by John Hall
“I don’t think we will. Come on, Paige. Let’s go back outside. We need to start strategizing.”
“You two are worse than Lucy and Ethel,” Paolo called out. “I smell disaster in the making. Mark my words. Whatever you two come up with is going to blow up right in your faces.”
Paige followed Anthony onto the deck and sat on her chaise lounge. “Maybe Paolo is right. Maybe we should just ask him.”
“Forget my brother’s dum-dum advice. He scored really low on his SATs and he’s gone to summer school more than once. I’m the brains of the family and we’re going to figure out a way to land Max for one of us.” Anthony began pacing. “We need to get as close as we can to him. What do we know about him?”
“He wants to be an actor.”
“Do you think Camille could get him a part on The Yields of Passion?”
Paige laughed. “Now who’s the dum-dum? When it comes to her soap, the only person Camille looks out for is herself. And the show tapes in California, remember?”
The only reason Paige was living in New York was because when she was thirteen, her mother had gotten a role in an Off-Broadway play. Unfortunately, the play closed sooner than expected, but by that point Paige had already gone through most of her school year. The ratings for Yields had plummeted since Camille’s exit nine months earlier and the writers quickly went to work fixing things. As a result, Priscilla, who had gone missing in an avalanche, was now alive and well, but had amnesia. She was selling cherry pies in a small town hours away from Harmony Hills and mistakenly believed she was a nun! But Paige decided she wanted to stay in New York and live with her father, Brandon (he was hubby number three of Camille’s five ex-husbands—so far), an investment banker. He was around more often than Camille and also had a live-in housekeeper, Justine. Camille hadn’t offered much resistance when Paige told her she wanted to live with her father.
“We want Max to stay here in New York,” Paige said. “Besides, we don’t even know if he can act.”
Anthony nodded. “Good point. He needs to start out small and work his way up to bigger things.”
“Oooh! What about your screenplay?” Paige suggested. She knew Anthony was working on a screenplay and she’d read parts of it last spring. It was all about a sixteen-year-old Italian boy named Michael living in Brooklyn and working at his family’s pizzeria who realizes he’s gay.
“What about it?”
“Aren’t you going to film it as part of your admissions package for UCLA?”
“So?”
Anthony wasn’t getting where she was going. Sometimes he could be really slow.
“You’re going to have to cast the roles. You’re going to need actors and Max is an actor…”
Paige could see that Anthony had finally connected the dots.
Anthony ran over to Paige and gave her a hug. “Paige, you’re a genius! I’ll offer Max the lead!”
“And having him play Michael could help us figure things out.”
“How do you mean?”
“Well, Michael, your main character, is gay. Maybe Max will have a problem playing a gay guy.”
“Good point. If he turns down the part, then that will tell us something. But what if he doesn’t? What if he decides to take the part? That still won’t tell us anything. A lot of straight actors have played gay. Kevin Kline in In & Out, Tom Hanks in Philadelphia, Robin Williams in The Birdcage…”
“You’re saying he’ll be secure enough in his masculinity to take the part and will see playing a gay guy as a challenge.”
“Yes. But the real test will come when it’s time to do the kissing scene.”
“Kissing scene?”
“Oh, that’s right,” Anthony said, as if suddenly remembering something he’d forgotten. “You haven’t read the rest of the script, have you? I’ve added this great kissing scene between Michael and Dominick, the guy he falls in love with.”
Anthony wiggled his eyebrows at Paige. “Guess who’s going to be playing Dominick!”
chapter four
“I can’t believe I don’t have any classes with Max!”
Anthony slammed his locker door shut and waved his class schedule in Paige’s face. “Seven periods a day and not one class!”
“You do have gym with him,” Paige reminded.
“Gym doesn’t count. You can’t do any socializing in gym class.”
“Girls can,” Paige said smugly. “All we have to do is say we’ve got our period and we’re suffering from cramps. Then we can sit in the bleachers and gossip.”
