by Jenni James
“Okay, fess up. I want to hear all about Zack and how you and he—you know, met,” Madison said as we waited for our milkshakes at Colleen’s Diner.
Alyssa fidgeted and made that funny, squeaky noise that happens when you squirm on vinyl-covered booths. “He, well, he . . . he likes the cello.”
“Okay, and? How did you meet him? What were you doing? How did he know you played the cello? Did he see you perform or something? Come on, Alyssa, I’m dying for some exciting news already, so tell me!” Madison begged.
“All right, but you have to promise not to laugh, okay?” She turned to me. “Okay?”
We both nodded.
As if I would. Well, maybe a little.
“You know how my family and I go to the rest home in Bloomfield every Sunday evening so I can play for my grandpa, right? Actually, I’m pretty popular, and now I perform in their main lounge area so anyone who wants to can come in and listen. Some nights I even get requests. It’s like a standing gig every Sunday night at 6:30.” She winked at us.
“Really? I had no idea,” I said. “You should invite us sometime.”
“Yeah, we could be in the front row and hold up signs that say, ‘Alyssa rocks, so get your rocker and rock along with her!’” Madison added.
We all burst into giggles, but Madison quickly got back on track. “Okay, so about Zack?”
“Well, what you may not know, and what I definitely didn’t know,” said Alyssa, “was that Zack goes to the same rest home every Sunday afternoon to visit his grandma. Anyway, his grandma had told him about my playing. Which was cool, because his mom used to . . . Oh my gosh! Did you know his mom died of breast cancer?”
“What?” I almost dropped my drink.
Alyssa continued, “I mean I knew he had a stepmom and all, but I just always assumed his parents were divorced.”
I was shocked. “So did I.”
“So did I,” Madison exclaimed. “Well, at least he’s popular, you know?”
“Kind of a pathetic consolation prize for losing your mother,” I said.
Madison nodded quietly for a moment before snapping back into interrogation mode. “Enough doom and gloom. Tell us what happened. You were about to say something else about his mom?”
“Oh, did you know his mom used to play the cello? Can you believe it? The cello. It’s like fate or something.”
“Now, that is cool,” I said.
“That’s not even the best part!” Alyssa leaned forward. “Zack’s mom must’ve been an incredible player, because right before she died, when he was like seven or eight, she performed in a breast cancer fundraising event where her cello solo raised over $33,000! That’s thirty-three thousand dollars! Can you believe it? The most I have ever raised for charity was $23.59. No wait. It was $23.58. My punk little brother took his penny back after hearing me play.”
Too funny. I love little Tanner. He’s such a hoot. I tried not to smile.
Madison smothered a grin too. “Stop stalling already, Alyssa. Get to the good stuff.”
“So there I was playing. This time, I guess Zack decided to stay and listen. I didn’t even know he was there. You know how I get into my own zone when I’m performing? Anyway, later, he said that seeing me up there reminded him of his mom. And I won’t go into how much of a compliment that was to me, because then Madison will get all testy again. So, before I knew it” —Alyssa went on, drowning out Maddi’s protests— “my little recital was over and I was bowing, because they always make me bow when they clap. I tell you, old people can be pretty demanding.” She looked to Madison. “Okay. I’m moving on.
“And as I bowed and bowed—they were especially moved that day, standing up and everything—I was starting to get embarrassed by all the attention. So, to stop my adoring fans, I did an extra dramatic swooshing curtsy thing. That should never be done in public and never will be done in public again, because as I was standing, my arm went way out and totally hit a stunned Zack right in the face! He was coming up to compliment me. The smack surprised him so much he lost his balance and fell backwards. He knocked over a whole cluster of fake trees, spilling rocks, foam, and fake moss everywhere. It was so humiliating.”
“What? Oh my gosh. You knocked over Zack Bradford? That’s how you met?” I couldn’t help but laugh.
Madison laughed too. “This is hilarious! What did you do? What did he do?”
