Avalon High - Мэг Кэбот 5 стр.

year or so ago, and the guy got killed in a helicopter crash.

 But I blinked. The truth was, I didnt know whether to believe Liz or not. She liked to

gossip. A lot.

 But she didnt strike me as a liar.

 That doesnt mean Wills dad killed him, I said. He didnt do it on purpose. It was

obviously an accident.

 Oh, right, Liz scoffed. And I suppose it was just an accident then that six months

later, Admiral Wagner married his dead friends wife.

 Whoa.

 Apparently, Id said the word out loud, though I dont remember doing so, since Liz

nodded, and went, Totally. Anyway, now people are saying that Wills dad transferred

his friend to a dangerous post on purpose, because hed been in love with the guys wife

for years and years and was just waiting for a way to get rid of her husband before

making his move.

 Geez, I said, shocked. Will hadnt mentioned any of this to me. It wasnt that, after a

single dinner and a couple of lemonades, I considered us soulmates, or anything.

hed told me so many other things. Like about not wanting to go to the Academy.

 But

 And the rose. What about that rose?

 So, Liz went on, you can see why Will doesnt like to spend a lot of quality time at

home. With his new stepmom and a dad whod do something like that. Not to mention

Marco.

 Whos Marco? I asked, totally confused now.

 Stacy, the girl who was offering us a ride, finally showed up, sauntering up behind us as

if she had all the time in the world. Well, she was a high jumper. They can be that way.

Its not about speed with them, so much as defying gravitational pull.

 Oh my God, she said, having overheard my question. She looked at Liz and laughed.

She hasnt heard of Marco?

 I know, Liz said, rolling her eyes. Well, sheis new.

 What? I looked from one girl to the other. Whos Marco?

 Marco Campbell, Liz said. Wills new stepbrother. The dead guys son.

 Town psycho, Stacy said. She pointed her finger at her temple, then twirled her finger

around. Total head case.

 I knew I was fully gaping at them both, but I couldnt help it.

 Marco lives with Will and his dad and stepmom?

 Yeah, Stacy said. Though Im sure theyd like to get rid of him.

 Why? Whats wrong with him?

 Stacy already told you, Liz said. Hes a total freak. He got kicked out of Avalon High

last year, a month before graduation, forget thistrying to kill a teacher.

 Id been sitting on the curb in the parking lot next to Liz. Now I got up, and turned to

face the two girls.

 This isnt true, I said firmly. This is part of thatwhat did you call it? Oh yeah. My

initiation. You guys are playing Trick the New Girl, or something.

 Uh, Stacy said, squinting at me, since I was standing with my back to the late-

afternoon sun. You wish. Its true. They tried to hush the whole thing upand I dont

know if there was ever enough evidence to press criminal charges. But the guy got

expelled. It was all over school.

 It really is true, Ellie, Liz said, getting up from the curb as well. Although Marco

went around claiming it was self-defense, that the teacherwhoever it waswas trying to

kill him, and he was just trying to save himself. Like anyone would believe that. Hes

supposed to be starting college this year. That is, if he got in anywhere. Which I highly

doubt, since his grades sucked. And not because he wasnt smart, either. It was his

attitude.

 I couldnt believe Will hadnt told me any of this. I mean, the thing with his dad wanting

him to go to the Naval Academy, sure. That hed mentioned. But that his dad had

purposefully sent his best friend into a war zone, then snapped up his wife for himself

after the guy had been killed? And that he had a stepbrother whod been kicked out of

school for trying to kill a teacher?

 Well, maybe thats not the kind of thing you tell a virtual stranger when you run into her

in the woods. Even if she did let you have some of her pad thai.

 Probably Will didnt want to talk about it. I mean, it was the kind of thing maybe youd

want people to forget.

 Still. It definitely explained that look Id seen cross his face a few times.

 My parents are going to be home. Thats what Will had said about his party. That his

parents were going to be home. Not his dad and new stepmom. His parents.

 What happened to his mom? I asked Liz, as we began following Stacy toward her

Miata. Wills real mom, I mean?

 Liz shrugged. She died or something, I think. A long time ago, I guess. I mean, I never

heard him talk about her, anyway.

 So Wills mom was dead. He hadnt mentioned that, either, I noticed.

 Maybe thats why he liked sitting around by himself in the woods, listening to medieval

music, so much. Maybe if your dad had killed his best friend, then scooped up the guys

wife for himself, all the while insisting you have to go to military school to make a

difference in the world, youd feel like you had a lot to think about, too.

 I was kind of glad right about then that I had been born Elaine Harrison and not A.

