by Isobel Bird
Annie followed Kate to the chemistry lab and took her seat. But she barely heard anything Miss Blackwood said during the period. Instead she was thinking about Sherrie and Cheryl. In different ways, each of them had suggested that something was strange about her. Sherrie was more obvious about it, but it was Cheryl’s reaction that bothered Annie the most. Sherrie was always being dramatic. But Cheryl seemed like a nice person. Annie didn’t want Cheryl to not like her. And now it looked as if Cheryl not only disliked her but was afraid of her, too.
How could she convince Cheryl that she wasn’t someone to be afraid of just because she could see what was going to happen? Cheryl hadn’t even believed that the Tarot cards meant anything. Now she seemed to think that they had somehow caused her accident.
When the bell rang, Annie didn’t even notice until Kate came over and tapped her on the shoulder. Tara was standing next to her, and she smiled at Annie.
“I just wanted to thank you for what you said to me at the party,” she said. “You were right about my needing to tell Sherrie off. I’ve been letting her tell me what to do for way too long.”
“I’m glad it helped,” Annie said.
Hearing how positive Tara sounded made Annie feel a lot better. At least one of her predictions had made someone happy. And even her prediction for Sherrie had been right. Sherrie was just refusing to believe it because she was mad about the incident with Tara. And that was not Annie’s fault. As she stood up and walked out of the classroom with Kate and Tara, she found herself starting to get over the bad feelings of the morning.
“Where did you learn to read the Tarot cards?” Tara asked Annie as they walked to their next class.
“Oh, we’ve been studying them in class,” Annie said, forgetting for a moment who she was speaking to. When she saw the horrified look on Kate’s face, she realized her mistake.
“I mean, we read about them in class,” Annie said. “In English. In one of the stories we’re discussing. I thought they sounded really interesting, so I did some reading of my own.”
“Well, I think it’s really cool that you can do it,” Tara said. “I’m sorry I listened to Sherrie for so long. We could have been friends long before now.”
“What does Jess think of your little standoff with Sherrie?” Kate asked.
Tara sighed. “I don’t really know. I haven’t seen her yet today. I’m sure Sherrie has already managed to tell Jess her version of what happened.”
“That sounds like Sherrie,” Kate agreed.
“Hey,” Tara said. “What are you guys doing tonight?”
“I told my mom I’d help her make some stuff for one of her parties,” Kate answered. “Why?”
“I was going to suggest you come over to my house and study for finals,” Tara said. “But that’s okay.”
“I could come,” Annie said. “I’m not doing anything else.”
“Great,” Tara said. “Why don’t you come by around six. Kate can tell you where I live. I’ve got to get to history.”
She waved good-bye and headed for the stairs.
“This is weird,” Kate said.
“What is?” asked Annie.
“You going over to Tara’s house,” said Kate. “A few days ago she would never have asked you to do that.”
“Yes, but now she’s seen the error of her ways,” Annie replied.
Kate gave her a quizzical look. “Don’t you find it a little strange that she likes you because you told her fortune?”
“Why should I?” answered Annie. “You and I met because you saw my name on a list of people who’d checked out a spell book from the school library.”
“That’s different,” Kate said. “I didn’t think you were a freak before that.”
“Really?” Annie said. “As I recall, you’d never spoken to me before that day.”
“I know,” Kate said. “But now Tara’s acting like you’re some kind of miracle worker. It’s just strange is all.”
“I won’t go to her house if you don’t want me to,” Annie said.
“No,” said Kate. “I want you to. If nothing else, I want to hear what you think of her bedroom. It’s a shrine to boy bands.”
“Better brush up on my ’N Sync trivia,” Annie joked.
* * *
Kate was right, Annie thought that afternoon when she walked into Tara’s room and saw the posters that lined the walls. Everywhere she looked one of the five ’N Sync guys was staring back at her. It was a little unsettling.
“Who’s your favorite?” Tara asked.
“Favorite?” Annie said, not understanding.
“ ’N Sync guy,” Tara said. “I know everyone likes Justin, but I think Joey’s really hot.”
Annie had no idea what Tara was talking about. “I don’t really know anything about them,” she said.
Tara went to the CD player and opened it. “We can fix that,” she said as she hit the play button and the sound of ’N Sync filled the room. Annie didn’t particularly like it, but she guessed she could live with it for a while.
“So,” Tara said, flopping down on her bed, “what has Kate told you about me?”
Annie was taken aback. “Nothing really,” she said. “Only that you’re one of the best players on the basketball team.”
Tara grinned. “That’s true,” she said. “But she’s never said anything about why she stopped hanging around with us?”
Annie hesitated. She knew why Kate had stopped hanging around with the Graces. How could she not know? But she felt uncomfortable talking about it with one of them, especially without Kate’s being there.
“I know she misses hanging out with you and Jessica,” she said diplomatically.
“We used to have a lot of fun together,” Tara said. “Even with Sherrie around. Believe it or not, sometimes she can be okay. At least, when she isn’t trying to tell everyone what to do. What do you and Kate do together?”
