Then she’d linked to my lawyer’s website where my official statement was posted along with the news that a lawsuit was being filed against both the tabloid that printed the story and the “person” who’d sold the false information.
I stared at the site, dumbfounded, until my mom braved entering my room. “You’re not paying attention to those people, are you?” she asked, worried.
I sighed, turned off my computer, and then sat down on my bed. My mom quickly joined me.
“Apparently it was so bad that Robin didn’t want me to see it. She’s disabled the forums and I’m sure she went to school hours early today to go on a deleting spree.”
My mom forced a smile. “She’s a good friend.” After a long weary sigh of her own, she pulled me against her for a tight hug. “I know I should tell you to ignore it and not let it hurt you, but when I can’t seem to follow that advice myself, I don’t see how I can give it.”
That started me off again, which brought on my mother’s tears. We sat there and cried together until I had it all worked out of my system. “Am I doing the right thing with all of this, Mom?” I asked when I was ready to face the situation.
“Oh, Val,” my mom said. “You’re doing a wonderful thing, but I don’t know if there’s really a right or a wrong here.”
“Everyone is so mad at me. I never have time for my friends, Cara hates me now, and Zach—” My voice broke. “Mom, I don’t want to quit, but sometimes I don’t even know why I’m doing this anymore.”
“You’re doing it for people like me.”
My mom and I both jumped at the intrusion. “Your dad let me in,” Olivia explained, barging into my room without waiting for an invitation. “I think you exaggerated my reputation a bit that day in the cafeteria,” she said. “But I understand why you were upset. I knew hooking up with Zach would hurt you I just didn’t care because it felt good to be the one he dumped you for.”
I wasn’t sure how to respond to that. I think it was as close to an apology I’d ever get from Olivia, but even that much was unprecedented. I couldn’t believe she was being real about something for once.
Olivia wasn’t the awful person I thought she was. I’d judged her a little harshly. We’d spent more time together since she became the prom committee chair, and I’d seen that beneath the evil exterior there was a decent human being inside her. She was just buried really, really deep beneath the surface.
Olivia tugged at the abstinence bracelet she’d been wearing around her wrist for the last few weeks. “I did stuff with guys I didn’t love because it made me feel beautiful, and special. I thought I needed that in order to be worth something,” she said, with an awkward shrug. She smoothed out her skirt. “I was wrong, though. I don’t need guys telling me I’m beautiful to know that I am anymore. I am special. I have a great fashion sense and a talent for making things beautiful. It’s like with the prom committee; I’m doing a good job with it.”
“You are,” I agreed honestly.
“We’re going to have the most amazing prom ever, and I’m a part of that. And I’m having fun with it. You showed me that, Val. You and your crazy V is for Virgin campaign, and your constant rejections of Kyle Hamilton showed me that being physical with someone isn’t the only way to make me feel good about myself. I owe you for that.”
I was downright shocked.
“Which is why,” Olivia continued, ending the rare glimpse of her softer side, “even though your best friend is completely self-obsessed, I’m not going to let you ruin your relationship with her.”
“You what?” I asked. The conversation had changed so abruptly I’d failed to keep up.
Olivia rolled her eyes. “I’m here to take you to the concert tonight. I’m going to make you look fabulous, and then I’m going to make you face all those idiots out there who are celebrating your downfall.”
I was spared having to answer because Isaac knocked on my open door. “Hey.”
“Hey,” I said reaching out my hand to Isaac. He sat down on the bed next to me and I smiled for the first time since Kyle dropped me off the day before. “What are you doing here?”
“We were worried about you,” he said then looked to the door where Stephanie and Robin had followed him in to join the unplanned party. “Zach found me at school today. He told me about the picture.”
I was surprised Zach had bothered. “He talked to you?”
“He didn’t do it,” Isaac explained. “He broke up with his girlfriend last week and I guess she was really mad about it. She stole the picture from him. He wanted to apologize but you weren’t at school so he found me.”
“Oh.” I didn’t know what else to say, but understanding what happened made me feel a little better.