“Hey, you promised not to laugh.” Alyssa leaned back. “Well, I was mortified, as you can imagine, and I think he was too. His face was all red, and he couldn’t even look at me for a while. But it was okay, because we were both so busy. We helped the workers clean up the mess. It was after we collected the moss stuff, vacuumed the floor, and redecorated, that we were finally able to really talk to each other.”
“So what did you say?” I asked.
Alyssa blushed. “Well, I told him he still had some moss in his hair. After laughing about it and getting what he could without a mirror, he let me remove the rest. It was as I was pulling the bits of pieces off the back of his head that he told me about his mom and why he wanted to come up and talk to me.”
“Wow, Alyssa,” I whispered. Madison was as still as I was.
“Yeah, it was a really nice moment for both of us,” Alyssa went on. “Then I told him how my grandma and grandpa migrated here from China with just their instruments and a few dollars, and how it was because of them and their love of music that I play now. After that, Zack and I just sat on the couches and talked. It was really cool getting to see him as a normal guy.”
I smiled. “Alyssa, he’s one of the most popular guys in our school. I can’t believe that was the Zack you’ve been talking about all the time.”
“I was afraid you’d be mad at me if you knew he was Taylor’s friend,” she said.
“What, why? No, I’m happy for you, really!”
Madison smirked. “Well, we’ve all heard your thoughts on Taylor. It’s no wonder she hesitated to bring up Zack.” She turned to Alyssa. “He sounds like a great guy, and I think you should go for him.”
“Go for him? I thought you were already going out with him,” I said. “At least that’s what it seemed like.”
“No, not really. We just hang out at the rest home on Sundays. Usually, we’ll play a mad game of Dominoes or Pinochle with our grandparents.”
“Pinochle? It’s gotta be love if you’re playing Pinochle together,” Madison teased.
“We’re just friends,” Alyssa said defensively. “Honest. Apart from quickly saying hi to me in the halls a couple of times, Zack never even spoke to me today, and we have two classes together.”
What is it with popular guys shutting out people in front of their friends? I thought. It’s what makes me so mad about the “in” crowd. Everyone is sosuperficial. I hate to even think it, but Zack has an awesome chance at having a real, compassionate girlfriend for probably the first time in his life, and yet he’s too scared to do anything about it. Guys like that are so fake. Of course, then there’s Taylor Anderson, who’s on a whole other level of shallow.
At least I had three days to prepare to keep my equilibrium from tipping and making me dizzy whenever he was around. If Zack’s example wasn’t enough of an inducement to keep my head afloat—and keep me from drowning in the same silliness as the other girls around me—then I didn’t know what was.
This seemed like an awesome little pep talk to give myself at the time. But I hadn’t counted on one thing: Taylor showing up earlier than anyone could have predicted.
THREE
PRIDE GOES BEFORE THE FALL.
What guy comes home from a cross-country trip in the morning and attends school that day? Couldn’t he have waited one more day instead of waltzing into art class with a little yellow slip from the office? Of course, he would pick this class to show up to.
You could literally feel the room spark to life. One by one, students became aware of the “Great” Taylor Anderson’s presence. Collectively, clothes, hair, and wor
k stations became tidy. I decided to leave mine a mess. That was until I looked down and noticed a large smear of green chalk down my arm and on the sleeve of my new white shirt. Frustrated, I stood up and headed for the sink. I was determined to not even glance Taylor’s way. This is perfect. He can sit somewhere, and I can pretend I never even knew he was here.
“Chloe,” Taylor exclaimed.
I panicked and began walking faster to the sink. “It’s nice to see the president of my fan club is finally in one
of my classes.”
I could feel each and every eye as they stared at my back while I turned the faucet on and began to scrub. Why did I think ignoring him would work? Could the guy be any more conceited?
He must’ve realized he wouldn’t get a response from me, because the next thing I heard was, “Ms. Bailey, is that an empty chair at Chloe’s table?”
What? He wouldn’t dare! I jerked around and glared right at him. Too late. It was obvious from his grin that I had just given him the attention he’d been waiting for.
