Page 16 of It's in the Contract
Dana looks up from her phone to glance from Suzy to me, and she’s biting her lower lip like she’s trying to hide a smile.
I frown. “What?”
Suzy presses her lips together. “Just know that this is for your own good.”
I set my sandwich on the tray.
“Well, don’t keep everyone waiting,” Brian says.
Cassidy pulls out a piece of paper with a flourish. “I’ve got the candidates right here.” She looks down and reads, “Five ladies have entered their names to run for Homecoming Queen. Our runners are . . .” Cassidy pauses for emphasis, her brilliant white teeth glittering. “Brielle Williams, Hana Hayashi, Suzy Jeong, Beth Livingston, and Callie Carter.” Cassidy lowers the sheet, beaming. “This is going to be an exciting match, people! I can’t wait to see what our candidates come up with. It?—”
I don’t hear the rest. I stare around the cafeteria. Some people are smiling at me and giving me thumbs up. Others are raising eyebrows and looking skeptical. Brielle sits in what used to be my seat, at a table with Noah, Troy, Katrina, and a few other cheerleaders and football players. The table is congratulating Brielle, and Noah presses a kiss to her temple. Brielle looks ridiculously happy and accepts the attention with a smile.
“Congrats, Callie,” Nicole says. “You’re brave. I wouldn’t want to be in the spotlight after . . .” She trails off, looking awkward.
I whip my head toward Suzy. “What did you do?”
Dana gives me a sheepish smile and then looks back down at her hair tutorial. Suzy just gives me one sharp nod. “I put your name in.”
“Suzy,” I hiss. But I paste a smile on and wave at the people who are giving me an encouraging thumbs up. “I told you I didn’t want to run.”
“And for the guys,” Cassidy says, “Alan Montgomery, Noah Rossi?—”
Cassidy goes on to announce two more boys who are running for King, but the rest don’t even register. Noah’s running for Homecoming King. And Brielle is running for Queen.
And so am I, apparently?
I stare back at my sandwich, and the green lettuce and pale pink turkey are limp and sad looking. That’s it. I’m not risking another bite. “I told you I didn’t want to do this.”
Suzy picks up her chopsticks and eats a bite of rice. “This will be something fun we can do together. Remember, it doesn’t really matter who wins.”
We both look at Brielle, who is laughing at something Noah said, and we both know that’s not true.
The King and Queen always share a traditional dance. So if Noah won . . . and if I won . . . I shake my head to banish the image.I don’t want him back. I don’t want him back.Maybe if I repeat it to myself enough, I’ll believe it.
“I’ll take my name out of the running,” I say quietly.
Suzy turns to me and opens her mouth, but then Brian and Cassidy continue.
“But that’s not all our news, is it, Cass?” Brian asks from the screen. “No cap.”
I turn my attention back to the TV. “What else could they be announcing?”
“No, it’s not,” Cassidy says. “This year, Homecoming is going to beepic.”
“Massive.” Brian nods.
“There’s been a slight change in the Homecoming rules,” Cassidy says.
I hold my breath. Dana looks up from her hair tutorial.
“This year, to raise the stakes, the voting will be seen in real time,” Brian says. “Voters can cast their votes anonymously online, and we’ll be able to see which candidate is ahead. No more waiting until the day of the dance to know who’s a serious contender; we’ll be able to see the voting as it happens. No cap.”
“Brian,” Cassidy whispers through gritted teeth. “We talked about ending every sentence with ‘no cap’, remember?”
His eyes sparkle, and he adjusts his bowtie. “And to raise the stakes even more, the losers will get cream pies in the face at the Homecoming school fair.” Brian rubs his hands together with glee.
I blink. Cream pies in the face? Oh bleh. If I ran and lost, Mom would be mortified to watch me undergo that humiliation, to know that people were talking about our family’s embarrassment.
