L8r, G8r (9 page)

SnowAngel:

maddie, i'm sorry to report that our zoe has gone over the edge. i fear she's becoming ONE OF THOSE.

mad maddie:

one of what?

SnowAngel:

you know, one of those girls whose lives revolve around their boyfriends. she hung out with him all last nite, and now she's off with him AGAIN—on a sunday morning when she should be lounging around with messy hair and eating lucky charms from the box!

mad maddie:

let's see, three guesses what UR doing right now?

SnowAngel:

*sniffs and pops special edition multi-colored whale into mouth*

mad maddie:

doug JUST got back in town. she's excited, that's all.

SnowAngel:

i guess *looks miffed anyway*

SnowAngel:

can i tell u something pervy?

mad maddie:

absolutely

SnowAngel:

last nite after dinner, the 4 of us went and played pool at coop's. then we went back to zoe's house and watched HBO, her and doug on one sofa and me and logan on the other. and the lights were off and the door was closed and zoe's parents weren't home … and it turned into this weird double Let's All Make Out session. is that sick? that's sick, isn't it?

mad maddie:

u were going at it in the same room? all 4 of u?

SnowAngel:

i know! there was this pretense that we were watching the movie, but no one was, and it was just … icky!

mad maddie:

so why'd u do it?

SnowAngel:

i dunno! cuz everybody just … did. AND cuz i didn't have any choice after the whole “angela's after doug” debacle. not that i'm still obsessing over that.

mad maddie:

paranoia will destroy ya …

SnowAngel:

it's like, i had to make even more of an effort than normal to be all rah-rah about logan, while at the same time NOT act in any possible way that could be considered flirty toward doug.

SnowAngel:

but i also had to be jokey and normal with doug, cuz otherwise it would be like admitting that those rumors had actually existed. oh, and that i cared.

SnowAngel:

it was exhausting.

mad maddie:

so to counteract those rumors, you said, “what the hell, let's have an orgy”?

SnowAngel:

at one point i heard doug whisper something to zoe about “lower, lower,” and zoe giggled in an aren't-we-naughty kind of way. it was some random private joke, obviously, but it gave logan ideas, and i had to take his hand and move it higher higher higher. i was like. “logan, NO. we r not doing that in zoe's house with zoe and doug five feet away!!!”

mad maddie:

u realize yr oversharing

SnowAngel:

and of course it made me think about your “hot and bothered” comment, which pissed me off.

SnowAngel:

so then zoe messaged me on facebook this morning to do a post-op on the date, and she was all glowing and giddy and a LITTLE embarrassed, but not nearly embarrassed enuff. it just made me think, what is my life coming to?

mad maddie:

zoe's in love. it's sweet.

mad maddie:

altho they do need to get their own room.

SnowAngel:

*shakes off whole experience*

SnowAngel:

i'm going to have a purging ritual, that's what i'm gonna do. aunt sadie bought this high-tech body wash yesterday with glycolic acid in it, and she said i could try it out.
supposedly it makes you itch like crazy, but afterward yr all silky and soft.

mad maddie:

uh, sure, dude. enjoy your acid bath. as for me, i'm gonna park my butt in front of the TV and have a Netflix marathon. i'm talking all day and deep into the night … cuz tomorrow senior privileges kick in!!! yeah!!!

SnowAngel:

aunt sadie is so confused about that, btw. she was like, “you mean, until now you COULDN'T sleep in? even if you had a free period 1st thing in the morning?” she thinks high school is like college or something.

mad maddie:

or maybe she just doesn't get the idea of NOT sleeping in. maybe she doesn't realize that other ppl have bosses/teachers who care.

SnowAngel:

i am very jealous that you'll be in your warm cozy bed while i'm in 1st period french.

mad maddie:

oh, babe. i feel for ya!

zoegirl:

hey, angela. i'm at java joe's… and guess who's working the counter?

SnowAngel:

who?

zoegirl:

margo pedersen! i'm the only customer, so she came over and hung out for a while. and angela, she broke up with ian!!!

SnowAngel:

ian??? maddie's ian?

zoegirl:

well, ian who *used* to be maddie's ian.

SnowAngel:

but he never got over her, so i can still call him that.

SnowAngel:

when did margo break up with him? and why?

zoegirl:

today—and the reason she gave is cuz she doesn't want “a long-term commitment” when she goes to college.

zoegirl:

she said she figured that since they were gonna break up anyway, they might as well do it now. she was all, “i don't want to be tied down. i wanna enjoy my senior year.”

SnowAngel:

she cldn't enjoy it with ian?

zoegirl:

that's what i said. and she said, “look, zoe. you and doug, if that's what you want, that's great. but i'm 18 yrs old, i'm not ready to settle down.”

zoegirl:

she was pretty condescending, actually. like she felt sorry for me because i *was* settled down.

SnowAngel:

i'm sure she didn't mean it that way

zoegirl:

no, she did. but that just means that what she and ian had wasn't as real as what doug and i have.

SnowAngel:

so ian's a free agent, huh? *taps chin*

zoegirl:

but to break up with him the day before valentine's day, isn't that harsh?

SnowAngel:

crap—valentine's day!

zoegirl:

why “crap”?

SnowAngel:

nothing, nvm

zoegirl:

???

