By the time practice was over, she felt exhausted. Hungry too. But then she was always hungry. What was new about that?

  “You were great today,” Jack told her as they walked out of the auditorium together. “Awesome!”

  “Thanks.”

  “And Valotti was impressed too.”

  “Really?”

  “I could see it in his eyes.” Jack nodded. “Yesterday he was wondering if he’d made a mistake casting you as Golde. Today, he was totally confident.”

  “Cool.” Megan fished her car keys out of her bag.

  “You have a car?”

  “Sure.” She smiled at him. “Don’t you?”

  He shook his head. “Nope.”

  “How do you get home from school?”

  “I usually bum a ride.” He chuckled. “And sometimes—don’t tell anyone—but occasionally I have to take the activities bus. Man, that’s a drag.”

  “Can I give you a lift?” she offered.

  “I thought you’d never ask.”

  As they walked to the parking lot, he told her where he lived, and she explained that the car had been her older sister’s. “My mom wanted me to have it during my senior year so I could help with my little sister and be more independent and stuff. It was kind of a trade-off because my mom’s so busy with her job.” She unlocked the door.

  “Nice trade-off.”

  When they were inside, he examined the plastic gold heart hanging from the mirror. “That’s right. Your sister was prom queen last year. I totally forgot about that.”

  “You forgot?” Megan felt slightly offended.

  He chuckled as he tucked his backpack down at his feet. “Well, guys don’t usually pay that much attention to that stuff.”

  “I bet you know who starred in last year’s musical,” she pointed out.

  “That’s different.”

  “I guess.”

  “I was kinda surprised, Megan. No offense, but you don’t really seem like the prom queen type to me.”

  “Why does everyone keep saying that?” She frowned, but resisting the temptation to check out her image in the mirror, she kept her eyes on the road. Still, was she really that unattractive?

  “Maybe it’s because they don’t get it.”

  “Don’t get what?” She hit the steering wheel with her fist. “Just because I’m not a slender blonde beauty? Does that mean I’m not fit to be prom queen?”

  “No, not at all.” He held up his hands defensively. “I’m not saying that, Megan. It’s just that it seems out of character for you.”

  “Out of character? How?”

  “I don’t know. I guess I think of a prom queen as kind of an airhead, and I never thought of you as someone like that. You always seemed to have more substance.”

  “Really?” She turned to look at him as she stopped for the light. She was surprised to see him studying her carefully.

  “Absolutely. You’re a down-to-earth kind of girl.”

  “Well, thanks.” She put her gaze back on the traffic light. “I think.”

  “I mean that as a compliment. I like girls like that.”

  She glanced at him again. His chocolate brown eyes were fixed on her with a look of true appreciation. Then a horn honked behind her and she realized the light had turned green. “Oops.” She put her foot on the accelerator and smiled.

  “Anyway, it’s just incongruous.”

  “Incongruous?” She wasn’t stupid. She knew what the word meant, but she wasn’t exactly sure what he was insinuating.

  “You running for prom queen. It doesn’t really make sense.”

  She was tempted to tell him about Pastor Robbie and Shower of Power, but that suddenly sounded perfectly ridiculous. Jack would think she was nuts. Instead she gave the explanation she’d given to Clarisa earlier. “I just wanted a challenge,” she told him. “Something that would make me work hard and better myself.”

  “Oh?” He still sounded doubtful. “I guess I can sort of get that.”

  “Can I make a confession?” She turned to look at him as she stopped for a four-way stop sign.

  “Sure.” He nodded eagerly.

  “I’ve been having doubts about it too.”

  “Ah . . . I can understand that.”

  “What if I’ve taken on too much?”

  He shrugged, and she realized it was her turn to go.

  “It all seemed good at first, but it’s like there’s so much going on. I guess I’m a little overwhelmed.”

  “It’s the next street,” he said. “Left.”

  “I mean, I wanted to do this to have some success. But I could end up failing. At everything.”

  He laughed. “Oh, I doubt that.”

  “Seriously,” she said as she turned down his street. “I don’t even have my dress for the prom yet.”

