The '68 Camaro Between Kenickie and Me (Pacifica Academy Drama Book 2) Read online

  “Owen.” J.R. took one of Kassidy’s grapes and threw at his chest. “Shut the fuck up.”

  “Okay,” he muttered, rubbing his side while retrieving the grape that fell into his lap.

  Then I noticed Shane had become…weirdly still. But was fighting a smile.

  Between that and J.R.’s reaction to Owen’s comment, I knew they were up to something.

  I looked at Meg, then Kassidy, and their narrowed eyes told me they felt the same way.

  “Shane Easton,” Kassidy said, a bit loudly, “you swore you weren’t going to make you guys look that good.”

  He whipped his head in her direction. “Why are you blaming me?”

  “Kass, relax,” J.R. said. “You guys will love it. I promise.”

  She wrinkled her nose at him and went back to eating her grapes.

  And the amount of joy and…love…surrounding this table overwhelmed me. To the point I had to sit back in my chair and find my breath.

  This was what I’d been missing. What it felt like to have real friends.

  “Hey.” Shane gently nudged me. “Stop looking so serious.”

  I opened my mouth, peeked at him—then burst into a wave of giggles at his exaggerated scowl, which reminded me of “teaching” him to skate backward. And I laughed harder when I pictured his spectacular wipeout.

  He gave me a pretend dirty look. “I don’t like the sound of that laugh.”

  “Um” —Warren cleared his throat— “do we need to leave you two alone?”

  Oh. Right. We were surrounded by our friends.

  I dragged my eyes from Shane’s addictive blue eyes, lit up with humor, and focused on Warren. Giving me a confused, slightly irritated stare. Probably because he’d just figured out I lied to him that day he came over to work on the presentation.

  Guilt pricked my conscience as I remembered all the lies I’d told. And for nothing.

  I definitely owed him a long, catch-up conversation that would include an apology.

  “So,” I said, going for a Shane-worthy subject change, “I have to be honest about the competition. It’s not these guys I’m worried about.” And I didn’t feel an ounce of guilt for what I was about to do. “Ella has a really…awesome routine planned. To go along with her campaign?”

  Warren's face transitioned to interest and he leaned forward. “Spill it, Madam Veep.”

  I also leaned forward to spill everything I knew.

  Chapter 31

  My phone buzzed with a text and I smiled as I shoved my backpack into my locker. There were several kids, talking and laughing loudly, doing the same thing as me since it was lunchtime. And because afternoon classes had been cancelled with it being competition day. We’d also been given a rare free dress day, but nothing “too revealing or inappropriate.” So the crazed energy in Pacifica Academy today rivaled the last day of school.

  I wanted to sprint to the cafeteria as a way to burn the competition nerves making my tummy flutter. But I also couldn’t wait to see him. Another reason for my tummy flutters. Lunch—my new favorite part of the school day—was the only time I’d really seen him this week.

  Smiling like the lovesick high school girl I never knew I had in me, I pulled my phone from my back jeans pocket.

  So I know I’ll see you in a minute, but there’s too many of us sitting here to say you’ve been glowing this week…Sunshine.

  I giggled and replied with, Guess that nickname finally fits me…Kenickie. I’m on my way.

  I closed out of text messaging and shoved my phone back into my pocket. I then grabbed my lunch, shut my locker door, turned—and found myself looking at Maddie.

  My smile disappeared. Like I’d been caught doing something criminal.

  Especially since her normally friendly brown eyes were filled with cold fury.

  “It’s your fault,” she said with so much bitterness I drew back.

  My heart started thudding against my chest.

  “You’re the real reason he didn’t want to get back together with me.”

  Oh…shit.

  Though we were together, nothing had hit the school’s gossip mill. Which I’d taken as an awesome sign that nobody did care. But it’s not like we’d been walking around school and holding hands. Just quick, very friendly morning hellos, and sitting together at lunch. With our friends. And some sneaky texting throughout the school day.

  Fear slithered through me.

