Geek Magnet
Page 26
“Uh, Jill? What’s going on here?” Stephanie’s mother asked my mom.
My mother shrugged in response.
“Wow. A ninety-one percent, huh?” Stephanie said, mulling it over. “That is pretty high.”
“Precisely,” Andy said.
“But how about if we hang out a little first, then do massive gifts?” Stephanie suggested.
“Huh.” Andy stood up, wiping his palms on the back of his pants. “Sounds like a reasonable plan.”
“Good,” Stephanie said with a grin.
Andy grinned right back. “Good.”
“Hey, Cage.”
“Tama!” I said, surprised to see her hovering. I’d thought she’d slunk out the moment the curtain dropped. People were still pretty mad at her. “You’re still here!”
“Yeah, well, Mr. Katz felt the need to have a little chat,” she said sarcastically. As if she didn’t deserve to be scolded for what she’d done. “I’m on my way out now, but he told me to tell you I’ll be here for the rest of the performances. You don’t have to worry.”
“Thanks,” I said. “That’s good to know. You were really good tonight, Tama.”
“Whatever,” Tama said, slipping her sunglasses on. “I’m outta here.”
She slipped easily through the crowd, everyone still dodging instinctively out of Ms. Popularity’s way.
“You believe her?” Robbie asked quietly as we both watched her go. “You really think she’s not gonna bail again?”
“Who knows?” I replied. “But I’m not going to think about it right now. Right now, I’m hanging out with my real friends.”
ACT FIVE, SCENE FOURTEEN
In which:
I SAY THE WORDS
I TOOK A DEEP BREATH OF THE COOL NIGHT AIR AND WATCHED THE steam rise up toward the stars. It was a perfectly clear night, perfect for starting over. Robbie and I walked hand in hand, a few yards behind my mother and Christopher, who had been playing in the lobby with his friends while we were all backstage. He and my mother were chatting in low tones, so even that freeze-out had ended.
“I can’t believe it’s actually over,” I said with a sigh. I had taken the stage and survived. All that worrying I’d done the past couple of nights and now, it was in the past. I had nothing to worry about. Well, nothing musical related anyway.
“I can’t believe we actually have school tomorrow,” Robbie grimaced.
I groaned and tipped my head back. “Oh, God. Don’t talk about it.”
“Okay, we’ll talk about something else,” Robbie said, pulling me closer to his side. “Like, where are we going right now?”
“Fuddruckers,” I said, giving a little skip.
He watched me, amused. “And we’re excited about fast food because . . . ?”
“Please! They’re the best burgers on earth! My dad always takes us there after we do something good.”
The moment the word dad was out of my mouth, a lump formed somewhere between my heart and my stomach. I stared at the asphalt.
“Are you okay?” Robbie asked, smoothing my hair back from my face. I smiled slightly. I loved how he kept touching me. Like he couldn’t keep his hands off of me. This afternoon, we had been just friends. But for the past few hours, he hadn’t left my side except to deliver his lines on stage.
“My dad’s actually never missed a musical before. If you can believe it,” I said sadly. “I mean, he can’t be that bad, can he?”
“I’m sure he’s a good dad in some ways,” Robbie said.
“God, I’m evil,” I told him, covering my face with my gloved hands. “It’s not like he’s always awful. It’s just . . .”
“It’s complicated,” Robbie said simply.
“Yeah, and I hate that,” I said. “Why does it have to be so confusing?”
Robbie stopped walking, and after a couple of steps I stopped, too, and turned to face him.
“What?” I asked.
“It’s just . . . a lot of things are confusing,” he said. “Last week I thought I liked Tama, and you were, like, head-over-heels in love with Richardson, but I still knew I liked you, too. That was confusing.”
I smiled. “You knew you liked me, too?”
“Yeah,” he said. “Didn’t you know you liked me?”
“Well . . . yeah,” I admitted.
“And it was confusing, right?” he said.
“Yeah. Definitely.”
“But now it’s all worked out. We unconfused it. We made it simple,” Robbie said.
“So . . . what are you saying?”
Robbie stepped toward me. Behind me, I could hear the bonging of my mother’s car door as she and Christopher got in.
“Just that the last few weeks have been sucky and complicated and confusing, but maybe all of that craziness had to happen so that things could get simple,” he said. “Maybe, right now, your dad is unconfusing things. Just like we did.”