  “It’s the third house on the right. The white one.” He pointed down the street. “Who’s taking you to prom anyway?”

  She laughed nervously as she pulled in front of the two-story older home. Tulips were blooming along the walk. “That’s just one more little detail I haven’t figured out.”

  “You don’t even have a date for prom yet?”

  She shook her head with embarrassment. “So now you know the truth. I’m in over my head. My dress hasn’t arrived. And I don’t even have a date. Some prom queen, eh?”

  He laughed loudly. “You’re a brave woman, Megan Bernard.”

  “I guess . . . Anyway, I hope I can trust you with all this,” she said a bit uneasily. “I don’t really want the whole school to know.”

  “Your secret is safe with me.”

  She waved goodbye as he got out. As she drove home, she felt slightly hopeful. Unless she was imagining things, Jack seemed to like her. And he seemed surprised to hear she was dateless for prom. Maybe he would think about this and make an offer. Yes, she decided as she pulled into her driveway, that was probably just what he was doing. Perhaps things were looking up. Perhaps she had this more under control than she’d imagined.

  As if to confirm this, she was pleasantly surprised to see a FedEx box on the kitchen table—addressed to her. That could mean only one thing, and a day early too! She tossed down her bag and grabbed up the box, happily ripping into it. “My dress!”

  “Yeah,” Arianna said as she grabbed a soda from the fridge. “I can’t wait to see it.”

  Soon Megan had the box open, and the beautiful satiny gown poured out. The color was a rich, dark pink, just the color of a ripe raspberry. Holding it up to her, Megan ran to the powder room and peered at her image in the mirror.

  “Oh, it’s perfect,” she gushed. “Belinda was right. This color does look good on me.”

  “It’s really pretty with your dark hair,” Arianna agreed. “Go try it on!”

  “Okay.” Megan hurried to her room, stripped off her clothes, and with Arianna sipping on her soda and watching, she pulled the gown over her head. “Help me with the zipper,” she said as she adjusted the dress over her bust and hips.

  Arianna set her soda down and came over. After fussing and fidgeting with the zipper for a while, she stopped. “I can’t.”

  “Is it broken?”

  “It will be if I force it up, Megan. It’s too tight.”

  “I know it’s tight,” Megan told her. “That was the plan.”

  “But I can’t zip it.”

  Megan went over to look at herself in the closet mirror. Somehow the dress didn’t look as good as it had in the powder room. “I’ll hold my stomach in,” Megan suggested. “Try it again.”

  “Okay . . .”

  But after several tries, it was clear that the zipper was not going up. “How bad is it?” Megan turned to peer at her backside in the mirror and was stunned to see it was about two inches too small.

  “Maybe you can wear one of those things Mom wears,” Arianna suggested. “You know, they hold you in and make you look slimmer.”

  Megan turned around to look at the front of the dress again. It really was pretty. The color was perfect. She tried to imagine how it might look if she lost a few more pounds or had the dress let out a bit. It might work.

  “I’ll go get one for you to try,” Arianna offered.

  “What?”

  “Spanx,” Arianna said. “From Mom’s room.”

  Before long, Megan had squeezed into one of her mom’s figure-trimming garments and was slipping on the gown again.

  “Much closer,” Arianna proclaimed. “You lose a couple more pounds and it might actually zip.”

  “But I can barely breathe,” Megan admitted.

  Arianna frowned. “Maybe you should send it back.”

  Megan studied her image in the mirror. With Mom’s Spanx and the zipper partially up, the dress as well as her figure looked a lot better. “I’m not sure. I mean, Belinda seemed to know what she was doing. She thought this would work. Maybe I should just stick with it.”

  “It really is pretty.” Arianna got a barrette from Megan’s dresser and made a clumsy attempt at an updo. “And with your hair up like this”—she grinned—“wow, you look so glamorous.”

  “I wonder what kind of jewelry I should wear.”

  “Something sparkly, I think.”

  Megan was starting to feel lightheaded now. “Unzip me,” she commanded. “I can barely breathe. I think I’m going to pass out.”

  Arianna hurried to pull down the zipper. “Maybe you should send it back, Megan.”

