* * *
The only goodthing about this entire horrible day is that I get an excused absence from school. The principal actually calls me just before school starts and tells me not to come in today since everything will be so hectic and crazy. He tells me to meet him and the Un-bully guy at the car dealership. They’re bringing the cameraman again and filming the whole event for their website. The principal says my parents are welcome to come, but I lie and say they’re out of town.
The car dealership isn’t as big of a deal as I worried it might be. It’s not like there’s a huge party going on or anything, and no one from school is here. I guess I kind of worried that everyone would ditch class to see me get my car. Luckily, they didn’t. My phone is still blowing up with messages from my friends wanting to know the details of what’s going on, but I ignore them for now.
I meet with Roy, the salesman who walked me around last time we came here, and then the polo shirt guy from Un-bully arrives shortly after with the principal and his secretary. They all want to shake my hand and congratulate me, and while this is a whirlwind experience, it makes me sick to my stomach. This win should have gone to Abby. I don’t need a car as badly as she does. And I definitely don’t deserve it as much as she does. She’s sweet to everyone. Even before this month, she was kind and friendly. I was a jerk.
“Let’s go see your shiny new truck,” Roy says, grinning wide as he pats me on the back.
“Actually…” I glance at the Un-bully guy. “Do I have to pick the car I chose last time?”
“No,” he says with a shrug. “You can choose any car in the price range.”
“Great,” I say, smiling for the first time since Julian woke me up this morning. “I want the red Jeep.”
Fifteen
ABBY
I tried so hard to stay home from school today. I begged Abuela to just let me stay home, but she refused. Unlike my teachers who are all happy to ignore class lessons to talk about the Un-bully app, Abuela actually cares about education. So she forced me to go. Also, she had a good point that I couldn’t really refute—that if I skip school today, everyone will just talk to me tomorrow.
Might as well suck it up and get it over with today.
The only good thing in my life right now is knowing the Un-bully competition is over. I uninstalled the app so fast it gave my phone whiplash. Now there’s no incentive to be nice to people, no reason I need to keep smiling and saying friendly things. When Jules and I arrive at school, I head straight for the coffee cart and I don’t say a single hello to anyone. Not that anyone besides my best friend even wants to say a friendly good morning or hello.
They just want to gawk at the school’s biggest loser.
You would think a high school would actually care about educating students, but no. They don’t. All they care about is this contest. It’s Monday, October 1stand this is hands down the worst day of my high school life so far. Every single person is talking about the contest and what’s even worse than that, is how everyone in all my classes wants to talk to me about my epic loss.
Most people see the irony of Mark freaking Caputo winning the new car after he told the assistant principal that I deserve to win instead of Annabel. So why did they all give him so many kudos when that secret video came out? Idiots.
But I’m also to blame here. I let my guard down. I stupidly spent the day flirting with Mark through DMs instead of working harder to get more kudos. I should have known he’d swoop in at the last minute and steal this from me. He’s a snake. He’s already rich and already driving around town with his luxury car his parents bought him. He gets free Italian food whenever he wants and I’m stuck eating peanut butter sandwiches with my sisters. Both of his parents live in the same house with him every night while mine are in a different country. He’s got it all, and now he has a new car that he doesn’t even need. And me? I’m stuck with no car and dozens of babysitting jobs that I won’t even get paid for.
I can’t believe I was so stupid.
Obviously a guy as cute as Mark would ever like me. I let the thrill of seeing my name in first place override my rational brain. I should have known better. And yet, I made a total fool of myself instead.
The day is hell. Every single person in my classes just stares at me or tries to talk to me. Some tell me they’re sorry. A lot of people think it’s annoying that someone who is already rich got the free car. Unfortunately, hearing other people call Mark names doesn’t help my mood at all. No one else gets it like I get it. They weren’tthis closeto getting a new car.
I was.
The worst part of the day is when people try to goad me into blowing up or saying something bad. They get all up in my face and ask if I’m pissed off that I lost at the last minute. In fifth period accounting class, I’m so nervous to walk inside I actually contemplate just walking out of the building and hiking back the several mile trip to my house. I just want to leave. Just walk away. Never come back.
But it’s like ninety degrees outside so the long walk would suck, and I’d get an unexcused absence, and Abuela would be mad at me, and she’d tell my mom and then Mom would be mad at me. Ditching class would make my home life just as miserable as my school life. So with my tail between my legs, I walk into class trying to decide if should be nice to Mark or be a vicious witch to him.
I choose the second one and stand a little straighter. Only he’s not here. I don’t even have to look around the entire classroom to know he’s not here. There’s just something about his presence that always makes my heart skip a beat. And my heart is beating just fine right now.
“Hey there everyone,” Mr. Jovanni says from the front of the classroom. “I know it’s been a crazy weekend but the competition is over and we have work to do.”
“Thank God,” I mutter under my breath.
“Mr. Caputo has the day off,” he says and maybe it’s my imagination, but even my teacher seems annoyed about it. I think he secretly wanted me to win. “They’re doing an award ceremony for his new car, or some crap I don’t really care about. I’m sure the app will update you. Anyhow, let’s get to work.”
Mr. Jovanni dims the lights and turns on the smartboard where the day’s lesson is already queued up. He meets my eye and I give him a small, grateful smile. He winks back.
* * *
Abuela meetsme at the front door when Jules drops me off after school. “Hola,” she says, wrapping me in a hug that smells like the cinnamon coffee she loves so much. “I made you some cookies. And I sent your sisters to their friend’s house for the afternoon. Come on, get some cookies. They’re still warm.”
