Never Be Younger: A YA Anthology

by Rachel Bateman

  It’s her necklace! It’s her design!

  Last Spring, she’d had an idea for a necklace with special meaning built right into the design. With Drew’s encouragement, she did the research she needed and sketched the design exactly as she saw it.

  Exactly as it is, now in her hand.

  One person alone knew about the design. She showed the sketch to just one person. And only that one person knew where she kept the sketch for the necklace. Drew.

  A hand sticks out from the curtain of the fitting room. “Can you hand that to me? The necklace on the floor?”

  “Sure…” Marigold stands and lets the necklace drop into the other girl’s hand. “Nice necklace.”

  “Thanks,” the voice behind the curtain says. “My boyfriend gave it to me. He’s the best.”

  Completely and utterly speechless, Marigold stares at the curtain. Tears gather in her eyes, and the room starts to spin.

  Drew knew the meaning behind the necklace. He knew what it meant to her.

  Lost in the pain, Marigold pays for the dress and runs from the shop.

  six

  Greta closes the drawer of the filing cabinet and picks up the next stack of papers. It’s the internship applications with the mayor’s decision. The Post-It note has the name Andrew written in the mayor’s ugly scrawl.

  She looks up, confused. She didn’t even know Andrew—Bear, whatever his freak name is—applied for the job….

  He is going to school for business and he is back in town—she’s knows that much because she saw him that morning….

  Maybe he applied at the last minute…it certainly wouldn’t be the first time he left something for the last minute.

  Greta looks at the stack of applications and notices Drew’s on top. For the briefest second, she feels bad for Drew—he really put in a lot of hard work to get the job—but she gets over it quickly.

  “Oh well,” she says and shrugs.

  She files the applications and sends out an inter-office email announcing the mayor’s choice.

  When she’s finished, she closes up the office, heads home, and doesn’t think about the applications—or anyone else—for the rest of the night.

  seven

  With his guitar slung over his shoulder, Bear walks around the festival grounds looking for the back entrance. Sam said he would add Bear’s name to the “backstage” list so he could get in early and bust out a few practice rounds.

  He turns a corner and a big—both tall and round—dude stands near an entrance, holding a clipboard.

  “You got a pass?” the big guy asks.

  “Yeah! You got a pass?” a shrill little voice yells at him.

  Bear looks down and finds a little girl glaring at him. She has dark hair, two braids with ribbons, and a T-shirt that matches the big guy’s. She puts her hands on her hips and looks at him haughtily. “You can’t get in without a pass!”

  Bear exchanges a bemused grin with the security guard. “Training ‘em young, aren’t you?”

  The guy laughs. “My niece. She’s helping me out for the evening.”

  She’ll definitely keep people in line, Bear is certain of that. He hands over his ID and the guy matches it to his clipboard, then hands it back along with a backstage pass. He hangs it around his neck and notices it has his full name, rather than his nickname. At the bottom is the mayor’s seal, making the pass look official, and kind of interesting, considering he’s only the entertainment.

  Without giving it further thought, he heads toward the stage. At the bottom of the stairs leading up to the stage, a couple guys are organizing microphones and a pile of cables.

  “Hey guys. Any of you in charge of sound check?”

  They look up from their task, and their eyes immediately fall on Bear’s pass.

  “Dude,” one of them says, “Corey’s been looking for you. He’s having a fit because we can’t find some of the equipment.”

  “Who’s Corey?” Bears asks, confused.

  The two guys laugh.

  “Haha,” the second guy says. “You’re funny. Just don’t let Corey hear you making jokes.”

  Before Bear can clarify anything, a skinny guy with a clipboard and a constipated expression comes barreling in their direction. “Why are you three just standing there? There’s work to do! Has anyone seen that intern the mayor put in charge of this disaster?”

