Stevie didn’t waste much time thinking about any of that as she raced along the wide sidewalk beneath the shade of red maples that were just beginning to show hints of their bright autumn foliage, though she did spare a moment of thanks that her favorite bakery, Deanna’s, hadn’t changed its jelly doughnut recipe in the last fifty-odd years. She could already taste the sweet, sugary treat, with its surprisingly tart interior … She just hoped Phil hadn’t decided to teach her a lesson by buying and eating every doughnut in the place while he was waiting for her.
That thought made her put on one final burst of speed as she reached the corner. But once she’d taken the turn she skidded to a stop, brought up short by the scene in front of Deanna’s, halfway down the block. Phil was leaning against the sun-warmed brick wall just outside the bakery door. Straddling a bicycle on the cracked sidewalk in front of the bakery, leaning back comfortably on the seat as he talked to Phil, was Scott Forester. As Stevie watched, Scott threw his head back and laughed loudly at something Phil had just said.
Stevie felt her whole body tighten up. Seeing Scott there was a surprise, and not a pleasant one. She’d had her fill of him for the past couple of days in chemistry class, where he continued to ignore her as much as possible. What was he doing there now, talking to her boyfriend?
Don’t get all worked up about nothing, Stevie told herself as she walked slowly toward the two boys. Tons of kids come to Deanna’s after school.
Still, she couldn’t help an uneasy flash of déjà vu as she watched the two boys standing there, talking and laughing with each other. It was just like the other time, at the stable … and it gave her the same uncomfortable mishmash of feelings.
She took a few tentative steps forward. Soon she was close enough to hear what Phil and Scott were saying. The street was crowded enough that they still hadn’t noticed her approaching.
“… and so I was thinking,” Scott was saying. “I’ve hardly used the basketball hoop Dad and I put up when we moved in. Maybe we can get a few guys together for a friendly game this weekend.” Stevie noticed that Scott’s deep, jovial voice had a way of carrying, even though he didn’t seem to be speaking loudly. She wondered if that was some kind of politician’s trick he’d picked up from his father.
Phil’s voice wasn’t quite as audible, but Stevie was so attuned to it that she didn’t have any trouble making out what he said in reply.
“Sounds cool,” he said eagerly. “Count me in.”
Stevie’s breath caught in her throat. The Redskins game had been one thing—she couldn’t blame Phil for wanting to see his favorite team in action, no matter who he was going with. But this? This was more like the kind of casual plans a couple of friends might make.
Just then Phil turned his head and spotted her. Stevie couldn’t help noticing, even now, that Phil’s eyes still lit up every time he saw her, just as she suspected her own did when she saw him. But this time, when he made a move to greet her with his usual quick kiss, she turned her head to avoid it. For some reason she didn’t feel like kissing him in front of Scott. Not right then, after what she had just heard. It was too weird.
Phil looked surprised, but he didn’t comment on her dodge. Instead he slung one arm around her shoulder and glanced at Scott. “Stevie and I are going to stuff ourselves with as many doughnuts as we can hold,” he told him. “Want to join us?”
“No thanks,” Scott said, responding just a little too quickly. “Mom’s having some kind of club meeting tonight, and if I don’t get home with these croissants soon, she’ll have my hide.” He held up a white paper bag and shook it slightly. “See you later.”
“Bye.” Phil waved and smiled as Scott pedaled away. Then he turned his gaze to Stevie. “Ready to pig out?” A flicker of surprise passed over his face as he met Stevie’s glare. “What’s the matter?”
“Nothing,” she replied, looking away. She gulped in a few deep breaths. She wasn’t about to let Scott Forester be the cause of a fight. He’s not worth it, she told herself firmly. Let it go. “Come on. I’m starving.
Phil seemed about to press the point, but then he shrugged and allowed Stevie to lead the way into the dim, sweet-smelling bakery. The long narrow store was largely taken up by a huge display case crowded with all sorts of delicious-looking cookies, cakes, and pies. Behind the counter, several flour-dusted workers hurried to fill the customers’ orders, while Deanna herself—granddaughter of the place’s original namesake—oversaw everything from her stool behind the cash register.