“I can sit there? Great, Ms. B. You’re the best!”
Is Ms. B. blushing? Is there not a female on the planet able to resist this guy?
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Taylor saunter over to our table. Whispered words of admiration came from Alyssa and Madison. The traitors. In disgust, I tried to drown them out as I turned the water on full blast. It worked, except that after five minutes of unnecessary scrubbing and loads of excess spray from the tap, not only was my sleeve soaking wet, but the whole bottom half of my shirt, too.
“Come on, Chloe, stop hiding,” Taylor said. “Come over here and welcome me properly.”
Does he have to say everything so loudly? Furious, I grabbed some paper towels and headed back to the table.
“I’m not hiding. I’m cleaning my shirt, thank you.” Still not able to meet his eyes, I wiped my shirt as I walked. A couple of seconds later I wished I had looked up, because I literally tripped on a chair two feet from our table. Nothing like falling at his feet in a heap.
Taylor chuckled as he gently helped me up. “Whoa, copper top, you’ve gotta watch where you’re going.”
“Thanks,” I muttered, brushing my curls out of the way. Just then, I realized the rest of the room was laughing at me. Of course, I had nobody to blame except myself and my silly pride, so I joined the others and laughed too.
I noticed Taylor breathed a sigh of relief when he saw my giggles. Careful, Chloe, you might start thinking he actually cares.
He surprised me further by making sure I sat down safely in my chair. Then he began to clean up the strewn paper towels I had dropped when I fell.
“You don’t have to do that, Taylor. I’ll clean it up.” I started to rise.
“What, and not have the satisfaction of seeing me on my knees in front of you?”
I knew he said it only to stun me into sitting back down. It worked, more than he realized. Remember, you can’t stand him. Act like you would to anyone else.
“Chloe, are you okay?”
I glanced over and found myself staring at Madison and Alyssa, who grinned back at me. I’d forgotten they were there! How could I forget my two best friends were right in front me?
“Uh, yeah. I’m fine, I think.” I smiled back.
We couldn’t say more because Taylor walked up right then and sat on the chair next to me, smiling in an arrogant and slightly magnetic way.
“So, girls, it looks like we’re all here together. This is going to be an interesting year.” He turned to me and asked, “Don’t you think?”
I was so grateful the bell rang and saved me from having to answer him. Instantly, our table was crowded with art students vying for Taylor’s attention. It was the perfect opportunity to escape. As quickly as possible I cleaned up my spot, grabbed my backpack, and headed out the door, leaving Alyssa and Madison to fend for themselves. I’d apologize when I saw them later.
As I jogged down the crowded hallway, I nearly collided with Ethan, one of the greatest guys on the planet.
“Hey, girl! Where’s the fire?” He hung his arm around my shoulders and started to walk with me to Advanced Placement English.
“Back there,” I said. “I was trying to get as far away from it as possible.”
“Gonna scorch you bad?”
You have no idea.
“Oh, hey.” He shifted his backpack. “You still on for tonight? There’s a big group of us headin’ up to the Staircase for the opening night of the new season. They’ve all been saying how they’re gonna beat my Jeep this time. You better be there. You’re my good-luck charm.” He playfully squeezed my shoulder.
“Um, four-wheeling or studying? Gee, that’s a tough one. Of course I’ll be there. Aren’t I always there on Wednesdays?”
“Ever since you started coming it’s been so much wilder,” Ethan said. “I never knew a screaming, terrified girl would add that much excitement.”
“I’m not scared. It’s more like a roller coaster than anything.”
It was the truth, too. Ethan’s dad was not only a driving instructor, but also a professional four-wheel driver. He had taught Ethan and his brother Carson everything they knew. When you watched them, it was obvious they were good. Ethan and Carson hadn’t even been allowed to start four-wheeling until they’d passed their dad’s twelve-month course. My parents were a little apprehensive when the guys first asked me to join them on Wednesdays about a year ago. But after they met the brothers, Mom and Dad agreed to let me go as long as I only rode with Ethan or Carson. I became addicted to the exhilarating experience and had been going ever since.
