Devon Delaney Should Totally Know Better by Lauren Barnholdt, Nathalie Dion

hates me. She thinks I’m not good enough for Lexi to hang out with. She’s never come out and said this, but I can tell by the way she looks at me. And my outfits.
    Although I can’t imagine she’ll be too upset when she sees me today. I look fab, if I do say so myself. I’m wearing a DKNY crimson sweater over skinny jeans I borrowed from Lexi. I also borrowed (without her knowledge, but it still counts as borrowing, because I’m totally going to give them back) my mom’s black boots from her closet. I look
very
grown-up. And yeah, the sweater is last season (back when my parents were feeling guilty about sending me to my grandma’s for the summer and so they were giving me whatever I wanted), but it’s not like anyone’s going to notice.
    I check the clock over the living room couch and look out the window again. Where are they? They better hurry up. My mom’s in the kitchen working on her computer, and if she comes out here and sees me wearing her boots, I’ll be in trouble. Plus I don’t have any other shoes that go with this outfit. Obviously the best thing to do would be to put the boots on when I gotinto the car, but since Ryan/Greg is going to be there, this isn’t really an option. Too embarrassing.
    I’m just about to call Lexi on my cell to see what’s taking so long, when Mrs. Cortland’s Hummer pulls into the driveway. Score! I’ve never ridden in the Hummer before.
    I hop (well, okay, fine, sort of stumble and slide— these boots are too tight) out of the house and down the steps without saying goodbye to my mom. Oopsies. I open the back passenger side door, and get ready to haul myself into the car. But there’s already someone there. A guy. Ryan/Greg, I suppose.
    “Oh,” I say. “Sorry, I’ll go around.”
    “No problem, babe,” he says. And then he jumps out of the car, walks around to the other side, and opens the door for me. I’m a little startled. Is he for real? “Babe”? Opening car doors for me? But what canI do? I follow him around to the other side of the car, and hop in.

chapter seven
    “Now,” Lexi says. “Remember that Bailey is totally mean, and you shouldn’t be taken in by her, even for a second. Okay, Ryan?”
    “Okay,” he says. He sounds confident. I peek over at him out of the corner of my eye. Long eyelashes, dark jeans. He’s wearing a red Quiksilver T-shirt under a plain brown zip-up sweatshirt. New sneakers (but not too new—they’re slightly dirty, like he’s been out playing sports or something), and a silver chain around his neck complete the look. Lexi was right—he’s pretty cute. Exactly what I need to let Bailey know I’m a force to be reckoned with.
    “This is going to be really fun.” Lexi leans over the seat and holds out the bag of popcorn that she’s been munching on. “Want some?”
    “No thanks,” I say. My stomach is turning, I’m so nervous. I can’t even think about eating. Ryan/Greg takes a big handful and munches on it noisily. Hmm. He’s not the neatest eater. I should probably keep him away from the snack table.
    “Alexis, is that popcorn?” Mrs. Cortland asks. “You know you’re not supposed to be eating popcorn with your braces.”
    “It’s not popcorn,” Lexi lies. “Is it, Devi?”
    “No,” I mumble. Lexi’s mom glances at me in the rearview mirror.
    “I like your sweater, Devon,” she says. “Thank you,” I say. Wow. Lexi’s mom is actually being nice to me.
    “DKNY, right? Last season?”
    “Yeah.” So much for her being nice. Greg/Ryan must notice the look on my face, because he does something totally weird. He reaches over and squeezes my hand! Right there in the car, like it’s the most natural thing in the world! And then he leans over and whispers into my ear, “Ahh, don’t let her get to you. She can be a bit much, but she has a good heart.” Then he
squeezes my hand again,
and returns to the other side of the car.
    Ohmigod. Ohmigod, ohmigod. Squeezing my hand? Is that cheating? Am