Can True Love Survive High School?

by Natalie Standiford

  “Josh isn't a big partier, Mrs. Fowler,” Rob said. “Britta's brain cells will be safe with him.”

  Britta came down the stairs in a neat blue skirt, preppy white sweater and a headband holding back her curly hair. They left the house and climbed into Rob's mother's big black SUV. They drove a couple of miles to Nick Henin's house, where they were meeting Josh, Lina, Mads and Stephen.

  Nick's house was a big, showy glass cube at the end of a quiet street. The Henins had gotten rich off a candy bar made especially for people allergic to peanuts. The cube glowed in the night, and through the windows Holly could already see a crush of mingling bodies.

  Lina, Mads, and Stephen met them near the front door. Mads, small, dark-haired and creamy-skinned, was dressed for action in platform sandals and a mini-skirt. Stephen, tall and thin with straight brown hair and an air of sophistication about him—at least compared to the oafs around him—held her hand. Holly was glad to see things were going well with them. They'd only been dating a short time, but Mads had wanted a boyfriend for so long, and it looked like Stephen was going to be her first real one.

  “It's packed,” Lina shouted over the music. “I think every kid in town is here.” Holly was surprised to see that she was wearing purple eye shadow and mascara on her brown almond-shaped eyes. Tallish, athletic, with shiny black hair, Lina wasn't usually a big makeup wearer, other than lip gloss.

  “Hi, Britta,” Mads said. “Are you nervous?”

  Britta shot an annoyed glance at Holly. “Did you tell everyone that you're fixing me up tonight?”

  “No,” Holly said. “Just Mads and Lina. They're my Dating Game partners. We always consult each other on matches.”

  “There's Josh,” Rob said, nodding toward a sandy-haired boy with heavy black glasses. He was sitting on the chrome-and-leather couch in the living room, spotted Rob, and waved. Mentally Holly gave him her stamp of approval. How could Britta go wrong? He was quick to smile and nicely balanced between cool and geeky. Britta's first love. She should thank me, Holly thought. Since they'd started the Dating Game, Holly had made many successful matches, and she was proud of her record.

  Holly followed Rob to the couch, dragging Britta behind her. “That's him?” Britta whispered.

  “Isn't he cute?” Holly said.

  Britta didn't answer. Holly said hello to Josh and introduced Britta. “We'll go get some drinks,” Holly said. “Rob, come with me?”

  She and Rob walked to the open kitchen and peeked back at the happy couple. “Do you think he likes her?” Holly asked.

  “They've only known each other two seconds,” Rob said.

  They grabbed some sodas and waited a few minutes before turning back to watch Josh and Britta. Josh sat down on the couch and gestured to Britta to sit next to him. Britta hesitated. She looked around the room. Then she shook her head, said something, and walked away.

  “What is she doing?” Holly whispered. She dropped the drinks on a table and chased after Britta. Rob made a beeline for Josh.

  Holly caught up with Britta as she was about to enter the bathroom. All right, Holly thought, maybe everything is okay. She just had to go to the bathroom.

  “I'll be right out,” Britta said. Holly waited. A few minutes later Britta reappeared.

  “Can we go now?” Britta asked. “I'm ready to leave.”

  “What? Don't you want to talk to Josh for a few minutes?”

  “No. I don't like him.”

  Holly couldn't believe it. “How can you not like him? You hardly know him.”

  “I just don't. I could tell as soon as I saw him that he wasn't right for me. Sorry.”

  Holly clenched her teeth to keep herself from snapping at Britta.

  “Go back there and talk to him,” Holly said. “You haven't given him a chance. You can't tell anything just by looking at him. And besides, what's wrong with the way he looks? I think he's cute.”

  “I just don't like him, that's all,” Britta said. “So can we leave?”

  “We just got here,” Holly said. “Give it a little more time. Even if you don't hit it off with Josh, you might have fun. Talk to people! Relax!”

  “Okay,” Britta said. “I'll try.”

  “I'm going over to talk to Rob and Josh,” Holly said. “Want to come with me?”

  “I think I'll take a look around the house,” Britta said.

