Daphne's Questionable Bet, page 14
Veronica appeared behind Mom, holding up two bras. She wiggled the blue one. “Classy. Decent amount of coverage.” Then she wriggled the pink one. “Simple, but cute.”
I twisted my hand back and forth. “Maybe.”
Then Taylor came around the corner holding two bras as well: a black lace and a red lace. She turned on the rasp in her tone. “Sexy or sexy?”
Mom snapped her fingers at Taylor. “Neither.”
Taylor grinned. “I just wanted to see Mrs. Richards get mad.” She disappeared, probably putting them back where she found them.
“Comfort.” I tossed another bra into the maybe pile. “I want comfort. Support. Protection.”
“Are you looking for a best friend or a bra?” Veronica asked.
I slumped onto the bench, resting my chin in my palms. “Maybe this was a bad idea.”
Mom sat down next to me, rubbing my back. “After what happened today? We’re getting you better bras. I don’t care how much it costs.”
A worker came up to us, her smile faltering when she saw the pile of bras all around me. “Anything I can help with?”
I glanced at her name tag, which said Effie, before looking at her. “Do you have anything in Care Bears? Or Captain America?”
Effie frowned. “Uh, no …”
I sighed, blowing the air over my dry lips. “Then, no.” I perked. “What about Cherry Coke?”
She smiled. “We do have a cherry one that’s adorable.”
“But is it comfortable?” I pointed to my chest. “Will it support my girls? This isn’t about being sexy, Effie. It’s about being practical.”
“Ugh.” Taylor leaned against a rack of tanks. “You sound like my dad.” She picked one up, checked the price tag, and her eyes practically sprang from her sockets. She set the tank back on the rack.
“Let me see what I can find,” Effie said, hurrying away.
When she came back, I was pleasantly surprised by her choices. She ushered me into a dressing room, and with each change of bra, the four of them made me come out and model them.
Taylor played “Cool” by the Jonas Brothers from her phone, giving me a soundtrack like I was on the runway or something.
I opened the door and flicked my hip to the side, motioning to the full-coverage cream bra. “I call this The Granny.”
Taylor and Veronica busted out in a laugh.
Mom shook her head. “That’s a no.”
Even Effie had pursed her lips in disappointment.
“Next!” I went into the room, coming out with the cherry one Effie had talked about. It was a simple white with red cherries and white lace on the edges of the cups. “This one is pretty nice. Comfortable and soft.”
Mom stood, coming over and circling me, tugging on the straps in the process. “This one’s a yes.”
“For sure,” Taylor said, grinning.
Effie clapped her hands together like we’d just made her entire world.
When all was said and done, I had five bras in the yes pile to choose from. Narrowing it down would be difficult.
“Okay, Mom, choose one, and Taylor and Veronica choose one together,” I said. “I’m not picking.”
Mom immediately went for the cherry one.
I turned to Veronica, but she and Taylor were huddled around her phone. Whatever they were looking at had Taylor shocked and Veronica furious.
“I’m going to kill her,” Veronica hissed.
Mom and I shared a worried glance before we rushed over to see what they were looking at.
Rosalind had posted a picture of me online. I was in P.E., huddled off to the side of the track, my hands stuffed up my shirt. Someone caught a picture of me putting my girls back in place. Certainly didn’t help with the rumor of me being conceited. I looked like I was practically fondling myself.
“You’ve got to be kidding me,” I said under my breath.
At first, I thought it might have been Sebastian who took the picture. Maybe Rosalind had asked him to spy on me. But the angle was all wrong, coming from a way different location than Sebastian had been. Plus, he didn’t strike me as the type who would do something like this.
“Who’s Rosalind? And why would she post this picture?” Mom asked in a tone that said she wanted to hunt her down and give her a good ol’ fashioned mom scolding.
“Sierra,” Veronica, Taylor, and I said at the same time, an equal amount of venom in her name.
Mom motioned to the picture. “What’s the point of posting this?”
