Denny answers on the second ring, “Hey, Julia. What’s up?”
The tone of his voice lets me know he is happy to hear from me! Yay!
I try and be casual as I answer, “Oh, hey, Denny…sorry about not calling you yesterday, I passed out.”
“No worries, I was just calling to see if you wanted to go out with a few of us.”
He went out! Without me?! Deep breaths. I am not a jealous person. I wonder who he went with. Duh, it was probably just the Line and they probably spent the entire night talking about the show.
“That’s cool.”
“So, what are you up to today?”
“I’m going to actually try and be a good student and maybe do a little of this reading I was supposed to be doing all summer for English.”
“Oh.”
“Plus, I’m supposed to get together with Laurel and help her shop for an entirely new wardrobe and I had to spend the entire morning rescheduling my drum set lessons.”
“Wow.”
Quickly, I add, “But I really can’t wait to see you tomorrow.”
“Me either.”
“I’m kind of going into Denny withdrawal over here,” I add shyly. Over his laughter, I ask, “So, how does the whole pre-school thing work at Westlake?”
“What do you mean?”
“Well, in California, Jared in Shorts would get together at the Coffee Bean across the street and hold off going to school until the last bell. How do you guys do it?”
“We meet in the percussion room. The band hangs in the band room. Pretty standard.”
“Oh. Well, I guess I’ll meet you there?”
I can hear him smile over the phone as he responds, “Julia, you know I’d be happy to drive you.”
At Westlake, only seniors get to park on campus. Given my usual and extensive wardrobe selection, I didn’t look forward to the walk to school every morning. Not to mention, it would be awesome to get some quality alone time with Denny.
“Really?”
“It would be my pleasure.”
“Well then, I’ll see you tomorrow around…?”
“Seven.”
“Sounds good.”
I hang up and do a little happy dance – I cannot wait for my junior year to begin!
The rest of Sunday is a blur as I shop, study, and finally find myself in Tags’s garage as the summer sun is setting. I knock and Tags answers the door wearing Westlake shorts and a matching t-shirt.
“Welcome back, J,” Tags raises a meaty hand and waves me in.
“Good to be back.” I launch right in, “How did you do with those exercises I gave you? Did you practice?”
Tags scratches his head and answers sheepishly, “Umm…does football practice count?”
“William Tartaglia…” I say in a warning tone. Yes, little ole me, pushing around one of the football team’s star running backs. I don’t mess around when it comes to teaching.
“Julia,” he whines, “Two A Days are killer.”
Who does he think he’s talking to? I puff out my chest and say, “I don’t want to hear it! I practiced in the sun all day long! I do not want to hear about you and the football team’s measly two practices a day.”
Oops. Maybe I’ve overstepped my boundaries. This guy could eat me for lunch. Surprisingly, Tags responds, “I know.”
I kneel on the floor and get out my trusty Reel Feel pad, “Because you haven’t practiced, we’re going to do rudiments.”
“Juliaaaaaa…” Tags whines. I’m fairly certain I’m seeing a side of the varsity football player not a lot of people ever witness. However, no amount of whining is going to work on me. I mean, I laugh when I think what Wade would do if I started throwing temper tantrums like this. I cross my arms and answer, “No. If there is anything I learned last week, it’s that drumming is all about discipline. So, no practice, no playing. Plus, I’ve got some new warm ups to teach you.”
As I go from one warm up to the next, there is really no need to talk and I let my mind wander. I want to get to the bottom of why Denny chose percussion over football and realize Tags is probably going to be my best bet to find out. I know I could just ask Denny, but maybe Tags has some sort of outsider perspective I need to hear. Suddenly, my cell phone chirps and I realize an hour has passed. Tags walks me to the door.
I ask, “Same time next week?”
He nods.
“Well, I guess I’ll see you around.”
I realize the chances of Tags even recognizing we know each other inside the walls of Westlake HS are slim to none, but this fact doesn’t really offend me. Furthermore, my dating Denny probably isn’t going to up my social status among the Jock set. Then I realize popularity hasn’t ever really been an important or vital element to my happiness. I have Beans and Cornbread, Denny, and Quincy – what else do I need for a successful junior year?
The next morning I dress super carefully. For everyone else in the junior class, they’ve all known each other since forever and it’s just a day to reconnect with all their old friends, but for me? I have to balance a lot of things. I’ve been paying attention to Chloe Winterhaven’s style on Mulholland Creek and am taking a few pages out of her book. I know Denny won’t care what I’m wearing, but the rest of the school? Maybe popularity isn’t my thing, but I do want to make a good first impression.
I pull on a cute denim mini skirt and a black top Kat brought out for me from Kitson. I’m pretty sure no one in the school will have anything similar to it. I complete my outfit with kitten heels and oversized sunglasses. I’ve even woken up early enough to blow dry my hair so that I’m ready for whatever Westlake can bring.