  The two guys point to Bear, and he doesn’t even have time to process what’s happening before he’s whisked away from the stage. A clipboard is shoved in his hands and the skinny guy—who he now assumes is Corey—is talking 60-miles-a-minute. He keeps talking about missing equipment, cupcakes that were supposed to be cakes, a broken popcorn kettle, a Ferris-wheel conductor hiding behind the ring toss with a bearded lady…

  “You wanted this, kid,” the assumed-Corey says. “You’re the mayor’s intern now. It’s time to step up and take control of this thing.”

  And with that, the guy stomps off.

  Bear tries to follow him and explain there’s a mix-up, but someone blocks his path.

  Drew’s friend-slash-girlfriend—dark fluffy hair, bright blue eyes, devilish mini-skirt—stands before him, looking at him like he’s the best thing she’s ever seen. Instinctively, he takes a step back.

  “Hey there, Mari-uh…Melan-uh…hey, there,” he says.

  She steps dangerously close. He tries to back up again, but she’s backed him up against a wall. She presses herself against his body and tugs on the pass around his neck. “You’re welcome,” she purrs.

  Intentionally keeping his hands clear of her body, he says, “Uh, I’m not sure what you’re talking about, but I really have to—”

  She pulls on the pass, clasps one hand around the back of his head, and plants a kiss on him.

  He’s so shocked, he can’t move.

  The only thing he’s aware of is her mouth on his…and someone yelling nearby…

  * * *

  Distracted and angry, Drew walks toward the festival grounds.

  He always hated Bear…okay, maybe not hated…but…hated!

  Bear was older, taller, stronger, better looking, and more fun. He always had a bunch of friends and a gaggle of girls around him.

  Drew had always been the younger, geeky, over-achiever. The one good thing he ever had in his life was Marigold. She liked him no matter how other people saw him. She was his one ray of shining light in the dim existence of his life.

  And now even she went to Team Bear.

  Drew shoves his hands in his suit pockets and kicks a can on the sidewalk.

  As if he doesn’t have enough problems right now. Half the sound equipment was getting delivered late, the baker took it upon himself to make 200 cupcakes instead of Drew’s original order, and he still hadn’t heard from the mayor’s office about the internship.

  He really thought he would get the job. He worked so hard, and with the exception of not being able to remember Drew’s name, the mayor always seemed so impressed. If the job isn’t his…well, he just doesn’t know what to do.

  He reaches the festival grounds and walks around to the back gate. He gives his name and the security guard shakes his head.

  “No go, man. You’re not on the list.”

  Drew stares at him in utter disbelief. “You can’t be serious…I planned this whole thing!”

  The security guard shakes his head again. “Don’t know what to tell you. I had one pass waiting, it was for the mayor’s intern, and it was already picked up.”

  Drew’s heart sinks. “The mayor’s intern?”

  So he didn’t get the job, and not only did they not tell him, they let the new guy swoop in and finish the festival Drew already planned.

  Anger bubbles up inside him. He holds back the urge to unload his frustration on the nearest victim, but yelling at the security guard won’t accomplish anything. He turns around just as Leo, the short round jeweler, waddles angrily in his direction.

  “Señr Drew. You have necklace, but h
ave not made payment. I need payment now.”

  “Wait, what? Are you talking about the necklace I had made for Marigold?”

  “Sí. You have necklace, now I need payment.”

  Drew crosses his arms. “I don’t have the necklace, and I’m not paying you for anything.”

  Leo turns pink and waves his hands as he talks. “You have necklace! I give it this morning to give to you!”

  “You gave it to who to give to me?”

  The jeweler points behind Drew. “Señor Andrew!”

  Drew turns around just in time to see Bear…with Marigold in his arms…kissing.

  Everything around him stops moving. All he sees is his brother and his should-be girlfriend—lip-locked.

  “No,” he whispers. Bear puts his hands on Marigold’s shoulders and Drew yells louder, “NO!“

  Without thinking, he starts marching toward them. The security guard tries to put a hand in front of him, just as a little girl with braids starts to punch him in the leg.

  “You can’t go in there!” the little girl yells.