  Megan peeled off the dress and the incredibly snug undergarment, then took in a deep breath. “Not yet. I want to give myself one more week to lose the weight. I’ll still have plenty of time to send this back and get the next size up.”

  “Yeah, that makes sense.” Arianna picked up her soda and left.

  But as Megan pulled on her comfy bathrobe, she wasn’t so sure. Even if she did lose the weight, the dress would still be snug, and she didn’t want to pass out at prom. Then she caught sight of herself in the mirror. In her pink fuzzy robe, she looked like a chubby bear. Nothing like what she’d looked like in the satin dress. No, whatever it took, she was keeping the dress. And she was wearing it too!

  12

  Dayton still seemed happy to exchange Megan’s tutoring assistance for supporting her campaign. He was even wearing her button. Of course, he was also eating her chocolate bars. But it seemed a fair trade. Except that she was running low. Note to self, she thought. Put in another rush order for chocolate bars. It might be expensive, but it would probably be worth it by the last week when the campaigning would turn hot and heavy.

  “Looks like you’re running for prom queen alone.” Dayton pointed to one of her posters as they came out of the classroom together. “No one else seems to be putting any stuff up.”

  “Oh, they will,” she assured him. “I heard Amanda telling someone that she’s got a really slick campaign. It sounded like she’s getting some professional help with it. You’d think that’d be against the rules.”

  “I don’t see why. Besides, it’s Amanda Jorgenson. Didn’t you know that girl just floats above the rules?” He rolled his eyes.

  “Still . . . it seems unfair.”

  He nodded. “Yeah, but that’s life. And just so you know, I’m sure Hallie’s got something up her sleeve too. Now there’s a girl who likes to break rules.”

  “Anyway, I’m glad to have a head start.” She tapped his campaign button. “And I’m glad you’re in my court.”

  He grinned. “Hey, I like you, Megan. I really hope you win.”

  “You’re not just saying that because I’m helping you in class?”

  He shook his head with a sincere expression. “No way. You’re a good kid, Megan.” He chuckled as he stopped by his locker. “I know Hallie and Amanda well enough to know they don’t deserve this. I honestly hope you win. And I’m telling my friends to vote for you.”

  “Thanks.” As she said this, she noticed Hallie watching them from where she was standing next to her locker. It was hard to read Hallie’s expression, but unless Megan was mistaken, the girl was jealous. Okay, the irony of someone like Hallie Bennett being jealous of Megan was a bit hard to believe. But as Megan parted ways with Dayton, she felt certain of it. And she liked it.

  In fact, as she walked to the cafeteria, she thought if Jack didn’t ask her to prom, which she was hoping and praying would happen, maybe Dayton would. She didn’t like Dayton nearly as much as Jack, but he would be a good backup plan.

  “Are you going to help me glaze bowls after school?” Lishia asked as Megan joined her friends in the lunch line.

  “I want to, but I have rehearsal.”

  “In other words, talk is cheap.”

  “Huh?”

  “You promised to help glaze bowls, but you can’t manage to squeeze it into your busy schedule?”

  “How about this weekend?” Even as Megan said this, she remembered that the prom committee was meeting on Saturday morning.

  “This batch needs to be in the kiln this weekend.” Lishia gave her a you-should-know-this look.

  “Sorry. But it’s not like I can be in two places at one time.”

  “Guess you should’ve thought of that sooner,” Janelle told her.

  “I’m sorry,” Megan said again.

  Now Lishia gave her a sympathetic look. “I’m sorry too,” she told her. “I shouldn’t rag on you like that.”

  Megan just nodded.

  “It’s just kinda stressful, you know?” Lishia sighed. “So much to get done and so little time.” She waved at Chelsea now. “I hope you’re grateful for all that Chelsea’s doing. She’s really putting a lot of energy into your fundraiser. You should see the silent auction list. It’s impressive.”

  “I thought it was everyone’s fundraiser,” Megan reminded her.

  “Except that you’ll get all the glory,” Janelle said as she picked up a burrito.

