* * *
—
Spencer and Callie both had first lunch. The cafeteria could accommodate less than two hundred, so lunch times were divided between fourth and fifth period. Spencer collected his tray and joined Joel and Brian, his two best friends, as usual. The three of them generally sat at the table alone. The popular girls congregated at a table on the other side of the cafeteria as far from “the nerds” as possible. The jocks sat close to the girls, which made sense. In between was everyone else, those not cool enough to be especially popular.
When Callie carried her tray over to their table, Spencer’s friends stared at him as if they didn’t know what to think.
“What’s she doing coming over here?” Joel asked, in a stage whisper.
“Beats me,” Spencer said, although he knew. She wanted to continue the conversation from that morning.
Callie placed her tray on the table and beamed a smile at Spencer and his friends.
“Hi, guys,” she said, as if she sat with them for lunch every day.
Before Spencer could suggest her joining them might not be such a great idea, Callie sat down. She leaned forward as though she’d been waiting all morning for this minute, which no doubt she had been.
“Seems to me you’re a little lost,” he said, hoping Callie would take the hint.
“Not at all,” she said, as though slightly offended by the comment. “Like I said earlier, I had such a good time at homecoming.”
“We both did,” Spencer said. That was the impression he’d wanted to leave, and the sole reason he’d followed through by attending homecoming. Although in retrospect, he wondered if anyone had really believed her act.
One thing about Callie. She knew how to get attention. First at the dance and then now. It seemed everyone in the cafeteria was watching the exchange. Spencer glanced toward the jock table and noticed Scott frowning in their direction. That wasn’t a good sign. The sooner Callie left, the better it would be for him and his friends.
“My dad hasn’t stopped talking about your car,” she said, as she picked up her ham-and-cheese sandwich. “He called your dad and the two were on the phone for a good thirty minutes.”
Spencer had heard about the call. It seemed their parents decided to do some outing together later in the month.
“Dad thinks it’s great that the two of us are dating. He never was overly fond of Scott.”
Spencer let the dating comment slide. They weren’t dating, and he had no intention of them dating. It had been his dream at one time, but no longer.
Joel leaned closer to Spencer and asked, “What does she want?”
Really, could Callie be any more obvious?
“Who says I want anything?” Callie asked, as though wounded by the suggestion.
“Experience,” Brian answered, before Spencer could.
Callie smiled encouragingly at his two friends before she took delight in announcing, “Spencer and I have an agreement.”
“No, we don’t,” he corrected. He refrained from reminding her he hadn’t agreed to anything.
“Yes, Spencer, we do,” she said, with emphasis as she lowered her sandwich back to the plate. “You know, the one I mentioned before the dance.”
He slowly shook his head. “I already told you what you need to do.”
She pouted ever-so-sweetly. “You know I can’t do that, and you know the reasons why.”
“Sorry, Callie, but either way, I’m out.” Spencer realized he’d need to be blunt if she was going to get the message.
Callie frowned. “This is important. You can’t just brush me off like this. I made a stand at the dance, and now Scott and all his friends are giving me grief. I did it so you’d help me find whoever is involved in…you know what.” She lowered her voice, as if afraid of being overheard.
“Told you she wanted something,” Joel said, with more than a hint of righteousness.
“We didn’t find anything before, and we would have if it’d been there,” Brian said.
“You told your friends?” Callie’s gaze shot to Spencer.
“Well, yeah. You didn’t think I did that search alone, did you?”
Her gaze shot to Brian and Joel. “So you two know about Ben?”
Both nodded, as if marionettes.
Brian returned his attention to Spencer. “You aren’t going to agree to help her, are you?” he asked, as if Spencer would be crazy to agree.
No question in his mind. “She has my answer.”
“Spencer, please.” Callie’s eyes misted with what he assumed were fake tears. He hated to be so skeptical; Callie was someone accustomed to getting what she wanted.