'm not feeling too threatened, Emma.”

Jazmine shook her head and walked down the hall.

I waited until she was out of sight, and opened the door.

“Coast is clear,” I said. “Let's go.”

Emma stepped out casually, looking all Payton.

“Hi!” she said brightly. I decided not to tell her
about the run-in with Jazmine. We had more important things to do right then, like make it to class on time. And I didn't want to be late. Because while Emma was off to my math class (yawn), I was off to VOGS rehearsal! Yes! I was so excited! I walked into the VOGS classroom and immediately changed my mind.

Yesterday it was a regular classroom with desks and chairs. Today it looked totally like a real news studio.

“Do you like it?” Nick from Emma's homeroom pointed to the set. “I'm on tech crew. We worked on it all day.”

“It looks like a real studio,” I said. “It makes me nervous.”

“No way,” he said. “You'll be great.”

“Thanks,” I said. I took a deep breath and tried to relax.

“People!” Mrs. Burkle clapped her hands for our attention. “This is our dress rehearsal! No more mamby-pamby! Places, everyone!”

I stood offstage and watched as Jazmine James took her spot at the anchor desk. I was feeling pretty nervous.

“Five . . . four . . . three . . . two . . .”

“Good afternoon, Geckos!” Jazmine said. “Welcome to the first VOGS, by students, for students. And
what better day to have it on than the day of our first pep rally?”

She paused.

“Mrs. Burkle? Who wrote this? I think there are lots of better ways to start than with a stupid pep rally. How about a geometry competition day, for example? I'd rock that. I went to math camp, and—”

“Jazmine,” Mrs. Burkle said, “while I appreciate your input, it is a little late to offer these suggestions. The principal would like to begin the show with this. And since the principal has finally allowed me to do this VOGS project, please humor me.”