Unpredictable

Chapter 11: Pre-Homecoming

Thanks to Evie, I was helping out with the Homecoming float almost every day after school. When I wasn't doing that, I was watching the boys at practice for their upcoming Homecoming football game. Evie hadn't minded me going to Homecoming with Dylan at all.

As a matter of fact, she had actually run straight down to Ethan's room and screamed, "HE FINALLY MANNED UP AND ASKED HER!"

And that had woken up Edward and Doug, who had been peacefully sleeping, and they had said wearily as I winced, expecting to be punished, "What have we told you about squealing past ten-thirty?"

"BUT DYLAN FINALLY ASKED SOPHIE TO HOMECOMING!" shrieked Evie excitedly.

"HE DID?" That squeal, shockingly enough, came from Kaia, who had, apparently, also been woken up. Doug congratulated me and began to scold Kaia for being up past her bedtime, even though Kaia protested that Evie had woken her up (which I was sure was true) and then ushered his youngest daughter back to bed. 

"Now, Ethan, who are you going to ask to Homecoming?" interrogated Edward, glancing over to his son, who looked suddenly incredibly proud of himself. And that was when it happened, the argument to end all arguments.

"I already did," Ethan smirked, and dread instantly filled the pit of my stomach.

"What? Why didn't you tell me?" Evie pouted, upset that her twin hadn't shared his crush with her.

"I asked Tanya," Ethan declared, as all of us gawked at him in horror, even Edward, who had been filled in on Tanya's bitchiness.

It was no accident that Ethan was, coincidentally, put on dishwashing duty for the next week.

"Ty asked me," sighed Evie on Thursday depressedly, as we were finishing up the Homecoming float with the help of some of the cheerleaders. "I want to say yes, Soph, I do, but I just can't stop remembering the bad times..."

"So what did you say?" I pressed, excited that Ty had asked her. Ricky had filled me in on his and Maxton's plan: they were planning to out themselves at Homecoming by being each other's dates. I was happy for all of my friends.

But if there was one thing I knew, it was that everyone couldn't be this happy at once.

"I sort of said I'd think about it?" 

I stared at Evie for a little bit. "Evie, you do realize that the Homecoming game's tomorrow."

"Mm-hmm."

"And the dance is on Saturday."

"I panicked, all right?" Evie said in a hushed voice. "Plus, Tanya would have told me to take him back, like, immediately. I don't know what to do." It was the first time she'd admitted that she missed her ex-best friend.

We finished up the float, a masterpiece covered in fake feathers to represent our mascot, a blue falcon, and I hoped the cheerleaders would have fun on it. Evie and I wouldn't be on it at all, we had just had some free time since we were staying for football practice anyway. 

"Hey, Evie," greeted Ty; I honestly should've expected this. "Sophie, I heard Dylan asked you to the dance. You should watch out, Tanya's on the warpath."

I shrunk into myself as Evie glared at Ty. "Ty! Look what you did!"

"No, it's not his fault," I said quietly, "it's Tanya's. I just don't like confrontation." It usually ends in hitting.

"Have you, um, made a decision yet? I don't want to pressure you, you know, but the dance is on Saturday, and..." Ty was fidgeting.

"Can we have a sister conference, please, for just one second?"