“I think he’d be okay.” I chew on my thumbnail, considering it. It might be weird for me, with her being around him. It’s not that I think she’d try to get back together with him again, but maybe if it hadn’t been for her, Alex and I would’ve been together sooner. “Anyway, I don’t think she wants to hang out with us on a regular basis. I think she was just as uncomfortable. I think it’s enough that we all know we’re all okay with each other. No more bitchiness.”
Steph and Keesh seem to be mulling it over. After a few beats, they both nod in agreement.
Andi and Travis squeeze through the doors of the cafeteria with a load of supplies in their hands. When I catch a glimpse of the small bandage on the back of her left hand, I cringe thinking how different things would be if she’d injured the right. She has full mobility of the left, but I know she’s still in pain. I can see it in her eyes.
“I’ve got giant-poster-making duty again. Who wants to help?” she asks.
“Wait. Hold up. I want you to make mine. Not some loser who can only draw stick figures.” Josh stands beside her with his arm resting on her shoulder.
“Dude, I’ve got you covered.”
To this, Josh starts rubbing his hands together like a little kid about to open a new toy. This dork is one of the five princes to make the royal court. If predictions are correct, he’ll be crowned king by a landslide. He’s the most loved guy on campus.
“When are we gonna start working on your skit, bro? We’re running out of time,” Travis asks.
Josh leaves Andi’s side now and hovers close to me. “Meggie, my dear friend. I need your help.”
I wince. “I’m scared to ask.”
“Actually, I need your mom’s help.”
Who knew getting Josh ready for his Backwards’ King Rally and dance would be such work? This boy may be easy going and the life of the party, but I think me and the girls have taken it a little too seriously.
Josh, you should wear this suit.
Josh, you should shake your ass to the crowd on the fourth count.
Josh, are you sure you don’t want to make up with Shayna? The freshman vote will seal the win for you.
To all these demands, our sweet friend smiled with a polite, “Nah, I’m cool.”
It’s rally time, the first of three big events this weekend.
“You girls look beautiful,” my mom tells us. “Josh is one lucky pimp.”
Josh holds out his fist to her. My mom pounds it like she’s one of the guys. “You try to fight it, but check it out. Here we are, all dressed up and ready to rock the runway like a bunch of rock stars.”
“Let me get another picture,” Mom says, holding up her digital camera.
Keesh and I snuggle up to Josh’s right side, while Steph and Andi take the left. While Josh is decked out in a vintage blue tuxedo with a white ruffled shirt, us girls are all wearing short minis, each in a different color.
“Perfect,” Mom says. “Total rockstars!”
The other princes have asked their girlfriends to escort them down the runway when they’re announced at the rally. Josh doesn’t have a girlfriend, but he has four girl-friends. And how could he choose just one? So instead, he asked all of us to join him.
And when he puts on his fedora, and we walk down the aisle on his side, he does look pretty pimp.
“Finally, we’d like to welcome, Prince Josh, escorted today by his harem,” I choke on my own saliva and have to hide a cough, “Stephanie, Andi, Keesha, and Megan, also known as his little sisters and best friends. He enjoys going to the beach, a good party, swing dancing,” I choke again, “and is best known for his killer fastball and his cute butt on the pitching mound.” Oh my god. “Prince Josh would like to thank Mama Miller for showing him the right stuff, and his friends and family for all their support. Let’s give a big Carver shout out for Prince Josh.” The applause and cheers from the audience rival that of girls at a Big Time Rush concert.
There’s a mad rush as we make it back to the wings, out of view from everyone. Josh runs to the guy’s dressing room where his fellow boy band members are waiting to get him ready. The girls head in the other direction to get changed into our manic fan clothes.
Josh is the last of the princes to perform so once we’re dressed, it’s a waiting game yet again.
