Socially Stupid

Chapter 3

"Do I really have to be here?" Sam asked Kayla as they changed for indoor track practice.

"Yes," Kayla said as she folded her clothes and placed them in her locker. "You'll thank me later."

"Why am I in track anyway...?" Sam asked, shuting her locker door and following Kayla out the door.

"Because you love me," Kayla said. "And you're fast. You deserve a college scholarship."

"Ha, you're funny," Sam said. "We'll see if I even make it to college."

The girls walked out into the hallway and over to the gym. Kayla felt her feet stop as she got to the doorway.

"What are you doing?" Sam asked.

"That's Andrew's friend," Kayla said, pointing at Jake across the room. "What's he doing here?"

"Um maybe he runs track?" Sam said. "What's the big deal?"

Kayla turned around and started walking back down the hall. "Did you hear me?!" Kayla said in a loud whisper. "That's Andrew's friend! The same friend Andrew pointed me out to at that game last year. He knows who I am."

"Oh my God," Sam said rolling her eyes. "You're overreacting. He plays basketball with your brother for crying out loud. And besides, he probably doesn't remember that stupid situation with Lia."

"What if he does though? I can't do this. I gotta go home." Kayla started to walk towards the locker room again.

"No!" Sam exclaimed grabbing Kayla's hand. "Pull yourself together. I have an idea."

"Really?" Kayla asked sarcastically. "I feel like any of your ideas might kill me someday."

"Oh stop. This one's good," Sam said. "Start your act for tonight right now."

"Excuse me?" Kayla questioned her friend.

"Your disguise tonight... Let's call her Adrienne," Sam said. "Now, let's say Adrienne is your cousin. Act like you're sick right now at this practice. That way no one will have to question why Kayla isn't at the game later."

"Who said anyone was gonna question it?" Kayla asked.

"Oh jeez... just think about it, Kayla," Sam said. "What if we run into someone we know? It'd be the three amigos... minus you. Where's Kayla? We tell them she's sick. Boom."

"I still don't see why that would matter..."

Sam started to pull her friend back towards the gym. "Just do it," she said.

When they walked through the door, Kayla started to panic again.

"Come on," Sam said walking towards one of the gym's walls. "Let's go stretch."

Kayla followed her friend and tried to maintain contact with the floor more than anything else in the room. She followed Sam's footsteps to the wall.

"So what did you think of Crowder's exam today?" Sam asked as she stretched her quads.

Kayla looked up from the floor and started to stretch her quads too. "I thought it was fine," she said. She looked over at Jake. Jake took a quick glance at her but then looked at one of his friends approaching him.

"Stop looking over at him," Sam said. "He's gonna think you're weird."

"Alright, alright," Kayla said looking at the wall now. She decided to continue the conversation from before. "I only had issues with the last two questions. How about you?"

"Same," Sam said. "He always trips me up with those stupid riddles. I don't understand why he can't be more straightforward. I mean, it's American history for crying out loud. It's not Shakespeare."