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anymore？ All my life she'd been there； waiting to be
avoided； and now it was like I didn't even exist。
“Step up； Bryce。 e on； don't be shy！”
Mike Abenido shoved me a little and said； “Your turn for torture。 Get up there！”
It felt like walking the plank。 I just stood up front sweating bullets while the Booster queen
dissected my lunch and started running through my list of
favorites。 Before she's even finished； though； Shelly Stalls calls out； “Ten！”
“What's that？” says Mrs。 McClure。
“I'll give you ten！”
“Oh；” she laughs as she puts down her notes。 “Well； I guess I hear ten！”
“Twenty！” calls Miranda Humes from dead center。
“Twenty…five！” It's Shelly again。
I'm looking around for Jumbo Jenny； praying she's gone home sick or something； while
Shelly and Miranda go up by fives。 “Thirty！”
“Thirty…five！”
“Forty！”
……… Page 77………
Then I spot her。 She's about twenty feet behind Miranda； cleaning her fingernails with her
teeth。
“Forty…five！”
“Fifty！”
“Fifty…two。”
“Fifty…two？” interrupts the Booster queen。 “Well； this has been lively！ And from the looks of
this basket； well worth the —”
“Sixty！”
“Sixty…two！” calls Shelly。
Miranda scrambles around trying to beg money off her friends as Mrs。 McClure calls； “Going
once！” But then Jenny stands up and bellows； “A
hundred！”
A hundred。 There's a collective gasp； and then the entire student body turns and stares at
Jenny。
“Well！” laughs Mrs。 McClure。 “We have a hundred！ That is certainly an all…time record。 And
such a generous donation to the Boosters！”
I wanted to boost her； right off the stage。 I was doomed。 This was something I would never
live down。
Then there's this big motion； and all of a sudden Shelly and Miranda are standing right
next to each other calling； “One…twenty…two… fifty！
We'll give you one…twenty…two fifty！”
“One hundred twenty…two dollars and fifty cents？” I thought the Booster queen was gonna
polka。 “You're pooling your resources to have lunch with
this fine young man？”
“Yeah！” they call； then look over Jenny's way。 Everybody looks over Jenny's way。
Jenny just shrugs and goes back to cleaning a nail。
“Well； then！ One hundred twenty…two dollars and fifty cents going once… One hundred
twenty…two dollars and fifty cents going twice … Sold to
those two beautiful young ladies for an all…time record of one hundred twenty…two dollars and
fifty cents！”
“Dude！” Mike whispered when I got back in line。 “Shelly and Miranda？ How am I supposed to
follow that？”
He didn't even e close。 He got Terry Norris for sixteen bucks； and the most anyone else
got was forty。 And when it was over； all the guys told
me； “Dude！ You are； like； the man…。 Score！” but I didn't feel like the man。 I felt wiped out。
My mom came up and gave me a hug and a kiss like I'd won a gold medal or something；
then whispered； “My little baby；” and clickity…clicked off
in her high heels； back to work。
So I was wiped out； embarrassed； and then practically dragged to the multi…purpose room by
Shelly and Miranda。
The Boosters had outfitted the MPR with little tables for two； all decorated in shades of pink
and blue and yellow； with balloons and streamers
everywhere。 I felt like the Easter bunny with my stupid basket boy lunch clutched in both
hands while Miranda held on to one arm and Shelly latched
on to the other。
They gave us the biggest table and whisked in an extra chair； and when everyone was
seated； Mrs。 McClure said； “Boys and girls？ I don't think I
need to remind you that you are excused from class for the rest of the day。 Enjoy your
lunches； enjoy your friendships…。 Take your time； relax； and
thanks again for supporting your Boosters。 We wouldn't be us without you！”
So there I was； with the two hottest girls on campus； having lunch。 I was “the man；” the envy
of every other guy in school。
Buddy； I was miserable。
I mean； these two girls may be gorgeous； but what was ing out of their mouths about
Jumbo Jenny was embarrassingly ugly。 Miranda works
……… Page 78………
herself up to； “What was she thinking？ Like you would ever want to go out with her； right；
Bryce？”
Well； yeah。 That was right。 But it seemed really wrong to say so。 “Look； can we talk about
something else？”
“Sure。 Like what？”
“I don't care。 Anything else。 You guys going anywhere this summer？”
Miranda shoots off first。 “We're taking a cruise to the Mexican Riviera。 We're supposed to
stop in all these cool ports and shop and stuff。” She
flutters her eyelids at me and says； “I could bring you something back…。”
Shelly scoots her chair in a little and says； “We're going up to the lake。 My dad has a cabin
there； and you can get the most outrageous tan。 Do
you remember what I looked like at the beginning of this year？ I was； like； black。 I'm going to
do that again； only this time I've got a schedule all
worked out so that it's even every where。” She giggles and says； “Don't tell my mom； okay？
She would have a ka…nip！”
And this； my friend； is how the Tan Wars began。 Miranda told Shelly that she didn't even
notice her tan at the beginning of the year and that the
place to really roast is on a cruise ship。 Shelly told Miranda that anyone with freckles can't
really get tan and since Miranda had freckles everywhere；
the cruise was a guaranteed waste of money。 I choked down my third of the lunch and
looked around the room； trying to let it all flow past me。
Then I saw Juli。 She was two tables away from me； facing my direction。 Only she wasn't
looking at me。 She was looking at Jon； her eyes all
sparkly and laughing。
My heart lurched。 What was she laughing about？ What were they talking about？ How could
she sit there and look so… beautiful？
I felt myself spinning out of control。 It was weird。 Like I co