  Rob was sitting with Josh. “What's going on?” Josh asked when Holly sat next to him.

  Holly shrugged. “I'm sorry, Josh. What can I tell you?

  She's not used to parties. I think she's just nervous.”

  “Nervous?” Rob said. “She spent two seconds with Josh before she ran away. That goes beyond nervous. That's more into crazy territory.”

  “All right, extremely nervous,” Holly said. “I left her sulking outside the bathroom.”

  “So … she doesn't like me?” Josh asked. He looked hurt, and Holly felt terrible.

  “Yeah, Holly,” Rob demanded. “What's her problem?”

  “It's not that,” Holly lied. “She's never had a boyfriend before, and I guess she's still not ready. Don't worry, Josh. Yo u won't have any trouble finding a new girlfriend.”

  “Seems to me I'm already having trouble,” Josh said.

  “It's not you, it's her,” Holly said. “And I'm not just saying that.”

  Holly and Rob spent another hour reassuring Josh that he wasn't the biggest loser at the party. They finally got him to go outside with them and sit on the deck where Mads, Stephen, and Lina were sipping beer. Holly was annoyed with Britta—how could she be so snotty?—and avoided her until the party started winding down, when she finally wondered where Britta was and what she'd been doing all this time.

  She found Britta sitting on the spiral staircase, deep in an intense conversation with a guy. He had short black hair and an unremarkable face except for a slight overbite that made Holly think of a rabbit. He was dressed kind of farmerishly in a red flannel shirt and dark jeans. Holly had never seen him before.

  “Britta,” Holly said. “Are you ready to go home now?”

  Britta turned, her eyes shining, her face calm and happy as if she'd been hypnotized.

  “Already?” she said. “It's still early.”

  “No, it isn't,” Holly said. “It's almost midnight.”

  “Oh. I guess I'd better go,” Britta said to the guy.

  “Wait,” he said, taking a pen and a scrap of paper from his pocket. He handed them to Britta, and she scribbled something down.

  “Who was that guy?” Holly asked Britta at the door.

  “His name is Ed Reyes,” Britta said in a gushy, awestruck voice. “And he's the most wonderful guy who ever walked the earth.”

  “What?” Holly glanced back at the guy, who waved to Britta. “He looks pretty average to me.” Possibly even below average, she thought, but she kept this to herself.

  “He's amazing,” Britta said. “Holly, I think I'm in love.”

  5

  Touched

  To: mad4u

  From: your daily horoscope

  HERE IS TODAY'S HOROSCOPE: VIRGO: When you play with guns, there's always a chance you'll shoot yourself in the foot.

  * * *

  Oh, Papa, I know what you're thinking. I can read minds now, remember?” Mads stood spotlit on stage at the Carlton Bay Playhouse, eyes closed, rubbing her temples in her best—or rather, worst—imitation of a girl reading someone's mind. She was doing a scene from Touched. In the front row sat M.C., Audrey, and the director, Charles Huang, and a few other people associated with the theater. Backstage, other auditioning actors watched as Mads chewed the scenery.

  “You're wondering why the cows won't give up any milk,” Mads said. “You're wondering if you're going to lose your dairy farm. But Papa, if you'd only listen to me! I know why the cows have gone dry. It's the Visitors, Papa. They scared the cows. The Visitors from the Great Behind!”

  Her eyes popped open dramatically and she threw her arm
into the air as if pointing meaningfully toward the sky. The actors backstage tittered. M.C. called from her seat, “Beyond, honey. The line is `Visitors from the Great Beyond.'”

  “Oh, sorry,” Mads said, even though she'd done it on purpose. It was her third mistake so far. The audition was going even worse than she'd planned. “Should I try it again?”

  “That won't be necessary,” Charles Huang said. “Just finish the scene and you'll be done.”

  Finally. Mads spat out the last few lines. “Did you ever hear of ESP, Papa? Because I think I have it. I think I have Extra-Sensory Perspiration.”

  More giggling from backstage. Mads took a bow. “Thank you, Madison,” Charles said, not bothering to correct her. “Nice job. Next—”

  Mads left the stage and sat beside her mother. “You stank,” Audrey whispered. “I told you she would suck.”

