It Had to Be You Page 9

  And what I saw next caused me to do a double take.

  Kyle was wrapping his arm around the shoulders of a beautiful redhead!

  Was Ravishing Red the “something” that had “suddenly” come up?

  I pressed myself against the side of my window, not wanting to be seen, but not wanting to miss any of what was going on outside.

  Just then Caitlyn came back into my room. She was in a white terry cloth robe, drying her hair with a fluffy blue towel. “What are you doing?” she asked. “You look like you’re spying on someone.”

  “I am!”

  “You are? Who?”

  “Kyle!” I pointed to the other side of the window. “Take a look.”

  Caitlyn raced over to the wall next to the window and pressed herself against it. Then she quickly ducked her head to the side and looked outside. When she ducked back, her mouth was wide open.

  I took another peek out the window, watching as Kyle and Red walked down the block. His arm was still around her and they were talking and laughing, Red playfully punching Kyle on his shoulder.

  Only one thought was going through my mind.

  Who was this girl?!

  Chapter Ten

  “So who do you think she is?” Caitlyn asked.

  “I don’t know,” I answered.

  We were in the backseat of my brother Rob’s car, getting driven to the county fair. For once the car was clean and odor free. That’s because sitting next to Rob in the front seat was his girlfriend Cathy, and after a year of dating her, he knew Cathy wouldn’t put up with a stinky, messy car. She lived one town over from ours and they’d met at college during freshman orientation last September. I liked Cathy a lot. She was a petite brunette who wore her hair in a short pixie cut and had the most beautiful violet-blue eyes I’d ever seen. Not only was she pretty and smart (she planned on being a doctor) but she didn’t take any crap from my brother. I liked that the most.

  “Do you think Ravishing Red is the reason why you haven’t seen Kyle all week?” Cathy asked.

  I had given Cathy a quick summary of the Kyle situation once we’d hit the road and then told her of the latest development.

  I shrugged. “I don’t know. Maybe.”

  “How pretty was she?” Cathy asked.

  “Very,” Caitlyn and I both answered at once.

  “If you want my advice, move on,” Cathy said. “There are plenty of other guys out there.”

  “Hey!” Rob exclaimed as he stopped for a red light. “That’s my baby sister you’re talking to. She’s not ready to date yet.”

  I loved when Rob got into overprotective mode. It showed me that deep down he cared.

  “Kyle gives you any trouble, you just let me know and I’ll have a little talk with him.” Rob smacked a fist into the palm of his hand. “If you know what I mean.”

  Yikes! I didn’t want poor Kyle to get a pounding just because he didn’t like me. We weren’t even dating!

  “I don’t think you’ll have to do that,” I said, as the light turned green and Rob started driving again.

  “I didn’t recognize her from school,” Caitlyn said. “Did you?”

  I shook my head. “I never saw her before in my life. Maybe she’s new. Like Kyle.”

  “And that’s what drew them together,” Caitlyn gushed. “New boy falls in love with new girl. It’s just like the plot of a Lindsay Lohan movie.”

  “I think the way she looks also had something to do with it,” I said drily. Ravishing Red was gorgeous. “What guy could resist that?!”

  “Not all guys are just obsessed with looks,” Rob said. “Anyway, you’re doing fine in the looks department yourself. So don’t worry about this guy. He must be a loser if he’s not into you.”

  Awww! I was loving my big brother today! If he wasn’t busy driving, I’d have thrown my arms around him in a hug.

  “I love what you’re wearing,” Cathy said to me.

  I had decided I wasn’t going to let Kyle and the Mystery of Ravishing Red get me down. It was a super-sunny summer day and I was going to dress that way. I’d chosen a pair of yellow capri pants from American Eagle, an off-the-shoulder white shirt, and a pair of white satin sandals with a slightly high heel. The sandals were the best part. My aunt Martha had bought them for me in SoHo when I’d visited her in New York City last spring. They were the most expensive shoes I’d ever owned!

  To top it all off, I wore a pair of sunburst-shaped earrings, a couple of bangle bracelets, and my hair was loose.