“You know I never thought you guys hooked up, right?” Isaac asked, looking really upset. “I knew it was some kind of misunderstanding. I knew you wouldn’t cheat on me any more than I believed you guys did what the papers claimed.”
“Thanks.” Though I suddenly felt guilty for all the time I spent with Kyle yesterday when I hadn’t even called Isaac.
“I’m sorry I didn’t call you,” I said, forcing Kyle from my thoughts. “I was just…”
“Hiding?” Olivia asked bluntly.
Robin gave her a dirty look but I nodded. “Hiding,” I agreed.
“Well it’s time to stop,” Stephanie said forcing a bright smile on her face. “We’ve come to take you to the concert.”
My stomach lurched. Going to the concert was the last thing I wanted to do. Not only would it be like the lecture yesterday times a million, but Kyle would be there and I wasn’t ready to face him.
I could have said no to Olivia, but blow off Steph and Robin? I was relieved to hear Isaac’s sigh. “Steph,” he said warily.
“No, Isaac. She needs to go,” Stephanie turned to me with a rueful smile. “We know how much Cara means to you. You’ll hate yourself if you let one concert ruin your friendship.”
“And you won’t be alone, okay?” Robin added quickly. “We’ll be with you the whole time, no matter what happens.”
“All of us,” Stephanie agreed. “Lacy, Dev, Mason and Jeff are all downstairs waiting for us.”
Robin nodded. “You can do this, Val.”
I looked at Isaac. He seemed reluctant but shrugged his shoulders. “I don’t think it’s a good idea, Val. You know how Kyle is. He can’t resist a spectacle. If you show up tonight he’s only going to make things worse for you.”
I knew Isaac was right. Even though Kyle had helped me out yesterday there was no way he’d be able to resist the ultimate Kyle Hamilton/Virgin Val showdown at his first “S is for Sex” concert in front of thousands of his fans.
“But Cara promised he wouldn’t do anything if she came,” Robin said.
“I’ve heard Cara promise that before,” Isaac replied. “She can’t control him.”
I agreed with Isaac. I didn’t trust Cara’s promise. But I’d also never seen her so mad before. It was possible she might never forgive me. If I didn’t go tonight, I could lose my best friend. I didn’t know what to do.
“It’s a stupid concert, Val,” Isaac said, frustrated. “It’ll happen whether you’re there or not. Maybe it’s important to Cara, but what about you? Aren’t you important to her? Why are you always the one to give in that friendship? You’re her best friend too. She should want to support you once in a while. She’s being too selfish this time.”
My mom squeezed my hand. “Maybe Isaac’s right, Val. Maybe this time you should just lay low until the whole Zach accusation blows over. The Tralse fans are out of control. Cara loves you. She’ll understand.”
I wasn’t so sure about that, but Isaac was right. Cara should have been a little more supportive this time. “She is being really selfish,” I admitted.
Olivia interrupted with a loud groan. “Cara is always selfish! This isn’t about her.”
“Of course it is,” I said, not understanding what she meant.
&nb
sp; “No it’s not. This is about you. You’re Virgin Val! You need to act like it. Stop hiding. It’s pathetic. Go to that concert. Show the world that that story didn’t break you, and that you aren’t afraid of what people think about you. If you don’t, you’re going to let a whole lot of people down.”
“She’s not a machine, Olivia,” Isaac snapped.
Olivia shrugged unsympathetic. “She made herself a role model. Her actions have consequences now.”
Olivia was right, and her no-nonsense attitude was exactly what I needed. It was just like Cara’s. Everyone always thinks I’m so strong, but I’m not. I’ve always leaned on Cara’s strength, and now that she wasn’t there, I was going to lean on Olivia’s.
Isaac saw the determination creep into my eyes and sighed. “I’m sorry,” I told him. “Please don’t be mad.”
“I’m not mad. I’m concerned. Somebody has to look out for you.”
I managed another genuine smile. “And I love that you do. But Olivia’s right. I need to go.”
Isaac gave up. “All right,” he said helplessly.