I felt a thump of something in my chest. Hope, maybe? I wasn’t sure. I hadn’t allowed myself to feel it in a very long time.
“You think?”
“I hope,” he said, his brown eyes serious as they gazed into mine.
It took me a long moment to say it. To allow myself, after all this time, to form the words. I’d been afraid of them for so long. But somehow, looking into Robbie’s eyes helped me do it.
“I hope so, too.”
Table of Contents
Title Page
Copyright Page
Acknowledgements
ACT ONE, SCENE ONE - In which: WE MEET THE GEEKS
ACT ONE, SCENE TWO - In which: WE MEET TAMA GOLD, CAMERON RICHARDSON, AND MY BOOBS
ACT ONE, SCENE THREE - In which: WE MEET THE FAMILY, AND WAIT
ACT ONE, SCENE FOUR - In which: WE MEET MY DAD
ACT ONE, SCENE FIVE - In which: A PLAN IS HATCHED
ACT ONE, SCENE SIX - In which: THERE ARE NEAR MISSES
ACT ONE, SCENE SEVEN - In which: I GIVE A GIRL A RIDE
ACT ONE, SCENE EIGHT - In which: I’M APPARENTLY BRAINWASHED
ACT ONE, SCENE NINE - In which: I RECEIVE AN UNEXPECTED GIFT
ACT ONE, SCENE TEN - In which: DIVORCE SOUNDS LIKE A PLAN
ACT ONE, SCENE ELEVEN - In which: WE ALL PLAY OUR ROLES
ACT ONE, SCENE TWELVE - In which: I SING IN PUBLIC . . . SORT OF
ACT ONE, SCENE THIRTEEN - In which: I HAVE A BREAKTHROUGH
ACT ONE, SCENE FOURTEEN - In which: I PUT MY NEW SKILLS TO GOOD USE
ACT TWO, SCENE ONE - In which: GLENN FIGHTS BACK
ACT TWO, SCENE TWO - In which: WE’RE GOING TO CHANGE THE WORLD
ACT TWO, SCENE THREE - In which: ROBBIE AUDITIONS FOR THE FOOD NETWORK
ACT TWO, SCENE FOUR - In which: ROBBIE EXPLORES MY BEDROOM
ACT TWO, SCENE FIVE - In which: TAMA AND I GO TO WORK
ACT TWO, SCENE SIX - In which: FOOTSIE IS PLAYED
ACT TWO, SCENE SEVEN - In which: THERE’S A BETRAYAL
ACT TWO, SCENE EIGHT - In which: TAMA TRUMPS STEPHANIE
ACT TWO, SCENE NINE - In which: THERE’S FORGIVENESS . . . FROM SOME
ACT TWO, SCENE TEN - In which: COMPROMISES ARE MADE
ACT TWO, SCENE ELEVEN - In which: I’M A ONE-GIRL SHOW
ACT TWO, SCENE TWELVE - In which: AN INVITATION IS EXTENDED
ACT TWO, SCENE THIRTEEN - In which: WE PHILOSOPHIZE ON POPULARITY
ACT TWO, SCENE FOURTEEN - In which: ANGER ISSUES ARE DISCUSSED
ACT TWO, SCENE FIFTEEN - In which: THERE IS DANCING
ACT TWO, SCENE SIXTEEN - In Which: THERE’S A SURPRISE VISITOR
ACT TWO, SCENE SEVENTEEN - In which: I WANT TO DIE
ACT TWO, SCENE EIGHTEEN - In which: TAMA FINDS OUT
ACT TWO, SCENE NINETEEN - In which: I LOSE IT
ACT TWO, SCENE TWENTY - In which: A CHOICE IS MADE
ACT THREE, SCENE ONE - In which: THE WALLS CRUMBLE
ACT THREE, SCENE TWO - In which: ROBBIE SAVES ME, AGAIN
ACT THREE, SCENE THREE - In which: I
BLAB
ACT THREE, SCENE FOUR - In which: CONFUSING EMOTIONS SURFACE
ACT THREE, SCENE FIVE - In which: I JUST WANT TAMA OUT OF MY CAR
ACT THREE, SCENE SIX - In which: A DATE IS MADE
