Anna
"Your lying."
Louise
"It's true."
Anna
"You hit Dylan Lynch with your car AND you signed his cast?"
Louise
"Yeah. It was—"
There's a hard tap on my shoulder. I gulp when I turn around and see who it is.
Nikki
"You hit my boyfriend with your crappy car?"
Louise
"It was an accident."
Nikki
"AND you signed his cast?! Are you kidding me?!?"
I gulp. This girl is terrifying.
Nikki
"Look, Cheese. Just because Dylan was forced to play with you as a kid... Does NOT mean you're friends. Got it?"
I swallow hard as I try to keep eye contact with her, but it's so hard. Nikki is half-demon. I'm sure of it.
Nikki
"You'll always be a loser, Cheese."
I close my eyes and take a deep breath. I see Dylan smiling at me last night. I feel his hand on mine. It gives me strength.
Louise
"I'm not a loser."
She smirks.
Nikki
"Remind me, who are you going to the prom with again?"
I drop my eyes.
Nikki
"Yeah. That's what I thought. Stay away from my man."
Anna is staring at me with wide eyes as I fight back tears.
Anna
"You weren't lying. It is true..."
Of course it's true that Dylan and I hung out. But it's not like it matters. I'll always be a loser. At lunch time, I see Dylan sitting with Nikki and his friends. Nikki turns and scowls when she sees me. But Dylan smiles. My heart starts pounding when he waves me over. My feet start moving on their own. They're walking toward him. Everyone at the table is staring at me with blank faces, except for Dylan. He's still smiling and it floods me with warmth. I've always felt like I could take over the world with him by my side.
Dylan
"Hey, Cheese!"
Louise
"Hi."
God, my voice is so small.
Dylan
"Did your mom pack any of those oatmeal cookies she makes?"
I'm incapable of talking. So Dylan takes the attention off of me by turning to his friends.
Dylan
"Her mom makes the best oatmeal cookies. I swear her secret ingredient is crack."
He slides away from his best friend, Matt, and pats the bench between them.
Dylan
"Sit down, Cheese. Matt, move over."
The awkwardness starts to fade as I sit down between them. Dylan has always been so good at putting people at ease.
Matt
"Is it true you hit this guy with your car?"
Louise
"It is."
Matt
"You should have finished him off for us."
Louise
"I tried, but his big head wouldn't fit under my bumper."
Dylan
"You should see this girl drive. She could have been a stunt driver on Mad Max."
Pretty soon, everyone is laughing, except for Nikki. She's just glaring at me from across the table.
Nikki
"Dylan. Don't you think our table is a little full already?"
