Picking Up The Pieces

37. Decathlon Ditch

"Why are the signs so heavy?" Faith grumbled, standing beneath it as Liz pulled it up. I stood on the other side, pulling the top corner up while my step ladder shook precariously. "It's just paper and dried paint, and there's no downward-"

"Faith, sweetie, just help so we can get this poster done as quickly as possible," Betty shushed her, standing below me and pushing up the poster so I could pin it to the wall.

"I got this side up!" I said excitedly, letting go of the poster and climbing down.

"Mine too!" Liz added, following my actions. The four of us stepped back to admire our work. "That took a lot longer than expected. Maybe we can get another up before school is over?"

"As much as I'd love to help with that, I promised Stacy that I would help her with choosing songs for homecoming," I told them, crossing my arms across my chest. "And she's still hoping that Flash asks her out."

"You need to knock some sense into that girl, because Thompson is most definitely not asking her out," Betty sighed, pulling her black headband out of her blonde hair, running her fingers through before putting the headband back on. "She deserves better."

"Go help her," Liz nodded. "When we were talking this morning, she seemed stressed." I nodded, picking my backpack off the ground and turning toward the lunch tables. It was perfect timing, because she was just coming out of the lunch line, two trays in her hands.

"I took the time to buy you something," she smiled, handing me a tray. "Michelle's saved us a few seats."

"Good," I smiled back, scanning for where Michelle was sitting, two seats away from Peter and his friend Ned. "Over there." Stacy looked at me with a raised eyebrow and a smirk, causing me to roll my eyes. "Oh, stop."

"You guys are losers," I heard Michelle tell the two of them, causing Peter to give her a look.

"Well, then why do you sit with us?" Ned asked her.

"Because I don't have any friends."

"Count me hurt, Chelle," I said, causing the three to turn to the sound of my voice. "What are Stacy and I, chopped liver?"

"You two are friends," Michelle rephrased, going back to her sketchbook. "Everyone else I consider acquaintances."

"Hey, Stacy," Ned greeted with a small smile. "Hey, Bella."

"'Hey, Ned,'" I smiled back. As soon as Stacy's tray hit the table, her laptop was whipped out of her bag. "Stacy, eat first."

"Lunch has approximately fourteen minutes and thirty-six seconds left," Stacy said back, typing furiously. "Homecoming is three hours long. The average song is roughly three minutes, meaning homecoming needs almost sixty songs. We'll round it to fifty-three songs since there will be two live performances by show choir. Then there's Courtney's slow dance solo."

"Well you seem stressed," Michelle murmured under her breath.

"No shit, Sherlock!" Stacy groaned. "Okay, you four. Homecoming songs, start listing them. Go!" Peter and Ned looked at each other nervously, not knowing an answer but to afraid to say that out loud.

"'Cheap Thrills' by Sia," I answered for them, and Ned gave me a grateful look. "'Perfect Illusion' by Lady Gaga. 'Single Ladies' by Beyonce."

"''Cotton Eye Joe' by Rednex," Ned chimed in quickly, and Stacy's fingers stopped typing. She gave him a raised eyebrow.

"'Cotton Eye Joe', really?"

"Yes," Ned pushed. "It's iconic. You have to."

"Cotton... eye... joe," Stacy said out loud as she typed his request in. "Ooh, how about some BTS?" I nodded, not paying much attention as she rambled songs to put on the list for homecoming. I took a bite from the apple on my lunch tray, wincing a little from the bitter taste. I snuck a glance at Peter, who was reading something on his phone.