William Wagner.

 Why are we talking about Will Wagner, anyway? Stacy wanted to know, as we piled

into her car.

 Harrison here scored an invite to his pool party after the Broadneck game Saturday

night, Liz crowed.

 Whoa, Stacy said. Looks like the new girls doing pretty well for herself. Hanging

with the popular crowd already.

 Im not popular, I said, because the way shed said it made it sound like it wasnt a

good thing. And its not like that

 Yes, you are, Liz assured me. If Will Wagner is inviting you to parties at his place,

youre part of the In Crowd, big time.

 And I heard you have Lance Reynolds as your partner on Mortons oral assignment,

Stacy said.

 Its not like I had a choice, I said. Mr. Morton assigned us together.

 Listen to her, Stacy said, chuckling. So outraged! Dont you know how many girls

would die to be in your shoes, Ellie? Lance Reynolds is the school hottie du jour. And he

doesnt have a girlfriend

 You have got to be kidding me, I said. That guy is a behemoth!

 Behemoth, echoed Stacy. My, thats a bit harsh.

 Yeah, Liz agreed. For someone going to his best friends party on Saturday.

.

 I cant believe people consider Lance hot, I said. I couldnt believe it, either. Compared

to Will, Lance was like

 Aw, Lance is all right, Liz said. Kind of dopey, but nice. Like a teddy bear. The

problem is, hes chronically single. He just needs the love of a good woman to mold him

into the man he has the potential to be.

 I think that description fits Ellie perfectly, dont you, Liz? teased Stacy.

 Totally, Liz declared.

 Then both girls had a good laugh at my stricken expression.

 I knew they were just teasing. And even if they werent, it was better that they suspected

I had the hots for Lance than the truth

all day hoping to see him in the hallway between classes. Id even rehearsed what I was

going to say to him.I hear Broadnecks 2 and 0. Guess you guys better do some serious

playing.

 Yes, geek that I am, I had looked up Broadneck on the Internet the night before, then

practiced the line in the mirror a few times that morning. So it would seem like I knew

something about football, when, in fact, I knew nothing.

 But Id never seen him. And now I realized it wasnt just football I knew nothing about. I

knew nothing about A. William Wagnerthe guy I was apparently falling head over heels

in love witheither.

 But I did know one thing: Anyone who could joke around with a bunch of kids, the way

Will had at that lemonade stand, or defend a geek the way he had that day outside Mr.

Mortons classroom, would have my good opinion forever, no matter what his dador

stepbrotherwas rumored to have done.

 I knew something else, too: that anyone with as dysfunctional a home life as Wills

needed a laugh or two now and again. It was no wonder that hed taken to hanging around

me, the Queen of the Yuks.

 And no matter what Nancy might think about guys not falling in love with girls who

make them laugh, I wasnt changing a thing. Because if thats what Will wanted, thats

what I was going to give him.

 Even if I broke my heart in a thousand pieces doing so.

CHAPTER EIGHT

  Ive never been a very girly girl. I mean, Ive never collected stuffed animals or cared too

much about clothes. Ive never had a manicure, and my hair is all one length because Im

too lazy to get it cut or styled regularly. I basically just slap it back into a ponytail most

days.

 But the night of the game and Wills party, I really made an effort to look my best.

 I dont know why. I mean, it still wasnt like Will was available. And even if he were,

there was no reason to think hed like me. I mean, sure, I was the girl whod made him

laughwhod sat on a rock in the woods and listened as hed told me about his problems

with his dad.

 But he hadnt been totally forthcoming withall the details about his dad. It wasnt like I

was his big confidante, or anything. I was just a funny girl hed met. He obviously liked

me: The day after hed given me the rosethe day I made the track teamI got home to

find an e-mail from him.

 CAVALIER: Hey! Hope it went well today, and you ran like the wind. Youre a shoo-in,

dont worry.

 He remembered. Id only mentioned briefly, as hed been dropping me off at my house

the day before, that I was planning to go out for the track team.

 And hed remembered.

 Because thats what friends do. They remember things about each other. It didnt, I told

myself sternly,mean anything. Anything beyond that we were friends, I mean.

 I wrote back at once, of course. Well, it seemed only fitting to share the good news.

 TIGGERTOO: Hey, back atcha! I made the team. Thanks for the well wishes.

 CAVALIER: See? Told you so. Congratulations. With you on board, the teams actually

got a shot at State, for a change.

 Which is the kind of thing a friend would say. Because friends support one another. Just

like friends say hi when they pass each other in the hallway (as Will always did). And

wave when they see each other in the parking lot (ditto). Its just what friends do.