  “Honey, what happened up there?” M.C. asked. “I've never heard you make so many mistakes before.”

  Mads shrugged. “Stage fright, I guess.” They'd have to be insane to cast me now, she thought with satisfaction. I don't have to do the play, and I still get to go to Stanford with Holly! My life is golden!

  “Anyway, I'm out of here,” Mads said, gathering up her bag. She'd brought her bike to the theater, knowing that M.C. would be there all afternoon watching boring auditions. Mads had done her part; she didn't want to hang around any longer.

  “Be careful on the roads, honey,” M.C. said. “Do you want to go with her, Audrey, or stay?”

  “Stay,” Audrey said with grim determination. She wanted to see every actress auditioning for Little Mariah. Audrey wanted that part, and she needed to reassure herself that the competition wasn't good enough to override her obvious advantage of being the playwright's daughter.

  “Fine, bore yourself to death,” Mads said. She started up the aisle. The theater door opened, casting a shaft of blinding sunlight into the darkened auditorium. Mads reached for the door, passing the two people who'd just come in. She looked back at them. It was Jane Cotham— and Sean! What were they doing there?

  “Hey, kid,” Sean said as he followed Jane down the aisle.

  The sight of him—especially so suddenly, so unexpectedly—jolted Mads. She stopped and watched them, dazed, until they disappeared backstage. Sean. He was like a force field to her. And Stephen wasn't there to counteract his power.

  Should she go back in? Should she stay and find out what he was doing there?

  Thank god he didn't see my audition! Mads thought. But maybe someone will tell him about it—like Audrey. I'd better get out of here.

  She unlocked her bike and pedaled home, wondering at every block if she should turn and go back. There was only one obvious reason why Sean would be at the theater: he was auditioning for a part in the play! And Teen Mariah had a boyfriend—and she got to kiss him. What if Sean got that part?

  Mads wanted to kick herself. I should never have blown my audition! she thought. What if I've missed a chance to kiss Sean?

  6

  True Love Defined

  To: hollygolitely

  From: your daily horoscope

  HERE IS TODAY'S HOROSCOPE: CAPRICORN: You're getting mushy on me, Capricorn. Bring back your old hardheaded self—please!

  * * *

  Ican't believe how different you look,” Holly said to Britta at lunch on Monday. Instead of her usual nondescript overalls or baggy corduroys, Britta was wearing a pretty burgundy skirt and a clingy white knit top. She hadn't cut her hair or changed her glasses, but her face glowed. She was blooming.

  “Thank you,” she said. “I feel different, too. Holly, you were right. There's so much more to life than studying!”

  They settled in a corner of the lunchroom by the window. It was the last lunch period of the day and the room was clearing out.

  What could have brought about such a sudden change in Britta? Holly was dying to know. “Tell me everything,” she said.

  “I can't believe it's only been three days since I met him!” Britta said, speaking of Ed Reyes, the boy she met at Nick Henin's party. “It feels like a lifetime.”

  Aha! Holly's matchmaking prowess strikes again! Okay, so Ed wasn't the match she had planned for Britta. The important thing was that she saw a void in Britta's life and helped her fill it.

  “He picked me up at noon on Saturday and we spent the whole day together,” Britta said. “I mean the whole day. I didn't get home until after midnight! I've never done anything like that before. My parents didn't know what to think.”

  Holly tried to remember if she and Rob had ever done that. “What did you do all day?”

  “For a while we just drove around and talked. He told me all about himself, and I told him all about myself. Not that there's much to tell. But he's so interesting. He's a sophomore in college in England! But his father lives here. So he's visiting. We drove to the beach and we found this adorable little house, with nothing else around it, right on the water, with a ‘For Sale’ sign out front. And Ed said, ‘Let's look inside.’ I was afraid to. I mean, it's trespassing, and anyway I thought the door would probably be locked. But it wasn't. So we went inside. It's the sweetest little house! It's completely empty and the electricity is turned off and everything. But you can see the ocean from the second floor, and hear the waves … ”

  Holly imagined Ed and Britta holding hands like a newlywed couple, pushing open the door of a pretty little vine-covered house filled with a watery light from the sea. “It sounds so romantic,” Holly said.