“To make me look bad,” I said. “Sierra’s pissed that I’m going to the Regency ball with Bentley. With his dad running for council, their family can’t have any scandals.” I rubbed my forehead. “This is a good scandal.”
“I’m going to kill her,” Veronica said.
“That’s already been established,” I said.
“We just need to figure out how to do it,” Taylor whispered.
Effie cleared her throat, and we looked up to see her holding the five bras. “Which ones did you decide on?”
“All of them,” we all said in unison.
Now, to figure out how to get even.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
The picture didn’t have quite the effect that Sierra was hoping for. Yeah, I received some crude jokes from some guys at school, but one glare from Veronica or Taylor cut them off. Apparently, my glare wasn’t fierce enough. Taylor had even said it was adorable.
I wore my Grumpy Care Bear shirt—the one with clouds and rain—with a baggy sweater over it, trying to minimize myself. For me, it was too hot for the sweater, but I wasn’t about to take it off.
Before I walked into English, I pulled Sierra off to the side. “You’re taking this stalking way too far.”
She pulled back in fake surprise. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Do you have someone following me everywhere I go? Or is it you?” I backed away from her. “Either way, it’s really creepy, Sierra.”
Her nostrils flared. “You’re just upset you were caught with your hands up your shirt.” Her anger faded into laughter. “What were you doing, anyway?”
“We need to set some boundaries here,” I said.
She stepped up close to me. “There are no boundaries, Daphne. This is war, and anything goes in war.”
I tilted my head to the side. “That’s not really true. Even the military has lines they won’t cross.”
She rolled her eyes. “You know what I mean.”
“Well, since you’re not going to stop stalking me,” I said, pulling out my phone, and messaging her a playlist labeled Stalker, “I created a playlist for you for your stalker stakeouts. Some classics on there. ‘Every Breath You Take’ by the Police. ‘One Way or Another’ by Blondie.”
Sierra’s jaw dropped as she stared at her phone. “You created me a playlist?”
I shrugged. “Thought you could use some inspiration.”
“Everything okay?” Bentley’s voice made me whip around. There was a struggle in his eyes, trying to stay looking at my eyes instead of my chest. That summed up my entire day.
I folded my arms over my chest, closing off the option. “Everything’s fine.”
He arched his eyebrows. “You two seem to fight a lot, which is weird because you have a lot in common.”
“No, we don’t!” we both yelled at the same time, causing Bentley to cringe.
He held up his palms in defense. “Sorry.”
It was getting to the point where he wouldn’t want to go with either of us to prom. I needed to change tactics.
I pressed my hand to my forehead. “I’m sorry. I’m just so upset about the photo.” I patted Sierra’s shoulder, and it tensed under my touch. “I took it out on Sierra, even though she said she’s going to get Rosalind to take it down.”
Sierra’s wide eyes turned to me, her jaw tightening.
“That’s so nice of you, Sierra,” Bentley said.
“So nice,” I said, smiling at her.
She lowered her shoulder, moving away from me. “I don’t see what the big deal is, but if it upsets her that much, well, I’m willing to help out.”
What a good Samaritan. Someone needed to get this girl a medal.
“Hey, guys,” Weston said, walking up to us. His eyes fought to stay on mine, and I groaned.
I put my arm around Sierra’s shoulder and whispered in her ear. “You better watch your back, Sierra.” With a smile, I walked into the classroom.
All throughout class, I thought about ways I could get back at her. I could catch Sierra in an awkward pose like she did me, but I wasn’t about to stoop to her level. There were other ways of getting even without resorting to low blows.
I mean, if I was going to get revenge, I was going to do it with class.
Sierra’s major thing was appearance. She wanted to make sure she looked perfect out in public, someone Bentley’s parents would want by his side. Which was why she’d shed all the blacks and switched over to the pastels like she was a freaking Kennedy.
“Ms. Winters,” Mr. Buckley said, interrupting my thoughts. “You have an announcement to share with the class?”
