Stealing Parker by Miranda Kenneally Read Free Book Online Page B

Hoffman for not being in complete control of our equipment.”
    Drew is wiping tears away from his eyes.
    I stare Corndog down. “I’m going to report you for being a complete tool.”
    “How am I supposed to write an answer to this problem if you can’t tell me where my cup is?”
    “There’s no way in hell I’d touch a cup.”
    “Not even say, Bates’s?” He smirks and stares past me at Drew, who quickly looks away. His face goes red, and he plucks his algebra homework from my hand, gathers his backpack and laptop case and storms out of the cafeteria.
    “What was that about?” Corndog asks, his forehead crinkling.
    I rap my pencil on the table. “Piss off, Corndog.”
    “Whoa.” His face turns serious. “What’s wrong?”
    “On Saturday…you said something about Drew? Did you really think I’d use my best friend? Do you really think I’m that kind of person?” I play with a string hanging from my hoodie, waiting for him to respond.
    He steals a chip off my tray. “On Friday night at Miller’s Hollow, he told me he was dumping Amy. He said he doesn’t like her as much as he likes someone else.”
    “And you think he meant me?”
    He shrugs and eats another of my chips. “I dunno. I figured so.”
    I shove a bunch of chips in my mouth and crunch on them. I swallow, hating that I’m giving in to hunger. I want people to see me as pretty, as ladylike.
    “I don’t like him like that,” I say quietly.
    “Shit,” he replies, dragging a hand through his hair. “Poor Bates.” For as much as he gets on my nerves, Corndog’s a pretty good friend to lots of people. But he obviously doesn’t share my suspicions about Drew.
    At the table behind us, Laura is going on and on about the Prom Decisional. “Y’all, you have to vote for a Disney theme. You just have to. I’m gonna dress as Princess Jasmine and I’ll get Aaron Pritchard to go as Aladdin!”
    Aaron from church? The Aaron I made out with? Same ole Laura. What’s mine is hers, and what’s hers will always be hers.
    “I’d rather do the Roaring Twenties,” Allie tells Laura. “Wouldn’t flapper dresses be so cute?”
    “We’re doing Disney!” Laura squeals.
    Corndog groans so low I can barely hear him. “Disney sounds terrible.”
    “I like Ancient Rome more,” I reply. “I have this gorgeous white silk dress I could wear.” It belonged to Mom, but she never wore it and left it behind for me.
    “Sounds pretty. Who are you going with?”
    “No one in particular. I love my dress though,” I say, smiling to myself.
    “I’m thinking of suggesting a Ho Down Prom. We’ll tell all the girls it’s a farm theme, you see, but really all the guys will dress in drag. Like hookers. Get it? A Ho Down?”
    I laugh. “I’d pay money to see that.”
    “Right?” Corndog chuckles and grabs another chip. “So are you gonna tell me what you did with my cup?”
    I grab a handful of chips and throw them in Corndog’s face.
    I hear a laugh. A shadow falls across my tray and papers, and someone taps my shoulder. “Parker, I’m glad to see you’re keeping my captain in check.”
    I twirl around and look up to find Brian Hoffman standing there in a button-down Oxford shirt and black tie. He looks like a Geek Squad sexpot. Black hair falls in waves around his ears.
    He nods once at me. “I need your help with something after practice this evening. Can you stay for fifteen minutes or so past six o’clock?”
    “Fifteen minutes?” I squeak.
    “Give or take a few.” Brian smiles.
    I examine my nail polish. I’m glad I stuck with Passion Peach. “Yeah, I can do that.”
    “Okay, see you then.”
    A bunch of girls, including Laura, stare at him as he struts out of the cafeteria.
    Corndog gives me a smile and looks from me to the cafeteria doors, shaking his head. “You are highly entertaining, Parker Shelton.”
    •••
    You’re not going to believe this, but after lunch, I don’t stalk Coach Burns’s office to look for Brian.