Competing With the Star (Star #2)

by Krysten Lindsay Hager

  Lucas? What about Morgan using her as a hat rack? “Oh?”

  “He’s flirting with me whenever Reagan is out of sight. So lame. Does he think he’s so hot that I won’t care he’s got a girlfriend?”

  “Does she know he does that?” I asked.

  Her dark eyes widened. “You’re not going to say anything, are you?”

  “No, of course not.”

  “Do you swear?” Her brown eyes narrowed at me. “Promise?”

  “I promise. Plus, it’s kind of in my favor if Reagan and Lucas stay together. I mean, otherwise she’s sniffing around my boyfriend like a dog at a hydrant.” I realized how that came out and slapped my hand over my mouth.

  Pilar burst out laughing. “That. Was. Awesome. And yeah, I couldn’t believe how she was talking in front of you at the pizza place. That was so messed up.”

  “I don’t want to talk behind her back—I hate how Morgan does that—but it hurt my feelings that Reagan did that in front of me,” I said. I wondered if Pilar would see me as weak now for admitting that and not just bad mouthing Reagan.

  “I felt bad for you and it was obvious you were upset. It didn’t help your man poured a truckload of soda on you after he got so flustered over it.”

  I nodded. What I really wanted to talk to her about was Simone, but she was friends with her, and Pilar was used to the backstabbing stuff. Why would she be loyal to me and keep my feelings to herself when all her friends talked behind each other’s backs.

  “I don’t trust Reagan at all,” she said. “She knew I was into Lucas and then said, ‘Oh, but you’re cool with it, right?’ Like, what am I going to say? ‘No, die, you stupid jerk’? So I went along with it. Like I always do.”

  “I saw Lucas winking at you before he got on the carousel.”

  She stared at me, surprised. “Did you tell anyone?”

  “No. I felt bad they made you hold all the bags though.”

  “That sucked. I still like him though. I can’t help it, but thanks for not saying anything. They’d blame me for encouraging him even though I didn’t do anything,” she said.

  “I know you didn’t. I saw you look away.”

  All of a sudden I heard someone yelling and people rushing over.

  “It’s okay, she’s just having a panic attack,” Asia said. “She’s going to be fine.”

  Pilar and I exchanged a nervous look and went over to where we saw Simone sitting on a milk crate all sweaty and gasping.

  “You’re going to be okay,” Asia said, rubbing her back. “You got out just fine and you’re safe.”

  Simone looked up at me with her face glowing from sweat. One of the workers handed her a bottle of water.

  “Is everything okay?” Nick asked, running over. “Simone, are you all right?”

  She nodded. “I felt so trapped in there. I thought I knew where I was going and all of a sudden there was this wall and what I thought was the way out wasn’t and I-I totally freaked out. Sorry everybody.”

  Nick knelt down next to her. “You’re safe now. No worries.”

  She stared at him with her round blue eyes and nodded. “Yeah, safe.”

  “Do you want me to take you home?” he asked.

  “No, I don’t want to ruin everyone’s night. And I want to stay for the fireworks,” she said. “I’ve always loved fireworks.”

  She got up and went with Morgan to the bathroom.

  “I hope she’s okay,” Nick said, coming over to me.

  “I’m sure she’ll be fine.” I felt a little weird about his hero to the rescue routine, but I guess he was only looking out for his friend. Still, I couldn’t pretend I wasn’t feeling insecure about the fact that friend happened to be the girl who made me feel insecure on even my best day.

  “We’re supposed to meet my mom over by the stands before the fireworks begin. Is that cool?” he asked.

  “Yeah, my mom and Mrs. Hendrickson are meeting us there as well. They rode over together.”

  “Is your grandmother coming with them?” he asked. “I need to know if I’m going to be interrogated.”

  I laughed. “No, they went to South Haven for an art show tonight.”

  We walked toward the stands and I was a little nervous about our mothers meeting for the first time. I had met his mom a few times and he knew my family, but what if our mothers didn’t like each other?

