"BUT WHAT SHOULD I DO?" ELENA ASKED ON the phone later that evening.
I lay on my back across my bed, staring up at the ceiling. I couldn't believe Elena Argos was asking me for advice. "I don't know."
"Lucas and I have been together a long time," Elena said. "But we keep breaking up. It's not a healthy relationship, is it?"
"You guys have broken up fifty times in the last year. I think you should be experts at it by now."
"But those breakups were different," Elena explained. "We always knew they weren't forever, but this time it is. Once I tell Lucas it's over, it's really over. I want to do this right. I don't want to make him go crazy or anything."
"That's…considerate, I guess."
"I still care about him, but I'm not in love with him anymore."
"Then you shouldn't be with a guy who you don't like in that way."
Elena sighed. "I wish this were easier. But I think I really like Perry. I can't stop thinking about him. And I can't believe he actually likes me."
"He does," I said. "He said he's been thinking about you all day."
I had to hold the phone away from my ear to keep from going deaf at Elena's squeal.
"A little warning next time, please," I grumbled.
"Oh, Cassie, you don't know how happy you've made me," Elena said. "I could come over there right now and kiss you."
"Better not, my kissing seems to scare people away."
Elena didn't seem to hear my comment. Or she didn't care, as I could hear her rustling through something on the other end of the line.
"What are you doing?" I asked.
"Trying to pick out the perfect outfit for tomorrow," she said. "I want to look my best when I see Perry at school."
I thought Elena always looked her best regardless. "Okay, then," I said. "I'll let you go. I need to do my homework anyway."
"Okay. Thanks for everything, Cassie. You're a great fake best friend," Elena joked, laughing.
I laughed. "That's my job."
As I hung up the phone, I thought about Greg. What was I doing helping Perry and Elena get together? How mad would Greg be if he found out I'd had a part in breaking his brother's heart?
I found myself picking up the phone again and dialing his number.
"Hello?"
My stomach jumped. Lucas had answered the phone. Could he sense I had just talked to his girlfriend and knew she planned to break up with him?
"H-hi, Lucas," I said, trying to sound normal even though my voice trembled a little. "Is Greg home?"
"Hold on," Lucas said.
A moment later, Greg picked up the phone. "Hey, Cassie," he said. His voice sounded a little weird, lower than normal.
"Hey," I said.
There was silence as I tried to think of something to say. Memories of our kiss flooded into my head.
I took a deep breath, trying to steady myself. "Look, Greg, let's just forget about…you know. Okay? It was a mistake."
Greg was silent a moment, then said, "Okay. Forgotten."
He didn't like the kiss. That was obvious. I was so incredibly stupid. Why hadn't someone invented a time machine so I could go back and undo the biggest mistake of my life?
"So," I said, pushing away those thoughts, "why haven't you called me today? You always call after the first day of school to see how things went."
"Sorry," Greg said. "I had this student council meeting after school and now I'm working on ideas for fund-raisers we can have this year. I didn't realize being the tenth-grade class president would be so much work. It's a good thing I decided not to try doing this and band at the same time."
Greg had quit band after his freshman year when he was voted class president for the upcoming year. I was a bit disappointed, since band had brought Greg and me together in the first place.
"You were the one who wanted to be president," I reminded him. "You could have stayed with us band geeks and just showed up at games when needed."
Greg laughed. "I know, but student council will give me more experience than band would if I hope to get into politics one day. Besides, I kind of like being in charge. The other class officers kept looking to me for ideas and approval during our meeting today."
"A nice stroke to your ego, I'm sure," I said, rolling my eyes as I settled back into the pillows on my bed.
"And it gets me out of Lucas's shadow," Greg said. "I'm sure you know how that feels."
Of course I did. I'd done nothing but live in Hunter's and Perry's shadows my entire life.
"So how did your first day of school go?" Greg asked.
I rolled onto my side and ran a fingernail over a loose thread on my comforter. "Fine," I said. "The same old thing, I guess."
I couldn't tell Greg about Elena and Perry. Part of me wanted to and knew I should, but the other part really didn't want to mess up this budding friendship with Elena. It felt nice having someone notice that I was around. I loved having Greg as my best friend, but I also liked having a girl to talk to. Maybe I could even eventually talk to Elena about Greg. She had more experience with guys than I did, so maybe she could tell me what to do about the feelings I had for him.
"There weren't any riots in the halls because of the former Spartans now attending Troy?"
I laughed. "No, everything seemed to go fine. An uneasy alliance, I guess, since we're all forced together."
"Did you see Elena?"
I swallowed hard, trying to keep from sounding as panicked as I felt at his question. Why was he asking me about Elena? Did he suspect something?
"Yeah, we have English together," I told him. "And we have the same lunch period. Oh, and the cheerleaders were outside practicing at the same time the band was, so I saw her then too."
"The Spartan cheerleaders aren't going to be too happy to hear that she's now cheering for the Trojans," Greg said.
"Well, she can't help that her house is now inside the Troy district," I pointed out.
"I know, but this rivalry makes people crazy. Lucas is already making comments that the Lacede students now attending Troy should have all convinced their parents to move into the Lacede district so they wouldn't have to change schools."
There was definitely no way I could tell Greg that I knew Elena planned to break up with Lucas. If Lucas already felt this hostile about something that people had no control over, how would he react to the news?
Greg sighed. "I should go. I have a ton of stuff to read over from last year's sophomore president."
"Okay," I said.
"Hey," Greg said, "want to come hang out with me at Lacede's game on Friday night?"
My heart sped up a little at the thought of spending Friday night with Greg. "Sure," I said.
"Great. See you then. Good night, Cassie."