“And for our last skit of the rally, let’s hear it for the new king on the block!” The auditorium is pitch black as his music starts. Then one by one a spot light hits each of the guys. First one of Josh’s teammates, then another. Travis is next, and Dom. Finally, in the center, the spotlight finds Josh. His head rises slowly and his big smile flashes the crowd. Girls get to their feet screaming like they’re at a real concert.
With a theme like Ultimate Boy Bands, Josh couldn’t resist asking my mom for her expertise in the field. She got them all studded up with ripped jeans, leather jackets, and grungy t-shirts. Josh, needing to stand out, wears denim overalls—can you believe that—with no shirt underneath, and one strap hanging down like he’s Donnie Wahlberg incarnate. My mother is too much.
Just as the song starts, and Josh and the guys begin lip-syncing and dancing like their playing a combo of SingStar and Just Dance 3 on their PS3, the girls and I rush the stage like lunatic fans. We put our hands out to them, squealing like little pigs, and fanning ourselves like we’ve got front row seats at a real live performance by the hottest new band in town. Josh plays the part of a sexy boy-bander and reaches down to touch my hand. I go wild, just like any self-respecting fan would, and pretend to cry.
“Oh, my god. Did you see that? He touched me.” I scream again, jumping up and down. “I love you Josh! Marry me! Have my babies!” I don’t know if anyone hears me, but I’m having fun.
Whap! Something hits Josh in the face. He holds up a red lace bra, twirls it around his finger, and then puts it in his pocket, pointing at Keesh with a wink. She freaks out just like I did.
And then it’s over. Out of breath and sweating like we’ve just run a hundred suicides, we all run backstage laughing our asses off.
“Dude, that was awesome!”
“Oh my god, I haven’t had that much fun is so long,” I say, panting.
Mr. Mitchell stomps right into the center of our breathless circle. “That had to be the most inappropriate thing I’ve seen in years.” Oh shit. “I loved it!” He holds up his palm to high-five each of us. “I’m probably gonna get a good talking to but it was worth it. You had the crowd going, Josh. Good job!”
The King is not going to be crowned until the dance tomorrow, but we’re all going to the game tonight anyway. There’s a lot of fun to be had with Powder Puff football, boy cheerleaders, and the halftime show.
Nothing can top last year’s half time, though. Mr. Fuller proposed right there on the field in front of everyone, and my teacher accepted. We all helped with the planning and made it happen without a hitch. Tonight, they’re on the sidelines with baby Noah in a stroller. Mrs. Fuller looks great. Her belly is gone and she’s glowing. I can only hope to have that same glow when I’m married to my hot guy and we have a beautiful healthy baby.
“Hey, Meggie. Are you ready to kick some booty?” Mrs. Fuller asks.
I pull back the soft blue blanket so I can get a better view of Noah. He still has those chubby cheeks and wild hair. “Yeah. I guess. We messed around at practice more than anything. If I didn’t watch football with my dad and Alex, I’d have no idea what I’m doing.”
Mr. Fuller chuckles. “I doubt anyone will notice if you guys suck. They’ll be too busy watching these fools over here.”
Josh and Travis are practicing their leg kicks at the moment. Thankfully, they have some slider shorts on under their skirts, or it’d be a little awkward. “Yeah, they’re taking this way beyond serious.”
He’s still observing the crazy. “Did they really shave their legs?”
I chuckle. “Their armpits too.”
He rolls his eyes, shaking his head. “I’m gonna put a Barbie on Travis’s desk on Monday,” he says, with a slight laugh.
“Bye, baby Noah. See you later, little guy. Say hi to your little cousin for me.” His mouth curves up on the side, and I convince myself he’s smiling at me.
“They’ll be here later,” Mrs. Fuller says of the new Mrs. Gelson and her family. “Stop by and visit us after the game.”
“Will do,” I tell them, as I jog away to join my team.
We may be good at soccer, but as flag football players, we stink. The juniors kick our asses 34-10. We don’t care though. It was fun, even if I did get tripped and had to eat turf as I hit the ground. I have a little bit of a burn on my chin, but nothing serious. Keesh got the worst of it as our quarterback. Those juniors are fierce. Many times they forgot we were playing flag, and they sacked her ass. Of course, there were penalties but that didn’t stop them from playing rough.