  “Hadley! Over here,” my mom said, waving us over. “I just met Mrs. Jenkins. Turns out we met at that painting night I went to last month.”

  “Yes, your mom painted the best starry night in our class.” Nick’s mom laughed. “I brought some snacks. Have you kids eaten?”

  We sat on the picnic blankets they had set out and I sent a text to Charlotte about where we were.

  Charlotte: Deidre feels pukey after all the cotton candy she ate, so we’re going to head home. Call you tomorrow.

  Then I got a text from Asia asking where we were sitting. I texted her the directions to our blanket and pretty soon the rest of the group was there. Part of me had been hoping for some time alone with Nick, but I guess that wasn’t realistic seeing as how both our moms were there. Reagan walked over and I saw Mrs. Jenkins’ lips press together in a grimace.

  “Hi, Mrs. Jenkins,” Reagan said.

  “Mmhm,” Mrs. Jenkins said, nodding.

  I glanced over at Nick, who was watching Morgan hanging on Connor’s arm. Simone didn’t look too happy about that and she sat next to Asia and me on the blanket.

  “You feeling better, Simone?” Nick asked.

  “Uh-huh,” she said, and I saw her smile as Connor pulled away from Morgan.

  Nick moved his arm so it was resting right behind me. It wasn’t technically around me like a romantic gesture, but his arm was touching me and showing we were together, yet my mom couldn’t stroke out over his arm’s careful placement.

  “I have to go to the bathroom,” Simone said, getting up. “I’m not using the porta ones. Where are the closest restrooms?”

  “They’re over by the main stage,” my mom said.

  “You’re not going by yourself in this crowd,” Simone’s mom said. “I’ll go with you.”

  Simone made a face.

  “We’ll go with you,” Nick said, and she shot him a smile.

  “He’s so thoughtful,” Mrs. Hendrickson said. “Why can’t you find somebody like that, Simone?”

  “Yeah, I’m so sweet. Why can’t you find somebody like me?” he asked, smirking.

  Simone rolled her eyes and I knew they were just friends, but sometimes it made me feel weird to see what an easy back-and-forth they had. Sure, they had known each other for a long time, but Nick used to spend all his free time with her since he was good friends with Pilar’s brother, Kevin. I mean, she told me he was always talking about me to her.

  Nick reached over and held my hand as soon as we were away from our parents. I started to relax a little. Of course they were joke-y around each other. They were practically like brother and sister. No big deal. And he wouldn’t be holding my hand in front of her if he was interested in her anyway.

  “You got quiet,” Nick said, smiling at me. “What’s up?”

  “Nothing,” I said.

  We walked up to the restrooms and I started to follow Simone in when Nick tugged my arm.

  “Wait a sec,” he said. “You know, this is the first time we haven’t had people watching our every move.”

  Then he wrapped his arms around my waist and smiled at me. I felt like I was melting and my cheeks flushed.

  “You know what would be nice?” he asked. “A date where we’re alone. Don’t get me wrong, group dates are fun, but maybe we could do something with just the two of us soon.”

  I nodded. “Char’s coming over tomorrow, but do you want to watch the football game Sunday at my house?”

  “Sounds perfect,” he said, and then leaned over and kissed me.

  It was the first time we had a long kiss and it was exactly like all my YA novels de
scribed the perfect kiss—like the rest of the world had drifted away and there was just the two of us and we were so, so happy.

  Then he kissed my forehead and just held me for a minute and I never wanted to go back to where our parents were sitting. I just wanted to stay like this forever—in a place where everything was perfect and we were happy.

  “Okay, one more kiss and I’ll let you go to the bathroom,” he said, leaning over.

  Simone came out of the restroom as I walked in. I went inside and went in the first stall.

  “How awkward is it that Simone Hendrickson is with Nick Jenkins and some other chick?” said a voice a stall or two over.

