7. Chapter Seven
Chapter Seven
Then
T he last debate tournament was a complete and utter disaster. I’ve rehashed the entire event countless times, and I get more and more irate every time I think about it.
Whenever I close my eyes, I see Noah and that smug little smile he gave me when he won. Looks like it’s time to get a new sweatshirt. I still haven’t come up with a good comeback for that little nugget of nastiness, but I sure am trying.
These past few weeks, I’ve been doing some sleuthing about jerkface Noah Riley, and here is what I’ve gathered so far. I was immediately able to tell that he’s popular. In every picture on his MySpace page, he’s surrounded by tons of friends. And girls. Tons of girls.
His pictures are full of him and friends hanging out at the lake, playing soccer, having bonfires, or camping. How can someone be such a social butterfly while also making time for being debate team captain? It doesn’t make any sense to me. And, it makes me angry.
Although I made a total fool of myself during the last debate, Coach still made me our team captain. He said he was proud of me for competing, even though I was so clearly under the weather. However, as you know, I definitely was not under the weather, I just happened to be completely disoriented by a very attractive asshole. But, of course, I didn’t share this embarrassing teenage girl fact with my coach, because I was just made team captain, and I didn’t want to spoil it.
“This lunch looks especially inedible,” Jordyn says, scrunching up her face. Shoving aside her lunch tray, she grabs my hands from across the cafeteria table and smiles big, showing all of her beautifully straight teeth.
“What’s going on?” I say, confusion coloring my face.
“Tyler…” she says slowly with a smile blooming on her lips, “invited me to the lake next weekend to hang out with him and some of his soccer friends. I want you to come with me!”
Tyler is Jordyn’s boyfriend. He’s two years older than us and is on the boys’ soccer team at Colorado State.
Jordyn got an early acceptance and full-ride soccer scholarship to go there next year, so she had to go to some orientation thing, and Tyler happened to be the one leading it.
She’s so freakishly good at soccer that Tyler spent some extra time with her, if you know what I mean, and Jordyn fell hard right then and there. They’ve basically been connected at the hip ever since. They’re so adorably in love that sometimes it makes me question if there’s something wrong with me.
I don’t date much. It’s not that I’m against it, I just don’t really do it. I mean, I’ve gone out with some guys here and there, but the dates have never really gotten romantic.
I know it’s my fault, because the thought of having to pay attention to a boyfriend, on top of everything else I already have on my plate, sounds exhausting.
I’m graduating this year, which will be the most important thing that has ever happened to me. I’ve been looking forward to getting out of here for as long as I can remember, and I want to be on my own and start my life. So, boyfriends will just have to wait.
My entire life has had one focus, one goal. I have to get the best grades possible, so that I’ll be accepted into an Ivy League.
Both of my parents attended Ivy League schools, which, to them, means if I choose anything else, I’m a complete and absolute failure.
My parents are the type of parents who have only ever paid attention to me if I do something wrong; something that doesn’t match their priorities. Or, in other words, as long as I act one-hundred percent perfect at all times, they pretty much ignore me.
Don’t get me wrong, they’re good to me and have always made sure that I get everything I need, they just totally suck at showing me any type of affection. I don’t think the sayings, I love you , you’re doing great, or God forbid, I’m proud of you , have ever been uttered in our household.
Truthfully, I don’t even call them Mom and Dad anymore. I’ve called them Carol and Dan for as long as I can remember, because Mom and Dad just don’t sound right.
That type of affection is reserved solely for my Nan. She’s Dan’s mom, and she’s the best person I’ve ever met. My Nan is the one who pushes me to do things for myself. She’s always been my biggest cheerleader, and I want to make her proud.
She’s the reason I’ll do everything in my power to keep getting good grades. She’s the reason I know I’ll eventually get my dream job and make tons of money. I’ll do it for her.
I just have to make sure that no one gets in the way of me accomplishing these goals. No more boys making me flustered during a debate and making me lose. No more Noah Riley.
“Will there be boys there?” I ask Jordyn, feigning interest in the mystery meat on my tray.
