**
We pulled into Eric’s subdivision, Cleave Lakes. All the houses were identical, large two-story brick homes with small yards. The only way to tell them apart was by the numbers on the mailboxes. Up ahead, I saw Eric’s house. There were two white limos and one purple one in front of it. There were cars parked up and down the street.
“Wow, there sure are a lot of kids going with you.” Cora pulled in behind a black BMW SUV. Our Ford truck definitely showed its age behind such an expensive new car. The light rain from earlier had disappeared, leaving behind a partly cloudy sky.
Cora got into her handbag and handed me some money. “Okay, here is $160 for your dinner, picture, and whatever else.”
“Cora, we’re going to McDonald’s and then to the dance. I doubt the pictures are going to be $155.”
“Just take it, Nicholas. You never know.” She shoved the folded money into my hand and got out of the truck. She was carrying a black bag with her purse. We walked up to the group.
“Nicholas is here,” someone yelled. The crowd turned and they surrounded me. I knew most of them. Some of them I had class with; others were on the JV football team. I spotted Eric right in the middle. He was wearing a black suit, his hair was slicked back into a ponytail, and he was wearing a bright pink tie.
“Whose funeral?” I said to him.
He laughed and said so only I could hear him, “All the other guys, because they don’t have a chance with the ladies. But don’t worry, Keller, you can be my wingman and have my leftovers.” Then he shouted, “Okay, now everyone get together for pictures!”
I couldn’t believe my ears or eyes. Cora was orchestrating the pictures for the groups of moms next to us. Cora pulled a professional-looking camera out of the black bag. She kept directing us to move around while all of the other moms took pictures.
“Okay, that’s enough pictures. Let’s go!” Eric said. “Nicholas, Matt, Erin, Melissa and Livi, in the purple limo with me. The rest of you divide up into the white limos.”
I knew Eric had his eye on Livi, because when she went to get into the limo, he opened the door for her and offered his hand to help her in. The rest of the girls followed with no help from Eric. Then Matt got in, leaving Eric and I outside.
“So Eric, is Livi your girl?”
He looked at me with a grin that would shame the Cheshire Cat. “She is, but she just doesn’t know it yet.” I followed him into the limo.
We rolled down the window to wave to the moms. Cora gave me a wink. Livi was tall and slender with brown hair and pale skin. She had three classes with me, and from what I could tell, she was brilliant. She always knew all of the answers. I was a little stunned that Eric liked her. I always pictured his dream girl being a not-so-bright blonde and very mature for her age. Wasn’t Livi too smart for Eric? Maybe he was trying something new.
Melissa and Erin looked pretty much identical to each other—small, brownish-blonde hair. The only difference was their hairstyles. Erin had big curly hair and Melissa’s was long and straight. These two were the same ones in biology class that wouldn’t leave me alone the first couple of weeks. I had become good at blocking out their continuous chatter.
The inside of the limo was like something out of a movie. Everything was covered in leather or gold. Eric was talking to Livi, ignoring the rest of us. I was sitting next to Melissa, who also was admiring the limo.
“So, Nicholas, were you excited to win Prince? You know, being a new student and all,” Melissa asked. Matt, Erin, and Melissa all stared at me, waiting for my answer.
“Yes, it was a surprise.”
“After Keller hit Oliver during tryouts, I knew he would represent the Sophomore Class well,” Matt said.
“I don’t know much about football, but the way you inspired the varsity team after your injury, you had to win it for sure. If a sophomore could win King, you would have,” Erin said, winking at me.
Eric and Livi were still engrossed in their own conversation, which was a relief because Eric would have made what they were saying into some huge story, probably including a damsel in a tower and a dragon with Oliver’s head on it and me saving everyone.
I started to get hot. I cracked the window to cool down. The limo was beginning to feel really small. I was not used to people talking about me, especially people I barely knew. I didn’t like it. Melissa and Erin went on about how awesome the football team had been playing.
Matt chimed in, “Yeah, it’s incredible that they’re still winning. Oliver can’t seem to score any points. If it weren’t for the defense, we would have probably lost half of those games.”
Then Livi joined the conversation, “Wasn’t Oliver supposed to be good?”
Eric answered, “He was good on JV, but for some reason he couldn’t take it to the next level.”
Then the limo stopped abruptly. Erin pretended to fall into me.
“Excuse me,” she said, batting her eyes at me.
I felt uneasy being around these girls.
The driver rolled down the tinted window that separated us from him. “We have arrived at McDonald’s, sir.”
“Very good,” Eric replied. I was relieved to have a chance to escape Erin’s gaze.
Eating at McDonald’s was fun. We pretty much took over the entire restaurant. Melissa and Erin followed me around like lost puppies and made sure they sat by me, just like in biology class, but a lot closer. I made sure not to give either one of them the wrong impression because I was sure they were waiting for some sign of interest.