“Well…” Lina said. The thought had occurred to her.
“Don’t—please,” Rex said. “She’d like me if she got to know me—I know she would.”
Lina wasn’t so sure.
“You said yourself that sometimes perseverance works,” Rex said.
“I know, but—”
“Just help me a little longer,” Rex said. “She respects you.”
This made Lina want to laugh. Ramona respected her?
“You’re crazy. But all right, Rex. I’ll think of something else.”
10 Back to the Pinetop
* * *
To: hollygolitely
From: your daily horoscope
HERE IS TODAY’S HOROSCOPE: CAPRICORN: Today’s events will be a good test of your patience, tolerance, and ability to throw a left hook.
* * *
All right,” Holly said as she settled into her seat at the Carlton Bay Twin. “Bring on the squabbling sisters and their easily solved man problems!”
“Yeah!” Sean rubbed his hands together in anticipation.
Holly looked at him, surprised. “I had no idea you were such a big fan of romantic comedy,” she said.
“I am when it features Cameron Diaz in a see-through nightie.”
Friday night, Date Number Two with Sean. The classic movie date. Holly punched him in the arm.
“What?” he protested. “I saw it in the Coming Attractions!”
“I thought it was suspicious when you agreed to see this movie so quickly,” Holly said. The snowboarding movie was sold out.
She heard a familiar giggle behind her. Was that who she thought it was? She turned around.
“Mads!” Mads and Stephen were sitting right behind Holly and Sean.
“Hey!” Mads waved. “I didn’t know that was your seat I was kicking. That’s funny.”
How did Mads know that Holly and Sean were going to the movies that night? Oh, yeah, Holly had told her. But she’d said they were going to the snowboarding movie, and this was the romantic comedy. Maybe Mads had been trying to avoid them. It was a coincidence, that’s all.
Sean turned around. “Hey there, kid,” he said to Mads. “Are you old enough to go to a PG-13 movie?”
Mads stuck her tongue out at him. “What do you think?”
He laughed, just teasing her, and turned back around.
The lights went down. Sean put an arm around Holly. She sat stiffly under its weight, thinking about Mads sitting right behind her, watching. Staring at his arm. What was she thinking? Did it bother her? Drive her crazy? Did she even notice it?
Relax, Holly told herself. She slid down in her seat for more privacy. Sean’s hand tickled her neck. What if he wanted to make out during the movie? How could she do that right in front of Mads?
She didn’t want to have to think about these problems while out on a date. She just wanted to enjoy her Friday night.
Knowing Mads was back there distracted her through the whole movie. Just when she started to get lost in the story, she heard Mads giggling or whispering to Stephen, or she felt an accidental kick against her seat. Once Mads even leaned forward and whispered to Holly, “Does Cameron Diaz ever wear a bra? It looks like she’s got two fried eggs on her chest.”
Sean overheard and snickered. Holly just nodded. Talking during movies annoyed her.
When the lights came up, Mads said, “That was good. Did you like it, Holly?”
“Mostly, except for the fried eggs,” Holly said.
“I liked the fried eggs,” Sean said.
“I’m more of a scrambled eggs fan myself,” Stephen said.
“Ew,” Mads said. “You don’t know what we’re talking about, do you?”
“I thought you were talking about eggs,” Stephen said.
They walked out of the theater into a warm, starry night. “What are you guys doing now?” Mads asked.
Holly glanced at Sean, who shrugged. “Urn, we don’t really know,” Holly said. “Just drive around, maybe.”
“Let’s walk down to the Marina and get some hot dogs,” Stephen said to Mads.
“Okay,” Mads said. “You guys hungry?”
“Not really,” Holly said. “We’ll see you later.”
She pulled Sean away to his car. While he unlocked it, Holly looked back at Mads and Stephen. Mads waved, and they turned and walked toward the Marina.
“Want to hit the Pinetop?” Sean asked in the car. “Play a little pool? Winner buys the loser a beer.”
