Be Mine (15 page)

“Hi,” Eden said.

Twelve-year-old Thelma, who Eden thought resembled the singer Rihanna, said hi, but eight-year-old Yvonne hid behind Dexter, shyly peeking out at Eden. She was an adorable little girl with a head full of thick twisty braids held with colorful barrettes.

“I'm going to make hot chocolate,” Angie said, heading into the kitchen. “Why don't you guys pick a movie?”

“What should we watch?” Thelma asked as they walked into the living room.

“
Dreamgirls
,” Yvonne begged. “Please, please, please.”

Dexter groaned. “We've already seen that five times.”

“I don't mind seeing it again,” Eden said as they sat down on a brown couch. She gazed around the living room. It was a warm, cozy room with a wood-burning fireplace, pumpkin-colored walls, and comfortable armchairs.

“Who's your favorite Dreamgirl?” Thelma asked, sitting next to Eden. Yvonne, meanwhile, stayed close to Dexter's side.

“I like Effie.”

“Deena's my favorite.”

Everyone loves Deena
, Eden grumpily thought.
On-screen and off
.

“Why do you look so sad?” Thelma asked as Dexter turned the TV on and started to fiddle with the DVD player.

“My love life is a mess,” Eden confessed.

“Were you crying?”

“A little bit,” Eden confessed. Then she gave Thelma and Yvonne a smile. “But I'm feeling much better now.”

“Yvonne,” Angie called out from the kitchen, “come and help me.”

“Are your folks out for the night?” Eden asked Dexter as Yvonne raced into the kitchen.

“They had a charity benefit to go to in Manhattan.”

“So you're in charge?”

“Ha!” Angie laughed as she came into the living room carrying a tray filled with mugs of hot chocolate and putting it down on the coffee table. “That's what he likes to think. But we're the ones calling the shots.”

Yvonne held a mug of hot chocolate out to Eden. “I put extra marshmallows in yours,” she quietly said.

“You did?”

Yvonne nodded. “Extra marshmallows always make me feel better. Maybe they'll make you feel better, too.”

Hearing those sweet words made Eden want to wrap her arms around Yvonne. “Thanks.”

“I like your earrings,” Yvonne said.

Eden flicked one with her finger. “Want to try them on?”

“Really?” Yvonne gasped.

“Sure,” Eden said, taking them off and fastening them in Yvonne's pierced earlobes.

“How do I look?” Yvonne asked, preening for Eden. The earrings were a bit too long for someone so small, but she looked cute.

“I think you might have to grow into them. Why don't you put them away in your jewelry box? Then when you get older, you can wear them.”

“You mean I can have them?” Yvonne gasped in disbelief.

“If you want them, you can have them. But only if you promise to share them with Thelma,” Eden said, not wanting there to be hurt feelings.

“I promise!” Yvonne quickly replied.

“Eden, you can't do that,” Dexter said.

“Why not?” she asked, taking a sip of her hot chocolate. “I can always get another pair at the mall. They weren't super expensive.”

“That's very nice of you.” Dexter turned to his little sister. “What do you say, Yvonne?”

She gave Eden a smile. “Thank you.”

“Ready for the movie?” Dexter asked, turning down the lights and aiming the remote control at the TV.

“Can I sit next to you?” Yvonne asked, snuggling next to Eden on the other side of the couch before waiting for an answer.

“Sure,” Eden said, wrapping an arm around Yvonne and feeling better for the first time that week.

“So where is he?”

At the sound of Claudia's voice, Jennifer slowly turned around from the chocolate dessert bar. She had been trying to decide between a brownie and a mini éclair.

“Where's who?” Jennifer asked, deciding to play dumb.

“Your boyfriend.”

“He's somewhere in this crowd.”

Jennifer watched as Will walked across the living room. He was wearing a pair of Levi's, a blue denim shirt that was open at the collar, and a brown leather vest. He looked like a modernday cowboy. All that was missing was a hat on his head.

“Here you go,” Will said, handing Jennifer a glass of cranberry juice.

“What are you doing here?” Claudia asked. “I didn't invite you to my party.”

“Yes, you did,” Will answered.

Claudia shook her head. “No, I didn't.”

“Okay, you didn't
personally
invite me,” Will corrected her. “You told my girlfriend to bring me.”

Claudia looked around. “And that's?”

“Me,” Jennifer said as she toasted Claudia with her glass of cranberry juice and took a sip.

Jennifer wished she had a camera. Claudia's face went from confused to shocked to stunned in less than a minute as she stared back and forth between Jennifer and Will.

“The two of you are dating?” she asked when she found her voice.

“Since New Year's Eve,” Jennifer said. “Don't you remember, Claudia? I told you at school. And then you were nice enough to invite me to your party and told me to bring Will.”

“You've been dating for the last month?”

“Uh-huh,” Will said.

“How come no one's seen the two of you out together?” Claudia suspiciously asked.

“We were taking things slow,” Will said. “Not rushing into anything. We didn't want everyone gossiping about us so we spent a lot of time at each other's houses. Just hanging out. But we made it official this week. Lots of people saw us.”

“Why this week? Why not last week or next week?”

Will wrapped an arm around Jennifer's waist, pulling her close. “I guess it's because Valentine's Day is coming. I want everyone to know she's mine. And then there's the Most Romantic Couple contest. We can't get votes if people don't know we're a couple.”

“You have to get nominated first,” Claudia icily replied.

“Shouldn't you be following your own advice?” Will asked, indicating all the VOTE FOR CLAUDIA AND CHASE signs.

Jennifer smothered a giggle. She thought Claudia's eyes were going to bug out of her head.
No one
ever dissed her that way. At least not to her face!