Stevie and Phil placed their order and received a bag stuffed with fresh-from-the-fryer doughnuts. As they waited for their change, Stevie grabbed a jelly doughnut from the top of the bag and took a big bite. As soon as she tasted it, she felt a little better. What was the big deal, really? Stevie should be glad that Scott wanted to hang out with Phil. Maybe it meant he would soon lighten up on Stevie, too—and maybe she wouldn’t have to dread sixth period quite so much every day. Well, maybe I wouldn’t go that far, she added to herself with a private laugh.
She gave Phil a big smile to prove nothing was wrong. “Mmm,” she said, taking another bite of her doughnut. “This hits the spot.”
Phil chuckled and wiped a streak of powdered sugar off her chin. “Did anyone ever tell you that you look cute with food all over your face?”
At that moment the little bell over the front door tinkled, and when Stevie glanced over she spotted a familiar pretty face entering the store. “Julianna,” she called out in surprise. A.J.’s ex-girlfriend—it was still hard for Stevie to think of her that way, even though two weeks had passed since the breakup—seemed somehow out of place there in Willow Creek, especially on a school day and miles from Pine Hollow.
Phil had been busy taking his change from Deanna. But as he stepped away from the register, he looked just as surprised as Stevie felt. “What a coincidence!” he exclaimed, hurrying toward Julianna with Stevie on his heels. “What are you doing here?”
Julianna gave them both a smile that looked a bit forced. “It’s no coincidence,” she admitted, glancing at Phil. “Actually, I stopped by your house looking for you, and your sister told me you might be here.”
Stevie couldn’t get over the change in Julianna’s appearance since the last time she’d seen her. She wouldn’t have believed that anything could dampen Julianna’s sunny spirits, but now she looked downright depressed. Even her glorious wavy red hair seemed less bright and bouncy than usual.
“Well, you found me.” Phil smiled encouragingly at Julianna. “What’s up?”
Julianna glanced around at the other customers. “Can we talk somewhere more private?” she asked hesitantly.
“Sure.” Stevie took her arm and steered her toward the door. Once outside, she led the way across the street to a small, half-empty parking lot.
The three of them perched on the low wall enclosing the lot, with Julianna in the middle. Stevie offered the other girl a doughnut, and Julianna accepted, nibbling daintily at the edge and somehow managing to avoid getting even a speck of powdered sugar on her face. Stevie couldn’t help wrinkling her nose slightly when she noticed that. Julianna was the type of girl who never seemed to get dirty or sweaty or rumpled—and that was a type Stevie just couldn’t understand. Where was the fun in always being neat and pretty? Still, she felt sorry for Julianna as she noticed her red-rimmed eyes. It seemed that even neat, pretty girls with bouncy, perfect hair could get hurt and upset sometimes.
“How are you doing?” she asked Julianna carefully, not sure what to say. “I haven’t seen you since that day at the creek.”
Julianna blinked hard a few times. “I know,” she said softly. “That seems like years ago now.” She glanced from Stevie to Phil and back again. “I’m sorry to barge in on you guys like this. You probably have plans and everything. But I—I really need someone to talk to, and I just didn’t know who else—”
Phil put a hand on her arm. “It’s okay,” he said soothingly. “We understand. This has been
tough on all of us.”
Stevie felt a swelling of pride as she watched her boyfriend comfort Julianna. Phil could be so sensitive and understanding—it was just one of the many things she loved about him.
Julianna seemed to appreciate it, too. She managed another faint smile. “Thanks.” She stared down at the half-eaten doughnut in her hand. “It’s just so weird, you know? I mean, I’m crazy about A.J., and I thought he felt the same way about me. And then this …”
Stevie shifted her weight on the wall, torn between curiosity and politeness. Curiosity won. “Didn’t you see this coming at all?” she blurted out. “I mean, I know it’s none of my business. But was anything—you know—wrong? Before, I mean.”
