Page 45 of Rock Bottom Girl
Was I also still thinking about Jake telling me he was flirting with me? Yes. A lot.
Someone squeaked toward the back of the bus. “It’s Brad,” Leslie said, brandishing her phone. “He said ‘It’s starting’!”
The excited squeals woke Vicky. “Huh? What’s going on? Where am I?”
“You’re halfway to Huntersburg, and the sprinklers just went off.”
Vicky bolted from her seat and ran down the aisle screaming, “I wanna see!”
“She’s super weird,” Natalee confided.
“Aren’t we all?”
Phones started dinging all up and down the bus aisle.
“I got video! I’m sharing,” Leslie announced.
Natalee’s phone signaled a message.
She pushed play, and I watched with satisfaction as the sprinklers erupted, arcing red water into the air. The varsity team was on the field, running some complicated footwork drill. There were the usual noises of surprise and then panic when they realized this wasn’t just water.
Ah. Nothing felt as good as watching a plan come together. Perfect execution. And we were miles away from the scene of the crime. Even I was impressed with myself.
The girls were celebrating with a cheery “Suck it” chant. I hoped the bus driver wasn’t taking notes for the administration. But he was a beefy guy with a bologna sandwich in his shirt pocket and earbuds in his ears.
My phone vibrated in my pocket. I pulled it out and saw Jake’s name on the screen. I’d been given access to the teacher’s directory which included phone numbers. I may have plugged Jake’s name and number into my contacts just in case.
Jake: I had a hunch there might be some excitement up here today.
Attached was a picture of a snarling Coach Vince waving his arms in the air while his players scrubbed their faces on their shirts. They were all cherry Kool-Aid red.
I debated replying. But I couldn’t help it.
Me: Huh. Imagine that. They must have really pissed someone off.
Jake: It’s not permanent is it?
Me: If I had to guess—seeing as how I have no personal knowledge of the situation—I’d say it was one of those semi-permanent prank dyes. It can hold up to water for a couple of days, but baby oil will strip it right out.
Jake: I don’t feel inclined to share that information right now.
Me: I like that about you.
Jake: Good luck today, Coach.
I felt a smile spreading across my face. If we could take down the entire boys soccer team and their shithead coach, maybe we had a chance today. Starting out the season with a win? Now, that would be pretty great.
* * *
We lost.
So badly that the Bees’ head coach apologized to me when he shook my hand after the game.
7-0. And the last two goals had been scored by the Bee’s junior varsity second string.
We hadn’t been able to string passes together. Our communication was nonexistent. And while our defense worked harder than they should have had to, the offense couldn’t get anywhere near the goal.
The team mood had gone from jubilant over our secret revenge plot to dejected in ninety minutes of terrible play.
