Chapter 33

Missy had been a popular girl before her birthday, but by Monday, the news about her inheritance was out. Everyone seemed to be vying for her time and attention. As the effective owner of the most critical business in Ridgemont, Missy now had power to go along with her money. As someone they went to school with, Missy was also far more accessible and much less intimidating than some impersonal HR form, and everyone was trying to gain access and make that approach, looking for an in with the new boss so that they could secure a job after school or just hoping to pick up scraps of the power Missy now held. I didn't think Missy had gotten a moment of peace on Monday. She finally gave up after lunch and went home.

Things were better on Tuesday, but Missy was standoffish, a bit distant even with me. We ate lunch together on Tuesday and Wednesday, but on Tuesday, she didn't touch me once, and on Wednesday, she sat across from me, not by my side as usual. By Thursday, she didn't have any patience for anyone, including me. Other than to say hello, she didn't speak to me at all at lunch, spending the entire period talking to Jackie. I tried to put my hand in her back pocket as we were walking out of the cafeteria after lunch, and she pushed my hand and me away, angrily. "Is feeling me up at school all you can think about?" she yelled at me. Realizing the stares she had drawn in the suddenly silent cafeteria, she turned away from me, stalking off silently.

By Friday things had gotten downright icy. Missy had bluntly suggested that I might be happier eating with my friends, and Missy and Jackie were off by themselves at a table for two. Gail frowned as she sat down next to Kenny.

"What's going on, John?" Gail asked softly.

"I wish I knew, Gail. She's not talking to me, although she did uninvited me to lunch today. We're supposed to have a date tonight, but after the freeze out I just received, I'm not even sure of that now."

Mary Jo put her hand on my arm. "Things will calm down, John. Be patient with her. I don't think she was ready for this."

Gail snorted. "I can't tell you how many times Jackie or I have had someone ask us if we can talk to Missy about getting them a job after graduation, and if we have been hounded, Missy's got to have been absolutely bombarded by them. It's weird. I mean, everyone had to know she was going to inherit the Factory, but they're all acting like it's the first day of deer season, and she's the only trophy buck in the woods. Half these people don't even want to remain in Ridgemont, to say nothing of working in the factory. It's mostly monkey see, monkey do, and Missy is at the center of that madness."

"I can see that, Gail," Mary Jo added. "But John sure didn't deserve the public tongue lashing he got yesterday."

"I know," Gail sighed. "I'm sorry, John, but she's not talking to me either. When I asked her how she was this morning, she told me to 'leave her the hell alone.' I think Jackie's the only one she's talking to, and I think that's only because Jackie's family has a lot of money, too, so Jackie is the only one that Missy can be sure isn't just another leech after her money."

"I'm sorry you're getting caught in the middle, Gail," I sighed.

"Don't worry about me, John. I'm where I want to be. I'm just sorry that this lunacy is keeping you from being where you want to be." She put her hand on mine and then turned to talk to Kenny.

Bobby elbowed me. "Shark at nine o'clock," he whispered.

Sure enough, Lisa Carver was steaming toward our table. I rolled my eyes. Could the day get any worse?

"Hi, John," Lisa husked. "Do you have a minute to help me with our English assignment?"

I heard Mary Jo whisper to Jesse, "Lord help us."

I waved to the empty seat across from Mary Jo. Lisa hurried over to sit. She handed me her paper. "I don't think I really understand what Mr. Hayes wanted. Can you read this and see if it's right?" She even batted her eyes.

I pulled the paper toward me with a sigh. Lisa might have thought she was fooling the people at the table, but she wasn't fooling me. I knew that she was only a couple of decimal points behind Hannah Mills in the race for valedictorian. Hell, Lisa was nearly a quarter of a point ahead of me. I didn't think many of our classmates realized exactly how smart Lisa really is. Maybe it was the bottle blonde hair. Whatever it was, the act was a good one.

I glanced through the paper, knowing even before I started reading it that it was probably better than mine. After reading just the first paragraph, I knew I was wrong: it wasn't better than mine. It was much better than mine. Lisa could really write. I started over, reading it carefully. Given the quality of the writing, it was obvious that Lisa had purposely misspelled several words and even left a couple of punctuation marks off. The last paragraph was the clincher. It had nothing to do with the rest of the paper.

'If her highness' head is so high in the clouds that she's lost sight of whom is the best man in our class, be assured that I won't. You need but say the word and I will be there for you. There is NOTHING I won't do for you.'

You can't get much plainer than that. I smiled and handed the paper back.

"You misspelled five words and left out two commas. The last paragraph needs some work, however. I understand what you want to say, I don't think that you're correctly reading the emotional context."

"Thank you, John," she said with a smile. "If you think of anything to add to the last paragraph, or can come up with another way to help me interpret it, you will let me know, right?"

"Absolutely, Lisa."