Reality Check

  “Hello? Sensitive chip. Missing,” Hallie tells her.

  Brooke sort of laughs. “I'm sorry. Okay, Charlie, I know this isn't your fault. I just get frustrated. Addison should utilize all of our strong points.”

  “Agreed,” I say, and apply more sunscreen. “We should all be happy with the direction the show is taking. Not that I am at the moment.” I quickly fill the girls in on my conversation with Addison about Zac. Their mouths could catch fish.

  “I can't believe Addison dropped the term breach of contract,” Keiran says. “What does that even mean?”

  “I think it means I would be sued.” I frown. “I can't believe Addison would even go there! The two of us get along so well. She's always making sure I'm happy with the tapings, so I was surprised when she mentioned Zac being a deal breaker. She had just told me on Friday night that it probably wasn't a problem to keep him off camera, and then two days later she's threatening legal action.”

  “You definitely don't want that,” Brooke says, horrified. “Your career would be finished.”

  “So would all my college money!” I remind them. “Anyway, I've been so upset about what happened with Addison, I called Susan.” They all look at me.

  “What did she say?” Hallie asks breathlessly.

  I sigh. “It went right to voice mail. I tried to explain everything in a one-minute message. She called me back at like two AM telling me how sorry she was if I was freaked out by the breach-of-contract talk, but that Addison was in charge of the day-to-day stuff so if Addison said it, I have to abide by it. Not exactly the answer I was hoping for.” I want to add that I feel like Susan's abandoned us, but why fuel the fire? Brooke will say I'm just overreacting.

  Everyone is quiet. We stare at the ocean as tiny ripples of white, foamy water wash in and out. The sound is so relaxing, I could fall asleep waiting for someone to say something.

  “So did you talk to Zac?” Brooke asks.

  I thought that would be their next question. “I told him that it would mean the world to me if he'd go to the after-party and that it was being taped,” I explain. “He actually agreed to go with me.”

  “Was that so hard?” Brooke says as she applies more tan accelorator.

  I don't say anything. I feel guilty about asking Zac when I know how he feels. I still can't believe how good he was about the whole thing. That just makes me feel worse.

  “What about you, Miss Brooke?” Hallie asks. “If Charlie can come clean to Zac, can you own up to being a farmer's daughter?”

  Brooke traces a circle in the sand with her big toe. “Absolutely not. That's different. It's… humiliating.”

  “No, it's not,” Keiran insists. “Look, maybe I should be embarrassed that I look like the star of The Secret Life of the American Teenager with all these kids in tow all the time, but it is the way it is. My parents need my help and I want to help them. Even if I don't love doing it all the time.”

  “At least your dad doesn't shovel cow manure.” Brooke is glum. “My dad is a farmer and we live in a farming town. It's so cliché. I know that's what people see when they think of me. I don't want the world to see it too.”

  She means what Marleyna Garrison thinks of her, I'm sure. Marleyna is Brooke's Achilles heel. When we were all in elementary school we took tap and jazz at Toe Tappers in town, which is also where Marleyna and her friends danced. Every year our teacher, Miss Lisa, would let us come up with two bonus recital numbers that all the classes could audition for. Brooke was a better dancer than any of us, and she was desperate to be in this Christina Aguilera number that Marleyna was yakking about. When Brooke asked her when the audition was, Marleyna lied about the day and time so that Brooke would miss it. Brooke acted like it was no big deal, but the rest of us knew she was crushed. That was around the time we became tighter with her. She was so sweet and incredibly loyal. Whenever anyone started with any of us, Brooke was the one to step in like an overpriced bodyguard.

  “I guess if we're being all touchy-feely today, I should tell you that Patrick and I are finito,” Hallie says. “He was seeing someone from Cutchogue. I caught him texting her when we were at dinner. The idiot left his phone when he went to the bathroom and I read his texts. At least Addison caught the whole thing on camera. Now his humiliation will be on display for the whole country.” She giggles.

  Brooke is furious. “Do you want me to have my brother beat him up?”

  “No need,” says Hallie, and pulls her brown hair off her neck. “I took care of him. I dropped his whole platter of spaghetti and meatballs in his lap.”