 And Will had a lot of friends. Everyone at Avalon High, it seemed, loved him. He was

immensely popular, not just with his fellow jocks, but with the less athletically inclined

kids as well. On Friday, when we were summoned to the gym for a massive pep rally

prior to the Broadneck game, and Wills name was read and he came running out onto the

court, the applause for him was thunderous. Everyone in the entire schoolincluding kids

whod been looking sullen about having to be at a pep rally in the first place, the

skateboarders and punk rockersleapt to their feet to give him a standing ovation.

 Will, for his part, had looked embarrassed, and then, when the applause didnt die down,

he had to reach for the microphone that Mr. Morton, who was emceeing the event (and

generating pep by making us practice the Avalon High rallying cheer, Excalibur! which

is possibly the lamest cheer in the history of high school), was holding and say, Thanks,

everybody. Were just going to go out there and play our best, and we hope all of you will

be there to support us.

 The roar this statement provoked was far louder than any of theExcalibur! s Mr. Morton

had elicited from us.

 And when Will was handing the microphone back to Mr. Morton, and his gaze happened

to fall on meme, out of all the people in the bleachersand he gave me a wink and a

smile, I told myself thats just what friends do. Even though both Liz and Stacy, beside

me in the stands, glanced at me sharply, and went, Did he just?

 Were just friends, I said quickly.

 Sure, Liz said, just as quickly. Sure. Because, you know, Will and Jennifer

 Theyre, like, the It Couple, Stacy finished for her.

 Right, I said. Will and I are

 Wish I had a friend that hot, Stacy said. And nice. And smart. And funny.

 Liz smacked her in the arm. What about me? Im hot, nice, smart, and funny.

 Yeah, but I dont want to stick my tongue in your mouth, Stacy pointed out.

 Liz sighed, and gazed down at Will, who was taking a seat with the rest of his team.

True, she said. If Will Wagner and I werejust friends , Id make sure we didnt stayjust

friends for long.

 Oh, right, Stacy said sarcastically. Good luck competing withthat.

 We looked where she was pointing. Jennifer Gold was doing a series of backflips up and

down the gym, in time to the band that was playing a speeded-up version of What I Like

About You. Her deeply tanned legs flashed like scissor blades. Every time she landed,

her lustrous blond hair fell effortlessly back into perfect waves.

 I hate her, Liz said, without any real rancor, summing up exactly what I was feeling at

just friends.

that particular moment.

 But I knew these kinds of feelings were unfair. Jennifer wasnt a bad person. Everyone

liked her. I had no right to hate her. Sure, Will had confided in me, and even given me a

rose, and invited me to his party.

 But we werejust friends.

 But telling myself that over and over again didnt stop me from fishing out my shortest

skirt and using eyeliner and even mousse on the night of the Broadneck gameenough so

that when my dad saw me, he went, All I ask is that you stay away from downtown, on

account of the middies.

 Then, when I ran out of my house to get into Stacys carshe was driving Liz and me to

the gameboth girls let out hoots of mock admiration, and Liz asked me if I would still sit

near them, being such a glamour queen, and all.

 I didnt mind their teasing me, because I knew it meant Id been accepted. And that felt

way better than if theyd said, all politely, You look nice, Ellie.

 I had never been to a football game before. My brother Geoff had been on the basketball

team at my old school, so Id been to quite a few games to cheer him on

sense of sisterly support, but because Nancy had always had a big crush on Geoff and had

insisted on going to his games.

 Nancy hadnt had a crush on any of the football players, so shed never made me go to

any of those games.

 I honestly cant say I missed out on anything muchat least if the Avalon-Broadneck

game was any indication. Oh, it was fun hanging out in the bleachers, under the vast

night sky, eating popcorn.

 But the game itself was way boring, and practically incomprehensible. And the players

wore so much padding, you could only tell who anybody was by their names on the backs

of their jerseys.

 Still, I appeared to be the only person in the stands who was of this opinion. Everybody

elseincluding Stacy and Lizwas way into the game, joining Jennifer Gold and the other

cheerleaders in their chants, and screaming hysterically every time our team got a point

or a down, or whatever they were called.

 Liz tried to explain the finer points of the game to me. Wills position, quarterback, was

like the brains of the operation. His friend Lance was a guard, whose job it was to keep

Will from getting flattened every time he was holding the ballwhich was fairly often.

 Apparently Avalon High had a good teamso good they had even gone to the state

not out of any

championship the year before. It was widely believed theyd go again this year, if they

played as well as they had last year.

