Gotcha! by Shelley Hrdlitschka

Author:Shelley Hrdlitschka [Hrdlitschka, Shelley]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Young Adult, Contemporary
ISBN: 9781551437378
Barnesnoble:
Goodreads: 3265004
Publisher: Orca Book Publishers
Published: 2008-04-01T00:00:00+00:00

Nine

“I can’t help you with this,” I tell Joel and push the scrap of paper back across the table. My eyes are burning, but I can’t let him see that.

“Why not?”

Because you’re an ass and you’re only using me to get to her and I can’t believe I actually thought there was something else going on here.

“Because she’s my friend,” I tell him, deciding there’s no need to spell out the obvious. “I can’t set up my best friend.”

“But it’s just a game, Katie, remember?”

“Maybe, but I know for sure that Paige would never again be my friend if I helped you tag her.”

“Did she act like your friend at Tyson’s party?”

“No. But...”

“But what?”

“That was different.”

“How?”

“She didn’t actually set up the mobbing. It wasn’t intentional. She just didn’t stop it once it started.” Why am I getting into this argument with him? It’s all irrelevant now anyway.

“It seems about the same to me.”

I shrug and dig through my purse, looking for my wallet so I can get money to pay for my dinner.

“And I’m going to help you get Warren,” Joel says. “You might as well start counting out the Gotcha cash now, half for you, half for me.”

I guess it’s the way he’s talking, like he thinks I can’t figure out why he’s hooked up with me, but it all becomes too much and finally I snap. “You must think I’m a real idiot, Joel. I don’t know why I didn’t figure it out before now.”

Joel looks genuinely puzzled. He’d make a fine actor.

“You never knew I existed until Gotcha started,” I tell him, “and then suddenly you’re my best buddy. I can’t believe I didn’t figure it out.”

“Figure what out?”

I stare at him. Is he serious? “That you have the name of one of my friends!”

Joel slumps back in the booth, another good acting job. This time he’s portraying bewilderment. “You think that’s what’s happening here?” he asks.

“Well, duh,” I tell him and slap my money on the table. I slide across the bench and reach for my crutches, but Joel beats me to them. He snatches them up and holds them out of my reach.

“I thought we understood each other,” he says.

“Oh yeah, I understand you now,” I say, swinging my arm out to grab back the crutches.

“You’ve got it all wrong,” Joel says, still holding them behind him.

“Right.” I stare him down. “You expect me to believe that you haven’t befriended me strictly to get Paige’s bead?”

“No I have not,” he says, looking directly back at me. Gone are any trace of laugh lines, and he looks steamed.

“You’ve got to admit,” I say. “It looks pretty suspicious.”

He nods. “I guess it does. But it never occurred to me that you’d think I was using you to get to Paige. It is just a coincidence for me that I’ve become...acquainted with my victim’s friend.”

He looks so sincere, and I feel myself begin to soften, but then I realize how stupid that would be. I force myself to see past the sparkling eyes, the dazzling smile, the easygoing attitude.

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