  “Oh, I know! I wonder if that’s to make her jealous or what? You can tell he still likes Simone so much.”

  “It’s so obvious he never got over his crush on her,” the first girl said. “And they’re together all the time.”

  “Yeah, I think before she saw him as a brother, but now it’s clear there’s something there.”

  “Well, he looks older since last summer. It’s like he matured super fast.”

  “He got hot. He was cute before, but now he’s hot.”

  “The way he ran to her side when she was freaking out over the fun house—oh my gosh, so sweet.”

  “They’re adorable together, don’t you think?”

  “Yeah, but I feel bad for the chick he’s with. She’s seems clueless about what’s going on right in front of her face.”

  “Mmhmm, but she looks young and dumb, so she’s probably just happy to be with him and not expecting it to last.”

  I stood there feeling all the blood drain away from my face. I wanted to scream and cry, but all I could do was feel my stomach twist up. I prayed I wouldn’t throw up. Simone and Nick? No, this couldn’t be happening. She was supposed to be my friend—my guide to get me through high school. I trusted her and counted on her to be there for me. And Nick wasn’t just my boyfriend—he was my best guy friend. And even though I hadn’t gotten the courage to say it to him, I was in love with him. He was the last thing I thought about before I went to sleep, and just knowing he was out there and on my side, supporting me in everything I did, made life seem a little easier. I thought it was us against the world, and now, according to these girls in the bathroom, the “us” I believed in might not even be real.

  I blinked back tears and tried to convince myself they didn’t know what they were talking about, but they seemed so sure of themselves. The worst part was they hadn’t seen me walk in, so they had no clue I was standing there listening to all of this. This wasn’t some set up to make me feel insecure or stupid—it was just some random thing where I overheard the worst thing I could possibly hear.

  I waited for the girls to wash their hands and leave before I left the stall. Going into the bathroom I had been the happiest girl in the world, and now I looked at myself and I saw what they did—a clueless idiot who thought she had a dream, but in reality she was just something to pass the time until her boyfriend could be with the one he truly liked.

  Simone came into the bathroom then.

  “Hey, you okay?” she asked. “You’ve been in here for a while. Are you feeling all right?”

  She seemed concerned, but was it real?

  Nodding, I focused on washing and drying my hands. I followed her out of the bathroom and saw Nick standing with his arms folded, talking to some people. He glanced over and smiled at me—or was it at Simone?

  I walked over to him, but she went to talk to some older guy. Nick frowned.

  “Why is she talking to him?” he asked.

  “Who? Why do you care?”

  He kept his eyes on them. “Because Chase is her jerk of an ex. He never treated her well and she’s gotta be stupid to give him the time of day. I’ve always hated that guy.”

  I shrugged. “That’s her problem, isn’t it? Not yours.”

  He looked down at me. “Yeah, but she’s my friend and I don’t want her to get hurt again. You should have seen how upset she was the last time he dumped her. She cried for hours.”

  “Well, she’s obviously not over him and who can blame her? He’s…” I tried to think of what to say, but words were failing me, so I went with the first thing that popped into my mind, “…super hot.”

  Nick frowned at me. “You think he’s hot?”

  “Yeah, he’s, like, the cutest guy here.”

  “Gee, thanks,” he said, turning away. “C’mon, let’s get her and go on back.”

  This time he didn’t take my hand as he walked over to Simone and told her we were heading back.

  “Whatever, go without me. I’m going to stay with Chase,” Simone said.

  “Yeah, but your mom didn’t want you walking back alone, so you need to come with us,” Nick said.

  “It’s cool. I’ll walk her back,” Chase said.

  “Simone, seriously, come on,” Nick said.

  “Just go without me.”

  Nick’s mouth was set in a firm line as he started to walk away from them. I had to half run to keep up.

  “He’s such a jerk. What does she see in him?” he asked. Then he stopped and looked over his shoulder at me. “Oh, I forgot, he’s super hot. Who could resist him?”