Phil shot Stevie a warning look over Julianna’s bowed head, but if Julianna was taken aback she didn’t show it. “Nothing was wrong,” she replied. “Nothing that I knew about, anyway. I mean, we never had a lot of deep conversations or anything. But I thought we were tight enough that he would let me know if he was unhappy.” She started blinking again. “And I never would have guessed he would break things off like this—without any explanation, any warning. I tried to be patient, you know, give him a week or two to cool off so that we could maybe discuss it or whatever, but he still won’t talk to me or even look at me when I pass him in the halls.”
“If it’s any comfort, none of us would have guessed this was coming, either,” Phil told her. “A.J. seemed really happy with you. And he’s not acting like himself with any of his friends. So this might not really even be about you or your relationship.”
Stevie glanced at Phil in surprise. She hadn’t thought about it that way before, and she wasn’t sure Phil should be getting Julianna’s hopes up like that, making her think the breakup had been a result rather than a cause of A.J.’s behavior. Then again, Phil knew A.J. better than anyone. Maybe there was more to this bad mood of his than Stevie had realized.
She glanced at Julianna. She still wasn’t sure exactly why she was here, but it was clear she was hurting, and that made Stevie wonder even more. Stevie had known A.J. for years, and she had always thought of him as one of the kindest and most considerate guys she had ever met. Once when his horse, Crystal, had come down with a bad case of colic, A.J. had stayed up with her for two nights running, soothing her and singing to her to keep her mind off her discomfort. That was the kind of person he was—the kind of person she could easily imagine someone falling in love with, but not the kind of person she could imagine breaking Julianna’s heart.
“Listen, Julianna,” Stevie said, feeling a sudden rush of sympathy for the girl. “Phil and I were just going to head over to my house and hang out—nothing exciting. But you’re welcome to come with us. How about it?”
“That’s okay.” Julianna stood and smiled at them. “It’s been a big help just talking to you guys like this.” She glanced at her watch. “I’d better get home.”
“Take care.” Phil watched her as she walked off toward the busy main street. When she rounded the corner and disappeared from sight, he turned to Stevie with a worried sigh. “Wow. I wouldn’t have guessed she’d take it this hard.”
“I know,” Stevie agreed. “I guess it’s hard when you don’t even know what went wrong.” She scooted closer to Phil on the wall and slipped her hand into his, shuddering at the thought of how lonely it would be if the person you thought loved you suddenly stopped talking to you—and you didn’t even know why.
Phil nodded and squeezed her hand. But when Stevie glanced at him, his expression was grim as he stared off in the direction Julianna had gone. “It’s just not like him,” he muttered, his voice low and confused. “It’s not like him at all.”
Stevie squeezed back, feeling sympathetic but helpless at the same time. It was obvious that Phil was hurting almost as much as Julianna was, and Stevie didn’t think she could do anything to help them. Nobody could. Except A.J. himself, of course, she added to herself. And that doesn’t look likely right now.
She sighed. Up until then, she had assumed that A.J. was going through a phase, that there had been more to the breakup story than they knew, that there had been some kind of problem with Julianna that none of them had seen. But after seeing Julianna, she was having trouble believing that anymore.
The next Monday, Stevie hurried out of chemistry class as fast as her legs would take her, her fists clenched beneath the stack of books she was carrying. A week had passed since they had begun working with their lab groups, but to Stevie it felt more like a year. Or maybe a decade.
There’s only one thing worse than putting up with Scott’s attitude every afternoon in lab, Stevie thought glumly as she eased her way into the throng of students rushing to get to their seventh-period classes. And that’s watching him whoop it up with Phil every time they see each other at Pine Hollow.
She sighed with frustration as she thought about it. As difficult as it still was for her to believe, let alone accept, Scott and Phil actually seemed to be becoming friends. That was bad enough. Worse was that, aside from their encounter at the bakery the week before, Pine Hollow seemed to be their common meeting ground. They had run into each other one day at the stable when Scott had arrived to pick up Callie at the same time Phil had dropped by to see Stevie, and they had ended up involved in a lively half-hour political discussion. Then Scott had asked Phil to take a look at his computer, which was giving him some trouble, and the two of them had driven off to the Foresters’ with hardly a backward glance for Stevie. And finally, just the day before, Stevie had spotted Scott’s car pulling into the drive to pick up Phil for a game of tennis at Willow Creek Country Club, which Scott’s family had just joined.