Annie tried to imagine what Tara would say if she told her that they did witchcraft rituals together and went to a Wicca study group. Part of her wanted to find out, to see the look on Tara’s face when she said it. But instead she shrugged her shoulders and said, “The usual stuff. Movies. Shopping. Hanging out.”
Tara rolled onto her back. “We were all pretty surprised when you guys started hanging out,” she said. “Especially when Cooper Rivers turned up. You should have heard Sherrie when you guys came to the Valentine’s Day dance together.”
Annie laughed. That had been a really fun night. It was the first time she, Cooper, and Kate had really done anything together as a group besides rituals. And it was the first time Annie had ever been to something like a school dance.
“She called you three the Good Fairies,” Tara continued. “She still does.”
“That’s okay,” Annie said. “We call you guys—”
She stopped herself, not wanting to reveal their nickname for the group to Tara. “Do you want to go over chemistry stuff now?” she said quickly, hoping Tara would be distracted.
“That can wait,” Tara said. “I was hoping you would do a reading for me first.”
“Another one?” Annie said.
Tara nodded enthusiastically. “There’s a ton of stuff I want to know,” she said. “Please?”
Annie didn’t really feel like doing a reading. She just wanted to sit and talk to Tara like normal teenage girls were supposed to. But Tara looked determined.
“Okay,” said Annie. “But just one. Then we study.”
“I promise,” Tara said, sitting up on the bed.
Annie opened her backpack and took out the deck of cards she had been carrying everywhere with her lately. Why didn’t she just leave them at home? Then she would have the perfect excuse for saying she couldn’t do a reading for someone. But she liked having them with her. It made her feel important, special. Knowing that she could take the cards out and instantly have an audience was a real thrill.
“What are we asking about?” she said as she opened the box
.
“It’s kind of a secret,” Tara said. “You have to promise not to tell anyone.”
“Don’t worry,” Annie said. “I’m the best at keeping secrets.”
Look at the ones I’m keeping from you about me, Kate, and Cooper, she thought as she waited for Tara to tell her what her question was.
“Okay,” Tara said, taking a deep breath. “This is a biggie. There’s this guy.”
There’s always a guy, Annie thought.
“His name is Al. You might remember him. He’s the one I went to the Valentine’s Day dance with. He and I have been going out for a while, but we haven’t really told anyone. Sherrie and Jess know, but that’s about it. Well, things are getting kind of serious.”
“Serious?” Annie asked.
“Uh-huh,” Tara said. “See, I really like him. Really like him. And he likes me.”
“And that’s your problem?” said Annie.
“We’re thinking of doing it,” Tara said, almost whispering. She looked at Annie anxiously as it dawned on Annie what she was saying.
“Oh,” Annie said, not sure how she should respond.
“I want to know if I should,” Tara continued.
Annie stopped shuffling the cards. “Do you really think this is something you should be asking me about?” she said. “I mean, this is a big thing. A huge thing.”
“That’s why I need you to tell me what the cards say,” Tara pleaded. “I’ve been thinking about it so much that I’m totally confused. One day I think that I should and the next day I think that I shouldn’t. I convince myself one thing is right and then an hour later I think something totally different.”
“I don’t know if I can really tell you what to do,” Annie said. This was something she’d never considered before. Most of the questions people asked were pretty ordinary. But this was different. Tara was asking her to help make one of the biggest decisions a girl would ever have to make.
“Come on,” Tara said, putting her hand on Annie’s knee. “Do it for me. Who else is better to do it than a friend I trust? I’m certainly not going to ask Sherrie.”
Annie looked at Tara. “You’re sure?” she asked.
Tara nodded.
“Okay then,” Annie said, starting to turn over the cards. “Let’s see what’s going to happen.”
CHAPTER 11
“Tomorrow is going to be Skip Day,” Kate said at lunch the next day. “I just heard it from Megan.”
“Skip Day?” asked Sasha, who was making one of her rare appearances at school to hand in some makeup work. “What’s that?”
“Every year the seniors pick one day right before finals to skip school,” Kate explained. “It’s kind of like the last big blowout before high school is over for them. For the rest of us, it’s just a good excuse to miss a day of school.”
“Sounds right up my alley,” Sasha said. “Count me in.”
“I didn’t do Skip Day last year,” Annie commented.
“Really?” Kate asked. “What did you do instead?”
“I came to school,” Annie admitted. “I didn’t know when Skip Day was because nobody told me.”
“It’s a lot of fun,” Kate said to Sasha. “We all meet down at the cove and have a cookout. It used to be just the seniors who did it, but so many other kids started going that eventually it became this unofficial school holiday. Even some of the teachers show up, although technically they’re not supposed to encourage us. Even Cooper goes, although she pretends she doesn’t know any of us.”
“You guys are going?” Annie asked, sounding surprised.
“Sure,” said Kate. “You’re not?”
“I don’t know,” she answered. “It sounds a little crowded.”
“You don’t have to stick with the group or anything,” Cooper said. “You can hang with my friends if you want.”
“What a horrible thought,” Kate joked. “She’s better off with the group.”
“Mind if I join you?”
Annie looked up and saw Tara standing beside their table.
“You’re not sitting with Sherrie and Jess?” Kate asked.
