CHAPTER 10

"Hey, you've reached Rachel's cell phone. I can't come to the phone right now, so just leave a message and I'll call back. Thanks, bye!"

BEEEEEEEEEEEEEP.

"Hi, Rachel, this is Troy. Look, I'm sure you just about hate me right now, but if you want to hear me out, meet me at Eve's Park tonight, at seven, and we'll just sit down and discuss this. Just please come. It would mean the world to me."

Troy hung up the phone. He put on his Adidas jacket and walked over to the park. He sat down on a bench and waited. Rachel showed up first and sat down next to Troy, followed by Paris, Carol and Molly.

"I brought you guys here tonight because I need to tell you all what happened," said Troy. "I broke up with my girlfriend Annie around two weeks ago, and I didn't really pay attention to girls like you. I had cheerleader fever, the only girls I liked were cheerleader types who didn't have the time to devoted to me. So Rachel and I made a bet. Rachel gave me some time to find a girlfriend that was down-to-earth, funny, sweet, and that could devote her time to be with me. If I won, Rachel would join the cheer squad, something she would never do willingly, and if I lost, I would join the cheer squad, something that, trust me, I would never do willingly either."

The girls giggled and nodded.

"Anyway… first, I found you, Paris. You were my partner for the English Assignment, and you were the perfect mix of beauty and brains. And then, I found you, Carol, and I didn't expect to find a girl who liked soccer just as much as I did. And then I found you, Molly, and you had the most beautiful voice ever. I didn't want to fall for all three of you, and Rachel warned me about it. And then, all three of you asked me to the dance, and I couldn't say no, I couldn't break anyone's heart. I would hate myself forever if I did. So I said yes to all of you. And when the DJ announced that I was the King of Charity, I realized I was about to humiliate all of you, and it killed me inside. I'm not an insensitive jerk; I would've been so hurt to let any of you down, because you were all just so excited to go to the dance. And then I went and screwed it up and humiliated you in front of the whole school."

"Troy," said Molly. "What are you trying to say?"

"All I'm trying to say is that… is that, now, I can only choose two of you."

"What?" asked Carol. "Why two?"

"Because Rachel is my best friend, and I could never let her go, and then I like all three of you... but I guess I have to make a decision."