  Brooke and I applaud her, but Keiran groans. “Now I feel awful, Hallie. I was giving you all that grief about being a flirt just because I couldn't think of anything else to be mad at you about, and here this guy was two-timing you!”

  Hallie shrugs. “That's not your fault. I should have seen it coming. But now tomorrow's triple date is a single date with two blind ones. Brooke, I need a date for this dance.”

  “We'll find you a guy ten times better,” Brooke declares.

  Hallie smirks. “Maybe we could change The Cliffs to the Cliffside Dating Game. Or I could ask this waiter at the Crab Shack,” she tells us. “Brandon. He seems cool.”

  “Go for it,” Brooke encourages her. “You'll have more fun with a new guy. We have to make sure you look fabulous too.” She snaps her fingers. “Iwant you to wear my new BCBG dress.”

  “But you just bought it!” Hallie says, surprised.

  Brooke cuts her off. “So? It will look killer on you. You wear it first.” She looks at the rest of us. “And anyone who doesn't find a dress for the spring fling is welcome to raid my closet.”

  “Thanks, Brooke,” Keiran says gratefully. “I know I'm going to find nothing I like except something you already own.”

  “Are you coming on the date tomorrow night too, Charlie?” Brooke asks. “I just got a new Gap sweater that would look awesome with your coloring.”

  “I have to pass on this one. Zac has to work, so his first TV appearance will be at the dance. I'm sure I'll have to explain all that on camera tomorrow when they tape me at home with

  my mom cooking dinner.” I grin. “Addison says they love scenes of me around the house.”

  “I hate recapping,” Hallie says and turns her chair around to follow the sun. “It's so awkward.”

  Keiran moves her towel. “I always sound so stiff when Addison makes me repeat a line,” she agrees. “So,” she mimics herself, “Charlie, you gonna apologize to me or what?”

  “The other day they made me remake a latte at Milk and Sugar three times,” I tell the others. “Phil wanted the perfect shot of foam being made. Grady and I had to have the same conversation three times!” I use my deepest voice. “ ‘Hey, Grady, am I working Friday night? Pass me that half and half, will ya?’ It was embarrassing.”

  “I don't know why you guys get so hung up over the reenactments.” Brooke shakes her head. “They're just for continuity.”

  “Easy for you to say,” Hallie snorts. “You have a theater background. To you this is all just acting.”

  “Maybe,” Brooke says with a shrug. “This comes easy to me. I think it's my calling.”

  “Someday we'll all be watching a new version of Brooke Knows Best with a new Brooke,” Hallie jokes, referring to that boring reality offshoot of Hogan Knows Best.

  “Absolutely,” Brooke tells her. “You better make sure my ratings are through the roof. I am so worthy of my own spinoff.” We all laugh.

  “I wouldn't be surprised if you had one within the year,” I tell her, “but first we should promise each other one thing.”

  Brooke groans. “What now?”

  I give her an annoyed look. “I'm serious. This is important. Let's promise we won't turn on each other the way we did at the fair. We should be more concerned about each other's feelings than how we sound on camera.”

  “Charlie is right,” Keiran agrees. “That goes for me especially.”

  ?
??All of us,” Hallie corrects her. “That was the first argument we've had in months! We can't let the stress of the show get to us. Agreed?”

  “I hope we don't come off as idiots on TV,” Hallie says as she flips through the latest Us Weekly. “It won't be long before it's our faces in magazines like this and God knows what they'll say about us.”

  “We have to have a huge viewing party for the premiere,” Keiran says excitedly. “And invite everyone we know and everyone who has ever been mean to us!”

  “I bet Fire and Ice will throw us a huge party,” I tell them. “You always see TV shows having these amazing bashes.”

  “Maybe they'll throw in some more clothes too,” Brooke says dreamily. “I keep asking Addison when we're going to do another shopping episode. I got the best stuff that day we went to Juicy. They gave me all these comps.”

  “That was the best,” I agree. “I loved how they let us pick out anything and everything we wanted.”

  Hallie interrupts me with a huge scream. “Guys, look at this,” she says, and points wildly at her magazine. “LOOK! LOOK!”

  We lean onto Hallie's towel and I read the tiny box she's pointing at. Her hand is shaking.

  “They didn't mention our names.” Brooke sniffs. “They only mentioned you.”