“You’re on,” Holly said. The Pinetop Lounge was perfect. It was a dive bar on the road out of town that was famous for not carding minors—except for Mads. She’d tried to get in several times and was always caught, even with a fake ID. She was small and had a baby face and could never sneak past the bartender.
When they walked in, Sean waved at a guy sitting at the bar and said, “Huh, new bartender.”
The pool table was free. Sean bought two bottles of beer while Holly racked up the balls. Her parents had a pool table in their rec room, and Holly had played all her life. She was pretty good. But Sean didn’t know that.
“Winner buys the next round,” Sean said. “You want to break?”
“Let’s bet on something more interesting than beer,” Holly said. “How about this: The winner gets to ask the loser any question she wants, and the loser has to answer it. Truthfully.”
Sean chalked up his cue and shook his head. “I don’t know. Why did you call the winner a ‘she’?”
“Or he. She or he. Whatever.”
“What kind of question?” Sean squinted at her. This bet seemed to make him a little uncomfortable.
“Any kind of question,” Holly said.
“Like, ‘Who’s your favorite ball player?’”
“Could be.”
“What about, ‘How many boys have you kissed?’”
“I’d like to know the answer to that one,” Holly said. “How many boys have you kissed?”
“I’ll tell you that now, so you don’t waste your question,” Sean said. “Zero. And you can repeat that to anybody you want.”
Holly laughed. “You break,” she said.
Sean hit the cue ball, and two striped balls went into the pockets. “I’m stripes.”
It was a close game. Holly kept up with him, shot for shot. Soon there were just four balls on the table: the cue ball, the eight ball, a striped ball for Sean and a solid for Holly.
Holly knocked her last ball in. She took aim at the eight ball. She couldn’t wait to ask Sean a question, though she hadn’t decided yet what it would be. She had so many: Had he ever been in love? Who with? Did he sleep with every girl he went out with? What made him get tired of a girl he was dating? What kept him interested? Why did he pick her?
She bent over the table, lining up her cue, when someone playfully knocked against her.
“Whoops!” It was Mads, kidding around. “We thought you guys might be here.”
Holly straightened up. “Hey. How’d you get in?”
Mads grinned. “I know, right? It’s the first time ever!” She lowered her voice and pointed to the bartender. “New guy. Hardly even looked at me.”
“Give the girl some room, Mads.” Stephen pulled Mads away from the table. “Your friend’s about to win this game.”
“Oh! Sorry,” Mads said.
“That’s okay,” Sean said. “Distract her all you want.”
Holly tried to concentrate, but it had just gotten harder. How did Mads find her this time? Did she make Stephen drive around until they spotted Sean’s Jeep? What was up with that?
She took her shot and missed.
“Ha-ha,” Sean said triumphantly. “I smell victory.”
Holly could smell it, too—victory for him. So much for all her questions.
Click, clack, and that was it. Sean won. What would he ask her?
“Want to play again?” Mads asked. “Girls against boys this time? Or me and Sean against Holly and Stephen?”
&n
bsp; “I’m terrible at pool,” Stephen said.
“So am I,” Mads said. “So we shouldn’t be on the same team.”
“I’ll be right back,” Holly said. “Mads, want to hit the bathroom with me?”
“Sure.” Mads followed her to the dingy ladies’ room. “Isn’t this fun? It’s like a double date.”
“Yeah,” Holly said. “Listen, Mads. I can’t help wondering about something.”
“What?”
“Are you sure it doesn’t bother you that I’m seeing Sean?”
“Of course I’m sure!” Mads said brightly. “Are you kidding? I’m so happy for you! I think it’s so great. It’s fun to watch you guys together.”
Holly felt guilty and annoyed at the same time. Was Mads telling the truth? How could Holly know for sure? If something bothered Mads, it was up to her to say so.
“Okay,” Holly said. “I just wanted to make sure.”
“I’m so sure,” Mads said.
They both put on some lip gloss and walked out of the bathroom. The new bartender was on his way to the men’s room. He stopped and gave Mads a good, long look.