“Will you come with me this time? I’d really rather not face the world without you.”
Isaac sighed again. He didn’t want to go. He hated the media attention, and as the boyfriend of Virgin Val, he’d had his fair share. I knew all the craziness of my life made him uncomfortable, and I wouldn’t normally have asked him to come, but I wasn’t sure I could do it without him this time. He must have understood that because he agreed to come, and he even tried to look excited about it.
“Thank you,” I said and then forced myself to my feet.
Stephanie and Robin pounced on me and pulled me into a fierce group hug. Then Olivia took over, asked everyone to leave my room including my mom and turned average old Valerie Jensen into Virgin Val, the off-limits knockout.
“V!” Cara squealed when I found the section of seats that had been reserved for our little group of friends.
Even though we were second row center, I was still surprised to see her down in the seats. “I thought you’d be backstage,” I said enduring the overexcited hug she gave me. I wanted to make things better, but I was still mad, and it made it worse that she was acting as if nothing happened.
“Of course not!” she said, still squealing. “I knew you would come! I just knew you wouldn’t leave me hanging like that. I’m so glad you’re here! The guys will be excited too. They haven’t seen you in forever.”
“Kyle had better behave himself,” Isaac warned. “Val’s had a really bad week and she doesn’t need any of his stunts tonight.”
Cara rolled her eyes. “You’re such a worry-wart Isaac. The guys know all about Val’s little sex scandal. I explained everything to them.
“Kyle’s going to leave me alone tonight, though, right? I honestly can’t handle him right now.”
“V.” Cara’s tone was almost condescending. “Relax. I told him you’re super upset over the Zach thing. He knows what kind of horrible stuff people are saying about you right now. Trust me. Everything’s going to be okay.”
“You promise?” I asked.
Cara rolled her eyes again, but she smiled. “I’ve got your back, V. I swear.” She hugged me again. “Thank you for coming tonight.”
I could only manage a grimace in response, but I did hug her back.
The concert wasn’t so bad. The songs from the album really were good, and Tralse definitely puts on a good show. My friends let Isaac and I sit in the middle of our little group in order to keep us as hidden as possible, but, honestly, Tralse’s rabid fans were too focused on the stage to notice that I was there. Eventually I managed to relax and enjoy being out with my friends. Even Isaac was able to forget it was Kyle and just have a good time.
It didn’t happen until the very end of the concert. The band had just ended the show, but I knew they weren’t finished. There was one song they hadn’t performed yet.
Even though, according to Kyle, every song on the “S is for Sex” album was about me, “Cryin’ Shame” was still my song. It was also still the crowd favorite. There was no way they’d play a show and not play that song.
Sure enough, after the lights went up the cheers from the fans turned into a chant. “Cryin’ Shame! Cryin’ Shame! Cryin’ Shame!”
The band had left the stage but after a minute the noise got so loud that Kyle moseyed back out to center stage. “What’s that?” he asked the crowd. The wicked grin on his face caused my blood pressure to spike. “You guys want to hear Val’s song?”
The crowd went so crazy the entire stadium shook. Kyle laughed and then gestured for everyone to quiet down. “You guys all see the tabloids yesterday?”
The audience erupted in a chorus of boos.
“This isn’t good,” I mumbled.
“You want to go?” Isaac asked.
“Definitely.” I scrambled for my purse but Isaac already had it in his hands.
“No!” Cara gasped when I started to push past her. “Val, don’t go,” she pleaded. “It’ll be okay.”
“Cara—” My argument was drowned out when Kyle began to speak again.
“I had something I wanted to say about that. It’s come to my attention that my fans have been championing me rather vigorously online. I heard you broke Twitter for a couple of hours on my behalf.”
At this, the crowd went nuts again and Kyle had to settle them down once more. “As flattered as I am that my fans care so much about my feelings, I’m going to ask that you please stop harassing my favorite virgin.”
The stadium erupted into a round of obnoxious boos as Kyle’s fans voiced their dislike of his request.
