Freaks of Greenfield High

Freaks of Greenfield High (Chapter 14)

Freaks of Greenfield High

By Maree Anderson

Chapter Fourteen

Tyler was in the bathroom, trying to get his hair to behave, when Caro cornered him. After she'd quit laughing at his efforts and restyled his hair to her satisfaction, she said, "When're you going to quit feeling sorry for yourself and give her a chance?"

"Don't know what you're talking about."

"Oh, come on. Don't give me that. You barely speak to Jay. And when you do, you're so terribly polite it's like you've got Miss Manners shoved up your butt. You even made her partner Matt in Bio. Which I gotta say, is just plain shitty, because even though Jay's a freaking genius with computers and stuff, she hasn't a clue how to deal with guys like him. Quit being such a moody a-hole. Jay needs us. She needs you. And she needs to know you're on her side."

Tyler stared at his reflection, thrusting out his chin to check for eruptions. There were none, of course. Hadn't been since Jay had somehow healed that zit on his chin. Wow. Freaking amazing what a cyborg could do for a guy.

"She's got you on her side, Caro. She doesn't need me."

Caro vented her frustration with a gusty sigh that dragged Tyler's reluctant gaze to hers. She rolled her eyes toward the ceiling in her signature gesture of not-so-mock despair. "She's hurting, Tyler. Real bad."

"That's crap and you know it. She's a cyborg. She can't hurt."

"And you know it's not crap. Jeez! She's all confused because feelings, and this girlfriend-boyfriend stuff, are all Greek to her. But do you cut her a break? No. Of course not! You tell her you're still her friend but do you act like her friend? No. Of course not. Noooo, instead you make like an angry ex-boyfriend, like she's played you and broken your freaking heart. It's pathetic! What am I going to do with the two of you?"

She scrubbed her hands through her immaculately styled hair, grabbed a couple of handfuls and yanked. Hard enough for her to blink and twist her face into a pained grimace. "Look, Tyler, I know you're upset but Jay can't help what she is. And regardless of what she is, she really likes you. So why can't you just—"

"What?" He whirled to confront his sister. "Be boyfriend and girlfriend? Get married? Live happily ever after in a nice house with a white picket fence, and have little Terminator babies? Yeah, like that's a possibility." He turned back to his reflection, trying to ignore her slack-jawed dismay at his OTT reaction.

Crap. He might have over-played that one. Caro wasn't stupid. If he wasn't careful, she might actually suspect the truth: He wanted so badly for Jay to be human that it hurt.

He stared into the mirror with a truly pathetic attempt at mess-with-me-at-your-freakin'-peril eyes. "Get real, Caro."

To his dismay she didn't take the hint. She palmed his shoulders. "Listen up. Jay's in trouble."

Tyler's stomach flip-flopped and finally settled with a sickening lurch. "Well, duh. She's a cyborg and bad men want her."

"Quit being obtuse."

"Obtuse. Now there's a big word. You been reading Mom's word of the day calendar again, huh?"

"Tyler!" She dug her fingernails into his shoulders and shook him so hard it snapped his head back on his neck.

"Ow!" He glared at her in the mirror's reflection. "Quit shaking me."

"I'll quit shaking you when I've shaken some sense into you, and you stop being such a smartass and hear me out!"