Populazzi. Part 3

I took a breath, then offered up the best of my bunch. "Hey! Do you play Scrabble? 'Cause I had the best triple-word score last night!"

Claudia's silence was deafening. I couldn't blame her. Maybe I'd go with the good pilgrim thing after all.

As it turned out, I didn't need an opening line. The moment I got my books into my locker, I heard Archer's voice behind me.

"You are a woman of mystery," he said, and my whole body grinned as I turned to face him.

"How so?" I asked.

"You disappeared after cla.s.ses yesterday. Most mysterious indeed."

So he was looking for me after cla.s.ses yesterday.

"Was that when my next tour was scheduled?" I asked. "I didn't realize."

"It was." He nodded sadly. "And it was brilliant."

"Can I reschedule?"

"Depends on the tour you want. Our most popular offerings have limited availability and need to be reserved several months to a year in advance..."

Suddenly inspiration struck. It might not have been Shakespeare but...

"I know exactly the tour I want," I said. "What's your last name?"

"Jain," he said. "Why?"

"I want the Official Archer Jain Tour. Everything you can tell me about yourself in the next"-I checked my watch to see how much time we had before the bell rang-"ten minutes."

"Hmm," he mused, "the topic's a little broad. Help me out-ask me what you want to know."

"Okay," I said as we started down the hall, "do you have any brothers or sisters?"

"I have seventeen brothers and thirteen sisters, all younger than I."

"That is a lie."

"But it's interesting. Tours are supposed to be interesting."

"I promise I'll be just as interested in the real stuff."

Archer sighed.

"I have one sister," he said. "Older. Her name's Lila."

"How much older?"

Five years.

"Are you close?"

"Do you watch a lot of police interrogation shows?"

"I'm interested! If it makes you feel better, you can answer my next question as ridiculously as you want."

"Yes, that makes me feel much better."

"So are you and your sister close? That's not my next question; it's the last question over again."

"We weren't," Archer said, "but now that she's in college, we talk. She likes to give me advice."

"What's the best thing she ever told you?" I asked.

"Never trust curly-haired women who inexplicably crawl on the floor."

"Nice. Your sister is very astute."

The bell rang. It was perfect timing; Archer and I were only a few feet away from Mr. Woodward's cla.s.s. We slipped into seats next to each other like it was the most natural thing in the world. During cla.s.s we kept looking at each other and checking in as if we'd been friends for ages.

Afterward we poured back into the hall with everyone else, but before we could go our separate ways, Archer cleared his throat. "So, um ... lunch. Do you have a place you like to sit? Because if you don't, I'd be happy to save you a spot, you know ... if you need one."

I felt a giddy thrill and tried to rein it in. It was just lunch; it was no big deal. Still...

"I'd love that, thanks."

"Great ... you're welcome. I mean, you will be welcome. At lunch. I mean ... I'll see you then."

I watched him walk off, then breezed down the halls to precalculus and spent the next three periods counting down to lunchtime.

I didn't go into the cafeteria right away. If Archer was saving me a seat, I wanted to give him the chance to do it. Unfortunately, it's not easy to kill ten minutes in a school hallway and look at all natural. I walked in slow motion from my fourth period cla.s.s, searched through my locker as if it were cavernous, and became completely engrossed in the wall-posted monthly lunch menu. Finally it was time to go in.

I found Archer at the same table as yesterday, only this time two of his friends were gone, so there was s.p.a.ce. I noticed Sue was one of the ones who wasn't there, and I was a little b.u.mmed, since she was so easy to talk to.

"Cara!" Archer rose a little until I sat down next to him. Very chivalrous. Very cute.

"Tell us about yourself, Cara." It was one of the Smilers from yesterday. "How long have you lived here? Where did you move from? What do you like to do? Do you have any brothers or sisters? Any pets? Are you freaked out about the college thing, or is it not on your radar yet? Do you like plays? Did you ever do any at your old school? What kind of extracurriculars are you signing up for? Do you drive, or do you have to take the bus? Do you already know what you're going to be for Halloween, or do you need ideas? And how are you liking your second day at Chrysella?"

My jaw was literally hanging open.

"Ember..." Archer said.

"What?" she said. "Cara's new; we want to get to know her. Don't you want to get to know her?"

Archer blushed.

"It's okay," I said to Ember. "I kind of did the same thing to Archer this morning."

I started answering her questions, and was still at it when the bell rang. By then I sort of knew the names of all Archer's friends. They, on the other hand, knew more about my life than anyone other than Claudia, Karl, and my mom.

