Tracy had waited for me. Before we could say hello, Alan came storming up.
“Screw you, asshole!” he seethed.
“Well, good morning to you too,” I said.
“I didn’t think you’d really do it. You gave my date away to that big oaf Johan.”
“You make it sound like I owe you something,” I said with an edge to my voice.
Tracy reached over and smacked him in the forehead like Tami used to do.
Smack
“Ow!”
“You shit …!” he managed before Tracy punched him in the nose. Alan wasn’t afraid to hit a girl. Tami had had to be saved a time or two. I was on the fence as to whether Tracy could take him because she was no shrinking violet. Alan’s face turned dark as he found his nose was bleeding.
“Run away,” Pam said behind him.
snapsnapsnap
Alan was smart enough to figure out that that sound meant Pam had her Taser out. He headed for the school building. I ran and caught him at the door. If I didn’t, he’d head straight to the office and tattle.
“Where do you think you’re going?” I asked.
“Up yours, David. Tracy hit me, and you’re not going to protect her.”
I couldn’t help myself … I laughed at him.
“Screw you,” he said and jerked his arm out of my grip.
“You dumbass. I’m trying to protect you, not her,” I said.
“I don’t need your protection!”
“Alan, you’re your own worst enemy. Can you guess what’ll happen when you go and tell on Tracy?”
“She’ll get suspended.”
“During finals,” I said and looked at him pointedly. “Think about it. What’ll happen when you get a girl suspended for beating you up?”
He stiffened when I said “girl.”
“I don’t care,” he retorted.
I wasn’t convinced.
“Everything that’s happened to you has been your own fault. You know my mom, yet you decided to defy her. Even I’m not that stupid,” I said.
“Bullshit,” Alan shot back.
He had me there. But if Mom had warned me like she did Alan, I would think very hard before doing what he did with the boom box at the baseball game. He knew she’d jerk him out of the stands in front of the whole school without even thinking twice. As a result of his actions, I’d been hit five times in a single game by opposing pitchers. That was a personal best I never wanted to repeat.
Tami was right: without Jeff here, Alan had no one to tell him he was being an idiot. Jeff had curbed his stupid ideas and kept him from being a dick, most of the time.
“You know what? Do what you want. I’ve had enough of your remarks and bad behavior.”
Inside, I cringed. Did I just say ‘bad behavior’? I sounded like my mom.
“And I’ve had enough of you being Mr. Perfect. No one can live up to your expectations.”
He knew how to push my buttons. I changed from merely mad to a white-hot rage in a flash.
“Is that what you think this is about? If so, it makes not being your friend even easier. We used to be best friends, but I’ve had enough; you’re on your own. I’ve protected you and your smart mouth for the last time. Don’t be surprised if you end up with your head in a toilet by the end of the day. You’ve pissed off a lot more people than just me this year,” I seethed.
Alan looked like he finally understood that he’d gone too far. I pushed the school doors open and stormed past him.
◊◊◊
The morning had been about reviews for finals. When it was time for lunch, I strolled to my locker and put my books in. Alan was nearby, and he glared at me. I was startled when Yuri seemed to come out of nowhere and pinned Alan to the wall. My first instinct was to stop him, but then I remembered this morning.
“Word is you’re no longer protected. You should know that the next time you call me a Russian thug, I’ll kick your ass.”
He let Alan go and walked off. It sounded like people had heard about our dustup this morning, and Alan looked a little shaky. That was when Wolf shoved him into the wall.
“Keep your smart comments to yourself,” Wolf warned.
I hadn’t understood what a jerk he’d been. It looked like he was being put on notice by a few of the guys he’d mouthed off to. I felt bad that I’d protected him if this was what he’d been up to.
◊◊◊
Tracy pointed to the seat next to hers. We hadn’t talked this morning, so I assumed she wanted to update me on ‘Operation Prom,’ as I was now calling it.
“I talked to Caryn. Everyone is on their way. Adrienne and Frank will be here in a little while,” Tracy announced.
“Why are they going to be here?” I asked.
“To organize the interviews. I have them set up to be done before we go out to dinner,” Tracy said.
“I’m almost afraid to ask. What interviews?”
Tracy just rolled her eyes like I was clueless. This was supposed to be fun. I hadn’t planned any big media event. In fact, I was sick of big media events. I guess for Frank and Adrienne’s sake, it was better that Tracy had taken this and run with it. She was having fun, so I just shut up and let her do her thing. Caryn would step in if Tracy needed help. Sometimes it was better that I didn’t know everything.
“Who’s my date?” I asked to change the subject.
“Tonight, your date is Tami.”
I then remembered that we were having lunch on Sunday with everyone going to Chicago for the summer.
“And for Prom?” I prodded.
“I don’t know. Adrienne says she has it handled and if you got all whiny, to tell you to trust her.”
I growled at Tracy.
Cassidy touched my hand. I practiced my one-raised-eyebrow expression.
“Be good. For once, just let us handle it.”
The Alpha Male wanted to raise his head. He didn’t like not being in control. At the same time, I’d begun to trust people like Tracy and Wolf to be in charge of things. Uncle John had pointed out that if I didn’t learn to delegate, I could only accomplish so much. Once I learned to do that, the sky was the limit. That didn’t mean I didn’t want to know who my date was.
“Just tell me,” I said, making sure to sound like a whiny teenager.
“Oh, dear God! You’re such a ‘stupid boy’ sometimes. We’re not ruining the surprise,” Tracy groaned.
I just smirked at her. Cassidy found a pressure point in my armpit that almost brought me to tears. That earned her a glare, but she only batted her eyes as if she were an angel. Evil angel would be a better description.
◊◊◊
I came home and saw Tami’s car in the driveway. Fritz told me he would come back and pick me up in an hour, so I climbed the stairs to my apartment, where I found Tami studying.
“What’s up, stranger?” I asked.
“Not much, just studying. When do we have to leave?”
“We have an hour. Do you need to get ready?” I asked.
She stuck her tongue out at me.
“I suppose I don’t look good enough to be your date.”
Nope, wasn’t touching that one.
“I just wanted to see if I should go first since you take forever to get ready.”
That wasn’t true. Tami was too much of a tomboy to take a long time on makeup and hair. She did get up and head to my bedroom.
“I better go first. You might take forever,” she pointed out.
“Hey, looking this good doesn’t just happen. You have to work at it,” I said while making a goofy model pose.
“I’ve missed you,” Tami said as she came back and gave me a hug.
I’d missed her too.
◊◊◊
We drove to the Henderson, a landmark hotel, for the interviews. The Henderson had one of the best restaurants in our town; I’d taken Beth there for a Thanksgiving date my freshman year. Frank and Adrienne found me when Tami and I entered the lobby.
“You both look nice,” Adrienne said.
When I’d come out of my shower, I’d seen that Tami planned to wear a dress, so I bypassed my jeans idea. Now I was glad I had.