Chapter 35

"How's it going with Traci?" Tami asked on Monday.

"Better. She's a little cool, but she isn't ignoring me." I got my books for first period and closed my locker.

"What's wrong with Traci?" Robbie asked.

Tami smiled and told her about Traci catching me with Mikee and the talk she'd had with her.

Robbie laughed. "Tony, you're turning the whole county into the twilight zone. I keep expecting Rod Serling to step out of a doorway."

"What'd I do?" I protested.

"You keep getting caught cheating on your girlfriend by everyone but your girlfriend, then you get her to bail you out of trouble."

"It's not cheating when I know about it," Tami said, snaking her arm around me.

"It's still kind of twilight zone."

"No, it's the Trailer Park Zone.

"Uh, hi, Tony."

I looked up. I'd been resting my throat on Tami's shoulder as we waited in line for lunch. We'd been talking, but mostly to hear each other's voices. I was hungry and concentrating on watching the line move slowly. It was mac-and-cheese Tuesday, something the lunch ladies hadn't figured out how to screw up. Yet.

"Hi, Darlene. Just the person I wanted to see." I hadn't really talked to her since the play.

She smiled self-consciously. "You did?"

I grinned. "I have good news and bad news."

"Damn, I hate this game. What's the bad news?"

"Tatiana Reid is pregnant."

Darlene looked confused. Tatiana was a senior, and Darlene probably hadn't even talked to her before. "Uh, what's the good news?"

"Tatiana Reid is pregnant."

"Umm, okay." I loved the look of total confusion on her face.

Tami brought her elbow back into my sternum. "Stop teasing. Tell her."

"Yes ma'am. Tatty's a cheerleader." Darlene nodded, but didn't look any more enlightened. "She's not going to be cheering anymore, I don't know if it's her mom or her doctor or what, but she's off the squad."

Darlene nodded dully.

I grinned. "I talked to Paula. She and the other cheerleaders would like you to try out after school today."

Darlene's face lite up. "You mean it?" I nodded. Darlene surged forward and hugged me. A pretty good trick, since I'd been pressed against Tami's back. "Oh, God, I can't believe it."

Tami had stepped to the side when Darlene grabbed me and was watching us with an amused smile. Darlene noticed and let go of me so fast you'd think I had leprosy.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean, I..."

Tami stepped forward and hugged the other girl. "It's okay, he's pretty huggable."

I put my arms around both girls and guided them into the space that had opened up in front of us. "How about I buy you two ladies lunch to celebrate."

Tami looked around me at Darlene. "He's also a big spender."

"I have a plan," I announced, sliding my arms around Robbie and Tami who'd been putting books in their lockers.

"Should we be afraid?" Robbie asked.

"Somebody should," I said and laughed maniacally. Which earned some strange looks from people in the hall. "Do you know what day this is?"

"Uh, Wednesday," Tami ventured.

"Exactly."

The girls looked at each other, then me. "Is there more to it than that?" Tami asked.

"We are halfway through the first week of our second nine weeks. We need to celebrate."

"It was obvious," Robbie said, nodding to Tami.

The girls closed their lockers, and we started up the hall toward lunch. Mike Rose came up, and I surrendered Robbie's back to his arm.

"What kind of celebration did you have in mind?" Tami asked after Mike and Robbie slipped into an empty doorway for a quick game of tonsil hockey.

"Well, Saturday, we're all going to the play. I thought after that we could have a Monopoly marathon."

"Could be fun," Tami agreed nodding.

"Oh, little one, my plan is lot more devious than that."

"Really?"

"Yeah. You know how my sister always beats us?"

"I still think she cheats."

"And you know how Zoe always beats us?"

"She cheats too."

"We'll invite both of them. Maybe they'll cancel each other out and one of us can win."

Tami nodded. "Not bad. You might not be Fu Manchu when it comes to devious plans, but not bad."

"I have my moments."

TONY SIMS, ROBERTA TATE. PLEASE REPORT TO THE VICE PRINCIPAL'S OFFICE.

I was sitting next to Tami in Journalism when the announcement came of the P.A. system.

Tami looked at me accusingly. "What did you do now?"

I shrugged. "Nothing I know about. Maybe they discovered one of my old crimes."

I stood and started gathering my books.

"You're not coming back?" The period had just started.

"I doubt it, as long-winded as Parker is."

"Try not to get suspended, March is three-and-a-half months away."

I nodded, wondering if March was becoming a self-fulfilling prophecy. "I'll try, but it's not always easy."