Chapter 6

Andi is always here for me when I need some cheering up. She hates to see me upset, and she pulls out all the stops when she thinks that I need a mood adjustment. A few weeks ago, for instance, I was really down in the dumps, and Andi decided that we needed a serious heart-to-heart.

After school, she dragged me into my bedroom and sprawled on my bed. “Okay, Laina,” she prodded, “what’s going on? You look like you’re going to have a major meltdown or something. Is this about that Shane guy again?”

I nodded glumly and Andi rolled her eyes. “Okay,” she sighed, “what did Shane do now? And why don’t you just forget about him? The guy really doesn’t deserve you.”

I shook my head. “It’s not really anything specific,” I admitted. “I don’t know! Shane Crawford is so confusing! Sometimes, it almost seems like he might be interested in me. He always tells me that I’m pretty and stuff, and he talks to me all the time, even when I don’t start the conversation. But I never know if I’m reading too much into it, you know? He does have a girlfriend, and he’ll probably never break up with her, so I don’t even know why I bother!”

Andi laughed. “Is that all? I can tell you right now that Shane really likes you. He’s just afraid to admit it. Have you seriously never noticed the way the guy looks at you?” She shook her head in disbelief. “I bet he’s waiting to break up with that Rachel chick until he knows if you like him too. All you have to do is give him a signal, and he is as good as yours.”

“I don’t know, Andi,” I flopped back on the bed and hugged Mr. Cuddles, my big, white teddy bear that Jarod gave me for my birthday last year. “How many more signals does a guy need? I think I’ve made it pretty obvious that I like Shane. I mean, I’m not acting desperate or anything, but I have given him all of the obvious clues. I laugh at all of his jokes, even when he’s not really funny. I always wait for him after class so that we can walk to our lockers together. I have come to see him in every single theater production for the past 2 years, and I even bought a card for his birthday last month. He has to know that I am absolutely in love with him!” I buried my face in Mr. Cuddles’ tummy and let out a scream of exasperation.

Andi pulled the bear away from my face so that she could look me straight in the eyes. “Okay, you’re right, Laina. There’s no way that he could miss the fact that you are interested.”

She looked thoughtful. “Of course, Shane is a boy, so we can’t ever be sure that he’s picking up on the obvious. Sometimes, boys can be really, really dense. Remember Valori and Philip last year?” Andi giggled and rolled her eyes. “She actually walked over and sat on his lap on the bus when we were coming home from that boring field trip to the art museum. And Philip actually thought that she didn’t see him there when she sat down! Maybe Shane is simply clueless, like Philip.”

I smiled. I remembered Valori’s frustration with Philip. It was quite comical to watch her trying to get his attention. The funniest part was that Philip was completely in love with Valori the whole time! He used to ask Jarod for tips on how to get her to notice him! I honestly don’t think that those two would ever have gotten together if I hadn’t stepped in to play matchmaker.

I frowned and stared at the ceiling. I could still see the burn mark above my bed from the night that Jarod and I sat in here with the windows open, burning all of the love notes that he had collected from Kendra over the course of their relationship. That was the night that I had tried to talk to Jarod about my crush on Shane. As soon as I had mentioned his name, Jarod had completely flipped out!

He had slammed his fist on the table, muttering something about how I deserved better than a jerk like Shane Crawford. One of the letter fragments flipped out of the dish that we had been burning them in and it flew across the room, landing on the metal blade of my ceiling fan. The letter continued to burn, scorching the ceiling of my bedroom.

Of course, the conversation was forgotten as we scrambled to capture the paper and put out the flame. That was the last time that I tried to talk to Jarod about my crush on his former best friend. Jarod knows how I feel, but I try not to mention it in his presence anymore.

I groaned and sat up to look at my little sister. “Well what do you expect me to do about it, Andi? Even if Shane did like me and was too clueless to notice my signals (which, by the way, is not the case), who would I get to fix me up with him? Besides, I’m sure that Rachel would object!”