  “I'm sure the network gave them all our names and they just didn't have the space,” I tell her, but Brooke just shakes her head. “Hey!” I try again. “Brooke, this isn't me, remember? I have nothing to do with this. We're all the stars in my eyes. I couldn't do this without you.” Brooke doesn't say anything.

  “But what about this May date?” Keiran asks with a frown, trying hard to keep Brooke from letting her jealousy turn her into the Hulk. “Are we really on TV in a few weeks?”

  “That's like three weeks away!” Hallie says.

  “I thought we were on this fall,” Keiran says.

  “Didn't you guys hear Addison the other day?” Brooke asks. “The studio wants viewers to experience beach life as it's really happening so they're airing us as soon as possible. That's why we're taping such long days. They need more material.”

  “May?” I repeat. “While we're still in school? That means everyone will be watching. Including Zac.”

  “Including the whole country,” Brooke clarifies. “How great is that? We're going to be household names.”

  “God, I hope people like us.” Keiran looks worried. “How much would it suck to be canceled before a full season?”

  “My dad said when he was in the Associated the other day, we were all anyone was talking about,” I tell them.

  “Well, you had to figure this was going to happen in our town,” Brooke points out as she pulls her phone out of her bag and starts texting. “It's not like—”

  “Anything else exciting ever happens around here,” Hallie finishes in a high voice that is supposed to sound like Brooke. Brooke glares at her.

  “Who are you texting anyway?” I ask Brooke. “We're all here.”

  “Addison.” Brooke holds up her phone. “I wanted to let her know we made up and we need to shoot a scene for it.”

  “You so want to be the teacher's pet,” I tease her. “You're telling Addison already?”

  “What?” Brooke looks offended. “If anyone is the pet, it's you. I'm just trying to keep Addison from forgetting my name.”

  “Brooke,” I say wearily. “This conversation is getting old.”

  “It's the truth,” Brooke says for the umpteenth time. “You're the reason they wanted us in the first place. They think you're so cute and likeable.” She makes a face.

  “Are you saying I'm not?” I try not to laugh.

  “You are.” Brooke rolls her eyes. “I'm just trying to create a niche for myself by being the one who keeps Addison informed. I want to be valuable too.”

  “Brooke, she finds us all valuable or she wouldn't have picked us,” Keiran says.

  “Still, it can't hurt,” says Brooke as she continues texting.

  Hallie looks at me and shakes her head. Brooke throws herself into everything she does at full force. We shouldn't be surprised she's doing the same here.

  “Brooke Eastman? Is that you?” A girl about our own age is walking by with a group of girls and she stops and stares at Brooke.

  She looks vaguely familiar. Wait a minute. That's—

  “Marleyna Garrison from dance?” she says to Brooke. “We took that class at Toe Tappers years ago.”

  I look at Brooke. I want her to be rude, and snotty, and all the things Marleyna has ever been to her. But instead, Brooke flashes a huge smile. “I remember,” Brooke says and pulls herself up. “How are you?” I give Hallie a look.

  Unlike the rest of us, Marleyna is already tan, which means she must go to a tanning salon. Her skin is a golden bronze, as is her long, slightly curly blonde hair. She must still be dancing because there is not a lick of fat on her. Her jeans hug every curve and leave nothing to the imagination. She's got a fitted green tank on that barely covers the top of her jeans, and she's walking barefoot, revealing a perfect red pedicure. “How have you been?” Marleyna asks. “Is it true you're doing TV now?”

  “Yeah,” Brooke tells her coolly. “We have our own show. These are my friends. Hallie, Keiran, and Charlie. They danced at Toe Tappers too.”

  Marleyna barely glances our way. “Hi,” she says stiffly, then turns her attention back to Brooke. “What's it about?”

  “Us,” Brooke explains. “Our friendship, our lives. It's really cool. We've only been taping two weeks, but the show airs in May. It's called The Cliffs.”

  “Unique title,” Marleyna says sarcastically, not that Brooke notices. “I heard they scouted the whole fork looking for the right girls. I wonder why they picked you guys.” The way she says it, you can tell she doesn't mean it as a compliment.

  “Charlie hooked them,” Brooke admits and smiles at me. “She's so goofy that people just want to eat her up.”

  Marleyna finally looks at me, and gives me a total once-over. “You're Charlie?” she says. “Lucky you.”

