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Alex technically said being on the list wasn’t a big deal, but he also said that I had time to find a new hobby. That I had time to change myself. I knew if I told Rachel any of that, she’d go off. “Why would he say anything? He was on it last year.”
“I remember. He got Most Likely To: Never Get A Girlfriend. And then he asked you out a few weeks later.”
I fought the urge to roll my eyes. “He asked me tohomecoming, and then we officially started dating two weeks after the dance. It’s not like he walked up to me and immediately asked me to be his girlfriend.”
“Be honest with me.” Rachel reached out and giving my knee a squeeze. The gesture lessened some of the tension compounding in my body. “The Most Likely Tos. How much is it bothering you, being on it?”
I’d only been friends with Rachel and Ava since the end of freshman year, which gave us two full years to get close, but not close enough for her to perfectly see through my lies or not. I kept my eyes on the parking lot, scouring for a space, refusing to glance over. “Why would it? The list is stupid anyway.”
“I know I’d be a little upset if I was on it.”
“Well, I’m flattered, really.”
Rachel checked her makeup one last time in the visor mirror. “Out of everyone at Brentwood, they noticedyou. They even made a new label for you. That is special, I guess.”
Special. If I could’ve blended into the background of Brentwood High, that would’ve been even better.
“You know what’s weird?” Finally, she turned away from me. “There are alotof jocks on the Most Likely Tos this year. A lot of popular people. More than usual.”
With barely any interest, I asked, “Like who?”
“Well, Nate Tulane—he’s the one that plays all the sports. Football, baseball, basketball. Landon Settler, which you know is the quarterback. Uh… Oh! Madison Oliphant.”
My foot slipped on the brake, lurching us forward. Rachel slapped her hand against the dashboard, the jarring movement causing the glovebox to pop open. “Madison’s on it? What’s her label?”
“Uh.” Her face scrunched up in concentration as she slammed the glovebox shut. “I can’t remember. Ava would know, of course. I’d be shocked if she didn’t already have the whole thing memorized. Let me check. It wasn’t for anything good, though.”
“There aren’t any good ones on that list,” I told her, turning into a parking space. The lot was mostly filled, but we were able to snag a space between a SUV and a beat-up truck.
Rachel scrolled through her phone for a moment before passing it to me. “Madison Oliphant,” she said, as if I didn’t know the name.
Once again, I was greeted with the poorly designed webpage, but I barely gave it a second thought now. Instead, I scoured the names.
Most Likely To: Never Get A Boyfriend
Lacey Churchill
Most Likely to: Peak In High School
Madison Oliphant
Most Likely To: Stay A Prude
Gemma Settler
“Peak in high school,” I echoed, thinking back to Ava’s article last night. “That’s a new label, right?”
Rachel nodded, taking her phone back. “I can’t believe she was voted on it, honestly. Or any of the guys. Top Tier isneveron it. Makes you wonder who’s running it.”
Madison being on it didn’t make any sense. She was co-captain of the cheer squad. Out of the Top Tier girls, she was easily number two, only beaten by her best friend, Jade Dyer. Madison had fought tooth and nail to be right hand to Jade’s top spot, not caring about who she put down in the process.
I’d know.
It might’ve made her a perfect candidate for “peaking in high school,” but her Top Tier status should’ve exempted her from it all.
As I unbuckled my seatbelt, I couldn’t help but wonder how she was taking it.
Rachel and I both climbed out of the car into the chilly air, and I curled my shirt sleeves over my fingers. Rachel fluffed her cardigan. “Don’t let it get to you, Maisie,” she said, huddling closer to me against the rather sharp breeze. “I’m sure by next week, everyone will forget all about it. Just…” Rachel caught my arm before we got too close to the building. “Don’t look at the comments of Ava’s post, okay? Promise?”
