This choice: You mind your own business but try to spy on them. • Go Back... The bell at the front door chimes as you stare out at the lanky, straw-haired boy who holds open the door for your crush. She is dressed in a gray overcoat with a scarf tied about her neck. She scrapes her fuzzy boots on the welcome mat and joins the boy in line. Both looking up at the chalk-inscribed blackboard menu, you try to make out what they're saying. Their mouths move but you can't hear over the bakery's ambience of customer chatter and jazz muzak.
What the heck is Lisa doing with Will – with you? You two hadn't talked since the breakup just before the beginning of the school year. That was when she made it clear to you, in no uncertain terms, that you two had never actually been together. That you were 'just friends' occasionally hanging out over the summer. That she was interested in another guy, who later turned out to be Geoff Mansfield, that rich preppy AP jerk.
Tapping briefly into Brianna's mind, you're relieved she doesn't harbor any crushes on Geoff or his close friends Martin Gardenhire or Ricky Golia. Diving a little deeper, you let her thoughts flow and mingle with your own:
Lisa? Don't know her that much. She looks cute with that hair clip separating her bangs like that. And the way her jeans hug her hips like that, is she trying to fish for attention? But I never figured her for an AP-type, is she smart? And what's she doing with that scrawny kid? Whats-his-name, what does she see in him? He looks kind of dorky, but he could be a lot more attractive if he put in the effort to brush his hair and...
"Brianna?" A finger tap on your shoulder causes you to flinch. "You've been kneading that dough for the past five minutes. Where's your head?"
"Sorry Dad!" You snap to attention at Brianna's father getting after her, and quickly shove the tray in a small baking oven. Turning the dial and resuming Brianna's duties behind the counter, you revisit Brianna's appraisal of yourself. It isn't terribly flattering, not feeling strongly about you either way. If guys like Eric Murphy register in her mind as "dumbass" and Fairfax as "husband-to-be", then where on that scale is Will Prescott? Nowhere, she shrugs. She hardly noticed you during sixth period Calculus, the only class you two shared. You're hardly on her radar, having never come up in discussion with her friends either.
But there's more: If you just paid more attention to your appearance, maybe hit the weight room after school a few days a week... could you maybe be more desirable? Brianna's mind seems to ambivalently leave open that possibility. Hearing her thoughts is like having a bucket of cold water thrown on you. You've spent so much time being a nobody... but it doesn't have to be that way.
Meanwhile, Beta-Will places their order and follows Lisa to a small booth by the front window, placing a numbered flag next to the condiment caddy. They are talking and she even laughs from time to time. If you didn't know any better you would suspect she was flirting!
It's eating you up inside to know what he's saying to her. To know why she's with you, and what would Mansfield think if he saw his girlfriend giggling over another guy like this?
Rinsing your hands, you fold up your apron and hairnet and volunteer to bus the tables for that section of the bakery. Customers at the booth next to them had just left, so you wheeled a trolley over to begin busing their table.
Lisa and Will are just talking about mundane things, but the tone is far different than you expected. Lisa suggests that they go see a movie together tonight; Will asks if that was okay given how fast things were moving. Lisa places her hand across the table and onto his arm. She says they can move as quickly as he feels comfortable.
"Excuse me, miss?" Another customer diverts your attention for a moment, asking for a refill of coffee. Your heart was thumping heavily, eager to get back to overhearing their conversation.
But you can't wait long, business had picked up again at the bakery, and the other poor girls behind the counter were trying their hardest to keep up with orders. You groan, putting the apron and hairnet again to help dispatch the growing line of customers.
When there's another lull in customer flow, you look out at the front window section of the bakery. Lisa and Beta-Will are gone.
* * * * *
Maria Vasquez takes a sip from her water bottle, resting in the hallway next to the indoor basketball courts. Coach Tesla called for an extra cheer practice, which gave you a chance to meet up with Fairfax's gang. You waited outside for half an hour, pacing the hallway rethinking what happened. Re-visiting that glimmer in Lisa's eye as she held hands with yourself. Finally the cheerleaders roll up their large blue mats and stuff them away in a storage room next to the gym.