ACT THREE, SCENE SEVEN - In which: I TAKE THE PLUNGE
ACT THREE, SCENE EIGHT - In which: A PLOT IS REVEALED
ACT THREE, SCENE NINE - In which: THERE’S PINKY CONTACT
ACT THREE, SCENE TEN - In which: THERE’S AN UNEXPECTED MELTDOWN
ACT TWO, SCENE ELEVEN - In which: WE KISS
ACT THREE, SCENE TWELVE - In which: IT GETS WORSE
ACT FOUR, SCENE ONE - In which: HE’S “OKAY”
ACT FOUR, SCENE TWO - In which: I MAKE A CALL
ACT FOUR, SCENE THREE - In which: I HAVE FRIENDS
ACT FOUR, SCENE FOUR - In which: LIES ARE TOLD
ACT FOUR, SCENE FIVE - In which: THINGS SETTLE
ACT FOUR, SCENE SIX - In which: I MAKE A DATE
ACT FOUR, SCENE SEVEN - In which: I’M THE BITCH
ACT FOUR, SCENE EIGHT - In which: GLENN GETS AN EARFUL
ACT FOUR, SCENE NINE - In which: THE CHART IS REVEALED
ACT FOUR, SCENE TEN - In which: WE SHARE
ACT FOUR, SCENE ELEVEN - In which: THERE’S A WALKOUT
ACT FIVE, SCENE ONE - In which: DEAR OLD DAD RETURNS
ACT FIVE, SCENE TWO - In which: WE UNITE OVER A COMMON CAUSE
ACT FIVE, SCENE THREE - In which: AN INSANE SUGGESTION IS MADE
ACT FIVE, SCENE FOUR - In which: WE STORM THE CASTLE GATES
ACT FIVE, SCENE FIVE - In which: SODA IS FLUNG
ACT FIVE, SCENE SIX - In which: THERE’S LAUGHTER AND TEARS
ACT FIVE, SCENE SEVEN - In which: THE WALLS SHRINK
ACT FIVE, SCENE EIGHT - In which: I CONSIDER MURDER
ACT FIVE, SCENE NINE - In which: I GO DOWN
ACT FIVE, SCENE TEN - In which: I SAVE MYSELF
ACT FIVE, SCENE ELEVEN - In which: THERE’S A NEW FIRST KISS
ACT FIVE, SCENE TWELVE - In which: WE CELEBRATE
ACT FIVE, SCENE THIRTEEN - In which: EVERYONE COMES TOGETHER
ACT FIVE, SCENE FOURTEEN - In which: I SAY THE WORDS
Table of Contents
Title Page
Copyright Page
Acknowledgements
ACT ONE, SCENE ONE - In which: WE MEET THE GEEKS
ACT ONE, SCENE TWO - In which: WE MEET TAMA GOLD, CAMERON RICHARDSON, AND MY BOOBS
ACT ONE, SCENE THREE - In which: WE MEET THE FAMILY, AND WAIT
ACT ONE, SCENE FOUR - In which: WE MEET MY DAD
ACT ONE, SCENE FIVE - In which: A PLAN IS HATCHED
ACT ONE, SCENE SIX - In which: THERE ARE NEAR MISSES
ACT ONE, SCENE SEVEN - In which: I GIVE A GIRL A RIDE
ACT ONE, SCENE EIGHT - In which: I’M APPARENTLY BRAINWASHED
ACT ONE, SCENE NINE - In which: I RECEIVE AN UNEXPECTED GIFT
ACT ONE, SCENE TEN - In which: DIVORCE SOUNDS LIKE A PLAN
ACT ONE, SCENE ELEVEN - In which: WE ALL PLAY OUR ROLES
ACT ONE, SCENE TWELVE - In which: I SING IN PUBLIC . . . SORT OF
ACT ONE, SCENE THIRTEEN - In which: I HAVE A BREAKTHROUGH
ACT ONE, SCENE FOURTEEN - In which: I PUT MY NEW SKILLS TO GOOD USE
ACT TWO, SCENE ONE - In which: GLENN FIGHTS BACK
ACT TWO, SCENE TWO - In which: WE’RE GOING TO CHANGE THE WORLD
ACT TWO, SCENE THREE - In which: ROBBIE AUDITIONS FOR THE FOOD NETWORK
ACT TWO, SCENE FOUR - In which: ROBBIE EXPLORES MY BEDROOM
ACT TWO, SCENE FIVE - In which: TAMA AND I GO TO WORK