I breathed a sigh of relief when Andi took herself out of the game after the first few plays. Her hand is still bothering her and she doesn’t want to risk hurting her money-maker. That girl is gonna be featured in magazines and museums someday. No point in ruining the possibility for something as goofy as us girls playing football.
For our very last Backwards’ dance, the six of us still stuck in high school decide to go as a group. Even Andi and Travis ditch their couple status for the night. Dom is staying home. Alex isn’t driving down. Ben … well, he’s out perfecting his skills in the art of killing people. So it’s the four girls and the two dudes, hitting the dance floor in jeans and tees. The girls are wearing our New King On The Block shirts—that we had custom made at the mall—to support Josh. Travis and Josh are both sporting shirts that say, “I’m with Doofus.” When they stand side by side, an arrow points to the other one. It’s so dorky, but it’s so them it’s scary.
We all work up a sweat dancing the Cupid Shuffle, shuffling from side to side, kicking and turning. As the song comes to an end, Mr. Mitchell takes his place at the mic. He calls for everyone to clear the dance floor except for the princes. Josh lines up with the four other guys, a smile spread across his face like a giddy little kid. His eyes almost sparkle he’s so excited. And we all are, for him.
“And now the moment you’ve all been waiting for … can I get a drum roll?” A sound rumbles through the speakers. “You all voted, the tallies are in. And this year’s Backwards crown goes to our very own Carver celebrity. Our very own baseball stud. Give it up for … King Josh!”
Our friend steps forward, with a dramatic bow, and then he points in several directions, mouthing, “Thank you. Thank you.” Then, the dork brings his fingers to his lips and starts blowing kisses. I can’t help but laugh and neither can the rest of my friends.
“All right, Josh. C’mon now.” Mr. Mitchell shakes his head with a grin. “Let’s get this kid crowned.” One of our classmates sits a crown on his big head and another tosses a velvet robe around his shoulders. “And now it’s time for the King’s first dance. Grab your lady.”
“Just one?” Josh shouts, looking back at him.
Mr. Mitchell raises a brow.
Josh jogs over to our group. “C’mon, Keesha. You’re first.” And then he turns back. “I’ll be back for the rest of you.”
And he does. He comes back for each of us, spending just a few beats dancing with all his dates. He ends the song in Travis’s arms which has the crowd snapping pictures and roaring with laughter.
Chapter 24
Mail is sitting on my bed when I get home from school. I’m so sick of all the college brochures and fliers. I already applied everywhere I want to go, so why these rinky dink, no-name technical schools—who are just trying to steal your money—keep sending stuff at all is crazy. I scoop up the pile and toss it in the trash.
An insane amount of homework awaits, so I empty my backpack on my bed and scan the contents wondering where I should start first.
My phone chimes from somewhere near the bottom of the heap. I shuffle around my notebooks and binder till I find it.
It’s from Keesh.
Did u chk ur mail? I got into Davis!
I reread her message a few more times to let it sink in.
Oh shit!
In a split second, my wastebasket is dumped on the floor and I’m sifting through all the mess I thought was junk mail. How could I be so stupid. I knew they’d be here soon.
Finally, I see a larger white envelope. Big. That’s good, right?
My mom pops here head in.
“Anything you wanna share? I’ve been waiting patiently in the kitchen.” She eyeballs the trash on the floor. “What happened here?”
“Mom, why didn’t you say anything? I thought this was all junk mail and I threw it away.”
Her lips form an “O”.
“Keesh just sent me a message. She got in to Davis.”
My mom claps. “I think that’s the envelope you got. I’m excited for you, honey. But I’m not gonna lie. I’ll miss you if you go all the way up there.”
“I haven’t even opened it yet so don’t get your panties in a bunch.”
She nods. “Okay, open it, would you? I’m dying here.”