  Caitlyn had gone with the summer theme as well. She was wearing a Gap jean skirt with a hot pink halter top and pink slides (I suspected she’d “borrowed” the shoes from her sister, Tess—Caitlyn always borrowed from Tess without asking, which always led to huge screaming matches—because the heels were very high and I’d never seen Caitlyn wear them before).

  “Are you going to be able to walk in those things?” I asked Caitlyn, remembering how she’d wobbled to the car.

  “Yes,” she said, although she didn’t sound certain.

  “The guys are definitely going to notice both of you,” Cathy said.

  “Enough with the guy talk!” Rob barked as we reached the fair and he started looking for a parking space.

  “I’m just going to have a good time today,” I told Cathy. “Go on the rides. Eat some hot dogs and cotton candy. Maybe win a couple of prizes.”

  “You’ve got it bad for him, huh?” Cathy said knowingly.

  Did I? I really didn’t know. Seeing Kyle with Ravishing Red had been a bit of a shock. After the shock came the hurt. Why was he with her and not me? I liked him and I wanted him to like me. But you can’t “make” someone like you.

  What did you do when you liked someone and they didn’t like you back?

  Why was I even asking myself that question? I scolded myself. I knew the answer. You move on.

  “I’m going to give you one last bit of advice,” Cathy said. “Guys who two-time are jerks. Steer clear of them. Once a cheater, always a cheater. I wouldn’t put up with any of that.”

  “Why do I have a feeling you’re directing that comment to me?” Rob asked as he turned off the car.

  Cathy kissed him on the cheek. “Just wanted to make sure you were listening, sweetie.”

  Even though we got to the fair early, it was mobbed. We left Rob and Cathy and went to check out the games first. We tried to throw basketballs through hoops, squirted water guns into balloons, and threw baseballs at empty soda cans. Each and every time, we lost.

  “I want to win one of those Kewpie dolls,” Caitlyn said.

  “You’ve already spent five dollars trying to toss hoops over those square blocks. It’s impossible.”

  “No, it’s not,” Caitlyn insisted. “It’s just a matter of concentration. If I concentrate—” The rest of the words died in her throat as she grabbed my arm. “I think I just saw Aaron!”

  All thoughts of Kewpie dolls were instantly forgotten.

  “How do I look?” she asked, combing her hair with her fingers.

  “Sensational,” I said.

  “I’m going to go find him,” she said, popping a stick of Dentyne into her mouth. “Maybe I can get him to win me the Kewpie doll. Guys love a challenge!”

  And with that she went wobbling off on her high heels, leaving me alone.

  Hmph! Abandoned for a guy! And not just any guy, but my annoying older brother! Where did this fall in the “Best Friends Handbook”?

  I wasn’t alone for long. Seconds after Caitlyn disappeared into the crowd my friend Gwen came running up to me.

  Gwen is gorgeous and I totally admire her sense of style. Her skin is the color of cocoa and she wears her light brown hair in loose curls. And like me, she loves clothes! Today she was wearing white shorts, a beaded tank top I’d seen at Abercrombie a week ago, and the most adorable wedges decorated with tiny turquoise stones. No matter what she wears, she makes it look like she just threw it on. So natural. I totally envy her that.


  “Emma! You’ve got to help me!”

  “What’s up?”

  “I’ve been working the charity dunking booth but there’s a crisis at the pie-eating table. All the pies that we ordered haven’t shown up and I need to call the bakery. If they haven’t delivered them, I’m going to have to find someone to take me to the bakery. Could you take over for me at the dunking booth? I shouldn’t be gone long. An hour, tops.”

  “Sure.” That was another thing about Gwen. She was always volunteering for everything. It would have been way too selfish to say no. Besides, how hard could it be selling balls to throw?

  Gwen gave me a hug. “You’re a lifesaver! I owe you big-time! The booth is all the way at the end.” She pointed with her finger. “Coach Morrison is there.”