Sierra bounded to her feet, practically skipping to the front of the room. Overkill on the pep, if you asked me.
I twirled my pen in my hand, watching her through a forced smile. I had to play nice. Or, at least look that way.
“As you know, the girls’ basketball team is playing our rival tonight,” Sierra said, smiling at the class. “We’re trying to set record sales, so we want everyone there!”
No, thank you.
I even wrote that on the piece of paper in front of me.
“Afterward, we’re having a fundraiser.” She made jazz hands toward Bentley, making me squirm. “Bentley’s dad, Whitaker Anderson, will be there representing the city council. So, make sure to bring your whole family! There will be photo opportunities!”
That made me pause my drawing of a T-Rex smashing a basketball with its tiny hands.
Photos. Sierra was the junior class president. She’d be taking a photo with Whitaker Anderson. Meeting him and charming him.
“Are you going to the game?” Weston whispered next to me.
I turned to him. “I wasn’t planning on it, but maybe I will.”
I needed to mess with Sierra’s appearance someway. Nothing scandalous that would hurt her or her family in any way.
“Do you want to go together?” Weston asked.
The plan was forming in my head. As much as I wanted to hold it in, a huge smile spread across my face. It would all be perfect.
“That would be great,” I said to Weston.
He smiled back, his nose inching up higher than usual. I loved when he did that.
“See you all tonight!” Sierra said.
I watched her walk down the aisle, knowing that smile of hers would be wiped off tonight. I was coming for her.
And she had no idea.
It was amazing how social media spread so quickly. The day had been okay until I went to P.E. All the freshman boys were openly staring at my chest like I might put my hands up there again.
Stupid boys.
“I had nothing to do with it,” Sebastian said, his hands held up in defense. “I swear.”
I smiled at him. “I figured you didn’t. You aren’t the vindictive type.”
He let out a loud breath of relief, confirming to me that he wasn’t involved. He backed away when someone called his name.
“I can take it down for you,” Dax said, suddenly appearing at my side, a small section of a sub in his hand.
I jumped a little where I stood. The guy always appeared out of nowhere, like a freaking ninja. “What?”
“The photo.” Dax popped the remaining sub sandwich in his mouth and brushed his hands together before pulling me off to the side. “I can take it down from the web.”
“Really?” I asked.
Sierra had already said she’d get Rosalind to take it down, but I really didn’t believe her. A back-up plan might be smart.
“It’s easy,” Dax said. “Say the word, and I’ll do it.”
“That would be freaking awesome, Dax,” I said with a huge grin. “Is it possible to delete the picture from her phone, too?
“Yep. What’s the girl’s name who posted it?”
“Rosalind.” I racked my brain, trying to remember Rosalind and Sebastian’s last name. “Lopez? I think.”
Rosalind and Sierra would be horrified if they knew I hadn’t memorized Rosalind’s entire back story by now, since, you know, I was supposed to have magically known who she was when we first met. Not to mention, Trent only referred to anyone in P.E. by their last name.
Dax pulled his phone out of his pocket. “She’s a cheerleader, right?”
“I think so,” I said.
“Cool.” He smiled at me. “I’ll get it taken care of tonight.”
“Do I owe you anything?” I felt like I should at least pay the guy for his services or something.
Dax shook his head. “Nah. It’s all good. I love doing this kind of stuff.” His eyebrows arched. “You surprised me, Daphne. I seriously thought you’d be the most boring, plain person ever when we first met.”
“Uh, thanks?” The guy needed to work on his compliments. “If you see any other embarrassing photos on the phone, feel free to delete them.”
“Will do.”
Huh. Maybe having to take P.E. with a bunch of freshmen was turning out to be a blessing, not a curse. Well, if Dax actually came through. There was a good chance of him getting high and forgetting to do it.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Veronica was lying on her stomach on my bed, her legs kicked up behind her. “Rare” by Selena Gomez played from her phone. “Okay, lay this out for me again.”