At promptly seven, Denny beeps the horn and I stroll out. I step carefully into Denny’s Jeep, and smile at how cute he is. I open my mouth to wish him a good morning, when he surprises me with another renegade embrace, cupping my chin softly and bringing me in for a perfect I can tell what-kind-of-toothpaste-he-uses kiss.
“Good morning to you, too,” I respond a little breathlessly, wondering if I even needed to wear blush this morning.
He confesses, “You know, I don’t mind if we stay here all day.”
“I’m pretty sure they would miss us in Percussion period.”
“Spoken like the perfect tenor I raised you to be.”
“I do have a great section leader.”
He puts the car in drive and we pull away from my house, “Should I be jealous?”
“I don’t know…he’s pretty cute.”
“I can take him.”
We laugh and I dig around in my bag, producing a CD, then hand it across, “Here you go.”
“Thanks?” He says, popping it in his player.
“It’s the Jared in Shorts album I’ve been promising you.”
“Do you sing on any of the tracks?”
“No way! What you saw at the Talent Night was a one time only thing.”
“Julia, you were seriously good.”
And the thing is, I know Denny wouldn’t lie to me. It’s just not in his nature. Also, I completely love it when he uses my name. I fiddle with the CD player and answer, “Maybe.”
“If you guys get any studio time, you should at least think about recording that song, you could always put it on a collector’s CD or something.”
“Yeah?” I’m still not convinced.
“This coming from the girl who picked up playing quints like it was nothing? Why don’t you borrow some of that energy and confidence?”
I don’t want to tell Denny most of my confidence is pretty much drumming specific, so I change the subject, “Will we have any classes together?”
“Percussion will be it, but this year it’s around lunch, so we’ll get to eat together.”
We pull up at the school and, gathering my messenger bag and gripping Denny’s hand, we walk from the parking lot into Westlake High School. All the familiar cliques and groups are present and accounted for. We make it through the front doors and are about to turn into the
band room (the one place I know), when a girl in a revealing cheerleader uniform walks by. She is gorgeous. She has Pantene commercial hair and from even five feet away, I catch a whiff and realize she smells amazing. I flash her a hesitant smile. She looks like she is about to return the smile when her eyes lock on Denny and our entwined hands. Her sky blue eyes narrow into slits and open wide again.
She says seductively as we pass, “I had great time hanging out with you on Saturday, Denny.”
* * *
CHAPTER FOURTEEN: The Best Defense is…
I’m sure if some random Yearbook person had walked by with a camera at that exact moment, the picture would’ve been priceless. Denny had this deer in headlights look and I’m pretty sure my nostrils were flaring. The girl, whoever she is, has a completely smug look on her face and continues walking as if nothing happened.
I stop, count to three, and try desperately to come up with explanations. I come up short. In my calmest possible voice, I ask, “What is she talking about?”
Denny looks away and says, “Remember when I told you a few of us went out on Saturday night?”
Trying to reign in my temper, I answer crisply, “I assumed you meant the Line. Was this an incorrect assumption on my part?”
“It wasn’t a big deal – just some of my old teammates who finally started to come around and talk to me again and Liberty happened to come along. That’s what she was talking about. It was just a friend thing, not a date. Believe me, I’m very happily dating you.”
And to make his point he softly presses a kiss on my forehead.
Okay, so Denny gets a few brownie points for so cutely reassuring me and fortunately for him. Plus, I remind myself, I know guys hate it when girls act all crazy jealous. While a little jealousy is healthy, there is a fine line between normal and psycho. I say in an even voice, “I’m glad.”
“Come on, Julia, I used to date her, but that was a long time ago.”
And suddenly, the wheels in my head begin turning and my heart rate increases dramatically.
“That’s Liberty?!” I exclaim.
“Uhh, yeah.”
“But…I…she…” I’m totally incapable of speech. Over the summer, while Denny was recovering, I spent a considerable amount of time with my section leader and we talked about almost every subject under the sun – which definitely included our past relationships. Apparently, back when Denny was like Mr. Popular (circa 8th grade), he was a super talented football player, and honestly, maybe he still is. Sensing it was a painful subject, we never really discussed his athletic ability. Anyway, at the end of middle school, he was dating one of the prettiest cheerleaders. The girl? Liberty Jensen. And, instead of being supportive when Denny decided to march (yay!) instead of play football when they entered Westlake, she dumped his ass, which kind of totally broke Denny’s heart and so he really hasn’t dated anyone until…well…me.
However, from what I understand, over the past couple of years, whenever Liberty wasn’t dating anyone, she slinks back to Denny for some sort of messed up friends with benefits situation. From what I could pry out of Denny, their last hook up was apparently after Junior Prom, about two weeks before I moved to town.
Never having interacted with her, I wasn’t too concerned with Liberty, she was in the past and I am definitely Denny’s future. Of course, now, well, I can’t understand Denny’s desire to be with me. I would certainly be dating Liberty if I had the chance. So, on top of the pressure that my boyfriend’s ex-girlfriend is a) no matter what anyone says, obviously still interested in boyfriend b) smokin’ hot and c) apparently back in his life again, how am I supposed to act normally? I’m not even that normal to begin with!
