Suddenly, when I was in midsentence answering Barry’s question about the food at his party, Drew reached between Barry and Craig, grabbed my wrist like he had that Friday night in the bathroom, and pulled me off the bumper.
I would have stopped him and jerked away, but it happened so fast. He opened the back door of Luther’s car, shoved me in, scooted in next to me, and closed the door behind him.
It was that familiar feeling. I was in the center of bustle, the traffic around Burger Bob’s, but I was sealed off from the world. With Drew. I sat against the far door. He took up the rest of the seat, leaning so close to me that my skin tingled.
His low voice vibrated through me. “I’m sorry about that JonBenét comment. It wasn’t me. It was Barry. He’s still really interested in you.”
I studied Drew, wondering what to make of this. Was Drew telling me Barry liked me because Drew didn’t care? Or was Drew telling me because he did care, and he wanted to see my reaction? If this had been the eighth grade, I would have thrilled at playing mind games with a cute boy.
But I was tired of the mind games after last night with Walter. A nd this was not the eighth grade, and this was not just any cute boy. This was Drew.
He studied me right back. “You look like a different person. I didn’t even recognize you. I saw A llison first.”
He meant that I’d poofed my hair and applied full makeup this morning. “I was going to be around A llison and other pageant girls all day,” I explained. “I didn’t want to look like that purple-haired assistant next to A nna Nicole Smith.”
“You couldn’t look like that girl if you tried. A nd I think you’ve tried.”
I grinned. “Remember this picture. You may never see it again. This is what eyeliner looks like when you put it on right.”
He frowned.
I shouldn’t have reminded him about the twin.
“You look beautiful,” he said. “You always look beautiful. A re you dating Walter now?”
It took me a minute to catch up. I was still on “beautiful.” You always look beautiful.
“What?” I said finally. “No, I’m not dating Walter. But we made out Friday night.”
Drew’s frown deepened. I thought he might be just a little bit jealous. Hooray!
But then he said, “I have a lot of respect for Walter. You’ve got to like a guy who takes living in a bus as well as he has. Don’t play with him, okay? I can tell he really likes you.”
I felt bad enough about Walter without Drew giving me a guilt trip. Who did he think he was, Match.com? “I wasn’t playing with him,” I said.
“I was in the process of telling him that we should just be friends.”
“Is that what you always do? Tell guys you want to just be friends with them, then make out with them?”
Well, I wasn’t going to tell him that Walter Lloyd and Bobby Thompson were my entire experience. “Yes,” I said, trying to sound offhanded. I glanced at the cars crawling in the drive-through lane. “Like takeout.”
“Like a to-go box,” Drew suggested.
“Exactly!”
“You told Mr. Rush in his office on Friday that you and I are just friends. A nd you didn’t make out with me.”
“That would be because you’re dating Miss Icktory’s sister.”
“No, I’m not. I broke up with her at Barry’s party.”
I tried not to laugh out loud. A nd failed. “I am so sorry!” I laughed. “Condolences. Why in the world did you break up with her?”
He laughed too. “She smokes.”
“How do you know it’s not Tracey who smokes?”
“They both smoke.”
“A re you sure? Have you seen them both smoking at the same time, in the same room?”
“Yes. A nd anyway, I only started dating her because the entire senior class warned me not to. Then, after she or Tracey was evil to A llison, I didn’t break up with her because everyone told me to—even though I should have. You know, I have a little problem with people telling me what to do.”
“I hadn’t noticed.”
“But that wasn’t fair to her, no matter how evil she or her sister is.”
“I’m glad you’re so worried about Cacey’s and Walter’s feelings,” I said, patting his knee. “Very responsible of you.”
“Well.” He winced like he’d been punched. “Right after you and Walter left the party, Cacey let something slip about A llison.”
I turned cold, just as I had in the school hallway outside the lunchroom the day before. “Something bad? Something racist?”
“I went home and took a shower.”
Now I winced. Gazing at the traffic cruising the strip in front of Burger Bob’s, I couldn’t imagine what it must be like to be A llison and to be stuck in this town until her graduation next June. I was her best friend, and I couldn’t imagine.
Giggles broke through the silence. A llison’s giggles. Luther sat on the tailgate with her, gesturing widely to the huge trophy like he was selling it on the Home Shopping Network.
Drew went on, “A nd I wondered why Cacey couldn’t have said something a few hours before, so I could have broken up with her earlier.” He still looked pained. “A t Barry’s party I was only hanging on to her long enough to make you mad. That’s not very responsible. My punishment for all this was that I had to kiss her while she was smoking. The things I go through for you.” He pinned me to the door with his dark eyes.
“Did it work?”
“Of course not. Or if it did, I wouldn’t admit it. You’re not the least bit upset that I made out with Walter.”
He frowned again. “I never thought you’d date Walter. You’re too much alike.”
I thought about this. Weird, but he was right. No wonder Walter made me nauseated. What girl wanted to date herself? “Perspicacious,” I said. “More perspicacious than me.”
He put his warm hand on my shoulder, then moved it up to massage the back of my neck. Terrific. Now I would walk around with another phantom limb. Drew’s head on my thigh. Drew’s hand on my knee. Drew’s thumb tracing my hand. Drew’s hand on my neck.
“I feel happy,” I said.
“I feel lust,” he said.
Our eyes met. Then his gaze flicked down to my lips.
I giggled. Stop giggling! “I feel expectant.”
“But I also feel curious,” he said.