He took both my hands in his, startling me. “I’d like to make it up to you."

“Hi, Pete,” said Joanna, her face visible from under the door. She twiddled her fingers at me in a cheerleader wave.

“How did…” I started to ask, but Megan interrupted.

“When the guys couldn’t find you, we knew where you must be.” Her head was now visible beside Joanna’s.

“Rats,” I said. I sat back so I could extend my feet to the floor. My legs cramped a bit, but I felt even worse everywhere else.

“You’re the only boy in the school who might think they could get away with hiding in the girls’ room,” Joanna commented with a snort. They got out of the way so I could open the door, and Megan immediately gave me a hug.

I grunted because I felt a bit sore in the middle, probably from how I was perched on the toilet seat.

“You need someone to sneak you out of here,” Joanna suggested.

I grunted again and winced. Something wasn’t right, but I wasn’t aware really of how bad I felt until Megan said, “Don’t cry, Petey. It’ll be okay.”

I felt my face twist up and tried to resist.

“She’s already been crying,” Joanna commented. “I think you were right, Megan.”

“Pretty sure of it,” agreed my girl.

I didn’t react much to Joanna calling me ‘she’ because I knew she was a bitch and would take the opportunity to stick a needle in someone. If Joanna played football, Ginger would have a broken ankle for real. I made a face at her, and she laughed.

“Give Megan your keys, Petey,” the head cheerleader ordered. “We’ll go out the back and distract everyone, you go out the front, and Megan can come around in your car to pick you up.”

I almost felt grateful to Joanna for taking charge. She hurried out with another toodle-oo wave, and Megan and I followed her into the hall.

Joanna paused before going to the door of the backroom. She raised a finger as she spoke to us. “Ice cream party, my house tonight. Be there and bring your own pint. Both of you.”

I frowned at her, but Megan said, “We’ll be there,” then she kissed me on the cheek. “Petey, Pete, Pete. I have to stand on tiptoe to kiss you now!” She mock complained.

I turned to kiss her back, but was late and only managed to plant one on her cheek as she disappeared following Joanna.

“What’s an ice cream party?” I asked no one before turning into the short hall and heading to the dining rooms in the front. When I passed the door to the kitchen, one of the Mexican cooks whistled at me. A fan, I guess, but I hurried into the frontmost dining room feeling a strange unfocussed anxiety.

I heard a familiar clatter before I reached the front door. Leland Frick, with his built-up left shoe, awkwardly climbed down off a stool near the door.

“Pete,” he said. He looked stricken, like he’d had some bad salad.

I didn’t want to stop, but I did. “Lee,” I began but realized, I really had nothing to say.

“Pete,” said Lee. “I wanted to apologize. I never meant to start anything like that.”

I remembered the first sequence of the film where he had apparently zoomed in on my butt running down the field. I frowned at him. Despite having one leg shorter than the other, Lee is over six feet tall, and I still had to look up at him, even with the height I had gained.

“I had no idea the guys would go crazy! It was like a feeding frenzy for real lions!” He grinned at his own joke.

“Why are you waiting here?” I asked, amused in spite of myself at his lame attempt at humor.

“I figured you must be in the building somewhere because your car is still here,” he explained. “And with Coach and the guys in back, I figured you’d try to come out the front.”

I guess I am that predictable. I frowned at him again.

“I feel terrible,” he said, stepping closer. “I know you’re not a bloodthirsty fool like the other players.”

“Huh,” I said, trying to edge around him.

He took both my hands in his, startling me. “I’d like to make it up to you. Have you seen the new Alien movie?”

“Uh, no,” I admitted. “Megan won’t go to horror movies.”

“It’s science fiction more than horror, but I know you wouldn’t be scared.” He grinned. “It’s been in the Traildust downtown for two months, and it’s in the El Tesoro now for one last week. Wanna go see it? My van is really comfortable for seeing movies at the drive-in.”

I managed to get out of there as quickly as I could by agreeing that Lee could pick me up at 5 p.m. on Sunday. Then I stood on the pavement outside Pizza Barn waiting for Megan to come around in Baby Blue.”

Had I just agreed to go on a date with a boy? With Leland Frick!? Who had been taking movies of my ass?!

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