manyimpact sports.â I took off the watch so he could look at it. After studying it, he casually waved it under Brookeâs nose.
âPretty nice, huh?â
âVery subtle,â she said as Abel handed it back to me. âBut Iâve already bought your present. And it is so much better than any crummy watch.â
âThanks,â I said.
Brooke nudged Heather. âWhat did you get Emmett?â
âOr do you even get him anything since youâre Jewish and heâs not?â I asked.
âWell, Iâd get him a holiday gift, like I get all the people Iâm close to,â Heather said, turning pink. âBut Iâm not sure weâre at that point yet. I mean, we havenât even gone on an official date!â
I nodded. âJust promise me you didnât get Stefan anything.â
Stefan Marshall was our lead photographerand sportswriter, who Heather had been crazy about since the start of school. At least . . . until recently when she learned he thought of her as a little sister.
Heather laughed. âThe only thing heâll be getting from me is a smile.â
âThatâs still too generous,â teased Brooke.
The first bell rang, and the four of us headed into the hall. I scanned the crowd of students but didnât see Ryan among them. A few girls saw me and waved, but thankfully no one acted like anything was out of the ordinary.
What was Ryan waiting for?
I did a casual wander past the locker area. No Ryan.
I strolled by his homeroom. No Ryan.
I even went out of my way to hit the cafeteria. No Ryan.
The more I searched and the longer I waited,the tenser I felt. In every one of my morning classes, I was poised for flight, as if Ryan might appear with my dance troupe and force me to frolic. When lunchtime finally came and my phone vibrated in my pocket, I yelped and jumped out of my chair.
Heather, Vanessa, and Brooke all stared at me.
âSorry. Phone.â I flashed it at them.
âDid you have it set to ants-in-pants?â asked Brooke.
I didnât answer, tilting my phone so they couldnât see it while I read.
Itâs almost time.
My jaws clenched. The cryptic messages were starting to wear thin.
Heather bumped my arm. âEverything okay?â
âEverythingâs great!â I said, putting on my best smile and leaning back in my chair. If Ryan was watching, there was no way Iâd give him thesatisfaction of seeing me sweat. âWhat are we talking about?â I asked, sticking my phone into my backpack.
âIâve been thinking about Vâs gift for Gil,â said Brooke. âWe threw around some great ideas this morning, including my solution, which, I dare say, was brilliant.â Brooke gazed modestly into the distance.
âNot to mention it was piggybacking on my idea,â I said, rummaging through my stuff. âAlso, calling yourself brilliant isnât a dare. A dare is . . . Eat this cookie I found in my backpack.â I held up an Oreo riddled with pencil shavings.
Without hesitation, Brooke took it from me and popped it into her mouth.
âEw!â shrieked Vanessa and Heather.
Brooke grinned at all of us with black-and-white teeth.
âNow, eat this penny!â I held up a coin, butHeather forced my hand down.
âDonât do that. Sheâd eat a whole roll of them if you challenged her.â
This was true. It was one of Brookeâs biggest weaknesses, actually. She tended to bite off more than she could chew. Even if it was something covered in wood bits.
Brooke swallowed and ran her tongue over her teeth before continuing. âAnyway, our suggestions got me thinking. Mary Patrick wants us to do something special for the holiday issue, so in addition to our usual advice, why donât we offer holiday gift-giving advice?â
âWhat, you mean like post a list of gift ideas?â asked Vanessa.
âNo, I mean kids who need help with gift ideas