“Hey,” he said to her. “How old are you?”
Mads swallowed hard and said in her usual unconvincing voice, “Twenty-one.”
“Let me see your ID.” He studied Holly, who tried to make herself taller. She purposely didn’t smile, hoping that made her look older.
Mads pulled her fake ID out of her back pocket. The bartender squinted at it. “This says you’re twenty-three.”
Mads laughed uncomfortably. “Oh, right. I keep forgetting. The years just fly by!”
“Sure, they do. Sorry, honey, you’re out of here.”
“No!” Mads wailed.
“If you’re still here when I get back from the john, I’ll throw you out myself.”
Mads hung her head. “Okay.” She and Holly returned to the pool table.
“We’ve got to go,” Mads reported to Stephen, and explained why.
“Poor Mads,” Stephen said. “It’s just as well. They would have killed us at pool. Sean wanted to bet that the losers had to strip. And I’m not wearing my good boxers. Let’s go.”
“I never get to have any fun,” Mads said as he pulled her away.
“Bye, Mads!” Holly said. “I’ll call you tomorrow!”
“So,” Sean said, putting an arm around Holly. “Back to business. I believe I won that game of pool, and I get to ask you anything I want.”
Holly braced herself. “Go ahead. It was my stupid idea. I’m ready to face the consequences.”
“Okay,” Sean said. “Here goes. Holly, my question is this: Do you—”
He stopped for a swig of beer.
“Do I what?” Holly asked. Why was he torturing her this way? Did she like him? Did she know how to do a half-gainer off the diving board? Did she gain weight when she ate ice cream? What?
“Do you want… Wait, I’m really thirsty.” Another swig of beer.
Did she want another beer? Something to eat? To kiss him? To sleep with him?
“Do you want to go to—“
“Just say it!” Holly said.
He laughed. “Okay. Do you want to go to the Hap with me?”
The Hap! He was asking her to the spring dance. Holly hadn’t anticipated that. The realization took a minute to sink in, and then it spread a warm, happy feeling all over her.
“Remember, you have to answer truthfully,” he said.
“Yes,” she said. Why not? She hadn’t been expecting to go, because she didn’t have a date. Now she did. It would be fun to go to the dance with Sean. “And that’s the truth.”
“All right,” Sean said. “That’s done. Another game?”
“Definitely,” Holly said. “Same bet. And this time you’d better not lose, because I’m going to find out all your secrets.”
“No fair,” Sean said. “I went easy on you.”
“Yeah, well, I’m not that nice,” Holly said.
11 Unteachable
* * *
To: mad4u
From: your daily horoscope
HERE IS TODAY’S HOROSCOPE: VIRGO: You’re all the rage today. Oops. I mean, you’re in a rage.
* * *
Mads yanked a dress off the rack and showed it to Lina. “How about this one? Do you think Sean would like it?”
“Don’t you mean Stephen?” Lina asked.
Whoops. “Right, right. Of course I meant Stephen,” Mads said. She held the dress in front of her face so Lina couldn’t see her blushing.
The dress was short, tight, and covered in silver sequins. Sean probably would like it, if she knew his taste.
Which she didn’t. “Actually, I don’t think Stephen would like it at all.”
She and Lina were at the Durban Galleria, shopping for dresses for the Happening. Carlton Bay had a few cute shops near the Marina but not enough selection for a big event like this. They’d asked Holly to come, too, but she said she was busy. With what exactly, Mads wasn’t sure. But she could guess.
Mads had Sean on the brain. She couldn’t stop picturing him and Holly together. Snuggling at the movies, his arm around her. Mads had imagined that scenario so many times before—only with herself in Holly’s place.
And now the dance. Holly was going to the Hap with Sean! She knew that had always been Mads’ dream, but she still said yes. Had she thought about Mads’ feelings for a second?
Calm down, be mature. That’s what Mads kept telling herself. She had Stephen. She started whistling “If I Only Had a Brain.” Knock knock. It was their song now. Dopey, but she loved it.