  My eyes darted left, right, but the kids still in the hallway seemed focused on their friends and getting their lunches.

  “I can’t believe it’s you,” she said. With clear disgust in her voice.

  I stood there, mute, not sure what to say. It all started with my 68 Camaro and classic muscle car trivia sounded lame in my head.

  “I don’t get it.” Tears filled her eyes. “Sure. You’re really pretty. And rich. But you’re…bitchy Natalie Carlisle. Who hangs out and parties with college boys on the weekends.”

  I straightened. She’d just clawed a very sensitive spot.

  Would I ever get rid of that image?

  “What does he see in you? What does he have in common with you?”

  My phone buzzed with his reply.

  Of course.

  Her tears started flowing from her eyes. “I also can’t believe…Shane Easton…of all the boys in this school…chose you over…me.” Her voice broke on the last word.

  I glanced again at the kids and my stomach lurched.

  Now they were watching and listening. She didn’t seem to care, either.

  My heart felt like it might beat through my chest.

  And here I’d been loving the fact I’d been so happy. Free of guilt and…fear.

  “I don’t care what…Kassidy says about you. That you’re really nice. You sat there…all last week…listening to me…pretending to care…and the whole time—you’re horrible.” She sniffed. “And have been…since we were freshmen. I’m not the only one…who feels that way.”

  Okay. I had to snap out of it and say something in my defense.

  “Maddie, Shane and I…started out as friends and—”

  “I know…you’ll get bored with him and break…his heart. I’ve seen the way he looks at you…since you’ve been sitting together at lunch.”

  I heard the jealousy in her voice. But imagining her watching him—us—made the hair on my arms shoot straight up.

  I knew she had serious stuff going on outside of school. Still, this…creepy behavior didn’t seem like the Maddie Harrington Shane had talked about and tried to help. As a friend.

  She leaned forward. “I just hope I’m around so I can see the look on his face when you crush him into a million pieces.” She sniffed a couple times, wiped her cheeks and gave me a…she-devil smile. “And Ella’s right. I do feel much better.”

  I froze for a few seconds, then gritted my teeth. Because now this all made perfect sense.

  Maddie spun from me and bolted down the hallway.

  And of course Ella had talked Maddie into confronting me right before the competition.

  That crazy bitch.

  Had I really called her my best friend for five years?

  I stared at the floor as my body trembled from rage. I also took the deepest breaths I could to get myself under control. I couldn’t walk into the cafeteria looking beaten. Because I knew Ella would be watching for me. I also didn’t need Shane or my friends knowing anything was wrong. Not today of all days.

  I raised my head, avoiding the stares of kids walking by me who’d caught the rotten confrontation, then turned and headed in the same direction as them and Maddie.

  Fear of what just happened hitting the school’s gossip mill by the end of lunch tried to replace my anger, but I squashed it with each step closer to the cafeteria.

  I couldn’t—wouldn’t—let this ruin such an important day.

  Chapter 32

  Meg, Paige and Erin were almost cowering by the stage’s back wall in front of the Rydell High backdrop. G
reased Lightning had been pushed to the stage’s right side, opposite of us, and covered with a blanket so lip syncing competitors wouldn’t screw with it.

  “I can’t do this.” Paige sounded like she might start hyperventilating. “I’m gonna be sick. And I didn’t even eat lunch today because I was so nervous.”

  “Totally agree with everything Paige said.” This from Meg.

  We were up next. After a few sophomore girls on stage finished their routine to some Ariana Grande song.

  I eyed Kassidy who looked…pale. A little weird, too, since she was used to this.

  “I’ll take Paige and Erin, and you take Meg?” I asked.

  She nodded, and we closed the small gap between us and the three other girls.

  Kassidy started her pep talk with Meg.

  I said to Paige and Erin, “Look at me.” They raised their heads and looked like death was coming for them. “You know what you’re doing. Our rehearsal yesterday was awesome. We’ve so got this.”

  They didn’t look convinced, but I felt I deserved an Academy Award for my strong words and equally strong performance from the moment I walked into the cafeteria. But then, everyone had been bursting with lip sync competition excitement. And nerves. Well, except Shane.

