Landry in Like

by Krysten Lindsay Hager

  “You wouldn’t!”

  “You just toe the line, little lady, and it won’t be a problem.”

  The photographer’s assistant came back and called me to come to the set. I made a face at my mother, who lifted her phone to take another shot.

  The assistant made a face when he saw me and called someone over to fix my hair. She came over with the biggest can of hairspray I had ever seen and proceeded to spray it right in my face.

  “Ooh, my eyes,” I said, putting my hands up.

  “Don’t! You’ll smear your mascara,” she said.

  “I have hairspray in my eyes.”

  She rolled her eyes. “You’re fine.”

  “They’re stinging.”

  “I’ve used this spray to set girls’ makeup before.”

  “Can you check the can to see if there’s a warning about blindness?” I asked.

  She threw up her hands and walked away from me. The assistant walked up to me and told me to blink repeatedly and roll my eyes back and forth in my head.

  “We do this all the time and no one’s ever gone blind,” he said in the same fake soothing tone Mrs. Urich used on her dog when it was time to go to the vet.

  They had me sit on a little perch. The photographer didn’t like the way the veil was on my head, but the stylist said my hair wasn’t thick enough to place it higher up. He gave her a grunt and a glare, and she began backcombing my hair and spraying it. Then she put about a million hair pins in it to where my scalp felt like a pin cushion.

  “Ow, um… can you see if I’m bleeding?” I asked, trying to make it obvious she was hurting me.

  She stopped and stared at me. “Don’t get blood on the dress and veil.”

  Well, then don’t stab me. This stupid veil was giving me the worst headache and I was sure my hair was going to be knotted for life after this.

  After what seemed like an eternity, she was done torturing me and the photographer started shooting pictures. I was thrilled when he said we were done until that woman came to take the veil off my head. There was so much of my hair still stuck in the headpiece after she removed it. I went to the mirror and my scalp was so red, you could see it through my hair. Gross. My eyes were super red, too, from the spray, and I heard the photographer complain he would have to fix my irritated eyes in his photo editing program. Well, buddy, then maybe don’t have your assistant mace me next time.

  We left and I felt like sleeping for days. As soon as we got home, I crawled into bed and pulled out my phone. I saw a text from Vladi saying he had just watched my cable access show appearance.

  Vladi: You were great! I just showed it to the guys during our water break at practice. You did amazing. I’ll get home too late to call you tonight, but I’ll call you tomorrow. You were awesome.

  I noticed there was a square at the end of the text like he had intended to put an emoticon in there, but it didn’t show up, so I had no idea which one it was. It could be a smiley face or something, which was no big deal, but what if it was something more important? Should I ask him what it was supposed to be or let it go? Curiosity got the best of me, so I texted back that the picture didn’t show up. I thought he’d ignore it or say it was no big deal, but he texted back a picture instead and it was of… a heart. A little yellow heart. I immediately called Ashanti, who said she was putting “yellow heart” into a search engine to see if it had a deeper meaning.

  “Maybe he just did yellow because pink is so… you know, lovey,” I said. I had questioned why it was yellow, but I never thought to look it up.

  “Yeah, or maybe it means something,” she said. “We have to be sure.”

  Oh man, what if it meant his heart was feeling sickly now or something. Would that even make sense?

  “Okay, one site says it means, ‘pure honest love,’ one says, ‘heart of gold,’ and another said… it just means love for a friend,” she said.

  “What do you think?”

  “We need a third opinion on this and I can’t ask Jay because I don’t want him to know I overthink stuff, which I do, but he doesn’t need to find that out. So we could three-way call with someone else.”

  Devon would read into it. Plus, she was open and didn’t hold back, so she’d bring it up in front of people. Nope. No good there. India might be helpful, but then she’d tell Devon.

  “Peyton?” I asked.

  “Good choice. Call her.”

  Peyton could only talk for a minute because she was practicing for her piano lesson, but her mom let her get on the phone. We filled her in and waited for her response.