  Drew tries to step around her, but Leo grabs his arm and starts yelling in his fake Italian accent. The security guard tries to usher both men away from the entrance, and the little girl tackles Drew around the legs. He falls to the ground, the little girl kicks him in the ribs, and Leo starts yelling for the police to arrest him.

  Drew tries to yell to Leo, but the little girl—with anger issues, apparently—kicks him in the chest. He wheezes in pain as two sets of hands haul him off the ground. One officer slaps a pair of handcuffs on him before he even realizes what’s happening, and the other starts reading him his rights.

  The last thing he sees before he’s hauled off is Bear and Marigold in each other’s arms.

  * * *

  Bear tries to pry Marigold off him. He holds her firmly by the shoulders and makes her take a step back.

  “NOOOO!!!“

  Bear and Marigold look in the direction of the scuffle by the gate. Drew is tackled to the ground and kicked repeatedly by the security guard’s niece. Leo the jeweler is standing over him calling for the police. The security guard unclips a two-way radio from his belt and calls for backup.

  Bear tries to get to his little brother, but Marigold grabs hold of his arm. “Where are you going?” she asks.

  “I need to get to Drew.”

  “Who?”

  Bear looks back at her. “Drew—my brother.”

  She looks at Drew with more interest. “That’s your brother?”

  “Yeah, ya know, the guy you’re practically dating…the one who had the necklace made for you?”

  She looks at him like he’s lost his mind. “What on earth are you talking about?”

  Bear points to Drew—who is now getting hauled from the ground by a pair of cops. “You’ve known him your whole life!”

  “I’ve never seen him before in my entire life!”

  Drew is escorted to a police car, and Bear blinks at the girl in front of him.

  “What did you say your name is?”

  eight

  Drew sits, stunned, in a jail cell in the town’s police building.

  Arrested. Hand-cuffed and arrested.

  He just can’t believe it.

  He has truly hit rock bottom. He lost his job, his girlfriend is seeing his brother behind his back, and now he’s arrested.

  “This is just great,” he mumbles and drops his head into his hands. “What am I going to do?”

  “Well, for starters, you can tell me what happened, and what you did to land in here.”

  Bear is standing in front of his cell.

  “What do you want?” Drew glares at him.

  “That’s a fine way to talk to the guy who’s about to bail you out of here.”

  “I don’t want your help. I don’t want anything from you.”

  Bear nods to a nearby officer, who opens the cell door. Drew doesn’t move, and Bear steps inside. “What’s wrong with you?”

  Drew stares at him in disbelief. “What’s wrong with me? You stole my girlfriend!”

  “She says she’s not your girlfriend. The girl you saw me with is named—”

  “I know her name!”

  “No you don’t! You think—”

  “Don’t tell me what I think! You have everything! Why did you have to take her, too? My whole life, you’ve always had everything—friends, girlfriends, you’re fun, everyone loves you. You’ve always gotten everything so easily, and I’ve always been the one who has to work for what I want! You have everything, and you can’t even let me have the one girl who’s always seen me even when others don’t. You can’t even let me have that one thing. Is that really too much to ask for?”

  Drew takes a deep breath and curls up on the cot, trying not to let his brother see the tears in his eyes.

  “Is that what you think?” Bear asks. “I have everything and you have nothing?”

  Drew doesn’t answer.

  “You are so far off the mark, little brother.”

  Bear sits next to him on the cot, and Drew still avoids looking at him. “You don’t see it,” Bear says. “You already have so much more than I have ever had. You’re smart and driven. You know what you want in life, and you work hard to get it.”

  “Yeah, I’m a chump,” Drew mumbles.

  “No. You’re lucky. You’re 17 and you already have a sense of what to do with your life. I’m 20 and I just spent two years in college realizing I don’t know what I want. If I don’t figure out things soon, I’m about to become that freak older brother who still lives at home and works part-time at a crappy job with no future. I don’t have everything.”