"We did The Pit and the Pendulum at drama camp last summer," Archer said as he walked me out of the cafeteria. "I'm not sure Ember got the Inquisition out of her system."

"It's fine." I laughed. "I like her. I like all of them."

"Good," Archer said. "I mean, not that you have to like my friends ... not that you don't have to, but you don't ... mean...

Archer grimaced, then took a deep breath and smiled. "What are you doing after school?" he asked. "I sometimes go to the mall to sit and do homework for a while. There's a particularly good fry place at the Plaza food court ... insofar as 'fries' and 'food court' can come together to make 'particular goodness.'"

"See, and I'm of the culinary school of thought that says a well-made food court fry can be the epitome of gustatory satisfaction," I said.

"I had no idea that was an actual culinary school of thought."

"Clearly you have much to learn from me."

"Clearly. Should we meet at your locker after school? We can caravan."

"Perfect. See you then!"

I soared off to French cla.s.s, but I knew I'd learn nothing. In just a few hours I'd be out with Archer; I couldn't think about anything else if I tried.

Chapter Five.

"Ask me where I am!" I chirped as I drove.

"Why, Cara," Claudia asked, "wherever are you?"

"I am on my first date with Archer!"

"You are?" Claudia cried. "Wait-how are you calling about the date when you're on the date? Is he right there with you?"

"No. We're caravanning." I was keeping Archer in sight but purposely staying several car lengths behind him so he couldn't see me talking on the speakerphone. Wouldn't look cool. "We're meeting at the mall."

"You're meeting at the mall."

"Yes!"

"You're in separate cars, and you're meeting at the mall. Are you stopping at home to change?"

"Why would I stop at home to change?"

"Uh-huh. Is he buying you dinner there?"

"It's four in the afternoon! No, he's not buying me dinner. We're going to get a snack at the food court and do homework."

"Cara, that's not a date."

"Of course it is! Archer asked me to come out with him to the mall. He asked me out. It's a date!"

"It's not a date! A date involves a change in habiliments; the guy providing or purchasing transportation, sustenance, and entertainment; and some form of physical contact, ideally a kiss."

Claudia had been on as many dates as I had-namely, none-so her expertise on this was in question. "Claude, you had to hear him. He wanted my phone number in case we got separated on the way to the mall, and he got all nervous when he asked. I really think it's a date."

"How about we compromise: we'll call it a datelet. When you get the actual date with all the qualifications intact, you'll officially be on Archer's rung of the Ladder."

"The Ladder?"

"The Ladder. You know, your mission for the school year? The whole reason you targeted Archer to begin with?"

Oops.

Honestly, it wasn't that I had forgotten the Ladder; it's just that I'd stopped thinking about it in terms of Archer. I liked him. And maybe the Ladder had made me brave enough to go after him, but if things got to the point where he amazingly, miraculously, hopefully wanted to be my boyfriend, there was no way in the universe I'd drop him for someone on a higher rung, not even for the Supreme Populazzi.

But I couldn't tell Claudia that. She'd worked all summer on the Ladder.

Claudia and I didn't lie to each other. Years ago we had sworn on my mini Liberty Bell that we never would. But it felt like it would be even worse to let her down than to lie. Especially when right now, it didn't make a difference. Ladder or no Ladder, I was still going after Archer.

"Sorry-went through a dead spot," I said. "Got it, though: real date equals first rung of the Ladder."

"Exactly. But this is a good start. Excellent work."

"Thanks. Pulling in now."

"Call me when you're done. 'Once more unto the breach'!"

I hung up and parked my car next to Archer's. He was at my door instantly and opened it the moment I turned off the engine.

"Shall we?" he asked.

"Are you kidding? After the buildup you gave the particularly good fries, I can't wait."

We walked toward the mall side by side. Archer whistled. He seemed to look everywhere except at me. Was he uncomfortable? Did he regret asking me along?

He darted his eyes my way and smiled ... then looked away again. The smile was good. I felt better.

I wondered if he'd hold my hand. Should I expect him to hold my hand? I tried to remember if hand-holding was on Claudia's checklist for a real date.

I realized my hands were in my pockets. He couldn't hold one even if he wanted to. Not unless he actively dug it out, which would be weird. He probably thought I was sending him a specific message not to hold my hand.

I took my hands out of my pockets.

The problem is I like having my hands in my pockets. It's my natural position. They felt unwieldy hanging by my sides, as if I was walking like a Neanderthal.