  “Well, I’ve never had an actual boyfriend, but… from what I get from guys, I don’t think they overthink stuff like that, so I think it was just a heart. Like, I like you, but it wasn’t pink because he didn’t want to be all serious and say, ‘I’m in love with you,’ and all, so with yellow it’s as if he’s saying… he’s ‘in like’.”

  “I think she’s right,” Ashanti said. “He’s saying he’s ‘in like’. This. Is. Major.”

  “Well, yeah, he asked me to be his girlfriend, so I know he likes me.”

  “No, Landry,” Ashanti said. “Not that kind, but the like-like kind. The step before you say the other l-word. He’s not saying he just likes you, he’s saying he’s ‘in like’ with you.”

  Oh wow. That was major, but was she right?

  “Peyton?”

  “I think it’s what this means, too. He doesn’t seem like the kind of guy who randomly texts hearts to girls, and he’s never done that with you before, right?” she asked.

  “Nope. I got a smiley and stuff, but never, ever a heart.”

  “My sister knew her boyfriend was into her when he started texting her hearts,” Peyton said.

  “Yup, Vladi stepped it up. He’s ‘in like’,” Ashanti said. “This confirms it.”

  I suddenly lost control of my mouth muscles and I started smiling all big and stupid. I wanted to believe what they were saying and, after all, Peyton didn’t just say stuff meaninglessly. I was going to be smart about this, but it just made me realize how much I liked him, too

  “So what did you write back?” Peyton asked.

  “Um… well, nothing. I called you guys.”

  “Oh wow, I wasn’t thinking about that! How much time has passed?” Ashanti asked. “You have to write back or else he’ll wonder what you’re thinking and if he, you know, said too much too soon.”

  “What do I say? I don’t want to write anything. Can I just put a smiley?” I asked.

  “Do you want him to break up with you?” Ashanti asked.

  Peyton had to get back to her lesson but wished me luck.

  I had no idea what to text back. Another heart? Suddenly my own heart was beating a million miles per minute.

  “What are you gonna do?” Ashanti asked.

  “I’m just going to write what I’m thinking. I’m going to text back, “Aw, cute,” so it’s like I’m acknowledging the heart and showing I’m not scared off or anything by it.”

  “Perfect.”

  I texted Vladi back and he must have had his phone nearby because he wrote me back immediately.

  Vladi: Glad you liked it.

  He had a bunch of those smileys that blushed next to it.

  He was “in like.” I was “in like”. Life. Was. Perfect.

  Chapter 24

  Mom ordered pizza for dinner and wanted to watch my interview that we recorded on TV. I got out the plates and we sat down. Man, I had a photo shoot, pizza for dinner, my boyfriend was “in like” with me, and now Mom and I were going to watch me on TV? This was practically the perfect day. Well, other than the head stabbing thing at the photo shoot.

  “So what did your friends say about your TV appearance?” Mom asked, taking a bite of her pepperoni pizza.

  “Um, well, Ashanti, Peyton, and Vladi thought it was great, but I’m sure no one else saw it yet because of homework and afterschool practices and stuff,” I said, not mentioning I didn’t tell too many pe
ople about it.

  “Don’t be silly. I’m sure everyone went to look it up online.”

  I doubted it. Well, maybe they stopped to look and see if I did anything stupid. I shrugged.

  She hit play and the interview went pretty much as I remembered it, only it seemed like I was talking a lot faster and at a higher pitch. It was like a cartoon chipmunk had taken over my body. Did I actually sound like that? At least I had stopped the weird deer-in-the-headlights wide-eyed blinking thing. The whole interview was over pretty quick and I hadn’t made a fool of myself, so that was something.

  “I’m sure they’ll all be talking about it tomorrow. You were great. I bet your teachers will be impressed, too,” Mom said.

  I got ready for bed and my phone lit up as I was pulling up the covers. It was Vladi texting and asking if he could call me. I dialed his number.

  “Hey,” I said. “What’s up?”

  “Nothing, I just like hearing your voice before I go to sleep,” he said, and I could tell he was smiling over the phone.

  “Me, too,” I said.

  “You did amazing today. I told you you’d be great, didn’t I?”

