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blushed.
    "It's okay," I said to Ember. "I kind of did the same thing to Archer this morning."
    I started answering her questions, and was still at it when the bell rang. By then I sort of knew the names of all Archer's friends. They, on the other hand, knew more about my life than anyone other than Claudia, Karl, and my mom.
    "We did
The Pit and the Pendulum
at drama camp last summer," Archer said as he walked me out of the cafeteria. "I'm not sure Ember got the Inquisition out of her system."
    "It's fine." I laughed. "I like her. I like all of them."
    "Good," Archer said. "I mean, not that you have to like my friends ... not that you
don't
have to, but you don't ... mean...
    Archer grimaced, then took a deep breath and smiled. "What are you doing after school?" he asked. "I sometimes go to the mall to sit and do homework for a while. There's a particularly good fry place at the Plaza food court ... insofar as 'fries' and 'food court' can come together to make 'particular goodness.'"
    "See, and I'm of the culinary school of thought that says a well-made food court fry can be the epitome of gustatory satisfaction," I said.
    "I had no idea that was an actual culinary school of thought."
    "Clearly you have much to learn from me."
    "Clearly. Should we meet at your locker after school? We can caravan."
    "Perfect. See you then!"
    I soared off to French class, but I knew I'd learn nothing. In just a few hours I'd be out with Archer; I couldn't think about anything else if I tried.

Chapter Five
    "Ask me where I am!" I chirped as I drove.
    "Why, Cara," Claudia asked, "wherever are you?"
    "I am on my first date with Archer!"
    "You are?" Claudia cried. "Wait—how are you calling about the date when you're on the date? Is he right there with you?"
    "No. We're caravanning." I was keeping Archer in sight but purposely staying several car lengths behind him so he couldn't see me talking on the speakerphone. Wouldn't look cool. "We're meeting at the mall."
    "You're meeting at the mall."
    "Yes!"
    "You're in separate cars, and you're meeting at the mall. Are you stopping at home to change?"
    "Why would I stop at home to change?"
    "Uh-huh. Is he buying you dinner there?"
    "It's four in the afternoon! No, he's not buying me dinner. We're going to get a snack at the food court and do homework."
    "Cara, that's not a date."
    "Of course it is! Archer
asked
me to come
out
with him to the mall. He
asked
me
out.
It's a date!"
    "It's not a date! A date involves a change in habiliments; the guy providing or purchasing transportation, sustenance, and entertainment; and some form of physical contact, ideally a kiss."
    Claudia had been on as many dates as I had—namely, none—so her expertise on this was in question. "Claude, you had to hear him. He wanted my phone number in case we got separated on the way to the mall, and he got all nervous when he asked. I really think it's a date."
    "How about we compromise: we'll call it a
datelet.
When you get the actual date with all the qualifications intact, you'll officially be on Archer's rung of the Ladder."
    "The Ladder?"
    "The
Ladder.
You know, your mission for the school year? The whole reason you targeted Archer to begin with?"
    Oops.
    Honestly, it wasn't that I had forgotten the Ladder; it's just that I'd stopped thinking about it in terms of Archer. I liked him. And maybe the Ladder had made me brave enough to go after him, but if things got to the point where he amazingly, miraculously, hopefully wanted to be my boyfriend, there was no way in the universe I'd drop him for someone on a higher rung, not even for the Supreme Populazzi.
    But I couldn't tell Claudia that. She'd worked all summer on the Ladder.
    Claudia and I didn't lie to each other. Years ago we had sworn on my mini Liberty Bell that we never would. But it felt like it would be even worse to let her down than to lie. Especially when right now, it didn't make a difference. Ladder or no Ladder, I was still going after