Frogs & French Kisses #2 (9 page)

My good mood lasts until the next morning, when Raf walks past my locker. I wave and our eyes lock and I think, This is it! But then . . . he gives me his half smile, waves back, and walks away. Hello? He’s supposed to be under my spell. Why isn’t it working? Is his hatred for me that intense?

I don’t have time to dwell because we’re rounded up for a second all-school meeting in the auditorium. I shuffle inside and find a chair in the front row. Alone. With an empty seat on each side of me. Apparently, my loser status is still intact.

Mrs. Konch, Mr. Earls, and Will Kosravi are back onstage. “We have some unfortunate news,” Mr. Earls says. “The damage to the gym, the cafeteria, the locker rooms, and the downstairs classrooms will cost approximately forty thousand dollars to repair.”

The room collectively gasps.

“Even more unfortunate is that the insurance company does not cover acts of cows. Especially since they’re sure that this is an act of vandalism, or as some might call it, the senior prank.”

I sink lower in my seat. Insurance won’t cover it?

Will takes the microphone. “Guys, I’m pleading with you: if you know who’s responsible, turn them in. Because the money has to come from somewhere. Please do the right thing.” It’s almost as if he’s looking directly at me . . . right into my liable soul.

Guilt explodes in my stomach like a bad case of food poisoning. Maybe I should come clean. I’ll go to Konch’s office and admit it’s my fault. My family’s, anyway. Yeah, right. I could never turn Miri in. The government would go nuts, and she would be forced to live in a glass box where creepy scientists would study her every move. Poor Miri. I want to wrap her in a warm blanket and protect her, not turn her in. Anyway, she didn’t mean any harm. She was trying to save the cows.

Mr. Earls is glaring at the seniors in the back row. It’s not like anyone suspects me. I look up at Mrs. Konch. She’s eyeing the last few rows with extra suspicion. And Will is . . . still staring at me. Right at me. Intensely at me. I quickly look away. Oh, no. He knows. Gulp. Impossible. He can’t have a clue. He’s probably not even looking at me. He’s most likely admiring some hottie behind me. Why am I such a diva? I twist around, but the block of rows behind me is filled with sophomore boys. Hmm. Slowly, I lift my head back up. Oh, no. He’s still staring! I know, he probably hates me because of Raf. That must be it. Of course he doesn’t know about the cows. He hates me because I stood up his baby brother. Just as I want to protect Miri, Will wants to protect Raf.

I sit on Miri’s spell book to get her attention. “We need to zap up some money.”

“I have forty bucks,” she says, pointing her chin toward her piggy bank.

“A little more than that.” It still stinks like oranges in here even though we gave them all away.

She drops her pen. “How much?”

“Forty thousand.”

“Are you crazy?”

“Unfortunately not. The cow damage is expensive to fix. And they don’t know where to get the cash.”

Her face drains of color. “What are we going to do?”

“Rob a bank?”

She jumps out of her chair and cracks open her piggy bank, which looks nothing like a pig, since it’s a plastic slot machine. You press a cherry and it opens up. I know this not because she’s shown me, but because I once had to borrow five bucks. Fine, ten bucks. All right, fifty, but I was desperate. She waves a twenty in the air. “Let’s do a multiplying spell!”

“I don’t know,” I say, feeling squeamish. “I didn’t mean we need to zap up money literally.”

“Why not? It’s perfect! We’ll whip some up, and you’ll mail it to the principal. Problem solved.”

“I’m pretty sure that’s mega-illegal.”

She sits back down in her chair. “Why?”

As much as it pains me, I explain. “We’d be creating counterfeit bills. And each bill has a serial number. So the school would know. And if they didn’t know, we could get them into a lot of trouble.” When did I become the responsible one?

“I don’t think anyone would notice,” she says stubbornly.

“It’s too risky. We’ve already caused enough trouble. And you have to think of the consequences. In this case, jail.” I try to remember what we learned during first semester in economics. “Anyway, you can’t just make up your own money. It would cause inflation.”

“I don’t get it.”

“Me neither. But it doesn’t matter. We need a new plan. We have to
earn
money.”

She drags her spell book out from under me. “I told you my idea. If you don’t like it, come up with something else. Anyway, I’m busy. I need to find a way to get oranges to Africa.”

“Excuse me?”

“Helping African orphans is number two on my list. You’d know what I was talking about if you hadn’t fallen asleep when we were making it. They need the vitamin C even more than New Yorkers do. We could take the broom there, but there must be a faster way.”

“There are airplanes. Come up with a way to earn money and we can take a trip.” I should really take a look at this list.

Miri snorts. “Airplanes. Please. Don’t you get it? I have powers.”

Better make it a first-class ticket for her big head.

It’s Tuesday morning, and I still have no new moneymaking ideas. I’m stuffing my jacket into my locker, trying to be as inconspicuous as possible, when I spot Will standing like a statue, staring at me. Again, intensely, like he’s burning up. His black hair looks messy, and his big brown eyes are flashing. Come on, Will, it’s time to move on. Raf and I are going to be back together as soon as the spell kicks in and then you’re going to feel stupid for hounding me.

I pile my necessary books into my arms and march away from him. What a jerk. A sexy jerk, but still a jerk.

“Do not drink from that glass,” Tammy tells me, wagging her finger at me in disapproval.

“Oops.” I return it to her glass coffee table with a bang. “My mistake.”

“That was your third try,” she whispers. “I’m on to you.”

Tammy has no voice because she’s still sick. We’re both sitting on the mauve suede couch in her living room, watching a classic-movie marathon. Our heads are at opposite ends, and our feet are scrunched into a ball in the middle. “Trust me, you don’t want to get sick. Aaron and I are both miserable. We can’t even leave the house! How can a relationship last when the couple doesn’t even see each other?”

“If you want it to last, it will last,” I say. “And trust me, being at home is better than being at school,” I whine. “I can’t handle another day. You don’t know what it’s like. No one will talk to me. Jewel won’t look at me. Melissa hisses.” At least London has been suspiciously absent. Guess she can’t deal with her own revenge, huh? At least she’s taken down the freaks Web site. “Raf ignores me. And now his brother hates me too! I told you, he’s stalking me! And I had to eat lunch in the library again by myself. No one wants to talk to me!”

“Rachel, I spoke to Janice and she asked about you. She said she always looks for you at lunch.”

“Oh. Right.” Well. I forgot about Janice, Sherry, and Annie. “I guess I could do that.” But they’re Tammy’s friends, not mine. And they’re a little annoying, I’ll be honest. “I could sit with them.” Or . . .

I make another (unsuccessful) lunge for her water glass.

The final bell just rang, and I’m about to leave the building when I turn and notice Will behind me.

Why has my crush’s brother become my stalker? And is he still a stalker if he’s so cute? The eyes, the hair . . . just like Raf but with broader shoulders.

I hurry out the door. He follows. I sprint down the street. So does he. I turn onto Tenth Street. Ditto for him. I quicken my pace. He quickens his pace. I make a sharp left at a corner and duck into a magazine store. Seconds later, he walks past. I read
Teen People
and then, ten minutes later, when the coast is clear, head home.

“Mom, can you help me take out the recycling?” I ask. “There’s a lot to carry.”

We’ve finished dinner and are cleaning up. Something smells like burnt sardines. Must be coming from the recycling cupboard. I grab the pizza box, my mom gathers the empty cartons that have been piling up, and we carry the riches to the dump on the second floor. Now the hallway smells.

“So how’s school?” my mom asks.

“Better.” Slightly, anyway, since I spent lunch with Janice, Annie, and Sherry. But they’re not a reason to get up in the morning.