  I smiled softly, remembering his face bright with more excitement than nerves. But getting up on stage and performing was his thing…

  Lexi came up and stood between Kassidy and me, which brought me back to the now. The reality the competition was here and we were up next.

  My tummy went back to fluttering. Probably a good thing I, like Paige and Meg, hadn’t eaten much of my lunch.

  “Everyone’s been soooo good,” Lexi said while she played with the end of her braid.

  We—the girls—had voted to wear our hair in two braids, to keep it out of our faces. Warren had decided all of us should wear black jeans, Converse and “positively white” T-shirts.

  “But I have to admit,” Lexi continued, “I’m kinda happy Ella’s group wasn’t as good as we thought they’d be.”

  That made me smile. Wickedly.

  Ella, Quinn and Maddie’s lip syncing and dancing throughout their routine to “Salute” had been really…off. The older girl power song fit Ella. And her campaign. But they hadn’t rehearsed enough. So none of us could argue with Lexi, but my friends shared relieved smiles.

  I held onto my wicked one.

  Warren, Jade and Alisha walked up. They’d been watching the sophomore girls.

  “They’re not bad, but look nervous,” Warren said. “We can beat them.”

  “But what about Drew’s group?” Jade whined.

  “Drew’s routine was perfect,” Warren said, and then sighed. “Because he’s perfect.”

  I affectionately patted his arm.

  Drew’s “Happier” routine with Liam, two other boys I vaguely recognized from the plays, and Bree, the only girl in their group, had been pretty cool and perfect. Their applause had been loud. As I’d watched them, I’d wondered if Shane would’ve been in their routine if he hadn’t joined up with J.R. and Owen. Those three were going last and, because of that, had been assigned sitting on the other side of the auditorium from us. Which totally sucked.

  JFK walked up to us holding a clipboard and pen. He, as the soon outgoing president of student council, had been running the competition with help from Mr. Yates and Mr. Lowry.

  “They’ll be done in a few seconds,” JFK said. “Are you ready?”

  Warren nodded for us, and JFK walked away.

  The nine of us came in for a silent group hug.

  The other music stopped. We heard the applause. The three sophomore girls appeared backstage and burst into relieved laughter.

  “Okay,” we heard JFK say into his microphone. “Next we have Warren and Friends.”

  We broke apart and headed for the enormous thick curtain blocking the audience from seeing the backstage. And as I looked at my incredible friends shaking from excitement and nerves, courage erupted from my soul.

  I said, “Jade was right on Monday. Let’s kick some ass.”

  Jade gave me an enormous smile and giggled. Then we strutted onto the stage.

  The opening notes of “High Hopes” exploded from the sound system.

  We launched into our club power routine.

  And all of us nailed our lip syncing parts and power anthem dance moves.

  What seemed like two-and-a-half seconds later, we jogged off the stage and collapsed into laughter. From success and relief.

  “OhmyGod,” Paige said around her laughing. “I’m so glad that’s over.”

  “Totally agree with what Paige just said,” Meg said, trying to catch her breath.

  “But did you hear the boys hollering and whistling for us?” Jade asked.

  I’d heard it, but thought it was my adrenaline making all the applause and hollering and whistling sound louder. But I giggled, thinking about Shane, J.R. Owen and Nate, sitting somewhere behind the competitors, reacting to our routine that way.

  “Yeah, because we did kick some serious ass,” Lexi snarled. But in a triumphant way.

  I laughed harder at this way different side to super sweet Lexi. And the fact she was right.

  “Who are you right now?” Warren asked Lexi, his eyes round with awe.

  “Sorry,” she replied as we headed for the stairs to go back to our seats. “I have a pretty intense…competitive side. From years of dancing competitions.”

  “‘Intense?’” Warren mumbled. “More like scary.”

  We sat together in the third row on the right side of the auditorium. All the competitors had been assigned seats up front for quick access to the stage.