 But we were not doing as well against the Broadneck Bruins as everyone had hoped we

would. At halftime, we were down by fourteen points, and a lot of people in the stands

were grumbling about it.

 I have to admit, I didnt much care whether or not we won. I hadnt spent a whole lot of

time watching the game. Mostly I just watched Will. It was hard not to notice that he

looked very cute in his tight white pants while he was out there making up plays and

telling everybody else what to do. Theres something sort of intoxicating, I guess, about a

guy in a position of power

 I didnt mention my crush on Will to Liz or Stacy, of course. I mean, for one thing, Id

gone to great lengths to convince them that Will and I werejust friends (which, in his

case, anyway, was actually true).

 But I knew if Id confessed to them that in my own case, I longed for more thanjust

friendship with him, theyd look at me all pityingly for being stupid enough to fall for

such a popular guyespecially one who was dating Jennifer Gold.

 Besides, they still seemed to think there was something going on with me and Lance (so

not), if the way they elbowed me every time Mr. Morton said his name over the

loudspeaker (besides emceeing the pep rallies, Mr. M also announced the game) was any

indication.

 I didnt tell them to cut it out, or that I didnt like Lance, or anything. It just seemed

easier to let them go on thinking that than to let them in on the truth.

 Anyway, I was so bored by halftime that I volunteered to get us all hot dogs, and was

making my way to the concession stand when I heard someone call my name.

 I turned, not having the slightest idea who could be talking to me, since I still barely

knew a soul at AHS. I was more than a little surprised to see Mr. Morton, having emerged

from the announcing booth, trying to flag me down.

 Hey, Mr. Morton, I said, wondering what he could want. I mean, there were lots of his

other students milling around. What was he singling me out for?

 Elaine, he said, in a stern voice. Since he was British, and all, my name sounded even

more old-fashioned than if hed just said it in an ordinary American way. Sort of the way

that whenever he said the word Excalibur it sounded extra important.

 I realized from the sternness in his voice that I was in trouble. What for, I couldnt

imagine. I mean, I was only trying to buy a couple of hot dogs, for Petes sake.

at least one with a butt that looked as good as Wills.

 I read your proposal, Mr. Morton went on.

 Oh, I said. It dawned on me that I probably wasnt in trouble after all. I didnt inherit

my dads bad eyes or his slow-but-steady running habits, but I had inherited his excellent

research skills, as well as my moms talent for mega-organization. Nobody writes a

better, more exhaustive term paper than I do. Ive never gotten less than an A on one.

Ever. Mr. Morton probably wanted to compliment me on the supremely excellent job Id

done on the proposal Id handed in aboutThe Lady of Shalott .

 Only that wasnt why hed stopped me at all, it turned out. He wasnt a bit pleased with

what Id handed in. Not a bit.

 That was not, he said, in the same clipped tone, the topic I assigned you.

 For a second I couldnt figure out what he was talking about. Then I realized what he

meant.

 Oh, I said. Right! Im sorry. Thats my fault, Mr. Morton. Id already readBeowulf I

thought it safer to say this than the truth, which is that I hateBeowulf. You never know

with lit teachers

with someone else. Is that not allowed? I dont remember hearing you say so.

 Mr. Morton frowned. Clearly Id stumped him. Because hed never said anything about

trading topics being a no-no.

 Still, that wasnt the only thing he was sore about.

 Did you work with your partner atall on that proposal? he demanded.

 My partner?

 Then I remembered. Lance. Of course.

 Sure, I said, lying through my teeth. He helped gather some of the source material

 I highly doubt that, Mr. Morton said. He was totally outraged. I could tell by his

eyebrows, which were way lowered. An older guywell past retirement age, if you ask

meMr. Mortons eyebrows were gray, like his neatly trimmed beard.

 I assigned you to work with a partner for a reason, Elaine, he said severely.

 Im sorry, I said, truly taken aback. Teachers never yell at me. Im pretty much a model

studentlike with my driving. Im afraid to break the law. Mostly. I

divided the paper up. I wrote the proposal, and hes supposed to do the oral report

 But Mr. Morton wasnt falling for it. He said, When I assign you to work with a partner,

they can be really touchy about that kind of thingso we traded topics

um

we

youre supposed to WORK WITH THAT PARTNER. You and Lance are to be together. I

am not accepting your proposal.

 This caused me to make a shocked noise, because no teacher had ever rejected anything

Id ever written before.

 But Mr. Morton didnt seem to notice my shock, since he went on with, And on

Monday morning, I want to have a word with both of you. Ill expect to see you and Mr.