SnowAngel:

i don't have anything for logan, that's all. i thought saturday nite was our valentine's day deal. i thought that was our whole celebration. but yesterday logan said something about a “valentine's surprise,” which means he's planning something else, which means i have to too. crap!

zoegirl:

go out and get him something. it's not hard.

SnowAngel:

what are you giving doug?

zoegirl:

a unicycle

SnowAngel:

a UNICYCLE?

zoegirl:

i found it on craigslist. isn't that the perfect doug gift?

SnowAngel:

great, a unicycle

SnowAngel:

yr gonna make me look bad here, zo

zoegirl:

make logan something homemade, like certificates for one free snuggle. i'm doing that too. i cut the certificates out of fancy stationery and decorated them with love stickers.

SnowAngel:

i can't do that. he'd think i copied you

zoegirl:

you don't have to get him something big, just give him something from the heart.

zoegirl:

want me to go shopping with you?

SnowAngel:

no, that's ok

zoegirl:

you sure? i'd be happy to.

SnowAngel:

i'm sure.

SnowAngel:

maddie, i'm a bad person!!!!

mad maddie:

why, what'd you do?

SnowAngel:

tomorrow's valentine's day, and logan has a “surprise” for me. but i have nothing for him!

mad maddie:

u need a ride to the mall?

SnowAngel:

zoe already offered, and i turned her down. wanna know why?

mad maddie:

why?

SnowAngel:

cuz i didn't WANT to go valentine's day shopping with zoe. i didn't want to hear her go on and on about how in love she is when … when …

mad maddie:

when what?

mad maddie:

once and for all, just say it.

SnowAngel:

*turns into a tiny person with a very tiny voice*

SnowAngel:

when maybe i'm not. in love. *crawls under a rock and puts hands over head*

mad maddie:

bravo, angela. clap, clap, clap.

SnowAngel:

you've known it all along, i know. and maybe i have too—or maybe it took seeing how truly head-over-heels zoe is to realize how un-head-over-heels i am.

SnowAngel:

know what the worst part is? all this tension over not feeling in love with logan is making it hard to even have fun with him. when normally i DO have fun with him, lots of fun. just … more as a friend.

mad maddie:

i'm soooo proud of you, a. if i were there, i'd give you a shiny gold star.

SnowAngel:

the whole stupid rumor thing didn't help either, cuz it was like everybody could c what i couldn't. not
that i was lusting after doug, just that i WASN'T lusting after logan.

SnowAngel:

altho i think it finally died out, don't you? the rumors?

mad maddie:

uh …

SnowAngel:

ok, if you have to say “uh,” don't answer.

SnowAngel:

but about logan—what am i gonna do?
just this afternoon he left a cherry mash for me in my locker, cuz he knows they're my fave. he's such a good guy. i don't wanna hurt him!!!

mad maddie:

you gotta cut him loose, angela. you have no choice.

SnowAngel:

but not the day before valentine's day! then i'd be just like

SnowAngel:

OMG, I FORGOT TO TELL YOU! MARGO PEDERSEN BROKE UP WITH IAN!!!

mad maddie:

whoa, tone it down

SnowAngel:

isn't that great? *happy dance, happy dance*

SnowAngel:

now you two can get back together!

mad maddie:

angela, yr un-frickin-believable! one second yr moaning and groaning over logan, and the next yr jumping up and down about ian?

SnowAngel:

i feel better now that i've gotten the logan thing off my chest.

SnowAngel:

*pats self in the chesty region* i do! i feel so much better!

mad maddie:

well lucky u, but what about logan?

SnowAngel:

i guess yr right—i have to break up with him. just not today, that would be heartless.

SnowAngel:

altho it prolly won't be as awful as i think. cuz when one person isn't into it anymore, usually the other person isn't either, right?

mad maddie:

no

SnowAngel:

what do you mean, no? the correct answer is yes, you blockhead!

mad maddie:

uh huh. that's why there's so many songs about broken hearts. that's why ppl shoot their exes out of jealousy. cuz everyone's like, “oh, you want to break up? great! no problem! that's what i want too!”

SnowAngel:

oh shut up *scowls at friend*

SnowAngel:

i can't believe you suggested that logan might SHOOT me!

mad maddie:

i did not just suggest

mad maddie:

grrrr

SnowAngel:

logan is not going to shoot me. logan might be sad, but logan'll be ok, and ultimately he'll be better off with someone who appreciates him.

SnowAngel:

and now enuff about logan. aren't you excited to hear about ian?

mad maddie:

angela … don't, k?

SnowAngel:

but why????

mad maddie:

i know it's this huge fantasy of yours that ian and i get back together, but whatever we once had … it was a long time ago.

SnowAngel:

but

mad maddie:

shush

SnowAngel:

if only you'd

mad maddie:

LET. IT. GO.

SnowAngel:

is it cuz of vincent?

mad maddie:

omg, yr unbelievable

mad maddie:

no, angela, it's not cuz of vincent. it's just that we don't ALL need a boyfriend to make our lives feel complete.

SnowAngel:

you're no fun at all

mad maddie:

sure i am. i'm tons of fun.

SnowAngel:

guess i better go buy logan a v-day present since yr being such a poop. tootles!