“Now, now,” Kyle said, patronizing his audience. “The picture was tampered with. I got the story straight from the source and Val is, in fact, still saving herself for me, so do you think you can stop with the name-calling and the hate mail? Please? For me?”
He stuck out his lips in a sexy pout and batted his eyelashes. I think a few girls actually fainted.
The answer from the audience was an enthusiastic yes. It made Kyle’s entire face light up. “Glad to hear it,” he said. “But you know? I think maybe we all owe her an apology. A little birdie told me she’s here tonight. What do you think? If I get her up here would you guys tell her you’re sorry?”
I didn’t notice the roar of the crowd. I was too busy gaping at my best friend. “You told him I was here? You promised me no Kyle tonight!”
I felt so betrayed that my eyes got all glossy as I fought the urge to cry. Cara rolled her eyes. “V, he’s just apologizing. It’ll help fix your reputation. It’ll get people off you’re back. I thought you’d want that.”
Before I could respond the house lights went out and a spotlight clicked on, blinding me. Of course they knew where I was sitting. They’d given me the tickets. This whole night had been planned ahead of time. I’d been set up by my best friend.
“There’s my girl!” I heard Kyle say.
I ignored him. I knew my face was up on the Jumbotron, and that I was being watched by the entire arena, but I could only stare at Cara.
“He felt awful about his fans trashing you,” Cara said. “He’s trying to make it right. He just wants to sing you a song.”
“Come on, Val!” Kyle shouted from the stage. “Don’t be shy. Come on up here and let everyone tell you how sorry they are.”
I glared up at Kyle and then turned back to Cara. “I guess there was one good thing about coming tonight after all.” My voice shook with both hurt and fury. “At least now I have absolutely no doubt that it wasn’t me who ruined our friendship.”
Cara’s mouth dropped open. “What is that supposed to mean?” she asked. I’d never seen her eyes so wide, or her face so pale.
I shook my head. She’d gone too far this time. “You guilted me into coming here tonight so that your friends could exploit me! You lied to me! You promised me Kyle wouldn’t do anything, and then you helped set me up!”
“Looks lik
e she needs a little persuasion,” Kyle taunted from up on stage.
“V—” Cara whispered. She looked like she finally felt bad—like she finally understood how I felt. It was too late.
“No,” I said. “I’ll miss you, but I’m done trying to be your friend. It’s not worth it anymore.”
I turned to Isaac, who looked like he wasn’t sure whom he wanted to punch more—Cara or Kyle. “Take me home?” I asked.
Isaac breathed a sigh of relief and wrapped a protective arm around me.
“Val, you can’t,” Stephanie whispered.
I looked up and Stephanie, Robin and Olivia were all smiling apologetically at me. “Listen to them,” Olivia said, gesturing to the crowd.
That’s when I noticed the crowd egging me on. I’m not sure when it had started, but the entire stadium was calling out my name in perfect synchronization. “Vir-gin Val! Vir-gin Val! Vir-gin Val!”
“You have to go up there,” Robin said.
“But—”
“Just get through the song, and then let Isaac take you home,” Stephanie said.
Isaac’s arm tightened around me. “You don’t have to do this, Val.”
But I did. What kind of person would I be if I didn’t accept Kyle’s apology? I hated the attention, but I wasn’t a complete snob. I wasn’t going to be ungrateful that he was making an effort. Especially not when I owed him for saving me yesterday.
Isaac felt me give up and let out a frustrated breath.
“Meet me backstage after?” I asked him, and then made my way up to the stage and whatever stupid plan of Kyle’s awaited me there.
I was met in the aisle by two huge security guards who cleared a path to the stage, and then lifted me up into Kyle’s waiting hands. When Kyle pulled me to my feet his eyes traveled the length of my body. “Ah, Sassy,” he said longingly. “My old friend!”
Of course when Olivia had ransacked my closet earlier and found my Gucci mini, I was allowed to wear nothing else. I admit I was glad that Olivia had forced me to dress up tonight, but it bugged me that Kyle knew my skirt’s name. As if Cara’s betrayal hadn’t stung enough, apparently she shared all our secrets too.