  “I don’t want all the glory,” Megan protested. She took a plain green salad and set it on her tray next to her ice water. She’d heard that diet soda could sabotage her diet.

  “Let’s stop grumping at her,” Lishia said to Janelle. “She can’t help that she’s got too much going on.”

  “I really am sorry,” Megan told them again.

  Despite some shameless flirting and obvious hinting, Megan couldn’t get Jack to invite her to prom during rehearsal on Wednesday. She could tell he liked her and enjoyed being with her, but he just didn’t seem to get it. Or else he got it but just didn’t want it. She wasn’t sure. As she left rehearsal she felt slightly defeated. And as she walked to her car, she counted how many days she had left to get Jack to ask her. This was Wednesday . . . and suddenly it hit her.

  This was Wednesday—and she’d totally spaced book club. Of course, the real reason it hit her was because Brianna was standing in the parking lot. Almost as if she was waiting for Megan. Thankfully, Jack had gotten a ride home with someone else today. Otherwise he would have been forced to witness what was sure to be an embarrassing confrontation.

  “If you planned to just blow us off, you could’ve at least texted or sent a note or something,” Brianna said in a grouchy tone.

  “I’m so sorry.” Megan dramatically put her hand on her forehead. “I completely forgot book club.”

  “Duh.”

  “Was everyone there?”

  “Everyone but you.”

  “I’m really, really sorry.” Megan unlocked her car, hoping to make a quick getaway before Brianna got really mad.

  “Look, you’re too busy for us and we know it. You only put the book club together because you thought it would get you more votes for prom queen. But you know what? We’re not buying. So you can just take it somewhere else.”

  “I started book club because I thought it would be fun.”

  “Yeah, right.” Brianna glared at her.

  “I did. I happen to like to read. Not all of my friends do.”

  “Really?”

  “Absolutely. I devoured all of the Harry Potter books. And all of Twilight. And Hunger Games. And a bunch of others too.”

  “Oh . . . ?”

  “I want to continue with book club,” she claimed. “We just have to change it to a different time.”

  “What time?”

  Megan frowned, trying to think. “I’m not sure. Probably in the evening. Or maybe on the weekend.”

  “How about Saturday?”

  “Well, Saturday’s kind of busy . . . I don’t know—”

  “See, you’re not serious. I knew it. You were just using us and—”

  “I am too serious. Fine. Saturday it is. But not in the morning.”

  “Afternoon doesn’t work for me.” Brianna frowned. “How about Saturday night? Or are you too busy for that too?”

  Megan wanted to say no, but knew she couldn’t keep stringing Brianna along without looking really lame. “Saturday night, and we can have it at my house. Okay?”

  Brianna blinked. “Really? You won’t let us down again?”

  “I give you my word. I’ll provide snacks too.” Even as Megan said this, she felt it was too much. Was she making a mistake? But what could she do at this point? Back out and look flaky?

  “Okay. I’ll tell the others. What time? Like seven?”

  “Seven is perfect.” Megan made what she hoped looked like a genuine smile. “I can’t wait.”

  Brianna smiled back and then pointed to Megan’s campaign button hanging on her sweater. “Got any more of those?”

  “Sure.” Megan unzipped her bright pink bag. “How many do you want?”

  “One for everyone in the book club.”

  “Really?” Megan fished out the buttons.

  “We do like you,” Brianna assured her as she pocketed the buttons. “But we don’t want you to let us down. Okay?”

  “Okay.” It wasn’t until Megan got into her car that she realized having book group on Saturday night meant she’d miss youth group again. This was troubling on several accounts, but mostly because she felt like now, more than ever, she truly needed it.

  Two things became clear by the end of the week. For starters, Dayton seemed to be coming on to her. Oh, she thought it was her imagination at first. And sure, there’d been a time when she would’ve enjoyed that kind of attention from a jock. But for some reason, it was slightly irritating. As if he’d gone out with every first-string girl in the school and had finally decided to give a second-stringer a try—that is, if she was even second string. At least that was how she imagined he was thinking. To be fair, he might not have had that in his head at all. Perhaps he was simply grateful for her help in class. And maybe he actually did like her.