“We ran into Natalie and Tom last night after going to the movies,” Jennifer said, wanting to distract Claudia's attention from Will. “We shared a booth with them at The Burger Hut.”

Claudia stared at Jennifer. “Natalie didn't tell me that.”

“I asked her to keep it a secret,” Jennifer said without thinking.

As soon as the words were out of her mouth, Jennifer realized she had made a mistake.

“And she said she would?” Claudia hissed.

She didn't even wait for an answer as she angrily stormed off.

“Uh-oh,” Jennifer said to Will. “I think I just messed up.”

“Big time,” Will agreed. “I would
not
want to be in Natalie's shoes when Claudia finds her.”

Natalie was bored out of her mind.

She hadn't seen Tom since they'd arrived at the party. He'd disappeared with Chase and his other sports buddies to play with the Wii down in the basement. And Eden had left the party way too early. Something had upset her, but she'd run out so fast, Natalie hadn't had a chance to find out what was wrong.

Natalie sighed as she sipped the last of her Diet Coke from the red plastic cup she was holding. There were a bunch of familiar faces from school, but no one whom she considered a close friend. For some reason, that made her think of Leo. Even though she hardly knew him and was just learning more about him, she felt like she knew him better than most of the people here tonight. She wondered if he was going to take her up on her invitation and come to the party. Probably not.

She was walking back into the kitchen to refill her cup when Claudia grabbed her by the arm and pulled her into the bathroom.

“Hey! That hurts!” Natalie said as Claudia's long nails dug into her sleeve.

“How could you betray me this way?” Claudia demanded.

“Betray you?” Natalie was confused. “What are you talking about?”

“Jennifer and Will! Why didn't you tell me they were dating?”

That's what she was having a meltdown about? “Why? What's the big deal?”

“She caught me completely off guard! I looked like an idiot! I thought she'd drag along someone nerdy like Shermy Hansen, Violet's cousin, to pretend to be her boyfriend. I wasn't expecting her to show up with Will Sinclair! Do you know how high her stock is going to rise? Every girl at North Ridge High is going to want to know how she tamed the Heartbreaker!”

Was it her imagination or did Claudia seem a little bit jealous? She vaguely remembered Claudia mentioning Will at one point over the summer. Something like if she were ever to cheat on Chase, she'd have to do it with a guy who was his complete opposite. Someone like Will Sinclair.

She could never ask Claudia if she was jealous of Jennifer. She'd do more than sink her nails into her arm. She'd tear it off!

“This guy has never had a girlfriend and suddenly he's dating Jennifer?” Claudia shook her head. “It doesn't make sense.”

“Why not?” Natalie asked. “They seemed like they were into each other last night. Who can explain love? When it happens, it happens.” Natalie waved her empty plastic cup. “If you're finished interrogating me, I'd like to get a refill.”

“Don't ever keep a secret from me again, Nat,” Claudia warned before stepping aside.

It was on the tip of Natalie's tongue to say,
Or what?
But she didn't. Instead, she went into the kitchen. As she was heading back to the living room, she could hear Claudia's voice. And it was nasty.

“What are you doing here, Blubber Boy? I didn't invite you. I think you took a wrong turn on the way to the all-you-can-eat buffet.”

Natalie heard laughter.

“Now take your ginormous butt and get out! I'd have you thrown out but I don't think there are enough guys here to lift all that flab!”

There was more laughter.

When Natalie reached the living room and saw who everyone was laughing at, she almost dropped her red cup.

Leo!

She ran to his side. “Leo! You came!”

“And now I'm going,” he said, heading for the front door.

“This fat loser thought he could crash my party,” Claudia told Natalie.

“He's not crashing.” Natalie placed a hand on Leo's arm so he would stay. “I invited him.”

“
You
invited him?” Claudia asked in disbelief. “Why?”

“He's my friend.”

“He's
your
friend,” Claudia said. “Not my friend. And this is
my
party. Who said you could invite him?
No
fatties are allowed.”

“This was a mistake,” Leo said, shaking off Natalie's arm. “What was I thinking? I never should have come.”

And then, before Natalie could stop him, before she could say she was sorry for the way he had been treated, Leo left the party.

Jennifer couldn't believe the way Claudia had treated Leo Barnes. What was her problem?

“Man, is she cold,” Will said.

Jennifer could see an upset Natalie digging through the pile of coats in the hallway. “I'll be right back.”

Jennifer walked over to Natalie's side. “Need any help?”

“I'm looking for my coat. It's a white parka with a hood. The hood is trimmed in fake brown fur.”

Jennifer began sorting through the coats. “I know you want to go after Leo, but don't. If you do, you'll only make Claudia madder.”

“She's already mad at me.”

“That's my fault. I let it slip that you knew about Will and me.”

“I know.” Natalie held out her wrinkled arm. “Courtesy of Claudia's claws.”

“Yikes!”

“Don't worry. I've had my rabies shot,” Natalie said dryly. She started frantically searching through the pile again. “
Where
is my coat?! I'm tempted to take someone else's!”

“Natalie, don't leave,” Jennifer repeated. “It's only going to make things worse. Plus, you also have a boyfriend. How would it look if you went running after another guy?”

Do I have a boyfriend?
Natalie wondered. She hadn't seen Tom the entire night. He was too busy hanging out with his jock buddies. Talk about being ignored!

“If you leave, isn't Tom going to wonder where you are?”

That was true. With her luck, he'd come looking for her the second she left. And the last thing she wanted was another fight with him. She didn't think he'd be too happy if he heard she had gone running after Leo Barnes.

“Leo probably wants to be by himself right now,” Jennifer pointed out. “I'll bet he's feeling embarrassed.”