  “Yeah, well, you calmed me down with your advice. I was so nervous before that, and there aren’t a lot of people I can talk to about that — well, other than Peyton.”

  “What about Ashanti?” he asked.

  I bit my lip. “Lately she’s been kinda into her own stuff.”

  “Is she ignoring you?”

  “No, she’s just doing a lot more with the girls from the cheer squad.”

  “And you’re afraid she’s not going to have time for you?” he asked.

  “Yeah, pretty much. How did you know?”

  “I can always tell when something’s bugging you,” he said. “Girls can be flighty that way, but she’s always been a good friend, so I’m sure she’ll come around. And you always have me to talk to. I’m not going anywhere — promise.”

  “It’s nice to have someone to count on.”

  “Same here and I love that I can tell you anything. That’s not easy to find,” he said.

  “Yeah, I know.”

  “I better get to sleep, but I’ll call you tomorrow. Texts are okay, but like I said, I love hearing your voice right before I fall asleep.”

  “Me, too.”

  “Night, cutie,” he said.

  Just knowing I could count on him made me feel a lot better about the whole Ashanti situation.

  Chapter 25

  Mom had built up my expectations a bit for the next day, so when I got to school the following morning, I expected someone to say, “Hey, way not to make a fool of yourself on TV.” But instead I got nothing. Now, I didn’t, as Ericka put it, expect the world to stop for me, but if one of my friends or classmates had been on TV, I would have watched it and said, “Nice job” or “That was great,” even if she or he stunk, just to be nice. Instead, I walked up the path to school and stood there wondering if I should bring it up because I finally had news to share or to just be quiet and not call attention to myself and have to deal with any jealous drama later.

  I went over to stand with Tori and Ericka.

  “Hey, Landry,” Tad Johnston said as he came over. “My mom and I watched you on TV yesterday. You did a nice job. I didn’t know you wanted to go to business school.”

  “Thanks, Tad. I—”

  “Oh, that was soooo funny when you said that, Landry,” Yasmin said, walking over to us. “I was dying. I mean, you barely get through math. Soooo funny.”

  I didn’t know what to say. Part of me was so surprised Yasmin even watched my interview, much less admitted to it, that I stood there stunned.

  “Yeah, I was… totally joking,” I said.

  “I liked your lipstick,” India said. “So pretty.”

  “I’m surprised your mom let you wear so much makeup, or did they make you so you wouldn’t look horribly washed out on TV?” Yasmin asked.

  “Um… no, I just put some on.”

  “I assumed they made you to wear it, too,” Ericka said, now standing next to Yasmin and nodding in unison with her like they were besties. I suddenly wanted to stop talking about the interview or, failing that, go back in time and never tell a soul I was even doing one. Maybe I could go back in time and not go on the dumb show in the first place.

  Devon must have overheard something because she was suddenly at my side.

  “So, Yasmin, what is up with you and Kyle?” she asked. “I feel so dumb. I thought he was going out with Arianna, but then I heard you guys were back together? Is that true?”

  Yasmin’s perfect Cupid’s bow mouth grimaced as she said everything was, “Just fine,” but you could tell it wasn’t. The bell rang and we all headed inside.

  “Did you watch the interview?” I asked Devon.

  “Yeah, you were fine,” she said.

  I was going to tell her about the text heart, but she was already halfway down the hall. Well, at least she had interrupted my humiliation.

  I got to class and Thalia was excited to see me.

  “Landry, you were awesome on the show,” she said.

  “Landry, you were soooo awesome,” Stuart said mimicking her.

  Thalia stared down at her desk. I swallowed hard.

  “Thanks, Thalia,” I said. “I was super nervous.”

  “Yeah, Landry’s so famous,” Yasmin said.

  She was giving me a big smile, but her eyes weren’t smiling at all and I didn’t know how to react. If I said, “Oh, I’m not famous,” people would think I thought she was serious and they’d and laugh at me, but if I didn’t react at all, then they might think I thought I was too good for them — like it was beneath me to get excited about it. It felt like no matter what I did or said, someone wasn’t going to like me.

