Page 9 of The Rebel (Covington Prep: The Girls We Love #7)
VALENCIA
At lunch break, I waited at my locker, grabbing the bag of candy and souvenirs to share with my friends. Gabby rushed up to me, squeezing me in a tight embrace. She squealed about her mug and keychain and she immediately put the bracelet on—next to Scott’s, tucking it under her blazer sleeve.
“I love it, and when you come over later, I’ll bake some of our favorite brownies,” Gabby said.
My heart surged, memories of my bedtime sobs forgotten. Gabby and I were still best friends and hopefully everything was back to normal. Scott wasn’t going to come between us, and already my crush was fading, so everything would be fine.
As expected, Gabby was nervous and very particular with me as a passenger in her car.
She watched me buckle my seat belt and double checked the rear view mirror before turning on the car.
She never quite reached the speed limit of thirty mph and came to a full stop at every intersection.
There were a few parking spaces close to the cafe, but Gabby drove around the block to find one with easy access and with no chance of anyone scratching her car.
After she locked it with her remote, she pulled on the handle to make sure that it was indeed locked.
We stopped in the bookshop before going to The Kitch, Gabby looking for a study guide, while I checked out the pencil section. I needed a few new pencils for my art class as we would be putting together a portfolio this semester.
“You good?” I asked Gabby when I found her in the greeting cards department.
“Uh, yep.” She was looking at cards with hearts on them. “Is it cheesy to get a one month anniversary card?”
“You guys have been together a month?” I yelped in confusion.
“No,” Gabby said, shaking her head. “Twelve days. But...I’m just looking ahead.”
My lips twitched. Gabby was really smitten by Scott. She was planning a one month anniversary, meaning this was a big deal for her. My heart twisted, half of it feeling happy for her, the other half...not so much. What sort of friend did that make me?
“Uh...no...it’s not cheesy, it’s cute,” I said with a cough.
“Are you sure?” Gabby asked.
I picked up a couple of cards and flicked through them. They were blank inside, so I guessed Gabby would write her own love lines.
“Dear Scott, you are a lot, you’re so hot...” I teased in a squeaky sing-song vocal.
Gabby thumped me in the arm and reprimanded me with a hushed, “Valencia!”
“Well, don’t you think he is?” I coughed again, almost choking on my own words. And I had to ask, had to know. “Uh...when did you realize you liked him?”
Gabby’s cheeks turned a bright shade of red, such that if I reached out and touched them I was afraid I’d burn my finger. She looked down at the floor.
Intrigued, I prompted, “Gabby?”
“Well,” Gabby let out a long breath and lowered her voice as another customer perused the card stand.
“You know the Light Festival?” I nodded, the Light Festival that I’d missed because of our vacation.
“Well, I happened to see him there. He was with his brother and I was with Bryson, and he lifted Bryson onto his shoulders so he could see better and...that’s how it started. ”
I smiled—or rather my lips pressed together and tried to form a curve. Why didn’t I have a little six-year-old brother? “That sounds...adorable,” I said.
“I know,” Gabby beamed. “But I didn’t really think anything about it. But he later texted and asked if I’d be interested in joining a band with him and Jonathan, and then it was at my party that we talked more.”
“Oh,” I said, my curiosity piqued, my voice shaky as I feared the truth. “Is that when you fell for him?”
Gabby’s eyes danced. “I mean, he’s always been cute, right?”
I nodded and tried to sound casual. “Yeah, cute.” For sure, he was eye-candy with his floppy blonde hair and hazel eyes that lit up, but agreeing too enthusiastically would be weird.
“But I never thought he liked me,” Gabby swooned, her fingers curling as she demonstrated air quotes.
“I guess you have a lot in common,” I said, conceding that Gabby and Scott actually were a perfect match, “like your music.”
“Yeah. He’s focused on his music and is aiming to get into the state orchestra and he’s into reducing his carbon footprint too. And he volunteers at the youth center in River Valley, helping with music. He plays drums too, you know.”
I didn’t know. And it was like all the air being punched out of me—Scott didn’t have a thing for me, and his hand holding had been totally platonic, a gesture of friendship. And I’d been a fool for dreaming it could have been something more. Talk about the sting of unrequited love.
My throat tightened and I cleared it with a cough.
“Are you getting a cold?” Gabby asked with concern.
I shook my head, my heart wobbling with sadness, but I couldn’t show it. I had to pretend everything was all right.
