Kiss List (Book I of the List Series)

Chapter 7 - The Battle

Chapter 7 – The Battle

I was getting a reputation. On Tuesday morning when I got to school Alyssa rushed up to greet me at my locker. "Molly Tate said you and David Reagan were practically having sex at the cross-country running meet," she said breathlessly.

"Oh come on," I said in exasperation. "Molly Tate wasn't even there. David and I just kissed. That's all. I'm sure Olivia showed you the pictures she took."

Gossip from Molly was just the beginning. My lab partner Lilly Wong asked if it was true that I had beat a girl up at the baseball diamond on the weekend. Sarah Thomas and Lindsey Ramen, two seniors from my soccer team, teased me about dating Dylan. By the time lunch rolled around, romantic rumors linking me to Sam, Dylan, and David were all flying around. That's when people started connecting the rumors, transforming them from tiny snowballs into full-fledged avalanches capable of wreaking mass teenage destruction.

"I've got your back," Payton said at lunch, "but there's a bunch of angry sophomore cheerleaders who think you cheated on Sam with both Dylan and David. They really like Sam. I'm pretty sure they were making shanks out of their school supplies and if they rush you at once I'm going to let them have you. I'm not going down like that. Those crazy girls can get real mean."

"Melissa Hoffman said she was going to kill you for breaking Dylan's heart," Alyssa said, wide eyed. "She sounded very serious. It was scary."

"Yeah, and Tim and Mike said you better not hurt David," Olivia said. "Something about him being really sensitive and you being his first girlfriend. They got word that you were seeing other guys and told me to tell you to be straight with David."

"Are you girls hearing yourselves?" I exclaimed. "This is crazy. I'm not dating any of these boys. It was all just a silly game. We need to stop this now."

Payton opened her mouth to respond but just then Sam walked up to the table. A group of boys hung back a little ways behind him. Why did he always seem to have a posse following him around?

"Sadie, can I talk to you?" he said quietly and a little sullenly.

I immediately felt bad about the way I had treated him. He might not have taken care of me at the baseball diamond but I was the reason this had all started. I had sort of led him on and he deserved an explanation.

"Of course," I said to him as gently as I could. "Do you want to talk right now, or..."

"Sadie," Dylan said, suddenly appearing on the other side of the table. "I need to apologize for..."

When the two boys saw each other they froze. Neither seemed to know quite how to act towards the other one. What had they heard? If the rumors flying around were any indication, it probably wasn't good.

"Do you two know each other?" I asked uneasily. "Sam, this is..."

"I know who he is," Sam said, interrupting me. He didn't sound happy.

Dylan's eyes narrowed. "And I know who you are," he said. "You're a chickenshit little underclassman who doesn't know how to be respectful to girls."

"Dylan!" I said quickly, desperate to neutralize the situation.

Too late. Sam's eyes had lit up with fury as soon as Dylan said the word "chickenshit." His face grew red, he bit his lower lip and clenched his jaw, and then he started moving. He took three quick strides around the table. Dylan only hesitated for a moment before following suit. The word "Dylan!" had barely faded from my lips when Dylan reached out to shove Sam. Sam didn't bother with a shoving match. He led with his right fist. Dylan's hands landed on Sam's shoulder's just as Sam's fist connected with Dylan's jaw.