Reynolds in my classroom, first thing. You can let him know when you see him.

 I was stunned. What was this all about?

 All right, I said.

 I said all right, but I wasnt feeling all right. I was definitely freaked. How had he

known? How had he known Lance and I hadnt worked together on the proposal?

 By the time I got back to my seat in the bleachers, I had calmed down a little

much.

 Wherere the dogs? Liz wanted to know, when I slumped down into my seat beside her.

And thats when I realized Id been so upset over my conversation with Mr. Morton that

Id forgotten to get the hot dogs.

 Sorry, I said. Listen to this. And I told them both what Mr. Morton had said to me. I

mean, can you believe it? I asked, when I was done describing what had happened.

Does he have a reputation for being a stodgy old crank? Mr. Morton, I mean? Or is it just

me?

 The question had been rhetorical. Id fully expected them to say, Oh, yeah, hes a crank.

 But they didnt. Stacy went, I dont know. Everybody has always seemed to love Mr.

Morton.

 Yeah, Liz said. Hes been voted best teacher every year since he started at Avalon,

practically. And everybody gets a real kick out of the way he says Excalibur.

 Really? I found this extremely hard to believe.

 I dont get why youre so mad, Stacy said. I mean, hes practically ordering you to

spend more time with your loverboy. Wheres the tragedy in that?

 Liz laughingly agreed. Seriously, she said. Id pay cold hard cash to be told to spend

more time with Lance Reynolds.

 I slumped in my seat. There was no point in telling them that my lack of enthusiasm at

having Lance as a research partner stemmed from my being completely in love with his

best friend.

 So I just shut my mouth and didnt say anything for the rest of the game

 Until, sometime in the fourth quarter, when the teams were tied at twenty-one, something

weird happened. At least, I thought it was weird. Not having been to a football game

before, maybe it happened every day. Who knew?

 But I did see exactly how it happened, because it involved Will, so Id been watching

closely. Will had called out some numbers and someone had snapped him the ball. Hed

run with it for a few feet, looking for someone to throw it to.

 Then something happened that hadnt happened at any time before during the game:

Lance wasnt there to keep Will from getting tackled. Instead, Will got hit, hard, by a

member of the opposing team.

 Seeing this, I gasped and leapt to my feet, then looked around accusingly for Lance. He

came running over from where Jennifer Gold was standing on the sidelines.

 Jennifer Gold? What had Lance been doing, chatting up Jennifer Gold while Will was

getting the snot knocked out of him?

 I wasnt the only one who was appalled. The Avalon coach whacked Lance on the back

of his helmet as he went racing to Wills side. A lot of whistles got blown, and the guy

whod tackled Will peeled himself off him. Lance fell to his knees beside Wills

crumpledoh, God! Dont let him be dead!form, ripped off his own helmet, then leaned

over to grab the front of Wills uniform, calling his friends name.

 I watched, my heart in my throat, not realizing Id been holding my breath until a second

later, when Will started, slowly and painfully, to get up.

 Then I let out my breath in a whoosh and, my knees too weak to hold me up anymore,

sat down

 To find both Stacy and Liz staring at me with their eyebrows raised.

 I felt myself blushing, and hoped they wouldnt notice in the darkness.

 I had no idea football was so exciting, I said lamely.

 A second later, with Will seeming to have brushed off Lances apologies with a good-

natured laugh, the game started again.

 Only this time, no one got close to tackling Will. And the guy from the opposing team

.

.

whod knocked him down before? Well, first chance he got, Lance brought him down so

hard that the game had to stop again, and the guy had to be removed from the field on a

stretcher.

 One thing was for sure: Nobody was going to hurt A. William Wagner and get away with

it if his best friend Lance had anything to say about it.

 Avalon won by seven points. The crowd went nuts.

 And then it was time for Wills party.

CHAPTER NINE

  I made Stacy and Liz come with me. No way was I going to a party by myself, not

knowing anyone but the host, whod doubtless be too busy hosting to talk to me.

 Besides, Id asked Will, when Id e-mailed him back the other night, if it was okay if I

brought a couple of friends, and hed replied that it was fine.

 Stacy had been nonchalant at the invitation, but Liz was excited by the idea of going.

She had never, she confessed to me, been to a party at a popular persons houselet alone

president of the senior classand she was dying to see what it was like.

 She found out soon enough. What it was like could be described in one word: crowded.

Will lived in one of the really nice houses by the Severn Bridgeon a hill overlooking the

bay, in factand we had to park way down the hill, because there were already so many

cars in front of the house that it made getting close to the driveway impossible.