I was standing in the middle of my room, giving me ample room to move about as I talked. Taylor was plopped in the hammock chair hanging from the ceiling, her feet dangling.
“Okay,” I said, pacing the area. “During the basketball game, Taylor will sneak into the girl’s locker room, find Sierra’s body wash, and dump this in it.” I held up a bottle of blue food coloring. “Veronica, you’ll stand guard, making sure no one goes in the locker room while she’s in there.”
Veronica played with the fray on the pillow she was holding in her arms. “Why are we doing all the work?”
I paused my pacing and faced her. “Because I can’t be spotted doing it. If Bentley finds out, he’ll hate me.”
Taylor tucked her legs underneath her in the swing. “I don’t care if he hates me.”
Veronica pushed her finger into her chest. “Maybe I do.”
I put my hand on my hip. “You care what Bentley Anderson thinks about you?”
She rolled her eyes. “I care about my reputation.”
Taylor shrugged. “Don’t stand guard. I’ll do it with Zander. If anyone catches us, we’ll start making out. Problem solved.”
“You think Zander would be on board with that?” I asked.
Taylor grinned slyly. “The making out? Yes.” When I tossed the bottle of dye at her face, she caught it and laughed. “He won’t care. It’s not permanent damage. It’s a simple prank. He loves those.”
Veronica looked at her. “Isn’t his family big into April Fool’s?”
“Yep,” she said. “It’s practically a religion in their home.”
Veronica turned to me. “And you’ll be …”
“With Weston,” I said. “In the stands. Out in public.” I pointed at her. “You and DeShawn can sit with us. We can take a selfie of our group and post it online. Everyone will see we were in the middle of the stands, unable to get to the locker room.”
Taylor and Veronica shared a look before Veronica spoke. “So, is this like a date with Weston?”
I pulled back in surprise, my cheeks flaring. “What? No!”
“How did he ask you?” Taylor asked.
“He asked if I wanted to go to the game with him,” I mumbled, replaying it in my mind. That was how he worded it, right?
“Go to the game,” Veronica said slowly. “With him.”
Dizziness danced across my eyes, so I stepped back, leaning against the dresser, putting my palms on top to brace myself. “That doesn’t necessarily mean anything.”
Taylor circled a finger around her face. “What did he look like when you said yes?”
Closing my eyes, I pictured the moment. He crookedly smiled, his nose going up in that adorable way. Oh, crap. I popped my eyes open. “What do I do?”
“You go with Weston,” Taylor said. “Act cool. No flirting. Just friends.”
I rolled my neck. “Act cool. I can totally do that.”
Veronica placed her hands over her face. “You’re so screwed.”
I shimmied, moving back and forth. “I’m covered in cool. It’s my special sauce.”
Taylor busted out laughing, clapping her hands together.
Veronica hopped up from the bed and placed her hands on my arms. “Daphne, I love you dearly, but if you break Weston’s heart, I will kill you myself. That boy is way too nice to be played with.”
“I’m not playing with him!” I put my hands on my cheeks, tugging at my skin. “I didn’t realize he was asking me out on a date.” I lowered my hands. “Maybe I should cancel. Say I’m sick. Stay home. Take all sorts of selfies of me all being sick all night long, so everyone thinks I’m here.”
“And miss the Sierra Smurf reveal?” Taylor clucked her tongue. “You can’t miss that.”
“You know, it’s not too late to call off this whole bet with Sierra,” Veronica said softly.
“And give her the satisfaction of winning?” I scoffed. “I think not. Not after what her mom did to mine. The Richards women don’t back down.”
Taylor hopped off the swing and came over to us, wriggling the bottle of food coloring. “Either way, you still need to get her back for the picture she posted of you. I’m going through with my end. You two can do whatever you want.” She checked her phone. “Zander’s here. I’ll see you ladies later.” She blew air kisses before she left the room.