Andi chuckled. “So? Let her object. This guy obviously wants you. I mean, who wouldn’t? We just have to find a way to make him take action.”

I rolled my eyes and nuzzled Mr. Cuddles. “You’re wrong, Andi. Shane is in love with Rachel. He always talks about her. It doesn’t even matter if Shane sometimes flirts with me. Maybe he’s not even really flirting. I think I’m reading too much into it because I want him to be interested in me.”

“Laina, stop it. You’re being ridiculous.” Andi reached over and took Mr. Cuddles from me. She tossed him across the room to my overstuffed reading chair in the corner. Then she grabbed my shoulders and looked me straight in the eyes. “Okay. I want you to tell me about the latest case of Shane’s possible flirting, and I will tell you whether or not you are reading too much into it. Trust me; I recognize flirting when I see it.”

I squirmed out of her grasp and retrieved Mr. Cuddles before sitting cross-legged on the bed. I leaned against the wall and sighed. “Andi, you aren’t really an expert on flirting. You still haven’t noticed all of the guys who are falling at your feet and trying to make you notice them. But I’ll tell you anyway.”

I set Mr. Cuddles back in his proper place of honor on my pillow, folded my hands in my lap and began. I felt like a little girl, reciting my lessons for my teacher. “Okay, so yesterday, after chemistry, we were talking as we walked back to our lockers. We hadn’t finished our conversation by the time we both had our books, so he walked out to my car with me. I was paying attention to Shane and our conversation, and I forgot to watch where I was going. So I tripped over that uneven patch of pavement between the 2nd and 3rd rows of cars in the parking lot. I almost went down, but Shane caught me and steadied me.”

“So, did you trip on purpose so that he would have to catch you, or was this normal, everyday Laina klutziness?” Andi asked.

I blushed. “No, I just tripped. And I’m really not that klutzy, you know. I’m not the only one who trips up on that patch of uneven pavement! The school really should do something about fixing it before someone gets hurt or something.”

Andi raised one eyebrow. “Mmmm hmmm…. Go on. What happened next?”

“Well, okay, here’s where I think that he might have been flirting. Maybe. Probably not, though. He was probably just making fun of me or something. Who am I kidding? Shane Crawford thinks I’m a complete loser!”

I flopped back on my bed and buried my face in Mr. Cuddles’ soft fur, but Andi grabbed me by my shoulders and shook me hard, forcing me to sit up and look at her. “Will you stop it and just continue with the story? You’re driving me crazy, sis!”

I had to laugh. Andi always gets a little bit melodramatic about these things. “Okay, so after Shane saved me from falling, he kept his arm around my waist the rest of the way across the parking lot. He said that he had to make sure that I didn’t fall again. And then, even after we got to my car, he didn’t let go of me until we finished our conversation and he helped me into the car. He said that he couldn’t let go, because I’m such a klutz that I would probably manage to fall over even while standing still. He’s probably right about that, but I don’t know, I guess it almost seemed like maybe he actually enjoyed being close to me or something…”

Andi covered her eyes with one hand and shook her head. “Laina, I’m starting to think that you are as dense as any boy. How could you not know that Shane was seriously flirting with you?” She looked up. “That was almost as obvious as Valori sitting on Philip’s lap! Shane Crawford is so in love with you that it’s not even funny!”

“No, he’s really not,” I shrugged. “It wouldn’t really matter, though, even if he was interested in me, would it? Shane has Rachel, and they have been together forever. He’s never going to break up with her. What boy in his right mind would ever dump the head cheerleader for a band geek like me?”

“Well, you know, Laina,” Andi looked at me mischievously. “Boys usually want whatever they know that they can’t have. Someone who is unattainable becomes a challenge, and you know how much guys like to win. They will turn anything, even dating, into a competition. You should get a boyfriend. Shane will be so jealous that he will do anything it takes to win you over!”