Split Decision by Belle Payton

Author:Belle Payton
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Simon Spotlight

“Do you want to stop by and say hi to Cassie?” Alex asked her brother hopefully. “We could ring her doorbell and surprise her.”

“She has a big chemistry test tomorrow. She’s studying now.” Tommy concentrated on making a left turn out of the library parking lot. “Why would you want to visit Cassie?”

“No reason.” Alex stared out the window at the darkened storefronts. Should she tell Tommy? Would he help?

In the library, she’d decided she would fix this weird thing with Corey, and they’d go to the movies on Friday just like they’d planned, and then her friends would never have to know anything about this mortifying day. It would be a snap . . . if only she could understand why he’d been so cold to her at lunch. She couldn’t think of anything she’d said or did. She’d barely spoken to him since they’d planned to go to the movies. The whole thing made no sense.

Maybe it was a strange one-day blip. Maybe his mac-and-cheese had been poisoned. Maybe an alien had invaded his body.

Then Alex had decided that Cassie probably possessed some older-girl-with-a-boyfriend insight. And that was her big plan—to talk to Cassie. But that wasn’t happening tonight.

As they waited for the one traffic light in Ashland to turn green, Tommy let out a huge belch.

“Gross!” Alex cried. “That one smelled bad too!”

Tommy grinned and belched again, louder this time. He loved annoying Alex.

Alex held her nose as Tommy burped along to the song on the radio. Tommy was going to be no help here. She doubted Ava would either. She was running out of options. As soon as they reached their house, she hurried inside. “Mom?”

“She’s not here.” Ava was snuggling with Moxy on the sofa. She turned down the volume of the TV. “Neither is Coach.” She told Alex and Tommy what had happened.

“Oh, wow, man.” Tommy sat next to Ava.

“You shouldn’t have told Daddy without me,” Alex protested. “I have a phone. You could have texted.”

“I had to make a quick decision,” Ava said. “I was scared that Coach would get into big trouble or even lose his job.”

“Really?” Alex hadn’t considered this. She sat too. Together the three of them watched a cooking competition show. Alex knew that if Tommy was watching TV with them and not locked in his room playing his music or texting with Cassie, he thought the situation was serious. Alex forgot all about Corey and thought about her dad instead.

Finally Moxy barked excitedly, and the front door swung open.

“You’re all still up,” Mrs. Sackett said, reaching down to greet Moxy at her heels.

“What happened?” Tommy demanded.

Coach Sackett loosened his tie and threw his suit jacket over the back of the big armchair. “A lot of noise, that’s what. Everyone had something to say.”

“But you’re okay, right?” Alex asked. “I mean you’re keeping your job?”

“You father is fine. He’s a great and safe coach, and folks here know that.” Mrs. Sackett kicked off her shoes and perched on the arm of the sofa.

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