It was almost too much for Stevie to take. Pine Hollow had always been a sort of sanctuary to her—a place where she could escape the noisy pressures of her large family, worries about school, or just about anything else. A place where she could relax, have fun, and just be herself. Even though her brother Alex had started spending more time there, it had still remained a safe haven, a special spot of her own, the one place where she always felt she belonged.
Now that was changing. And it was all Scott’s fault.
Why couldn’t her boyfriend see how much this was bothering her? She knew that he was very upset about A.J., and she could understand that perfectly well, but was that an excuse for ignoring her feelings? It wasn’t as though she was very good at hiding them. And Scott was no better, of course—whenever he saw her, whether at the stable or in class, he merely nodded and then avoided any further eye contact or direct address. Despite Stevie’s former hopes, Scott’s friendship with Phil didn’t seem to be thawing Scott’s feelings toward her one iota.
Stevie walked slowly down the hall, lost in thought, forcing the rushing students to find a way around her. The awkward situation at Pine Hollow was bad enough. Then there was her chemistry grade to worry about.
She sighed and shifted her books to her other arm. Thanks to their total lack of meaningful communication, she and Scott had managed to mess up one lab already. On the next one, only Sue’s quick intervention had headed off complete disaster. It was obvious that poor Sue had no idea what was going on between her two lab partners, but it was equally obvious that she was too shy to confront them about it.
Stevie had no idea what to do. She didn’t want to flunk chemistry any more than she wanted to have to slink around Pine Hollow like some kind of intruder. But until Scott decided to change his attitude, what choice did she have? It was all very well to make vows about not letting other people control your life. Sometimes, though, it was hard to see how to keep those vows.
Reaching her locker, Stevie twirled the combination lock automatically, her mind still focused on her problems. What are my options here? she asked herself as she yanked the locker door open and added her chemistry books to the jumble inside. There’s got to be something I can do. Things can’t go on this way.
She paused, staring into the locker and thinking hard. One thing she knew
for sure—she wasn’t about to beg Scott to forgive her for what had happened to Callie. They had been through that already.
I could ask Ms. Rourke to switch me to another lab group, Stevie thought, not for the first time that week. That seemed like one of the more practical and satisfying options she had come up with. Of course, walking up to Scott and punching him in the nose would be pretty satisfying too. And why not? It couldn’t make things between us much worse.
Suddenly remembering where she was, Stevie started digging through the contents of her locker, searching for her American history notebook. If she didn’t hurry, she would be late for seventh period.
And that would be Scott’s fault, too, she thought irritably. It was unbelievable how much energy she wasted these days thinking and worrying about Scott. Scott and Phil. Scott and chemistry. Scott and everything. It didn’t seem fair. Weren’t these supposed to be the best days of her life?
She finally located her notebook and yanked it out. “They sure don’t feel that great,” she muttered angrily, slamming her locker shut and whirling around.
“Whoa!” a familiar voice behind her said. “Watch it, Stevie.”
Stevie immediately saw that she had almost barreled into Callie, who was standing behind her. “Oh. Sorry. I didn’t see you there.”
“Obviously.” Callie peered into her face. “Are you okay? You don’t look so good.”
“I don’t feel so good,” Stevie countered, brushing back her hair with one hand and trying to maintain control of her emotions. Sometimes a sympathetic face was harder to take than an unfriendly one, and this was one of those times.
Callie hesitated. “Does this by any chance have something to do with my brother?” she asked quietly. “I mean, I know you just got out of chemistry …”
Stevie turned and started walking down the hall toward her next class. Callie kept pace, swinging her metal crutches expertly. “Since you ask,” Stevie said, “your brother is driving me nuts.”
Changing Leads Page 12
