TTYL (32 page)

SnowAngel:

la la la, la la la, only one more hour till my date with ben!

zoegirl:

so are you texting to describe your lovely, gussied-up self?

SnowAngel:

*clears throat* attire: tight black cords, betty boop t-shirt, black lace-up boots. scent: my mom's “chance” by coco chanel.

zoegirl:

very nice. very hip.

SnowAngel:

i considered borrowing chrissy's black coat with the faux fur trim, but decided it might be too much.

zoegirl:

especially since it's not all that cold out

SnowAngel:

what i really wanna borrow is maddie's bottle-cap belt. she took it back after the last time i wore it, tho, and i don't think i can call up and ask for it.

SnowAngel:

then again, who knows? maybe it'd be a good icebreaker.

zoegirl:

maybe

SnowAngel:

but nah, i'm not up for rejection right now. it would bum me out.

SnowAngel:

is it bad that i'm so excited while maddie's still so miserable?

zoegirl:

well, you're not excited BECAUSE she's miserable. they're two different things.

zoegirl:

you can't put your life on hold forever.

SnowAngel:

that's true

zoegirl:

but since the care package didn't work, maybe we
shld do something else to cheer her up. to give her a chance to come back.

SnowAngel:

only we've already given her lots of chances, and she hasn't taken any of them.

SnowAngel:

aye-yai-yai, it's 6:15 and everyone's meeting at the coffeehouse at 6:45. that's only half an hour away! *quick kiss and a hug for good luck* BYE!

SnowAngel:

well, i'm txting from my hot poetry date. NOT.

zoegirl:

uh oh. what's going on?

SnowAngel:

let's see, how should i put it?

SnowAngel:

BEN IS HERE WITH LESLIE.

zoegirl:

who's leslie?

SnowAngel:

u remember! that GA state chick he's always talking about. the girl i convinced myself was just a friend.

zoegirl:

i take it she's not?

SnowAngel:

she's wearing a hideous pearl necklace, one that loops around twice and hangs down to her belly button!

SnowAngel:

why wld he go out with her when he could have ME?

zoegirl:

ah, angela

SnowAngel:

it's so unfair!

SnowAngel:

ew, now she's rubbing his neck. disgusting!!!

zoegirl:

is the poetry slam itself any good? i mean, are you having ANY fun?

SnowAngel:

no.

SnowAngel:

ben read one of his poems—after prying himself away from leslie's claws—and it was BAD. it was about rebirth or resurrection or something, and i could tell from the way he read it that it was supposed to be really deep.

zoegirl:

but it wasn't?

SnowAngel:

at the end he pretended to be an egg. he scrunched into a ball with his arms wrapped around his legs and stayed like that, frozen, while everyone clapped.

zoegirl:

oh good heavens

SnowAngel:

my crush has been nipped in the bud. or, shall i say, my crush has been scrambled, fried, and poached.

SnowAngel:

tee-hee. that was funny, wasn't it?

zoegirl:

at least you're in a good humor about it.

SnowAngel:

well… maybe there's ONE good thing about tonight.

zoegirl:

oh yeah?

SnowAngel:

prepare yourself for another bombshell: doug schmidt is here.

zoegirl:

doug schmidt? i didn't know he was in the drama club.

SnowAngel:

he's not. he came on his own.

zoegirl:

angela! did he come because he knew YOU were going to be there?

SnowAngel:

how wld he have known i was going to be here?

SnowAngel:

no, he came to compete in the poetry slam—for real!

SnowAngel:

he read a poem about dirty underwear, which sounds gross, but it was really funny. UNLIKE mr. deep's stupid egg poem.

SnowAngel:

and afterward, he and i sat together and drank chai milkshakes while leslie caressed ben's hair. doug told me he wants to be a writer when he grows up, but that he would never take himself too seriously.

SnowAngel:

it was cool, cuz there's so much more to him than i thought.

zoegirl:

so… where is he now? and is he your new crush?

SnowAngel:

he left—and no!!! i have fun hanging out with him, but he is NOT my type.

zoegirl:

ha. like that's ever stopped you.

SnowAngel:

what r u implying? omg, u r so confusing sometimes!!!

SnowAngel:

i saw u talking to mr. h in the hall after 5th period, zo. he was looking VERY interested in what u had to say.

zoegirl:

we were talking about the quiz he gave in class. it was nothing.

SnowAngel:

well, he was rapt. have u figured out what ur gonna do about this weekend?

zoegirl:

aargh! i haven't! and every time i think about it, i get all jittery and i have to do jumping jacks to calm down.

SnowAngel:

ur gonna have to come up with something. time's a' tickin.

zoegirl:

i KNOW. he's expecting me at the kravitzes' TOMORROW NIGHT!!!

SnowAngel:

know who cld tell u what to do? maddie. she's always so good at cutting through the bullshit.

zoegirl:

i know. i NEED her, but how am i supposed to talk to her now that she's decided she's never going to talk to us???

zoegirl:

maddie, are you there?

zoegirl:

maddie, i need to talk to you. please?

zoegirl:

it's about mr. h.

zoegirl:

he wants me to go hot-tubbing with him, and i don't know what to do.

zoegirl:

maddie?

zoegirl:

ok. well, i really could have used your advice, but i guess you don't care!

zoegirl:

i am so dead! i saw mr. h at fellowship this morning—i was too wimpy not to go—and when we were in the kitchen getting out the orange juice, he said, “i'm looking forward to tonight. i got a special candle just for the occasion.”

SnowAngel:

ew! ick, ick, ick!

zoegirl:

he said it in this shy little boy way, and it would have been cute if i'd still been into him. but i'm not!!!

SnowAngel:

did u tell him u couldn't come?

zoegirl:

no! i said something brilliant like, “uh, great,” and then i darted off to get a sweet roll—not that i was able to eat it. i wanted to tell him no, but i just couldn't!

SnowAngel:

zoe, u have to get out of it.

zoegirl:

how? he's coming to pick me up at seven. i already told my mom i'm going to Bible study with him, like years ago before i got freaked out, and she's delighted. she'll probably have a plate of cookies for him when he arrives.

SnowAngel:

what if u told her the truth?

zoegirl:

are you KIDDING? that would be a disaster. she'd call the entire school board, and then she'd realize i'd been lying to her all this time and she'd—crap, i have no idea what she'd do.

zoegirl:

but it would be BAD!

SnowAngel:

maybe u could get sick?

zoegirl:

i suck at faking stuff. you know that.

SnowAngel:

it's cuz ur such a goody-goody. u haven't had enough practice.

SnowAngel:

maybe u could just not be there when he comes to pick u up?

zoegirl:

where would i be, in a closet? anyway, there's still
the mom problem because she knows i've got plans with him. i can't just disappear.

SnowAngel:

i could

zoegirl:

well, i can't!

zoegirl:

my stomach's in knots. i keep imagining these horrible scenarios with the two of us alone in the kravitzes' hot tub. what do i do if he actually tries something?

SnowAngel:

u say, “no!” and if he KEEPS trying, u slap his face and say, “no means no, u weirdo stalkerhead!”

zoegirl:

thank you, that's very helpful.

SnowAngel:

or i know! u could say, “now, now. what would jesus do?”

zoegirl:

stop joking!

SnowAngel:

i'm sorry. it's just that now I'M all anxious, and i don't know what else to do!

zoegirl:

great. this is just great.

SnowAngel:

shit, must put phone away. mr. kirk coming. something about some dude named shakespeare. only i don't know any dudes named shakespeare!