“Hey, this one’s cute,” I said, taking a card from the rack and holding it up. I had to be happy for my bestie—that’s what good friends did.
I paid for my pencils while Gabby spent a bit more time choosing a card, and then we went down the street to the cafe.
Scott was already sitting at a table and from the way he jumped up, she’d always intended for him to meet us.
For some reason that made my heart sink—I’d stupidly believed it was just the two of us hanging out.
“Hey, Valencia,” Scott said, meeting us at the counter.
“Hey.” I tried to shove down the disappointment that my role of third wheel was starting already.
“Gabby, do you want a mocha? Vali, what do you want?” Gah, Scott knew her favorite drink already.
“It’s okay, I can get my own,” I said, falling into the line behind him. I couldn’t have my best friend’s boyfriend buying me a coffee.
I watched as his hand lightly touched Gabby’s back, hit by a pang of regret, that stab of grief over something that would never be.
Yet the feeling was somehow painfully familiar.
And then it struck me—it was like dropping out of competitive tennis and knowing that those tournament wins, those trophies, the praise from Mom and Dad would never be mine.
And that moment was like a wipeout, like that time I’d been surfing in California, being sucked under the waves, helpless beneath the water until the ocean released you to the surface.
I was in the same situation now—drowning, but I was the only one who could save me.
Life was a series of disappointments. That’s what I remembered Coach Gardiner telling me back when I went on my losing streak.
It’s how you reacted, how you picked yourself up that made the difference, he’d shouted at me, because Coach was used to talking in a loud voice from the other end of the court.
When I lost a match, I’d get fiery and mad, get down on myself and have a couldn’t-care-less attitude, giving up, lacking in mental fortitude.
Right now, I had to be like Paris, he who had a winner’s mindset, who hated losing with a passion.
I had to be strong, move on and accept that Gabby and Scott were together, even if it was about to break me.
Otherwise I risked losing my best friend, maybe my whole friend group—and that would be worse.
“Ah, do you two want something to eat, a cupcake or panini?” I asked, trying to keep myself relevant—and calm. “They kinda look good.”
“Vali, I’m going to make brownies as soon as we get home,” Gabby scolded. “Remember?"
“Oh, okay, sure. I just thought you might like...” I never finished my sentence, because Scott was at the counter and turned to me, “Just let me order for you, Vali. What do you want?"
“Americano?” Gabby chimed in, of course knowing I was particularly sensitive to the flavored coffees, though I had a fleeting craving for a hot chocolate with sprinkles and whipped cream.
All I could do was nod gratefully as Scott gave the order to the barista, and Gabby linked her arm through mine and escorted me to the table, her smile a permanent fixture on her face.
Sipping on the warm drink, I listened as Scott and Gabby talked about their band, though it was hard to concentrate, especially when Scott let Gabby sip from his milkshake straw.
Faking smiles was hurting my cheeks, but with their foreheads touching and their lips only inches apart, Gabby and Scott were mind-blowingly oblivious to my sweet agony.
Resisting the urge to roll my eyes and sigh was the ultimate in self control.
Scott’s phone pinged and he checked it. “Oh, I’ve gotta go pick up Mason,” he said, gulping down the rest of his drink with a loud slurp.
Gabby feigned disgust and punched his arm, but Scott laughed and gathered his gear, his lips lingering on the top of Gabby’s head.
“I’ll be about thirty minutes. See you at your house, Chickpea. ”
I think I nearly threw up in my mouth. Chickpea?
But Gabby was nodding vigorously. “Sure thing, Pumpkin.”
And again, my heart plummeted. They had cutesy names for each other and Scott was coming to dinner, too. There was no way I could keep up this pretence for another few hours and especially in front of Mr. and Mrs. Pelzer. I needed a quick out.
“Who’s Mason?” I asked casually, frantically trying to think of an excuse.
“Scott’s younger brother. He’s at baseball practice.”
“Oh,” I said. It was another thing they had in common, music, hybrid cars and younger brothers, and to be really specific they both had son at the end of their names—Bryson and Mason. They really were a sickening perfect match.
As Gabby chatted on, I formulated a plan. I hated to lie and deceive my friend, but I’d go bananas if I had to sit at the Pelzer’s dinner table and pretend everything was peachy.
As I finished my coffee, I picked up my phone and looked at it intently. “Oh, hey, I have to take a rain check tonight,” I said, trying not to sound wooden and phoney. “Uh, Mom says we’re going out for dinner. Are you still able to give me a ride home?”