The Twenty Year Triangle

Chapter Eighteen

Sept-Dec 2000 

Walking through the halls at school now I feel confident, A boyfriend. I have a boyfriend! I wear Gabe's lettered jacket proudly as I walk down the halls.

"Hey Kinz," Shelby surprises me, falling into step with me, her best friend Kelly tagging behind her.

They are wearing their cheerleading uniforms; they wear them to school all season. Until it starts getting too cold, then they wear track pants with their school jackets.

"Oh, hi," I say politely.

"Love your hair like that," Kelly says as she stands beside me.

"Thanks," I say as she flips my long French braid.

"Yeah, it's super cute," Shelby agrees.

"The first game is this Friday; you're going, right?" Kelly asks.

"Of course, she is," Shelby answers for me. "Gabe'll need his good luck charm out there."

I blush at that.

"It's true. He's crazy about you," Kelly gushes.

"When did he give you his jacket to wear?" Shelby asks.

"Just today," I confess. Oh... is this why they're being friendly to me?

"Do you think Billy will give you his soon?" Kelly asks Shelby, whose face scrunches up at the question.

"He better! It's been two weeks now. If he doesn't soon, that's it—"

As we round a corner, we run right into Zoe, literally. Shelby almost knocks the girl over as she rams right into her.

"Are you okay?" I ask Zoe as she stumbles back to balance.

"No! She ran right into me," Shelby answers and then disdainfully looks at Zoe. "Watch where you're going!"

"You and your little prep squad ran into me," Zoe deadpans with a bored look on her heavily made-up face.

"Did not," Shelby huffs back.

"We kind of did," I admit, and Shelby shoots me an irritated look.

"Sorry, Zoe," I add, ignoring Shelby's glare.

"Whatever," Zoe says as she walks off.

"Freak!" Shelby yells at her back.

Zoe keeps walking but holds up a middle finger.

"Why'd you take her side over mine?" Shelby snaps at me, and my cheeks grow warm.

"I... we did run into her," I stammer. Well, technically, just Shelby did, but I don't say all that.

"So what? She's a freak," Shelby mutters.

"I heard she had to leave her last school in the middle of the semester. So, they made her redo sophomore year here," Kelly says in a low voice.

"Really?" I ask curiously. "What happened?"

"Who knows," Kelly says. "Must've been bad, though."

"I bet she got expelled for drugs or something like that." Shelby guesses. "She looks like a hard druggie."

"She so does!" Kelly agrees quickly. "And that outfit? Did you see how tight her shirt was? Like we get it, you have huge boobs."

"Such a slut," Shelby agrees. "I bet that's why she left her old school. Ruined her rep."

"Maybe she banged a teacher," Kelly is saying.

I stop walking with them as an uncomfortable feeling washes over me.