Anthony stuck his tongue out at Paige. “Lucky you. Unfortunately, I don’t have that option. The guys in my gym class are too busy grunting and throwing some sort of ball at each other, although in my case, I’m usually running away from it. And nobody looks good in gym class. You get all hot and sweaty and wrinkly. I look my worst in gym! At least you’ve got a real class with Max.”
“A.P. History. My toughest class with the toughest teacher at Peppington. What was I thinking?” Paige groaned, leaning against Anthony’s locker. “Practically all my classes are A.P. or College Introductory. I should have taken no-brainer classes like Bianca and Rachel are doing.”
“We talked about this last spring,” Anthony said. “All those advanced classes will look good on your college applications, remember?”
“I know. I know. I just don’t think I’ll be passing any notes to Max. I’ll be too busy taking notes!”
“So you won’t have time to flirt with him in class. There’s got be some way you can get closer to him.” Anthony’s eyes lit up. “I know! You can arrange some after class study sessions with him. You can pretend to be dumb and ask him to explain stuff to you because Mr. Owling’s lectures are so dry and boring.”
“I’m not going to dumb myself down for some guy.”
Anthony ignored Paige’s comment. “And we can make sure you always look good!” He stuck a finger in his mouth and began nibbling on it as he started strategizing. “Maybe come up with a theme for each day of the week. Tropical Tuesdays. Fantasy Fridays. Yeah! We could even dress you up like a biker chick! Why don’t I come over to your place later this week and we can go through your closets. Come up with some outfits that will catch Max’s eye. Better yet! We can go to the Bryant Park Fashion Show next week. I’m sure I can score some passes from my parents. Maybe we can get you some clothes from the new collections. You’ll be one step ahead of all the other girls!”
“That’s awfully sweet of you, Anthony, but I don’t need any new clothes,” Paige said. “Besides, I want Max to like me for me. Not for what I look like.”
Anthony placed a hand on Paige’s shoulder and looked deep into her blue eyes. “Paige, honey, that’s all very hearts and flowers, very Hallmark, but listen very carefully. If Max turns out to be straight, chances are he’s got a copy of Stuff or Maxim under his bed and it ain’t for the articles!”
Paige’s mouth dropped open and she shoved Anthony’s hand off her shoulder. “You’re saying I should dress like a tramp?!”
“Of course not! But what’s wrong with using what you’ve got?” Anthony checked out Paige’s school uniform of a gray plaid pleated skirt, white blouse and gray vest. “You know, if you loosened a few buttons and raised up the hem of your skirt, you could have that naughty schoolgirl look.”
Paige swatted Anthony on the chest as the bell for first period rang. “Hopeless. Absolutely hopeless. Are you sure you’re gay, because you’ve got the mentality of a straight frat boy. Come on, we’re going to be late for homeroom.”
Anthony followed Paige down the crowded hallway.
“Obviously you’ve been figuring out my strategy for landing Max, but what about yours?” Paige asked over her shoulder.
“Other than my screenplay, I don’t have a strategy, so I really hope he takes the bait.”
“You haven’t spoken to him since your party?”
“Nope.”
Anthony couldn’t explain why, but suddenly he�
�d become very shy around Max. Their paths had crossed more than once in the days leading up to the first day of school, giving Anthony more than one opportunity to talk to him. Last week there had been Senior Orientation and Anthony had sat two rows behind Max in the school auditorium. Another day they’d seen each other in the school library when they were both picking up their textbooks. They’d waved and smiled across the crowded library, but that was it. Max didn’t come over to talk to Anthony and Anthony didn’t go over to Max.
Part of him was waiting for Max to seek him out. He was waiting for a sign. Something that he could grab on to. To make him believe that Max liked him and wanted to be with him. He hadn’t told this to Paige—he was too embarrassed—but he couldn’t stop thinking of Max. He was the first thing he thought of when he woke up in the morning and the last thing he thought of when he went to sleep at night. And the rest of the day he was constantly daydreaming about things like their first date or their first kiss.
Why hadn’t Max called him? Didn’t he have a good time at his party? Didn’t he like talking with him?
