Prank Wars Read Online Free PDF Page B

out behind her. I stared at her just as Tory pulled away from her pillow in stunned silence.
    Lizzie poked her head through the door, clearly eavesdropping the whole time. “That’s because he’s nice, ” she lectured me, “unlike some people.”
    Nice? Could he actually be nice? No! This man was not nice, not without something to gain from it. He was the biggest noncommittal player I knew, and I couldn’t believe that he was getting the best of me. I’d force him show me his true colors. Tonight was the big intramural championship dodge ball game between us and the 104th ward. There was plenty of trash-talking and lots of tempers involved. There was no way he’d miss it. “How about tonight at 5:00?” I asked.
    “ Oh sorry. Can’t. I’m playing a dodge ball game.”
    I smiled. Now we were getting somewhere. “5:15?”
    “ No…”
    I didn’t even give him time to explain. “5:30? 5:45?”
    He burst out laughing. “No, I can’t.”
    “Oh, that’s too bad,” I simpered, expecting a set-down. “Are you sure?”
    He was quiet for a moment. Every instinct told me not to trust his supposed defeat. “Why don’t you come and be my cheerleader,” he shot back. What? Shallow guys didn’t invite girls sight unseen to their precious games. What if I was ugly? He’d never chance it. “Maybe we can do something after the game?” he said. “Yeah, we can take a walk through the trails on campus. Then we can get to know each other a little…better.”
    My eyes widened. Was he really that big of a player or was he playing with me? Did he know what was going on? Or did he think I was someone else? “Uh…” I was thinking hard.
    “ I know,” he suggested. “How about we do something right now?”
    “Right now?” I tried to keep the panic from my voice and reminded myself that he couldn’t reach through the phone and steal me.
    “ Yeah. Where are you?”
    This was getting serious. “I…I am just…busy with…” I tried to think of the most disgusting thing possible to a noncommittal guy like him, “my marriage prep homework. Gotta get an A. Whoo!”
    “ You wanna put your marriage prep to work right now, Suzy Q?”
    “What? What are you talking about?”
    “ Why don’t you come over and we’ll study it together? Maybe a little chemistry too? You’re in my class, right? Yeah, I remember you. Dark hair, right?”
    Yeah—no! This was not going the way I expected. He was supposed to freak out because a weird girl was calling to ask him out and then I would let him stew over it for the rest of the day until I called him and bragged how he fell for my April Fools’ joke. Why was he actually going for it? And how did he know I had dark hair?
    Maybe there was an information leak? There was no way that my number was in his phone. Did we have spies in the ranks? I glanced over at our blonde little Kali. Her cell phone was nowhere in sight. Tory was stunned; her freckles looked a little more pronounced than usual. Lizzie’s hands were on her slender hips, a smirk on her dark face. But she was the last person who’d turn against me. How did Byron know? Did he recognize my voice? Impossible. I meant nothing to him. I gulped. “Sure, sure, fine. Sandra’s with me. She won’t mind tagging along. I’m sure she’ll be happy to hear about your sudden interest in chemistry.”
    “ How about you just come by yourself?” his voice sounded lazy and just a little dangerous. “I think we need some alone time together.”
    He was calling my bluff. Now I knew he wasn’t being nice. I smiled wickedly, getting back into the game. “It would be rude to leave my best friend behind.”
    “ Then I’ll meet you. How about in five minutes?”
    “You don’t have my address,” I stalled, trying to think of all the addresses of the most annoying girls I knew or maybe of an insane asylum. I gave up. “Or maybe you just don’t know what today is?”
    “ Monday.”
    “April Fool’s day.”
    He was silent on