  “We sat on the floor and talked some more. He's really smart. But he's had a hard time with his parents and everything … Then we got hungry, so we got back in the car. We couldn't find a place to eat that seemed right. We were in this particular mood, you know, and we didn't want to ruin it by going to some noisy restaurant. So Ed pulled into a shopping center and told me to wait in the car. A few minutes later he came out with two big shopping bags and drove off. I asked him where we were going and he said it was a surprise.”

  Holly raised an eyebrow. After all, Britta barely knew this guy. “Were you scared?”

  “Scared?” Britta said. “Why?”

  Holly shrugged. “I mean it was nighttime and he wouldn't tell you where he was taking you—”

  “You wouldn't say that if you knew him,” Britta said. “He took me back to the house. The little house by the ocean. He'd bought a flashlight and candles and a blanket and some takeout food and everything. We sneaked inside and he lit some candles and we had a romantic dinner right there on the floor of the house.”

  Holly was impressed. “Oh my god! That is incredible.”

  “I know,” Britta said. “We stepped out on the deck and looked at the moon on the water. And he kissed me.”

  “Wow.” Holly closed her eyes. Why didn't anything like this ever happen to her? Holly wondered. It was like a dream!

  “My parents wanted to kill me by the time I got home. He wanted to see me again last night but I was afraid they'd say no. I mean, Sunday night. A school night. So I told them I was going to meet you at Vineland to study.” Vineland was a popular café.

  Holly's eyes popped open. “You did?”

  “And I sneaked back to the little house to meet him. But on the way I stopped to pick up some food and we had another romantic dinner.”

  Holly wanted to go back a step and clarify something. “You told your parents you were with me?”

  “You don't mind, do you?”

  “Well, no, but you should have asked me first. I didn't go out last night. What if your mother talks to Jen and finds out?”

  “You're right…. Next time I'll warn you.”

  “Okay.”

  “It's just that he's here for such a short time—only a few weeks!” Britta said. “So we have to spend every possible minute together.”

  They were really in love. Holly was blown away. She didn't know anybody who was this much in love. Not where the love was mutual, anyway. Sure, Mads loved Sean but
he hardly knew she was alive. And Lina and Dan … that wasn't even worth thinking about. Holly didn't think of Mads' and Lina's crushes as real love. They were impossible, unattainable. Nothing would ever come of them, either one. But this … this was different.

  It had all happened so fast—and to Britta of all people.

  Holly thought about the last evening she spent with Rob. Saturday night, she went over to his house. They played video games. Holly actually liked video games; some of them, anyway. And she remembered thinking what a good time she had with Rob. They didn't have to do anything special; they got along so well they could just pal around like buddies.

  Like buddies. While Britta and Ed were having candlelight dinners in an abandoned beach house, she and Rob were blasting aliens and making nachos in the microwave. It was like two different worlds. One so immature and everyday—so high school—and the other so passionate and romantic. Worldly. Grown-up. Serious. Holly envied Britta. Suddenly her own life seemed humdrum, drab, excitement-free. Pathetic.

  “It's incredible,” Holly said to Lina and Mads at Vineland later that afternoon. “I mean, did you see her today? She's transformed.”

  “It's true, I almost didn't recognize her,” Lina said. “She looked lighter, or something.”

  “And she suddenly has a fashion sense,” Mads said. “How did that happen?”

  “It's—it's true love,” Holly said. “I think it is.”

  “They only met three days ago,” Lina said.

  “She hardly knows him,” Mads added. “How could it be true love already?”

  “It was love at first sight,” Holly insisted. “Mads, you of all people—”

  “Say no more.” Mads held her hand out to stop Holly from going further. “I know what you are going to say, Boobmeister, and you're wrong. Sure, I fell in love with Sean at first sight, but I never said it was true love.”

  “For one thing, Sean doesn't love her back,” Lina said.

  “Well, and for another thing—” Mads didn't want to dwell on that aspect of it “—I'm with Stephen now, so how can it be true love if we're both with other people? Plus I really like Stephen and I might fall in love with him, too, who knows?”