Anthony shook his head. Maybe he was deluding himself. Hoping for something that wasn’t going to be.
But attraction was a two-way street, he reminded himself. How could someone know you were interested in them unless you let them know it? For all he knew, Max was waiting for him to make the first move. Maybe he’d never had a boyfriend before. Maybe he still hadn’t come out.
“So why haven’t you spoken to him?” Paige asked again.
Anthony shrugged. “I don’t know. I’m having a hard time figuring him out. Maybe he’s had his heart broken and he’s afraid of falling in love again.”
“If that’s true, then you’re perfect for each other.”
“Huh?”
“What you said about Max could also be said about you. Are you scared of putting yourself back out there? Is that why you’re staying away from Max? You can’t be afraid. Not every guy you meet is going to be like Ian.”
Anthony’s mouth dropped open.
“How did you know?”
Paige gave Anthony a smile. “I’m your best friend. Give me a little credit. And I know what you’re going through, remember?”
“Jeremy Lacter,” Anthony said.
“Jeremy Lacter. You know how he broke my heart sophomore year the day before the Spring Fling when he got together with his ex-girlfriend, Sheena Wolverton, and told me he was taking her to the dance instead of me. I locked myself in my bedroom for a week, cried nonstop, and wouldn’t see or talk to anyone.”
“How could I forget? When you finally emerged from your bedroom it looked like raccoons had nested in your hair! And let’s not talk about your face!” Anthony shuddered. “I thought I was going to faint! We had to get you an emergency visit to my mother’s salon. Thank God Jorge had an opening.”
“Do you remember what you said to me when my hair was being shampooed? You told me that Jeremy was a jerk.”
“I also told you that looking good is the best revenge,” Anthony quipped. “You should have listened to me and gotten those blond highlights!”
Paige ignored Anthony’s wisecrack. “You told me that I had to forget what had happened and move on because if I didn’t put myself back out there, if I didn’t start dating other guys and trusting them, Jeremy would be winning. You have to do the same thing.”
“I know, I know. You’re right. But it’s hard.”
Paige squeezed Anthony’s hand. “Trust me, it gets easier.”
Anthony and Paige walked into their homeroom and took two seats at the back of the room. Hopefully they’d have a homeroom teacher cool enough to let them sit where they wanted instead of an anal-retentive one who would insist on having everyone sit in alphabetical order. The fact that their homeroom teacher hadn’t show up yet was a good sign.
“Guess who’s in almost all of Max’s classes,” Anthony said.
Paige looked up from the notebook she was writing in. “Who?”
“Felix.”
Paige bit down on the end of her pen. “It makes sense. Felix probably helped him pick his classes.”
“And made sure he wasn’t in any of mine.”
“Felix would do that?”
“All’s fair in love and war.”
Anthony wondered what Felix had told Max about him. Felix’s style wasn’t to publicly trash someone. Oh, no, he was too smart for that. Felix liked to cover his tracks. That way he always looked innocent and nothing could be traced back to him.
Could Felix have told Max that he was gay? Was that why Max was keeping his distance? But that theory didn’t make sense. Max was hanging out with Felix and Felix was gay.
Plus, if Max were gay, Felix probably wouldn’t want him to know that Anthony was gay. Why help out the competition?
And if Felix knew that Anthony had the slightest interest in Max, well, he’d do everything he could to sabotage things.
Anthony knew he’d have to be careful around Felix.
Very careful.
Just then their homeroom teacher entered the room. It was Pamela de la Vega, who taught Spanish to sophomores and juniors. The late-twentysomething teacher was laid-back, but she didn’t take any bullshit from anybody. The year before she’d given the Torres twins Fs on their year-end term papers. The theme of the assignment had been to do a biography on a noted Hispanic figure in popular culture. Ms. de la Vega had been thinking along the lines of Frida Kahlo, Carmen Miranda or even Ricky Martin. Instead, Bianca’s paper had been on Speedy Gonzalez from the Warner Brothers cartoons while Rachel had chosen to write about Bumble Bee Man from The Simpsons.