  I gigantic part of me wanted to stretch my neck up to find them—Shane—on the other side of the auditorium. But that would be too obvious. And silly. So I settled into my seat between Kassidy and Warren as a group of boys walked onto the stage…and did a routine to a really annoying hip-hop/rap song. But I stopped myself from rolling my eyes since the boys looked pretty wobbly from nervousness.

  Getting up on that stage, in front of peers and teachers, wasn’t easy. And I smiled at the fact I’d conquered and done something so…fucking insane. Despite Maddie’s confrontation, too.

  My smile grew as more of my heart came together. To the point it was near whole again.

  JFK walked out, holding a microphone in his right hand, the clipboard and pen in his left. “And, as the last group for our first lip sync competition, we have J.R., Owen and Shane.”

  He left, and the boys sauntered out.

  My smile became lovesick, goofy at the sight of him.

  They’d chosen to wear snug, red T-shirts and jeans.

  They stood there, with their heads angled down, and the music started. It had an upbeat, pop song feeling to it. Then J.R., standing a little ahead of Shane and Owen, lifted his head and started lip syncing and moving to—

  Kassidy gasped. “Oh. My. God. They chose ‘I Like Me Better,’” she cooed while her mouth curved into a sappy smile. “It’s why they’re wearing red shirts.”

  I glanced at Meg, whose expression matched Kassidy’s.

  I watched J.R. lip syncing and moving with the music, and focused on the song I didn’t recognize since I never listened to music like this. But as I listened to the lyrics, my mouth drifted open. Because they’d chosen a love song.

  They lip synced the…super sweet chorus together, then broke out some…well-rehearsed dance moves during an instrumental break.

  I released a quick laugh. And my smile became sappy, and I pictured me, Kassidy and Meg looking like cartoon girls with hearts popping out of our eyes.

  “Oh, no.” Warren sighed. “Almost every girl in this auditorium who didn’t compete, and maybe even some guys, are going to vote for them. So much for first place.”

  I laughed as Owen and J.R. smoothly switched places, and Owen lip synced the second verse. And did as good a job as J.R. He even seemed comfortable with the dancing.
But not as comfortable as J.R. Or Shane. Who could dance really well.

  My insides crackled and zinged as I watched him.

  I shook my head and leaned forward to see Meg, sitting on Kassidy’s left side. Her mouth was slightly open and in a half smile. And Kassidy had her hands over her mouth as she giggled.

  After the chorus and their dancing, Shane and Owen smoothly switched places, and Shane lip synced the bridge. Which had a high part at the end that he exaggerated. In a cute, drama boy way. And just enough to earn laughter. Then the song stopped, and they stood the way they’d looked at the beginning of their ridiculously sweet and adorable routine.

  We joined the very loud applause. And hollered. Meg even whistled.

  They, smiling like they’d just beaten the devil, sauntered off stage.

  JFK came out and told everyone, who hadn’t been in the competition, to cast their votes.

  All I wanted to do was hunt Shane Easton down, grab the front of his red T-shirt, kiss him and tell the truth. That their routine and him had put the rest of my heart back together.

  Chapter 33

  “Okay. We have our winners,” JFK said to the packed auditorium buzzing with anticipation, “for Pacifica Academy’s First Lip Sync Competition. Are you ready?”

  The auditorium exploded with applause and hollers.

  All nine of us glanced at each other, our eyes wide with nervous excitement.

  We’d done as good as the other groups, if not better than most of them. We had to have at least placed. I felt that in my trembling body. But, at the same time, did it even matter?

  “We have a tie for third place.”

  Kassidy, Warren and Lexi, on Warren’s right side, straightened.

  “Our third-place winners are…Bryan and the Soccer Boys with ‘Don’t Go Breaking My Heart’ and…Ella, Quinn and Maddie with ‘Salute.’”

  Bryan, a senior, and two of his friends were sitting in the front row of our section and, as they laughed, ambled onto the stage. They’d exaggerated their lip syncing and dancing to their song, sung by some boy band, and while wearing their soccer uniforms.