“Prom?” He looked at me with uncertainty.

Uncertainty is not the facial expression you want to see a guy wear when you’ve just asked him out, and I started to prepare myself for the latest round of rejection from Josh.

I was still second-best. Or worse yet, I was third or fourth, or perhaps even in the only-if-you-were-the-last-woman-on-earth category.

Josh cocked his head. “But aren’t you going out with Logan?”

“Logan?”

“Yeah, I thought you two were a couple.”

“We’re not dating. Why would you think that?”

He shrugged. “I don’t know. I guess every time I see you, you’re hanging out together.”

Well, that explained why he never flirted back with me. He thought I was taken.

Now that this little misconception was cleared up, everything would be different between us.

I tried not to blush. “No, I’m not seeing anyone right now.”

“Oh.” Josh cracked a small smile, and I wondered if I was blushing despite myself.

“Well, then I’d be happy to go with you.”

We discussed the details, the day and time—that sort of thing, and all the while I kept hearing his sentence, “I’d be happy to go with you.”

He was happy. And I was blissful.

On Friday morning, as I dropped a bagel into the toaster for breakfast, Mom walked into the kitchen and leaned against the counter.

“We need to have a talk.”

A talk. Oh, no. Those were always bad words when they came from a parent’s mouth.

Before I could say anything, Mom went on. “During our post-fair meeting, Isabelle Woodruff told me she was sorry to hear about the flyers somebody made about you. She how you were doing.” Here, Mom tapped her fingers on the counter in a quick, angry rhythm. “I had to tell her I had no idea what she was talking about.”

My bagel popped up, but I didn’t reach for it. At the moment it wasn’t the only thing that was toast.

“Why didn’t you tell me about those flyers?” Mom went on. “I mean, somebody at school spreads vicious rumors about you, and you don’t even mention it in passing to your parents? We care about you, Samantha. These are the type of things we want to know about.”

Vicious rumors. The words rang in my ears. I opened my mouth to say something, but nothing came out. How could I now, how could I ever, tell her the truth? Finally I stuttered out, “It was just campaigning stuff. Everyone expects that kind of thing.”

“Well, I hope you marched right into the office and complained.”

I took the bagel out of the toaster and put it on my plate, even though I didn’t feel hungry anymore. “I took care of it.”

“Anyone who does that sort of campaigning ought to be thrown out of the race.”

I didn’t say anything. I just dipped my knife into the butter and slowly spread it across my bagel.

Mom looked off into the distance and shook her head. “Of course I let everyone know those flyers weren’t true. I told them that you hadn’t even got your test scores back yet. Eight ten. Honestly.” Now Mom looked back over at me. “Maybe it will come today.”

“Maybe.” If someone at the SAT board had a really cruel sense of humor and sent a second copy, that was.

CHAPTER 12

In art class the teacher told us to find a magazine picture that depicted an emotion and draw it. While I was in the supply room flipping through a Better Homes and Gardens, Elise and Cassidy came in. Elise dropped a stack of magazines beside me, then leaned up against the counter. “So tell me, Samantha, when you asked Josh to the prom, were you trying to kill our dog or just ruin our carpet?”

I looked at my magazine, and not at her. “How was I supposed to know your dog would eat my invitation? It’s not like I spelled it out in Alpo.”

“Some people use the phone to hold conversations. It’s cleaner that way.”

I refrained from an insult. It took superhuman powers. Cassidy turned a page of her magazine with such force she nearly ripped it in half. “You know, Samantha, I really had nothing to do with those flyers. You didn’t have to go and . . . ” She didn’t finish her sentence. She just flipped over another page.

“Go and what?” I asked.

“Go and do things to purposely upset me.”

“I didn’t ask Josh out to upset you.”

Elise ignored me and nodded knowingly at Cassidy. “See, it wouldn’t bother you that Samantha is throwing herself at Josh if you were really over him. This proves it.”

“This doesn’t prove anything,” Cassidy said.

“I’m not throwing myself at Josh,” I said. “I just asked him to a dance.”

Cassidy rolled her eyes.

“See,” Elise told Cassidy. “Admit it. You’re upset.”

“I am not upset,” Cassidy said, then to me added, “If you want to ask him out, fine.

Marry him for all I care.”

Elise turned to me and in a lower voice said, “It won’t do you any good to keep chasing Josh. He likes Cassidy. He always has.”

“Thanks for the warning,” I said sweetly. If Josh and I ever did get married, I definitely wouldn’t ask Elise to be a bridesmaid.

After lunch Logan came up to me while I got my biology book from my locker. He’d made a habit of checking up on me in between classes, and he leaned against the locker next to mine. “I hear you and Josh Benson are going to the prom.”

“Yep.” I wanted to see a twinge of jealousy on Logan’s face, but he only nodded. “So what ever happened to you and Brad?”

As if he didn’t know. By now the entire junior class knew how Brad had dumped me.

I just smiled at Logan. “It didn’t work out.”

“But you still think fondly of Brad anyway, right?”

“I think it would be fond if Brad—” I stopped myself only a moment before I blurted out an insult.

He broke into a big grin. “I almost had you there.”

I shut my locker door with a thud. “You know, you really ought to give up this silly bet because I doubt you’re Veronica’s type.”

“Why not?”

“Because you’re a—” I stopped myself again, and then simply shook my head to show him I wasn’t speaking to him any longer. I leaned against my locker and waited for him to leave, but he stayed where he was, watching me.

His eyes actually twinkled. It was odd, it really was, how jovial he’d become since our wager. It was like tormenting me had become the most fun thing in his life.

He leaned toward me. “You still have one more long week until you’re able to insult me. Why not just give up now and save yourself the inner turmoil?”

“You’re the one who ought to give up this bet. Do you know what people are saying about us?”

He shrugged. “That we’re the gambling sort?”

“No. That we like each other.”

He jerked his head back in astonishment. “Why?”

“Because we’re always talking to each other, and because— look, you’re doing it right now.”

“Doing what?” he asked with real alarm.

“You’re standing too close to me.”

He looked at where I stood and then down at his own feet. “What’s wrong with the way I’m standing? I’m at least two feet away from you.”

“Yeah, but you’re leaning toward me.”

“Only because you speak so softly, and besides, you’re leaning toward me too.”

I hadn’t noticed it before, and now I straightened up, but just a little. “You’re either going to have to stop walking me to class every day or do the honorable thing and ask me out, because otherwise people will think you’re just toying with my affections.”

“Toying with your affections?” He out and out guffawed. “No one would think that.”

“Josh and my friends all told me they thought we had something going on.”

“That’s only a few people.”

“If my friends think it, then other people do too . . . ” I shrugged a bit uncomfortably.

“If for no other reason than my friends don’t keep their opinions to themselves.”

Logan crossed his arms, but didn’t move away from me. “Well, then tell your friends to stop spreading wild rumors about our love life.”