“Is that a real question?” She looks at me, arms crossed, and pure sass on her face. “Of course there will be boys there. What do you think I meant when I said Tyler and his soccer friends? He’s bringing some of the guys from his team, and a few other friends from school.”
With big, brown puppy dog eyes, she continues,“Please, please, please…I don’t want to be the only girl there. I can only handle so much soccer talk, Jane.” She shakes her head, hoping I’m on her side, but from the look on her face, I'm guessing she can tell I’m not sold yet. “Look, I’ll even let you bring a book! Your favorite book! Or homework! I mean, I don’t know why you would even want to, but hey, I won’t stop you. Please come. Please.”
“Okay, okay. I’ll come. But you’re not setting me up with anyone, and I’m going to bring my debate notes to go over. Deal?” I raise my eyebrows and offer her my hand.
“You’re so weird. But okay. We have a deal!” She says happily, grabbing my hand and shaking it fiercely. “We have a deal.”
The rest of the school day is boring and uneventful. The only thing on my mind is the debate tournament happening this afternoon.
I’m not one of those people who hates public speaking. I love it, actually. There’s nothing I take more delight in than standing in front of people, telling them what I think. But after how my last debate went, I’m not so sure that’s the case anymore.
I stand by my locker checking and rechecking all my notes, memorizing every argument, and trying my best to kick these nerves, but it’s proving to be difficult. My stomach bubbles with an overwhelming feeling of impending doom.
It’s so strange, because I know I’m a good debater. I know I have tons of skill and knowledge, but my confidence is shaky since I lost to Noah. That debate was the only one I’ve ever lost, and I don’t like it. I especially don't like how quickly he was able to get under my skin; I’ll never let that happen again. Grabbing my jacket out of my locker, I head down the hall.
I take my seat in our old auditorium and close my eyes. Visualize the prize, as Dan would say. I roll my neck back and forth and take a few deep breaths. Say what you will about how outdated our school is, but the A/C in this place is top-notch. It’s only September, but goosebumps start prickling up my arms.
The squeaky seat next to mine folds down, and I turn my head to see Noah Riley setting his bag down on the floor next to mine. No, no, no, no, no.
“What are you doing here?” I ask, horrified.
“I’m sitting down,” he says too nonchalantly.
Well, he has another thing coming, because I happen to be very chalant.
“You can’t sit here. This section of the auditorium is for Poudre kids ONLY. Your school sits over there.” I point to the right side of the auditorium, pretending to look as unbothered as someone who is in fact very bothered can look.
He doesn’t even turn his head to follow where I’m pointing. A slow, smug, little smile blooms on his mouth. His perfect mouth.
“Gosh, I would, but my coach told me to sit next to the person I was going to debate against. So that’s why I’m sitting right here.” He bends down and unpacks his notebook from his backpack.
“What?! My coach said I was debating against a girl named Trina! You’re cute and all, but you definitely don’t look like a ‘Trina’ to me.”
This earns me a little laugh. The sound makes me both annoyed and flushed at the same time. This isn’t going well. “Trina woke up this morning throwing her guts up, so our coach said that since I’m team captain, it’s my duty to step in for her today.”
My heart is beating out of my chest. This is just great. My vision starts to tunnel. I don’t want to go against him again. I don’t want to make a fool of myself in front of everyone again. I worked so hard on this debate, and I really thought I would redeem myself.
Just as I start to spiral, Coach Christensen calls my name to come up to the stage.
Noah turns his head and gives me a little smirk of superiority. “We’re up.”
I turn to study his face. He’s looking at me like he knows he’s under my skin, like he knows that he gets me all worked up and…he enjoys it. He honestly thinks he has the upper hand in whatever this little thing is that we have going on. Well, it ends here.
His pretentious smile is all I need to feel a flood of self-confidence come rushing back into my body. I’m prepared for this. I’m good at what I do. I can do this.
I stand up and unzip my jacket to reveal my lucky crewneck sweatshirt underneath. A wide genuine grin spreads across Noah's face.
“Ready when you are,” I say, as I walk toward the stage.