  I just gave a fake smile and pretended to be busy taking out my homework to give me something to do. But it happened again when I got to math class.

  “Look, it’s the big TV star,” Kyle said.

  Kyle could be a jerk, but sometimes he said things all nice and sincere so I never knew how to take him. Thalia called him a “passive aggressive mean girl,” but I didn’t want to make him mad at me either. If he was on your side then life was good and everybody liked you, but if you got on his bad side… ugh. Prepare for the worst. He didn’t even have to do anything. He’d just get Stuart and the other guys to take care of it for him, which was why Thalia had such a hard time some days with gum stuck in her locker. Someone even threw a piece of gum in her hair once.

  “So can I have your autograph, Miss TV Star?” Kyle asked, slipping a piece of paper in front of me.

  Oh man, what did I do now? I stared at the paper, and he slipped the pen into my hand and put his arm around me. Then I had a brainstorm and wrote “Kyle is awesome” on the paper and handed it to him.

  He glanced at it and laughed. “I will save this for when you’re on all the magazine covers. Oh, and I’m trading pens with you so I can say I have a souvenir from you,” he said taking the baby blue pen Devon had written my name on with a permanent marker when she was bored in science class.

  Phew! Crisis averted — for now — until lunch when I overheard Yasmin in the cafeteria telling people how I had been flirting with Kyle in math class and how she was super upset. What? How had that been flirting? I had done the note thing to save my own butt. The girls were in line ahead of me and we were separated by a group of seventh graders.

  “But you’re in that class, and Landry couldn’t be that dumb to flirt with him in front of you,” Halle said.

  I couldn’t tell if Halle was saying I wasn’t that stupid or if she was questioning my intelligence — insult or standing up for me? Hmm.

  “And Landry has a boyfriend, remember? Plus, he’s cute, so I can’t see her going after Kyle.”

  Yasmin shrugged. “I wouldn’t put it past her. She always goes after what other people have. I mean, you, Ashanti, and Maggie were all best friends, and then she came al
ong completely uninvited and tried to steal Ashanti from you guys. She’s so fake. I mean, all her friends stopped talking to her so she goes after Ashanti? So lame.”

  Halle shifted. I knew she and Ashanti used to hang out a lot more before I came along and you could see she wasn’t sure what to say. Meanwhile, I was wondering if anyone else was listening in and if it was obvious I could hear them at the back of the line or not.

  “I’m just saying, I wouldn’t trust that girl,” Yasmin said. “Someone should warn that Vladi guy about what she’s like.”

  My stomach dropped. They couldn’t tell Vladi some fake rumor about me. He might think I was flirting with a bunch of guys behind his back.

  “Whatever,” Halle said. I started to relax until Halle added, “Vladi’s super cute. He’s probably cheating on her anyway.”

  And welcome back super sick feeling. Ugh. The line moved up. I picked out a turkey sandwich and some fruit and walked over to Devon’s table where Tori was already seated. Ashanti waved me over, but Halle, Yasmin, and Maggie were heading toward her. There was no way I could deal with them right now.

  “What’s up?” Devon asked. “You look like you’re going to puke.”

  I told her what happened in the lunch line.

  Devon rolled her eyes. “Yasmin’s always looking to stir up drama. Her own life must be so boring she has to make stuff up.”

  I took a bite of my sandwich.

  “Seriously, she’s not going to say anything to Vladi,” Tori said. “The only way she’d do that is if she thought he might get interested in her instead, but… oh… well, maybe she would then.”

  “Way to be comforting, Tori,” Devon said. “I have Yasmin in my English class later. I’ll tell her one of the freshmen guys asked me about her at the last game we were both at, and she’ll forget all about it.”

  “Did one of them ask about her?” Tori asked.

  “Yes, but what he said was, ‘Who is that idiot with the big head who thinks she’s hot and what is she doing blocking the aisle?’”

  We all started laughing.

  “Sorry, but I haven’t been on her side or Kyle’s since the whole cheerleading tryout thing,” Devon said.