Paige leaned over her desk to whisper in Anthony’s ear as Ms. de la Vega started taking attendance. “Can I give you some advice?”
“Sure.”
“Today’s your first gym class with Max. Find a way to talk with him.”
“I don’t know if I’ll be able to,” Anthony whispered back.
Paige pointed her pen at Anthony. “Do we have a question that needs answering or don’t we?”
Anthony chuckled, and Ms. de la Vega looked in their direction. “You’re right, we do!” he whispered.
chapter five
“Only seventy-five more school days until Christmas vacation,” Bianca said, tossing her Gucci shoulder bag onto the floor while taking a seat next to Paige in the school auditorium for afternoon assembly.
“Are you counting down the days already?” Paige asked in disbelief.
“Aren’t you?”
“It’s only our first day back!”
“I wish it was still summer vacation.”
“Look, I chipped a nail,” Rachel said, taking a seat on the opposite side of Paige.
She pulled out her cell phone and dialed a number. “Hello, Ling? I need to make an appointment this afternoon. It’s an emergency. You have to fix a nail.” Rachel examined the rest of her nails. “Actually, why don’t we do all of them. My pinkies are looking a bit ragged and I could use a new color. Something autumny.”
“Can’t you just do that yourself?” Colleen asked, joining the group and taking the aisle seat next to Bianca.
“It never looks as good as when it’s done professionally,” Rachel said.
Colleen rolled her eyes. “Whatever.”
Paige stifled a giggle. Rachel and Bianca were such girly-girls, always worrying about the way they looked, while Colleen went with the flow. If she needed to dress up, she did, but she was usually dressed casually. Bianca and Rachel, on the other hand, always looked ready for a fashion spread in Elle magazine.
It was strange how the four of them had become friends. Separately, they had nothing in common, yet as a group, they seemed to click.
Paige had become friends with Colleen first. It was Paige’s first day at Peppington Prep and no one had gone out of their way to make a place for her at their table as she’d walked into the cafeteria with her lunch tray. Except Colleen.
Every day after that, they ha
d lunch together. They didn’t get to hang out much after school, though, because Colleen’s mother had her signed up for every kind of lesson imaginable. But when they were able to get together—for a movie or a trip to a museum or just a day of shopping—they always had a fun time.
What Paige loved about Colleen was her confidence. Yes, she was larger than the other girls in their class, but that didn’t matter to Colleen. Nor did the catty comments about her weight; about how she could be such a pretty girl if she only lost a few pounds; of how she could get a boyfriend if she were thinner. Colleen ignored it all—she liked what she saw when she looked in her mirror. If no one else did, tough.
And Paige knew there was more to the twins than met the eye. Yes, they were pampered princesses, but that was because they were treated that way by their father. When Paige was at their house, she’d heard their dad say things like: “You don’t need to worry about working. All you have to do is look pretty and one day get married. Your husband will take care of you and manage all your money someday.”
No wonder the twins paid more attention to their clothes, and boys, than to school!
Paige felt that that was also why they were so obsessed with trying to become celebrities. She felt like they were trying to prove themselves to their father and that made her sad.
Because she knew what it felt like to have a parent who ignored you. It was one of the reasons why she had bonded with the twins. But they were also very funny, and sometimes you just needed to have a friend who was silly and made you laugh.
“Think Ling can squeeze me in?” Paige asked Rachel. “We’ll have a girls’ afternoon.”
“Not a prob!” Rachel said reaching for her cell phone.
“So, have you checked out some of the hot new guys?” Colleen asked.
“High school boys!” Bianca sniffed disdainfully. “So immature! We need to start expanding our horizons! And I know exactly how we can do that.” Bianca looked around to make sure she wouldn’t be overheard. “There’s a keg party at one of the fraternities this weekend up at Columbia.”
“No! No more keg parties!” Paige said firmly. “Remember what happened the last time we went to one? You drank too much beer and I wound up holding your hair back from a toilet.”