Mads pulled a red velvet dress off the rack. “Try this,” she told Lina. “I totally see you in red.”
“All right,” Lina said. She handed Mads a sheath of satin on a hanger. “And I see you in white.”
It was beautiful, a white satin 1930s movie star dress.
Mads never would have noticed it on the rack, but now that she looked at it, she knew it was right.
“It really bothers you, doesn’t it,” Lina said.
“What?” Mads said.
“Sean and Holly.”
“No,” Mads said. “I’m fine with it.”
“No, you’re not. You keep picking out dresses Sean would like, as if he were going to be your date instead of Stephen.”
“It’s just a habit,” Mads said. “I’ve been clothes shopping with Sean in mind for a year and a half. It’s hard to stop. But Stephen’s my Scarecrow.”
“You’re sure you’re not upset? Won’t you feel weird when you see them together at the dance?”
Yes, Mads thought. “I swear I’m not upset,” she said, but her hands were shaking. It was a lie. She was very upset. “Holly’s even going to give me a driving lesson tomorrow. She’s going to help me conquer parallel parking. She said that was her favorite maneuver. She aced driver’s ed.”
“She is good at parking,” Lina said. “She’s a natural driver.”
“Unlike me.” Mads waited a beat, hoping for Lina to contradict her, but she didn’t.
“I guess if your friendship can survive a driving lesson, it can take anything,” Lina said.
“Right,” Mads said.
The worst part was, she was afraid to confide in anybody. She didn’t want anyone to think that she didn’t like Stephen, because she did. And she knew that if she told Lina she was angry with Holly, it would get back to Holly somehow. If Holly knew, it might hurt their friendship. Or make her feel weird around Mads. She didn’t know what to do.
Time to change the subject. “What’s happening with that boy who’s in love with Ramona? Making any progress?”
“No,” Lina said. “I’ve tried everything to help him. The Goth makeover was a stupid idea. Since then he’s sent her lots of notes and e-mails…. He even pretended he didn’t like her, but he couldn’t keep that up for more than a couple of hours. She saw right through it. I don’t understand why she won’t give him a chance. He’s a ni
ce guy, and he’s crazy about her.”
“Maybe she senses that he’s mentally ill,” Mads said. “Why else would he like Ramona so much?”
“Stop it,” Lina said. “Besides, she likes mental illness.
The problem is, she thinks he’s too normal for her.”
“But he obviously isn’t, because he likes her,” Mads said.
“Exactly,” Lina said. “It’s totally Catch-22.”
“Cut the wheel to the right,” Holly instructed.
Mads tugged the steering wheel of Holly’s VW.
“To the right,” Holly repeated.
Was there a note of impatience in her voice?
Mads tugged the wheel the other way. They’d been at it for an hour now, all smiles at the beginning, but the tension was rising between them. Mads wasn’t any closer to mastering parallel parking than she’d been when they started. She had lost all ability to tell left from right, front from back, gas from brake, drive from reverse. Her head was a muddle of anxiety, driving instructions and rules and tips slam-dancing in her brain, completely useless.
And being with Holly didn’t help. Every time she looked at Holly or heard her voice, she thought of Sean. And felt that pang. It wasn’t easy to focus on driving when you were in constant pain.
“Now cut the other way,” Holly said. “Left, left! Harder!” She grabbed the wheel to help Mads out. Flustered, Mads let go. Her hands dropped into her lap. If Holly wanted to do it herself, let her.
The car bumped the curb. “Mads, what are you doing?” Holly cried. “You can’t just drop the wheel! You’re supposed to be steering!”
“You had it,” Mads said.
“But you’re the driver!” Holly said.
“Then why were you doing the steering?” Mads asked.
“I was trying to help you,” Holly said.
Neither said anything for a minute. Mads could hear her own breathing, and Holly’s, over the running motor. She couldn’t look at Holly. The space between the two of them felt full of electric energy. Mads was afraid that any move into Holly’s space would give her a shock.
“Okay,” Holly said. “Let’s take a deep breath and try one more time.”