“Chloe!” someone shouted from behind us.
I stopped just as we were entering the classroom and turned to see Taylor as he tried to catch up.
What is he doing? I wondered, my heart speeding up.
“Oh, so now you’ve got Anderson following you?” Ethan asked. “I’ll save you a seat inside.”
Just like that, he left. And then Taylor was right next to me—towering over me, actually. When did he get so tall? He stared at me for a few of seconds and then grinned. He’s not even winded. It’s so not fair. People had to squeeze to get past us into the classroom, and I realized we had begun to create a scene. I wondered what Taylor wanted, but I refused to be the first person to speak.
Finally, I couldn’t stand it anymore and caved. “What do you want, Taylor?”
“You.” His eyes captured mine.
Breathe, Chloe. Calm down.
“Me, to do what?” That sounded good, surprisingly good.
“To admit you missed me the past few days.”
Hello? Is anybody here but me remembering you have a girlfriend? “You were gone? Huh, I never noticed. Well, guess I’ll see you tomorrow. Bye, Taylor.” I was still speaking as I turned and walked through the classroom door.
“Wahoo! I can’t believe you had the guts to say that,” Madison said as we rode home from school in her car.
“I can’t believe he followed you to your English class,” Alyssa added.
“I know. It’s not like him. I can’t figure what he’s about.” I shrugged. “I mean, the guy has a girlfriend, right?”
“It just seems weird. I wonder if he was coming to tell you something else and chickened out,” Alyssa said. “Besides, there must’ve been a reason he was totally singling you out in the art room. I think he needs to ask you something but doesn’t know how.”
“What does he have to be scared of?” I wondered out loud. “No, I think he’s just being a player. He saw an opportunity to make me uneasy and went for it. Of course, this time I stood my ground.”
“Yeah, too bad you didn’t stand your ground in art.” Madison laughed, and Alyssa joined in.
“Hey, now, no fair. I was wiping my shirt.” I giggled. “It was funny. Embarrassing, but so funny.”
“Aren’t you sorry you laughed at my episode with Zack now?”
“Yes,” I answered Alyssa as she pulled up n
ext to my house. “Well, it’s Wednesday, so I won’t be home tonight. I’ll see you girls in the morning, okay? Thanks for the lift.”
“Bye!” they said at the same time.
I shut the door and ran up the steps of my house. I turned to wave as the girls drove home, which was really only five or six houses down on the left side of the street. Alyssa and Madison lived right next door to each other. On the other side of the road was a huge neighborhood park. The chance to live across the street from the park was one of the reasons my parents bought our house.
“Hi, Mom,” I called out as I dropped my backpack on the dining room table.
“Chloe? Is that you?” she called from the back of the house.
“Yep. Where are you?” I followed the smells and wandered into the kitchen, where I saw loads of cookies on cooling racks on the counter. Shortbread cookies, my favorite. “Hey, can I have a cookie?” I hollered.
“Sure,” she answered.
Yes! I grabbed three extra-big ones.
“But only one. They’re for my meeting tonight.”
Aw, darn. Reluctantly, I put the two smallest cookies back. As I munched, I went in search of my mom.
“Here you are.” I found her in my fifteen-year-old sister’s room, holding a big, black trash bag. I watched, dumbfounded, as Mom tossed anything and everything she could find into it.
“What are you doing?” I gasped. There went Cassidy’s favorite CD and iPod.
“I’ve told Cassidy over and over to clean her room or I was going to clean it for her.” She groaned as she bent over to chuck my sister’s winning soccer cleat into the bag. “For three weeks I’ve been patient.” In went the other cleat. “So I figure now is the time to teach that girl a lesson.”
Wow. Cassidy is gonna be mad. I stifled a giggle. “So what are you going to do with the bag?”
“Put it out by the trash bins and tell her I’ve thrown it away.”
