Pride and Popularity

and then we both stared at Alyssa again.

“Well, did he ask you out?” Madison asked her.

Alyssa shrugged, then smiled and nodded furiously.

“Shut up!” Madison threw her arms out.

“Ahhhh!” We all went in for a major group hug.

“So are ya out out with him?” I couldn’t help asking, just to clarify.

“Oh, no. Not out out, but we’re going to a movie Saturday.”

“That is so awesome. I am so happy for you!” I said. Wow. Who’d have thought? Zack Bradford and Alyssa.

“Hey, don’t you have a date on Saturday too?” Madison asked.

“Holy cow, you’re right. We’ve got to get home ASAP. Blake was supposed to call me this afternoon.” I ran over to the front passenger door.

“What an amazing day,” Alyssa said as she climbed into the driver’s seat. “I don’t think there will ever be a day as surprising as today.”

Madison and I smiled at each other over the roof of the car, then climbed in ourselves. Now if only there was someone for Madison. 

Seven Mom Rules The Roost

“No way!” I whined. “You can’t make me go out with him.” I stormed into the dining room. Of course, Mom followed me.

“Chloe Elizabeth, this is a nice thing to do. Stop being such a brat.”

“I’m not. Mom, he’s—”

“A little shy, that’s all. Collin’s mother is always telling me at our book-club meeting how wonderful she thinks you are—so smart and pretty—and how much she wishes her Collin would find a nice girl like you. So I just thought, what could be the harm in you two at least getting to know each other better? I swear, Chloe, if you don’t go on this date, how could I ever face his mother again? It would be humiliating.”

Why does she have to be so good at guilt trips? “Mom, but he’s—he’s, I don’t know . . . weird.”

“Chloe, I am not asking you to marry the guy, all right? One date, okay? One. You won’t die, I promise.” Mom sighed as she sat down at the dining room table. “This is something that children do for their parents and for their parents’ friends, and that’s that.”

“But Mom, he talks about odd stuff and everybody always stares at him.” I tried again. “I can’t believe you would actually plan a date for me without even asking me!” Frustrated, I sat down on a chair facing her.

“You will be nice to that boy, Chloe. I mean it! Not one rude thing better come out of your mouth.”

“You know I’ll be nice to him. That’s not the point. The point which you seem to be forgetting here is that you scheduled a date for me on a night when I already have one.”

“Again, if you had talked to me and had written it on the calendar like you were supposed to, this wouldn’t have happened.”

“For crying out loud, Mom. This is Blake Winter we’re talking about. He’s coming over tomorrow to meet you guys, just so he can take me out Saturday night. And now I’ve got a date with Collin.”

“Chloe—”

“A date my mother scheduled today after I had already promised Blake. What am I supposed to do?”

“This is not open for discussion, Chloe. You are going with Collin.”

Cassidy chose that precise moment to saunter in. Personally, I thought it was pretty bold until . . . I’ve got it! “Why can’t Cassidy go with Collin?” I pleaded, looking directly at my sister. “We could even double.” Come on, Cass, work with me!

Cassidy giggled and began to gag. I pretended to hand her a brown paper bag, which she mimed throwing up in. It was an old joke of ours, but for some reason it never worked with Mom.

“Very funny, girls,” she said, her face completely serious.

“Please, Mom. Me and Cass together?”

“Chloe, this is ridiculous. You know the rules. You know that your father and I won’t allow anyone living in this house to date before they’re sixteen. Cassidy, in case you have forgotten, is fifteen.”

I rolled my eyes at Cass’s unsympathetic “sorry” gesture. “No, I didn’t forget. I thought maybe you’d make an exception, though. I mean, she looks seventeen, so no one would know.” I tried one last time as Cassidy smugly waved goodbye to me behind Mom.

“His mother asked about you, Chloe. You’re going with him.”

Resigned to my fate, I moaned. “Fine. Blake left his number, right? I guess I’ll call him back.”

I grumbled under my breath as I picked up the phone and the slip of paper with his number. I carried them into my room, then plopped on the bed and started to dial.

“Hello?” he answered after a few rings.

“Hi, Blake, this is Chloe. Sorry I missed your call.”

“No problem. I was wondering what time you wanted me over tomorrow for dinner.”

“Well, 5:30, but—”

“Sounds good. I should be able to make it.”

“Uh, well, that’s the thing, I’m not sure you’re going to want to make it.” I plunged ahead before I lost my nerve. “Actually, I have some bad news. I mean, you’re still welcome to come tomorrow . . . It’s just that I can’t go out with you on Saturday.”

“Why not?”

This is so embarrassing. “Uh, my mom has gone all commando on me and totally set me up with this guy Collin, who drives me nuts. So I have to go with him instead of you, but could I maybe get a rain check?”

“You’re kidding! Can’t you beg or something?”

“Okay, yeah. Tried. Seriously, she is so like a war general sometimes. Right now she’s been workin’ the guilt factor. She’s in this book club with his mom.”

“Book club?” Blake sounded amused.

I’d take amused over mad or hurt any day. “Yep. And apparently my mom will never be able to show her face again if I back out, so . . .”

“So what’s he like?

“Collin?”

“Yeah, a guy’s gotta know his competition, right?”

“You think Collin is competition?” I blurted out.

“He’s a guy, right?”

“Yes. I guess you could call him that.”

“And he’s going out with you instead of me,” Blake said. “He’s competition. So what’s he like?”

“Oh. He’s . . . er, I don’t know. He’s, like, not all there, you know?”

“Is he as good looking as me?”

“As you? Hmm. I guess he’s cute, but more in a loner sort of way.”

“Oh, well, cute? Cute, I got beat.”

“You sure about that? Just because you’ve got dimples, don’t think it’s in the bag.”

Blake groaned. “Don’t remind me. I hate my dimples.”

“What? Why? Every girl loves dimples.”

“So you’re saying you like them, then?”

“Uh, maybe.”

“I’ll take that as a yes.” He laughed into the receiver, and I shuddered. There was something about his voice