“Earth to Julia?” Denny’s been trying to get my attention. “You’re not worried or anything, are you?”
Worried? No. Paranoid might begin to describe my feelings.
Denny soothes my frazzled existence by tracing his finger on the palm of my callused hand. He continues, “Listen, I know it’s only been a few days, and I’m not sure what labels you want attached with it being the first day of school and everything, but I’d really like it if we were official.”
Knowing his history, I realize this is kind of a major thing. I answer happily, “I would love to be your girlfriend.”
And just like that, I hope whatever power Liberty Jensen used to have over Denny is finished.
Now exclusive, we walk in to greet everyone in the percussion room. Thoughts of Liberty go away entirely when I see Greg and Laurel and the rest of Beans and Cornbread! How cool! It’s like we’re one big happy family. I’m guessing once school really gets going this space will be full of books and papers, but for now, with everyone in their First Day of School best, it’s kind of awesome. I mouth the words “nice clothes” across the room and Laurel and I share a smile – she is wearing one of the outfits she bought yesterday.
As the bell rings and most everyone in the band room disperses, being the gentleman that he is, Denny escorts me to my first period class. He wishes me luck and scoots off to AP French. Walking into the classroom, I am completely surprised to see none other than William Tartaglia sitting in the back of the room. Weighing the pros and cons, I quickly debate, do I risk saying hello so he can pretend not to know me? Or should I just go for a seat on the other side of the classroom and risk first day embarrassment?
Fortunately, Westlake’s wide receiver makes the decision for me, I hear “Yo McCoy!” and see him motion for me to sit in the seat next to him.
As I place my book bag on the ground, I jump right in, “Tell me what you know about Liberty Jensen.”
“Why the sudden interest?”
“Because where Denny is concerned, I am concerned.” Oops. It occurs to me I haven’t told Tags that Denny and I have taken our relationship to the next level.
“Ha! For the record, I totally saw that one coming.”
“Really?” I wonder aloud. Did everyone know Denny liked me but me?
Tags nods, “Let me guess. ‘This one time at band camp…’”
I shoot him the coldest look ever and say frostily, “Don’t. Ever. Go there.”
He instantly backs down and I continue in my normal voice, “So, what do you know about her?”
“In relation to Denny?”
“Yes.”
“They used to date. Wait, are you sure they’re not still dating?”
So not the answer I’m looking for. Gritting my teeth, I force myself to reply casually, “Yeah, I’m pretty sure they’re not.”
“Because you are?”
Isn’t Tags the gossip? My cheeks turn pink and I answer, “Something like that.”
“Okay, since you’re new here, let me tell you what I know about Liberty. So, you’ve seen her?”
I nod.
“Then you know she’s a goddess. She’s ruled since anyone could remember and isn’t afraid to push that fact every once in awhile.”
“A true queen bee then?”
“Pretty much. Why? Are you thinking of taking her on?”
“No way. Give me my drums and Denny, and I’ll be happy. I’m the new girl, remember?”
“But if she comes after Denny?”
“Do you think she would?”
“That remains to be seen. I mean, even though she hasn’t been ‘officially’ with him since forever, somehow around the beginning of 10th grade, she put the word out that no one was to show any interest in Denny. If they did, they risked complete social alienation.”
“So, what happens next?”
“Prepare yourself, McCoy. It’s not going to be pretty.”
TheKat: So, you’re going after the Westlake Princess?
The first day of school was capped off by a productive sectional and a very satisfying goodbye when Denny dropped me off. Coming into the house, I decide I am long overdue to check in with Kat.
Setplayher: No! Unless she goes after Denny…
TheKat: Do you think she will?
Setplayhe
r: Do you remember Hollie Stenson?
Hollie was this completely annoying girl who went to my old school. Her ruthlessness was legendary.
TheKat: Yikes!
Setplayher: So, what would you do? Go on the offensive? Or set up a good defense?
TheKat: From what you’ve told me about Denny, it sounds like you don’t need to do either.
I sit back, wondering. I know Liberty’s type. She isn’t going to give up that easily. In fact, it sounds like she took Denny for granted and now he’s interested in someone else, she’s going to do whatever it takes to get him back.
Setplayher: You’re right. So, how was your gig on Saturday night?
The Kat: Not the same without you…
* * *
CHAPTER FIFTEEN: Pep Rally Improv
I manage to make it through my first week and all the way up to Friday morning without freaking out about Liberty to Denny. I have been releasing my stress by talking Tags, which has not helped my grade in class but has made me feel better. Either way, Miss Jensen’s been quiet during the week and for that fact, I am definitely glad. However, I’m pretty sure our paths are going to cross in the near future because of the Pep Rally. That’s right, capital P, capital R. Even though outward school spirit really isn’t my thing, there is a total bonus about the situation: anyone involved with the pep rally (Varsity football team, cheerleaders, and marching band) get a free ticket out of first period to perform.
Confessions of a Teenage Band Geek Page 9
