Note to self: learn social skills

Chapter 14

I shower again when I get home because I'm convinced I still smell. Mom braids my hair as we watch Funny Face and I tell her about my terrible day.

"I really am sorry you knocked into those shelves." She says.

"And I got cuts on my legs!" I tell her, twisting around my calves so she can see.

"Poor thing." She says, putting the tie around my hair, "At least it was only frogs."

"What could possibly be worse than frog guts?" I moan.

"Well... sheep brains or cow livers might be worse."

"Can we please not talk about animal parts anymore?"

"Sure thing." She says, slinging an arm around me, "So tell me about you and Hal."

"There's nothing to tell." I say stiffly, "I pretend to date him, he pretends to date me, I fall over a lot, he gets mad, we hate each other."

"What I walked in on earlier didn't look like hate."

"Well it was. It was just sleeping hate."

She laughs at me, "Get some sleep, Katie. Tomorrow's going to be rough."

I hate that she is always right. I wake up late and scramble to get ready, forgetting to put on tights. I'm scarfing down a pop-tart when Mom slides her computer toward me and I see, with horror, a thousand pictures of me on some "we-worship-Hal-Monroe" site. Most of the pictures depict me dripping in frog guts. And looking at myself from a third-person view while I'm covered in animal bits is the most revolting thing I have ever seen. Next to Hal Monroe. Or two-toned-hair-Audrey. As a result of all of this, I am late, running out to meet Hal as he is pulling out of the garage.

"I thought you were chickening out." He says when I get in the car.

"I thought about it." I mutter.

"Here. Look at them before you get to school."

I take the papers from his hands and peruse them. More pictures of me covered in gross stuff. And an article by Jessie Cue. I sigh and read through the piece where she basically calls me an ugly klutz who must either be completely hapless, or going out of my way in some plot to ruin Hal forever.

Hal parks his car about the same time I finish reading.

"I don't mean to ruin you, you know." I tell him, tugging on my skirt. "I know you're probably thinking you should have picked anyone but me."

I feel a hand on my shoulder and I look at Hal, his eyes are serious, "I'm thinking... I would really like my clothes back."

I blink in surprise. So does he hate me or what? "I left them at home."

"I'll get them tonight then." I follow him into school, missing my tights as my legs nearly freeze off in the one minute it takes to walk inside. Hal deposits me at my locker as usual and Ruth and Lily swarm me.

"That was so gross yesterday." Ruth says, "Please tell me it wasn't on purpose."

"Oh... gross, what do you think?"

"Just checking."

"It was so romantic how Hal covered your head to protect you." Lily coos. Leave it to her to find something romantic in knocking frog guts on yourself.

"Yea, I get the warm fuzzies just thinking about it." I say.

Hal reappears and grabs my arm, "We're supposed to go to the office." He reminds me. I sigh, tell my friends goodbye, and follow Hal to the office.