“Definitely not,” Tara said, pulling out the chair next to Sasha and taking a seat.
Annie looked over to the table where Tara usually sat with the other Graces. Sherrie was there, angrily chewing her sandwich and glaring at their table with undisguised hostility. Jessica sat next to her, looking uncomfortable.
“Poor Jess,” Tara said, noticing her friend’s face. “She wants to come over here, but she’s afraid.”
“Afraid of what?” Sasha asked.
“You never know with Sherrie,” Tara said. “If she gets mad at you she can do just about anything.”
“Tell me about it,” Kate commented as she tore open a bag of chips.
“She probably thinks Sherrie will start spreading rumors about her,” Tara said. “Jess is terrified of the idea that people will think things about her that aren’t true.”
“And you’re not?” Cooper asked.
Tara shrugged. “Not really,” she said. “Besides, I have enough on Sherrie that I could start some pretty good rumors of my own. Jessica would never do that. She’s just about the most honest person I know.”
“Someone needs to teach Sherrie a lesson,” Annie said.
“You sound like you have a plan,” Cooper said mischievously.
“I was just thinking,” Annie said. “What would embarrass Sherrie the most?”
“Looking stupid,” Kate said instantly.
“In front of a lot of people,” Tara added.
“And where might you find a lot of people?” said Annie.
“At the beach tomorrow,” said Cooper.
Annie grinned. “Right,” she said. “So what if something happens that makes Sherrie look, like, really stupid?”
“What do you have in mind?” Kate asked.
“Let’s just say that Sherrie’s downfall might be in the cards,” Annie replied.
Kate looked hesitant. “I don’t know,” she said. “You have to be pretty smart to put one over on Sherrie. She’s the best player there is.”
“Are you doubting the mysterious and all-knowing Miss Fortune?” Annie asked.
“You’ll have to be really good,” Kate said, shaking her head. “I mean really good.”
“Don’t worry,” Annie said casually. “I’ve been getting in lots of practice.”
After lunch, Annie walked to the library to return some books. As she was about to push open the library doors she was stopped by Loren Nichols.
“We need to talk,” the older girl said.
“Sure,” Annie said. “What’s up?”
“I got this in the mail yesterday,” Loren said, waving an envelope in front of Annie’s face.
“What is it?” Annie asked. Loren was waving it too quickly for Annie to see what was written on it.
“It’s a letter,” Loren said. “From the Prestige modeling agency. They turned me down.”
“Gosh, I’m sorry about that,” Annie said. Loren looked deeply unhappy, and Annie remembered how excited she’d been about the possibility of getting a modeling contract.
“You said there was no problem,” said Loren accusingly. “I had everything planned out. Now I’m stuck going to some stupid college I don’t want to go to.”
“Wait a minute,” Annie said. “I told you that things might work out. I didn’t say it was definite.”
“You might as well have!” Loren insisted.
“No,” said Annie. “That’s what you heard.”
“You said there was a good chance that this would happen for me,” Loren said, determined to be right.
“That’s right,” Annie said. “A chance. That meant that there was also a chance that it wouldn’t work out.”
Loren shook her head. “I don’t believe you,” she said. “I think you knew all along that this wasn’t going to happen for me. I think you just told me it would.”
“Why would I do tha
t?” Annie said.
“To get me to like you maybe,” Loren said. “Or maybe because you were jealous of me.”
“Jealous?” Annie said. “Of you?”
“Why not?” Loren said, sounding hurt. “It’s not exactly like you were the most popular girl in school before I introduced you to all my friends.”
“Introduced me?” Annie said. “You didn’t introduce me to anyone. You brought them all to me so I could perform for them like some kind of trained bear or something.”
“I didn’t see you complaining about it,” Loren retorted.
Annie could only stare at her, dumbfounded. Everyone was so quick to like her when they thought she could tell them great things, but when things didn’t turn out exactly the way they wanted them to they started to blame her for it.
“I’ve got to go,” she said to Loren. “I don’t need to listen to this. I’m sorry you didn’t get the modeling job, but maybe you just have to accept that you aren’t what they want.”
“Or maybe you have to accept that you’re bad luck,” Loren countered. “Cheryl sure thinks so, and she’s got the broken wrist to prove it.”
Annie stormed off, determined to get away from Loren and her accusations. How dare she accuse me of being jealous? she thought. Like I would have anything to be jealous about?
She was surprised to find that she had started to cry. But she wouldn’t let that happen. She wouldn’t let them get to her. Forcing her tears back, she walked as quickly as she could to her next class.
For the rest of the day she was in a black mood. No matter how hard she tried to forget about them, Loren’s words kept echoing in her head. Did people really think that she was bad luck just because some of the predictions she made didn’t come out exactly right? Why did everything have to be perfect? Why did people have to blame someone when their lives didn’t turn out the way they wanted them to? My life isn’t exactly what I want it to be, she thought bitterly, but you don’t see me blaming anyone else.
When she got home later that afternoon the first thing Annie saw was the message light blinking on the answering machine. She hit the button and listened as the familiar beep sounded, followed by a man’s voice.