By this point, most of the guys managed to impersonate their hosts well enough. Chelsea Cooper broke from her bitchy, haughty character long enough to grope herself when nobody was looking. The Garner twins performed their tumbles as well as the real girls. Even Cindy Vredenburg – Keith, you remind yourself – could be seen arm in arm with Seth Javits as she walks out to his car. There were occasional hiccups, Fairfax tells you after their practice. But a casual observer wouldn't spot a difference, he says.
Maria is dressed in her cheerleading outfit. Leaving a lot of skin on display, before he slips into her long-sleeved sweatshirt. To his credit, Fairfax managed to make her facial expression a little less vacant than usual as her brow furrowed.
"So you believe her behavior is anomalous, then?" She asks.
"That's an understatement!" You exclaim, rehashing their conversation from earlier that day. "It's like she's suddenly infatuated with Will – with me, I mean."
"And you're positive that she had no intention of getting back together with you?"
"No," You wince a little. "That's why it's so weird that she's acting all interested all of a sudden. Don't get me wrong, I think it's awesome. But..."
"But what?" Maria asks.
"You're sure you guys didn't have anything to do with that? You know..." You mimic covering up your face with a mask.
"I'm not aware of anyone using a mask on Lisa," Maria shakes her head. "But I can ask the others. Have you gleaned any more insight into Brianna's social circles?"
"Yeah, sure," You reply, folding your arms. "Who do you wanna know about?"
"Gloria Rea, I've seen them associate together before. Gloria is reticent to discuss her personal life at cheer practice, and Maria doesn't know much else about her."
And no wonder – Gloria has a reputation for being short tempered and defensive. As one of Chelsea's 'enforcers' it makes her essential to Chelsea's leadership on the team, or so Fairfax revealed to you. The squad seeming much more conniving and political than meets the eye.
"Gloria stops by La Patisserie around closing time a few nights a week." You reply. "Brianna lets her have any perishables that they would donate to shelters otherwise. Leftover pies they didn't sell, a loaf of bread, stale cupcakes, stuff like that. She says it's for her mom." Getting the impression that someone as fit and sexy as Gloria doesn't indulge in too many sweets. "Gloria says her dad ran out on them years back, and they don't have a lot of money."
Maria thinks about it for a moment. "That makes sense, good work Will."
Your heart does somersaults. Fairfax just complimented you!
"Brianna knows a lot of people on the school marching band and orchestra, if you want to expand your research in that direction." You smile.
"If we have time. They seem far removed from the cheerleaders, though."
"Then what do you want me to do?"
Maria twists the cap on her water bottle shut. "Right now, you're our only confederate who isn't directly associated with the cheer squad. When you feel you've contributed as much as you can to our research as Brianna, I want you to touch base with my Beta and prepare some more masks. I still want you to select a few more betas for yourself."
"Okay, any more progress with the magic book?"
"Not yet, my Beta has the book at the moment. Besides, we're all quite occupied with getting ready for Homecoming."
"Tell me about it," You sigh. You're exhausted, isn't Saturday supposed to be a fun and relaxing break away from school?
"I'm sure our betas might be of assistance to you," Suggests Maria. "Perhaps you're overlooking the obvious, Will. Why not simply ask your Beta about Lisa?"
Of course! Why beat around the bush when you could get the answer straight from your own mouth? You promise to meet up with Fairfax and the other guys later on. Firing a quick message out to Will, you wait for his response:
Hey Will, it's me. Can we talk please?
Whos this? dont kno ur number srry
I'm you, idiot. This is Brianna Kirschke's number. Add it to my contacts list.
Oh sure boss. want 2 meet now? cuz i have a date w/ lisa in 30 min
You put the phone down and gulp.
A... a date?
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