Flipped Page #9

BRYCE:
Now only Eddie Trulock

stood between me and the auction block.

I wasn't interested in his hobbies

or what was in his basket.

McCLURE:
Let's start the bidding at $5.

BRYCE:
All I could think of was Juli.

McCLURE:
Anybody?

BRYCE:
What if she did bid on me?

What if she got in a bidding war

with Sherry and Melanie and lost out?

McCLURE:

No bidders?

BRYCE:
I was contemplating the horrors

of this when...

JULl:

Eight dollars.

McCLURE:
There you go. Eight dollars,

that's more like it. Do I hear 10?

BRYCE:

Juli Baker was bidding on Eddie Trulock?

McCLURE:
Okay, 8 going once.

BRYCE:
How could she bid on Eddie?

McCLURE:
Eight going twice.

BRYCE:
How could she bid on anyone?

Sold to Juli Baker.

[APPLAUSE]

Next is Basketboy number nine,

Bryce Loski.

BRYCE:
I knew I was supposed

to step forward, but I couldn't move.

McCLURE:

Step up, Bryce, don't be shy.

Better late than never. Ha, ha.

Bryce likes to play baseball.

- Five dollars.

McCLURE:
Oh, well, wait until l...

- Ten.

McCLURE:
Oh.

Well, it appears the bidding is underway.

- Fifteen.

- Twenty.

SHERRY:
Twenty-five.

MELANIE:
Thirty.

- Thirty-five.

MELANIE:
Forty.

- Fifty.

McCLURE:
Oh, my.

Fifty dollars. Wh...

Fifty going once.

Fifty going twice.

Sold to Miss Sherry Stalls for $50.

An all-time record.

Oh, the boosters will be very grateful

for such a generous donation.

BRYCE:

It's strange.

Here I was, having lunch

with the hottest girl in school...

...and I was miserable.

We're going up to the lake.

My dad has a cabin there...

...and you get the most outrageous tan.

BRYCE:
Because less than 20 feet

away from me was Juli.

My Juli with Eddie Trulock.

She's laughing.

What was she laughing about?

How could she sit there and laugh

and look so beautiful?

Bryce, are you all right?

What?

What are you staring at?

Nothing.

Lunch is really delicious, Bryce.

Bryce, did you hear me?

This is a really delicious lunch.

Can we not talk about tans or food?

Well, what do you wanna talk about?

I don't know, perpetual motion?

Do you know anything about that?

Perpetual what?

BRYCE:
I don't know what came over me.

It was like I was possessed or something.

- Juli, I gotta talk to you.

- What?

What's going on, Bryce?

What are you doing?

Bryce, stop it.

BOY:

Bryce, you didn't even make it to first base.

GIRL:

I'll kiss you. Ha, ha.

Juli! Juli!

Juli, wait. Can we talk?

Juli!

- What's the matter with you?

- Leave me alone, Garrett.

You get a date with the finest girl

on campus and you blow it for Juli.

- You wouldn't understand!

- I completely don't understand!

We're talking about Juli Baker here.

Nightmare neighbor, know-it-all nuisance.

The coop-poop babe.

Shut up!

Hey, have you flipped?

What's the matter with you?

You know what, if you're gonna be like this,

I don't need the association.

- Well, good, because neither do I.

- Yeah, neither do I!

BRYCE:
As I walked home with the dirty

dishes clanking inside my picnic basket...

...all I could think of was Juli.

And I realized Garrett was right

about one thing:

I had flipped. Completely.

[KNOCKING ON DOOR]

TRINA [OVER PHONE]:

Hello?

Oh, heh. Hi, Mrs. Baker. Is Juli there?

TRINA:
Oh. I'm sorry, Bryce.

Juli doesn't wanna talk.

[DOOR BELL RINGS]

Please, Mrs. Baker. I gotta see her.

I'm sorry, Bryce.

But I'm afraid she's locked herself

in her room.

BRYCE:

I tried to go to bed early that night...

...but I couldn't sleep.

I watched her house from my window

for hours.

I had to find a way

to show her how I felt.

JULl:
Monday morning,

as I made my way into school...

...I was deciding which

of the Everly Brothers I'd rather marry...

...when Dana Tressler forced Bryce

back into my brain.

Juli. The list is out.

There he is, number nine, your main dish.

Bryce Loski's not my main dish.

- Oh, you're sticking to your diet.

- It's not a diet, Dana.

- I'm over him, okay?

- I'm glad to hear it.

Because rumor has it Sherry's

already staking her claim on him.

Sherry? Sherry Stalls?

Oh, Liz. Macy. The list is up.

[GIRLS CHATTERING]

JULl:
That afternoon, I found myself

obsessing about the Basketboy auction.

I could feel myself backsliding

about Bryce.

But why should I care if Sherry liked him?

I shouldn't even be thinking about him.

I had to rise above this.

Bryce Loski was no longer in my life.

[CLUCKING]

On the morning of the auction,

I was on edge.

I found myself, without even knowing

how it happened, staring at my egg money.

I needed a strategy.

It was simple.

If I left my money at home,

I'd leave temptation with it.

My strategy suffered a setback

when I ran into Mrs. Steuby.

STEUBY:

Julianna.

Julianna.

Hello, dear.

I'm so sorry it's taken me so long

to get this to you...

...but I keep missing you in the morning.

Mrs. Steuby, I don't want that.

You don't have to...

Don't be ridiculous. I'm gonna pay you.

- I'm going to pay you.

- I don't want that. I don't want it.

Yeah, I want you to go out

and buy yourself something festive.

Pedal pushers. Ha, ha.

- Mrs. Steuby.

- Bye, dear.

- Mrs. Steuby, I don't want pedal pushers.

- No, no. You'll look great.

[SIGHS]

It's okay.

It's okay. No big deal.

Just pretend like I don't have it.

I hear you're planning to bid on Bryce.

What? Who told you that? No, I'm not.

Someone saw you with a wad of cash

this morning.

- How much do you have?

- It's none of your business.

And I'm not bidding, okay?

I don't even like him anymore.

Oh, that'll be the day.

It's true. Go ahead,

waste your money on him. I don't care.

And now, will you all give

a big Mayfield School welcome...

...to your 1963 Basketboys.

JULl:

I could say I didn't care all I wanted...

...but seeing Bryce walk out

in his jacket and tie...

...holding that picnic basket...

...set my head spinning again.

Fifteen going once.

JULl:
The auction seemed to fly by.

- Fifteen going twice.

Sold to Macy Taylor for $15.

JULl:
Before I knew it,

Eddie Trulock was called.

Number eight is Eddie Trulock.

JULl:

Which meant Bryce was next.

McCLURE:

Eddie is a member of the debate team.

And his hobbies include fishing...

...and model-airplane building.

Who will give me $5?

- Why isn't anyone bidding? He's so nice.

- Exactly.

McCLURE:

Nobody?

Eight dollars.

McCLURE:

Sold to Juli Baker for $8.

JULl:

How did this happen?

Was it because I felt bad for Eddie?

Or was it because I couldn't trust myself

with Bryce?

As I made my way

to the multi-purpose room...

...I contemplated

the startling turn of events.

Here I was, about to have lunch

with Eddie Trulock...

...while the boy I mooned over

for half my life...

...was going to share a meal

with my mortal enemy.

I wanna thank you for bidding on me.

It was touch-and-go there for a while.

No, I wanted to. This will be fun.

- I hear you like building model airplanes.

- Yeah.

My father and I just finished

a Russian MiG-19. It was made in 1955.

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