  I shooed Gwen away. “Go take care of your pies. I’ll take care of the dunking booth.”

  I found Coach Morrison waiting for me at the booth. I knew who he was because he had coached all my brothers. He was an older man in his fifties with a gray buzz cut and lots of muscles. Before becoming a high school coach, he’d been a sergeant in the army.

  “Reporting for duty,” I said, giving him a tiny salute.

  “Just climb up the ladder and sit on the plank,” he instructed.

  I looked at him in confusion. “Huh?”

  “Climb up the ladder and sit on the plank,” he repeated, this time more slowly.

  “Why?” I asked, still not understanding his instructions. Why did he want me to sit on that high plank above that vat of water?

  “So this line of people can try to dunk you!”

  Wait. I was the girl who was going to get dunked?

  What?!

  This wasn’t what I’d signed on for!

  I could see a line was already forming. Guys waiting to put down their money for the chance to dunk me!

  I pulled Coach Morrison to one side. “Couldn’t we switch?” I suggested. “I’ll sell the balls and you sit on the plank?”

  He pointed to the sign next to the booth. It said DUNK THE LOVELY LADY.

  “Do I look like a lovely lady?” he asked.

  I sighed.

  He pointed to the ladder. “Up!”

  I couldn’t let Gwen down. I had promised to fill in for her, and it was for charity. It was my own fault for not asking her exactly what I’d be doing.

  “Don’t be scared,” Coach Morrison said. “If it makes you feel any better, Gwen was sitting up there for three hours and she didn’t get dunked once. None of these guys can throw to save their life. When you come back down you’ll be as dry as when you went up.”

  That made me feel a little bit better, but not much.

  Reluctantly, I climbed up the ladder and sat in the center of the plank. Looking down, I could see the crystal-clear blue water in the vat below me.

  It’s only for an hour, I reminded myself. Only for an hour. And Coach Morrison said Gwen had been sitting up here for three hours and she wasn’t dunked once.

  “Step right up, folks! Step right up!” Coach Morrison began shouting like a carnival barker. “See if you can dunk the pretty girl! One dollar will get you three balls. Step right up!”

  As Coach Morrison had predicted, none of the guys could throw to save their life. Their balls didn’t come anywhere near the bull’s-eye they needed to hit in order to dunk me. And it wasn’t so bad sitting up here. The weather had cooled off a bit. There was a nice breeze and I could see the entire fair.

  I checked the time on my watch. An hour had gone by. Hopefully Gwen would be on her way back and I could go back to enjoying the fair. My stomach had started rumbling a few seconds earlier. Maybe I’d buy a hot dog with lots of relish and sauerkraut. And a nice icy Coke. That would really hit the spot.

  “Helloooo, Emma!”

  Thoughts of lunch were forgotten as I gazed down and saw who was handing his money to Coach Morrison.

  Oh no!

  No!

  Nooo!!!!!

  Standing at the counter, buying six baseballs, was my brother Aaron.

  And standing behind him, also with his money out, was my brother Michael.

  “You wouldn’t dare!” I hissed.

  “Why not?” Michael asked. “It’s for charity.”

  What could I say to that? He was right.

  “Don’t worry, Em!” Aaron said, getting ready to throw his first ball. “It’ll be over before you know it.”

  Aaron threw his first ball and I braced myself to get dunked.

  But I didn’t.

  He missed.

  The same thing happened with the next four balls he threw. I couldn’t resist teasing him.

  “What’s the matter, Aaron?” I laughed. “Out of practice?”

  I spoke too soon.

  With his last ball, he hit the bull’s-eye and down I went into the water.

  It was cold. Icy cold! I popped up and swam for the side as quickly as I could. Coach Morrison was waiting for me and handed me a towel to dry off my face. The rest of me, unfortunately, was dripping wet.

  “Who’s out of practice, Em?” Aaron called out.

  “Come on, Emma,” Michael said as he began juggling his baseballs. “Back upstairs. It’s my turn now.”

