Page 42 of Jar of Hearts
She stared at him in disbelief, but the clock on the dashboard didn’t lie. She had two minutes to get to the gym, but she could have finished in ten seconds if he hadn’t stopped. “You’re mean,” she said.
“Then don’t go.”
She couldn’t not go. She’d already been late the last three practices. Trying to put herself back together, she flipped down the visor and quickly checked her face. “I hate this as much as you do.”
“Doubt that.”
“I can’t quit,” she said. “Angela would kill me.”
He snorted. “You care way too much about what she thinks.”
“She’s my best friend.” She gave him a look. “I’ve known her since the fourth grade.”
“Then she’ll understand that cheer is stupid and that you now have better things to do.”
“She won’t see it that way.” Geo pushed the visor back up. “She’s not exactly understanding.”
“She’s a bitch, if you ask me.”
“Stop it!” Geo smacked his thigh lightly. “Don’t say that. This has been hard for her. We used to do everything together, and since I met you, I hardly see her anymore. I think that’s why she’s so grumpy—”
“Bitchy.”
“—irritatedall the time. I need to spend some time with her.” Geo grabbed her knapsack. “It’s Kaiser’s birthday tomorrow. We’re taking him out for pizza and a movie.”
“I thought we were going out tomorrow.” Calvin’s eyes darkened.
Geo braced herself. She knew what that look could lead to. Which is why she’d told him here, at the parking lot at school, aminute before she had to leave. Their fights never escalated when there was a chance someone could see them, and by the time they talked about it again the next day, he’d be calm about it.
And truth be told, Geo didn’t like it much when they went out. She was underage, so if they went to a bar, there was always a buddy he’d have to talk to in order to sneak her in without scrutinizing her fake ID. She didn’t like the taste of alcohol so she rarely drank. The bars were always dark, shoddy, and filled with smoke. Some guy would always look at her wrong and then Calvin would be “forced” to have words with him. It was exciting at the beginning, but after a couple of months, it had lost its appeal. She missed sleepovers with the girls, poring over old yearbooks and gossiping about who looked better and who looked fat. She missed pizza and Diet Coke, hanging out at the mall, going to the movies. She missed the Friday night parties after the football game.
She missed being sixteen. She even missed Kaiser, who sometimes got on her nerves with his puppylike adoration, but who made her laugh like no one else. She couldn’t tell her boyfriend any of this, though, because that world didn’t include him. And Calvin didn’t like anything he wasn’t included in.
“You could come,” she said, but they both knew it wouldn’t happen. She didn’t want him there, and he sure as shit had no desire to hang out with a bunch of teenagers. He didn’t respond, and when she went to kiss him, he turned his face so she only got his cheek.
She was three minutes late to cheer practice. The girls were stretching as she ran into the gym, out of breath and slightly disheveled. Tess DeMarco, a fellow cheerleader and a girl who desperately wanted to be Angela’s best friend, gave her the once-over.
“You’re late,” Tess said. “Again. What is it now, the fourth time?”
“Shut up, Tess,” Geo said.
Angela, who was on the floor stretching her hamstrings, looked up. “Don’t tell her to shut up. Youarelate. And this is the fourth time.”
The gym went quiet. Bodies stopped moving. The rest of the squad always listened with rapt attention whenever Angela, their cheer captain, spoke.
“Ang, come on, it’s three minutes.” Geo glanced up at the clock on the gym wall. “I’m here. I’m ready to work.”
“You’re not even dressed,” Angela said. Geo was still wearing her school uniform. “You might as well have stayed with Calvin. He’s all you give a shit about now, anyway.”
Geo felt her face redden, painfully aware that the other girls were hanging on every word. Tess in particular wore a vicious smile, enjoying every second of it.
“Ang, stop it. It’ll take me two minutes to change.”
“If this is so inconvenient for you, then why do you even want to do this? You clearly think you’re too good for it. For the team. And for me and Kaiser, who, by the way, says you haven’t returned any of his calls in, like, two weeks.”
“Of course I don’t,” Geo said. This was getting way out of hand, and she was desperate to end the conversation. “You know how much you—”
“You don’t want to quit? Fine, I’ll do it for you,” Angela snapped, cutting her off. She made a point of addressing the other girls. “Who here wants Georgina off the squad?”