  “Lucky me,” I tell her, trying to keep the edge out of my voice. I wish Marleyna would go away and let us get back to our tanning session. There aren't many rays left at five o'clock. But Brooke is mesmerized and I can't break the spell with my mind power.

  “If you want to check it out, you should come to this party we're having after our spring fling,” Brooke tells her. “We'll be taping it.”

  I see Marleyna's eyes flicker. “Really? That would be spectacular.”

  “I think we're only supposed to invite people from our own school,” Hallie says, looking at Marleyna in disdain.

  “Addison didn't say that,” Brooke says. “You should come and bring friends.”

  Marleyna shakes her head. “No need.” She looks over at them and laughs. “But I'll be there.”

  Eww. I still don't like this girl at all. Why is Brooke so smitten?

  “Great,” Brooke says and to my disappointment writes down the day and the time of the party on the back of her magazine. She rips off the info and hands it to Marleyna.

  “Excellent,” Marleyna says, reading the info. “I'll call you so we can debate ensembles. I'm sure you're going to wear something incredible. You always had the best clothes.”

  Brooke blushes. “Stop. You did! But yeah, call me.”

  “Will do,” Marleyna says and slips the paper into her very tight jeans pocket. “See you later.”

  Of course, she doesn't say goodbye to the rest of us. When she's out of earshot, Hallie pounces on Brooke.

  “Are you bonkers? That girl was always evil to you! Don't you remember the dance recital?”

  Brooke looks at us like we're nuts. “That was ages ago! Didn't you see how nice she was to me just now?”

  “She's the same girl she always was,” Hallie tells her. “She's Marleyna Garrison, the snotty rich girl whose parents own that mansion in Mattituck high on the cliff. She treks to the Ross School in the Hampto
ns every day for class and ignores townies.”

  “Thanks for reminding me how fabulous her life is compared to mine.” Brooke rolls her eyes.

  “Your life is more fab,” I remind her. “You're a TV star now. You don't need some less-than-desirable hanger-on kissing your butt.” Brooke nods, but I can tell she's not convinced. She stares at Marleyna as she continues to walk down the beach.

  “Next time you invite someone, clear it with us first, okay?” Hallie says bitterly. “I can tell that girl is going to want the spotlight.”

  Brooke laughs. “She'll have to fight me for it.”

  I smile. Brooke still has one thing right and you've got to love her for it.

  nine

  Dance as if the Cameras Weren't Watching

  Zac and I are walking onto the pier, toward the Crab Shack, holding hands and giggling about some stupid America's Funniest Home Videos we both happened to watch last night, when the two of us look up and stop dead in our tracks.

  Zac whistles. “Whoa.”

  Whoa is right.

  I can't believe it. The Crab Shack has been transformed. It's as if overnight a team of designers from one of those HGTV shows my mom is hooked on came in and tore down all the corny fish humor signs, netting, and seaman touches, and turned the Shack into a gorgeous outdoor club.

  I like it better the old way. “Are you sure we're in the right place?” Zac asks me with a lopsided grin. “Because if this is the Crab Shack then I've been getting my shrimp roll somewhere else all these years.”

  “You and me both,” I say, feeling confused.

  “I thought you said this was supposed to look like a party you would actually throw.” Zac's lower lip turns into a slight frown. “You must make a lot at Milk and Sugar.”

  Addison had asked us all for suggestions on how to make the party our own. What kind of decorations we'd have, what kind of music would be playing, the type of food served. And yet, from a distance, this doesn't look the kind of party we'd throw at all. It looks beautiful, but not really “us.” I was hoping for something low-key and romantic overlooking the water. This is big and flashy and very New York. The only thing I recognize is the large white canopy that hangs over the entire restaurant. And even that has been spruced up for the evening, with thousands of twinkling strands of lights and a disco ball hanging in the middle of the tent. A DJ has taken over the lobster tank area. He's blasting music so loud I'm surprised the lobsters haven't tried to jump out of the tank. Most of the tables we usually sit at are missing and have been replaced with smaller, higher bar tables and stools that line the dance floor. Speaking of the dance area, it's beyond packed with my classmates. I'm not even sure the school dance was this crowded. It's as if everyone we know—and don't know—has given the after-party the official stamp of approval.