ACT TWO, SCENE SIX - In which: FOOTSIE IS PLAYED
ACT TWO, SCENE SEVEN - In which: THERE’S A BETRAYAL
ACT TWO, SCENE EIGHT - In which: TAMA TRUMPS STEPHANIE
ACT TWO, SCENE NINE - In which: THERE’S FORGIVENESS . . . FROM SOME
ACT TWO, SCENE TEN - In which: COMPROMISES ARE MADE
ACT TWO, SCENE ELEVEN - In which: I’M A ONE-GIRL SHOW
ACT TWO, SCENE TWELVE - In which: AN INVITATION IS EXTENDED
ACT TWO, SCENE THIRTEEN - In which: WE PHILOSOPHIZE ON POPULARITY
ACT TWO, SCENE FOURTEEN - In which: ANGER ISSUES ARE DISCUSSED
ACT TWO, SCENE FIFTEEN - In which: THERE IS DANCING
ACT TWO, SCENE SIXTEEN - In Which: THERE’S A SURPRISE VISITOR
ACT TWO, SCENE SEVENTEEN - In which: I WANT TO DIE
ACT TWO, SCENE EIGHTEEN - In which: TAMA FINDS OUT
ACT TWO, SCENE NINETEEN - In which: I LOSE IT
ACT TWO, SCENE TWENTY - In which: A CHOICE IS MADE
ACT THREE, SCENE ONE - In which: THE WALLS CRUMBLE
ACT THREE, SCENE TWO - In which: ROBBIE SAVES ME, AGAIN
ACT THREE, SCENE THREE - In which: I BLAB
ACT THREE, SCENE FOUR - In which: CONFUSING EMOTIONS SURFACE
ACT THREE, SCENE FIVE - In which: I JUST WANT TAMA OUT OF MY CAR
ACT THREE, SCENE SIX - In which: A DATE IS MADE
ACT THREE, SCENE SEVEN - In which: I TAKE THE PLUNGE
ACT THREE, SCENE EIGHT - In which: A PLOT IS REVEALED
ACT THREE, SCENE NINE - In which: THERE’S PINKY CONTACT
ACT THREE, SCENE TEN - In which: THERE’S AN UNEXPECTED MELTDOWN
ACT TWO, SCENE ELEVEN - In which: WE KISS
ACT THREE, SCENE TWELVE - In which: IT GETS WORSE
ACT FOUR, SCENE ONE - In which: HE’S “OKAY”
ACT FOUR, SCENE TWO - In which: I MAKE A CALL
ACT FOUR, SCENE THREE - In which: I HAVE FRIENDS
ACT FOUR, SCENE FOUR - In which: LIES ARE TOLD
ACT FOUR, SCENE FIVE - In which: THINGS SETTLE
ACT FOUR, SCENE SIX - In which: I MAKE A DATE
ACT FOUR, SCENE SEVEN - In which: I’M THE BITCH
ACT FOUR, SCENE EIGHT - In which: GLENN GETS AN EARFUL
ACT FOUR, SCENE NINE - In which: THE CHART IS REVEALED
ACT FOUR, SCENE TEN - In which: WE SHARE
ACT FOUR, SCENE ELEVEN - In which: THERE’S A WALKOUT
ACT FIVE, SCENE ONE - In which: DEAR OLD DAD RETURNS
ACT FIVE, SCENE TWO - In which: WE UNITE OVER A COMMON CAUSE
ACT FIVE, SCENE THREE - In which: AN INSANE SUGGESTION IS MADE
ACT FIVE, SCENE FOUR - In which: WE STORM THE CASTLE GATES
ACT FIVE, SCENE FIVE - In which: SODA IS FLUNG
ACT FIVE, SCENE SIX - In which: THERE’S LAUGHTER AND TEARS
ACT FIVE, SCENE SEVEN - In which: THE WALLS SHRINK
ACT FIVE, SCENE EIGHT - In which: I CONSIDER MURDER
ACT FIVE, SCENE NINE - In which: I GO DOWN
ACT FIVE, SCENE TEN - In which: I SAVE MYSELF
ACT FIVE, SCENE ELEVEN - In which: THERE’S A NEW FIRST KISS
ACT FIVE, SCENE TWELVE - In which: WE CELEBRATE
ACT FIVE, SCENE THIRTEEN - In which: EVERYONE COMES TOGETHER
ACT FIVE, SCENE FOURTEEN - In which: I SAY THE WORDS