  Drew glances at him. Personally, he’d always thought Bear would end up in the situation he just described. But hearing him say it out loud…

  He feels bad for the guy.

  “Well, you are smart…,” Drew says in a lame attempt to make him feel better. “You said I’m smart, but you are, too.”

  Bear gives him a lop-sided grin. “Not like you, kid. You get A’s without trying, and I have to kill myself to get low B’s. You don’t realize how much you have going for you.”

  Drew scoffs. “Not now. I’ve lost the internship—that was the key to my entire plan.”

  “You need to learn to adjust your plans.”

  “It’s not that easy. Without that job, I won’t be able to get into a good school and I won’t get a job where I can be successful.”

  Bear shakes his head. “See, that’s your problem, little brother—you need to step back, take a deep breath, and realize you still have so many possibilities ahead of you. You need to loosen up and realize you can’t plan your entire life. Believe me, that’s the lesson I just learned.”

  Drew looks up at his big brother, and, for the first time, he realizes they have something in common.

  “You need to have faith in yourself,” Bear says, “and your future. Things may not go as you hope, but in the end they’ll fall into place and you will be happy. I know it.”

  “Is that what you’re going to do?” Drew asks. “Just see if things fall into place?”

  Bear shrugs. “I don’t know what I’m going to do…but I do know I can lean on my family for support while I figure it out.”

  Drew nods. “Yeah, I guess there is always that…I just wish I still had Marigold.”

  “You still have her.”

  Drew looks up at the cell entrance. Marigold, all fluffy black hair and green eyes, is standing there. She chews her bottom lip like she always does when she’s nervous. “Hi,” she says.

  “Hi,” he says.

  Bear nudges him off the cot. “Don’t just sit there. Go to her.”

  Drew slowly walks over to her. “I thought you wanted to be with Bear.”

  She shakes her head and he notices a small, mischievous smile. “It wasn’t me you saw with your brother.”

  “Huh?”

  Marigold nods to her right and Drew notices another girl
standing there. She has the same fluffy black hair and freckled-nose…but her eyes are blue and her mini-skirt is about six inches shorter than anything Marigold would wear.

  “She’s my cousin—Melanie,” says Marigold.

  “…cousin?”

  They both nod.

  “So, you were the one I saw with Bear?” Drew asks Melanie.

  She nods. “Yup. All me. It would also appear I’m the reason you didn’t get that internship you wanted. Sorry.” She explains the situation and how she mistakenly got Bear the job.

  Drew lets the information sink in and he shakes his head at how bizarre everything sounds. “So, what happened with Leo and the necklace?”

  Melanie hands the necklace to Drew, and Bear says, “He gave it to me to give to you, but I gave it to Melanie thinking it was Marigold.”

  Marigold adds, “And I saw her with it while shopping and thought you gave it to another girl.”

  Drew glances at her, then at the floor. “I thought you might not want to date me….”

  She glances away from him, too, and says, “I thought you might not want to date me….”

  Neither says anything else, and silence falls around the four of them.

  “Well, this is nice and uncomfortable,” Melanie says, clapping her hands together. “And as much fun as it is, there’s a festival kicking off in an hour, and Drew has to swoop in and make sure it kicks off on time. Chop-chop, kiddies, let’s go.”

  Drew looks at Bear. “But what about—”

  “Melanie had the charges dropped,” Bear says.

  Melanie curtsies dramatically. “I do what I can,” she says. “Just make sure you pay the jeweler tomorrow.”

  Drew nods, but nobody moves again.

  “Let’s go!” Melanie says. “There’s a show, fun, and good times waiting for us!”

  Bear pats Drew on the back, and Marigold takes Drew’s arm. With Melanie in the lead, they leave the jail cell.

  His brother and his girlfriend at his side.

  nine

  Bear plugs in his guitar and starts tuning. The other band members do the same, and different tones and tunes start to fill the festival grounds. People begin filling the open space in front of the stage, and Bear starts to feel the excitement that comes with a town gathering.