  I glowered at both my brothers as I climbed back up the ladder. How could they do this to me? Their baby sister! My outfit was ruined! Not to mention my shoes. My beautiful shoes! I’d hardly worn them this summer, wanting to save them for special occasions. Oh, they both owed me big-time!

  I sat back down on the plank, sticking my tongue out at Michael.

  “Ready?” he called out.

  Before I could even answer, he’d thrown his first ball and I was back in the water.

  The same thing happened when he threw his third ball.

  And the fifth.

  I was climbing back up the ladder for what I figured would be another dunking—Michael still had one more ball to throw—when Gwen came running up to me.

  “Emma! I’m back!”

  I was never so glad to see someone in my entire life!

  “It’s all yours,” I said, my teeth chattering.

  “You know what?” I heard Michael say to Aaron.

  “What?”

  “I’m tired of throwing baseballs. Why don’t we go get something to eat?”

  And with that they left the booth.

  Ooooh! I was going to kill them when I got home tonight! Because if Gwen hadn’t shown up, I knew for a fact that Michael would have thrown that last baseball. And I probably would have been dunked again!

  “How bad do I look?” I asked Gwen.

  “You want me to lie or do you want the truth?”

  “The truth.”

  “Pretty bad.”

  I sighed. “Thanks.”

  “Actually, I don’t think you look that bad,” a voice said from behind me.

  No.

  It couldn’t be.

  He’d said he couldn’t go to the fair.

  That something suddenly came up.

  But it was his voice, wasn’t it?

  Dreading what I was going to see, I turned around, in all my soaking-wet glory, and found myself facing Kyle.

  Chapter Eleven

  I wanted to disappear.

  Immediately.

  Why did I always look my absolute worst when I crossed paths with Kyle?

  Why couldn’t he have found me a few hours earlier when I was looking like a burst of sunshine? I’d have given Red a run for her money then!

  Now I looked like I’d been caught in a hurricane. I’d lost an earring, my hair was a mess, and I squished when I walked. Kyle, on the other hand, in his khakis, blue-and-white striped polo shirt, baseball jacket, and docksiders, looked like he’d stepped out of the pages of an Abercrombie & Fitch catalog.

  “Kyle!” I tried to inject some warmth into my voice even though I was cold from all my dunkings and my teeth were starting to chatter. It had gotten a bit overcast and it wasn’t as warm as it had been earlier. “W
-w-what are you doing here? I thought something came up?”

  I couldn’t resist throwing his words back at him. At the same time, I wasn’t going to play Twenty Questions with him.

  But I was entitled to at least one question, wasn’t I?

  “My plans changed and your mom told me you went to the fair,” he explained.

  It was on the tip of my tongue to ask him about Red but I decided not to. It was none of my business.

  But if Kyle was dating Red, then why was he here with me?

  Did Red back out of plans that she had made with Kyle?

  Was I his second choice?

  Cathy’s words bounced around my head: Guys who two-time are jerks. Steer clear of them. Once a cheater, always a cheater.

  But it wasn’t like Kyle and I were even dating. Hardly! We were just friends. Obviously, he must have wanted to spend the afternoon with me or he wouldn’t have come to the fair. Right?

  “You look like you could use a change of clothes,” Gwen said. “Why don’t we head in back for a little repair work?”

  I quickly followed after Gwen.

  “You’re a lifesaver!” I told her once we were alone and I filled her in on Kyle.

  “Don’t thank me yet. You don’t know what I’m giving you to wear.”

  “Anything’s better than what I have on now,” I said as I squeezed the sleeve of my shirt and water dripped to the floor.

  Fifteen minutes later I was wearing a pair of gray sweatpants, a navy blue tank top, and a pair of flip-flops that Gwen had brought along in case she got dunked. My hair was somewhat dry and pulled back in a ponytail.

  So I didn’t look like a cover model.

  I looked like the girl next door.

  “Not the most fashionable things from my closet,” Gwen apologized. “But at least they’re dry.” She held up my wet clothes and shoes. “I’ll drop these off at your house later.”

  I gave her a hug. “Thanks for everything!”