……… Page 87……… “No？” “I mean…I can handle this。 I"ve got to handle it。” She shook her head。 “Oh； girl。 I"m hurting for you here。” I looked back at the stage。 The auction was happening so fast！ They"d be at Bryce in no time。 As the bidding continued； the battle in my head got louder and fiercer。 What was I going to do？ Then suddenly the gym fell quiet。 You could have heard a pin drop。 And standing next to Mrs。 McClure looking pletely mortified was Jon Trulock。 Mrs。 McClure was scouring the crowd with her eyes； looking very unfortable； too。 “What happened？” I whispered to Darla。 “No one"s bidding；” she whispered back。 “Do I hear ten？” called Mrs。 McClure。 “e on； out there！ This lunch is delicious。 Strawberry tarts； roast beef and Muenster cheese sandwiches …” “Oh； no！” I whispered to Darla。 “I can"t believe I did this to him！” “You？ What did you do？” “I voted for him！” “Well； you couldn"t have been the only one…。” “But why isn"t anyone bidding on him？ He"s … he"s so nice。” Darla nodded。 “Exactly。” That"s when I realized what I had to do。 My hand shot into the air and I called； “Ten！” “Ten？” warbled Mrs。 McClure。 “Did I hear ten？” I put my hand up higher and said to Darla； “Say twelve。” “What？” “Say twelve； I"ll outbid you。” “No way！” “Darla！ He can"t go for ten； c"mon！” “Twelve！” Darla called； but her hand didn"t go up very high。 “Fifteen！” I cried。 “Sixteen！” called Darla； and eyed me with a laugh。 I whispered； “Darla！ I"ve only got fifteen。” Her eyes got enormous。 I laughed and called； “Eighteen！” then held her arm down and said； “But that really is all I"ve got。” There was a moment of silence and then； “Eighteen going once！ Eighteen going twice … Sold！ for eighteen dollars。” Darla laughed and said； “Whoa； girl！ What a rush！” I nodded。 “Yes； it was！” “Well； no dessert for you。 Looks like you got cleaned out by something a little more …uh… nutritious。” She nodded toward the stage。 “You gonna go up to the table like you"re supposed to？ Or you gonna stick around and see the carnage？” I almost didn"t have a choice。 Before Mrs。 McClure could say two words about Bryce or his basket； Shelly called； “Ten！” Then from the middle of the gym came “Twenty！” It was Miranda Humes； with her hand way in the air。 They went back and forth； back and forth； higher and higher； until Shelly called； “Sixty…two！” “I can"t believe it；” I whispered to Darla。 “Sixty…two dollars！ C"mon； Miranda； e on。” “I think she"s out。 Shelly"s got it。” “Sixty…two dollars going once！” cried Mrs。 McClure； but before she could say； Going twice！ a voice from the back of the gym called； “A hundred！” Everyone gasped and turned around to see who had called the bid。 Darla whispered； “It"s Jenny。” “Atkinson？” I asked。 Darla pointed。 “Right over there。” She was easy to spot； standing tall above the others in the number…seven basketball jersey she almost always wore。 “Wow；” I whispered； “I had ……… Page 88……… no idea。” “Maybe she"ll slam…dunk him for you；” Darla said with a grin。 “Who cares？” I giggled。 “She slam…dunked Shelly！” Mrs。 McClure was gushing into the microphone about the record…breaking bid when a big motion broke out over by Miranda。 I spotted Shelly"s hair； and my first thought was that there was going to be a fight。 But instead； Shelly and Miranda turned to face Mrs。 McClure and called； “One…twenty…two fifty！” I choked down a cry。 “What？” “They"re teamin" up；” Darla whispered。 “Oh； no…no…no！” I looked over Jenny"s way。 “e on； Jenny！” Darla shook her head and said； “She"s through；” and she was。 Bryce went to Shelly and Miranda for one hundred twenty…two dollars and fifty cents。 It was a little strange； meeting up with Jon and walking over to the multi…purpose room for lunch。 But he was just so nice； and I think grateful that I"d bid； that by the time we got situated at our table； I wasn"t feeling so awkward or silly。 It was just lunch。 Things would have been easier if they hadn"t seated me in direct view of Bryce and his little harem； but I did my best to ignore them。 Jon told me all about this radio…controlled airplane that he and his dad were building from scratch； and how he"d been working on it for nearly three months； and that over the weekend they were finally going to get to try it out。 He told me a funny story about soldering the wires wrong and practically starting a fire in their basement； and I asked him about how a radio…controlled airplane works because I didn"t really understand it。 So I"d relaxed a lot and was actually having a good time eating lunch with Jon。 And I was so relieved that I hadn"t bid on Bryce。 What a fool I would have made of myself！ Watching Shelly and Miranda fawning all over him didn"t bother me nearly as much as I thought it would。 Really； they looked ridiculous。 Jon asked about my family； so I was telling him about my brothers and their band when a huge motion broke out over at Bryce"s table。 Suddenly Shelly and Miranda were rolling on the floor like an enormous furball； smearing each other with food。 Out of nowhere Bryce appeared at our table。 He grabbed my hand； pulled me a few feet away； and whispered； “Do you like him？” I was stunned。 He held my other hand and asked again； “Do you like him？” “You mean Jon？” “Yes！” I can"t remember what I said。 He was looking into my eyes； holding my hands tight； and then he began pulling me toward him。 My heart was racing and his eyes were closing and his face was ing toward mine…。 Right there； in front of all the other basket boys and their dates and the adults； he was going to kiss me。 To kiss me。 I panicked。 I"d been waiting all my life for that kiss； and n