  He looked hurt. Normally I’d reassure him that I didn’t find Chase cute, but my feelings were all in a jumble after what I heard in the bathroom. And frankly, his knight in shining armor routine of running to Simone’s rescue wasn’t putting my insecurities to rest at all.

  “I can’t believe you’d go for a guy like that,” he said, and then he looked over my head.

  “Whatever.”

  “He’s not my type.”

  “Oh, so hot isn’t your type. Thank you,” he said. “This night is getting better and better.”

  “Why do you care so much what she does?”

  He stopped and stared at me. “I told you. He practically destroyed her confidence last time they dated and I don’t know why she’d even give him the time of day. I’ve known her forever and I have to look out for her.”

  Well, maybe that’s all it was—him watching out for her like a sister, but then he added, “And I care about her.”

  My stomach rolled. Maybe it was true and he did have feelings for her.

  We walked back to our moms and he was no longer trying to hold my hand. After we sat down, he grabbed a cookie and focused on it as we sat in silence. I felt so alone even though he was sitting two inches from me. My perfect, sweet boyfriend—the one who told me I could always count on him. Did the perfect guy even exist, or was Nick someone I made seem even better than he was in reality?

  “Do you want the last cookie?” he asked. I shook my head. “Want to split it?”

  I took the half. Well, that was thoughtful. As I chewed the cookie, I racked my brain, trying to see if I could recall any questionable moments between Simone and Nick. He finished his cookie and stared straight ahead at the stage even though there was nothing going on up there. His arms were wrapped around his knees and he was focused on something in the distance. A few minutes ago his focus had been all on me. I leaned back on my elbows, feeling miserable.

  “Nick, will you get me another water?” his mom asked.

  “Yeah, sure,” he said, getting up. He asked my mother if she wanted anything and then turned to me. “Do you need anything?”

  It sounded more like an afterthought. I shook my head.

  “Want me to come with you?” I asked.

  “Whatever,” he said.

  I got up to follow him so my mom wouldn’t wonder why I didn’t go along. He walked in front of me and I could barely keep up.

  “If you didn’t want me to come, why didn’t you just say so?” I asked.

  He turned around. “I thought maybe you wanted to stay behind in case Chase walked by.”

  So he was jealous of Chase. Fabulous.

  “Why don’t you go find Simone? It’s obvious you can’t concentrate until she’s safely by your side,” I said, an
d turned around to walk back. I thought he’d stop me or at least follow me, but when I glanced over my shoulder he was nowhere to be found.

  I stopped to get cotton candy and buy myself some time before I went back to the blanket and had to answer where Nick was and why I was alone. But after I paid for it, I realized I had no clue which direction our moms were. Oh crap, I left my phone sitting on the blanket too. My eyes darted around like a lost little kid and I felt like yelling, “I need an adult! I need an adult!”

  I scanned the area and everything looked the same—spots of blankets and people—everyone looked alike. Where were my mom and Mrs. Jenkins? And where was Nick? Oh right, he was out looking for another girl while I was standing there like a lost sheep. My life sucked. And seriously, I was alone for two seconds and managed to get lost? What a mature, independent woman I was. Ugh! So lame.

  At least I had cotton candy to give me something to do while I turned around, trying to spot the blanket. Then I reached into the plastic bag and felt the bottom. Crap, I was out of candy and I was starting to look weird standing alone and staring. Where did lost teenagers go when they had to admit they had failed at maturity and independence? Here I was hoping my mom would see how adult-like I was and let me go on a real date with Nick and now I was proving I couldn’t be left alone for a minute—not that it mattered since Mr. Wonderful was just using me to pass the time until his dream girl was over her latest crush.

  “Hadley?”

  I turned around and Lucas was standing there. Fighting back the urge to hug him, I asked how he was.

  “Okay. I was with Reagan, but she ditched me for someone else and now I can’t find where I was sitting. This night sucks. Who are you sitting with?”

  “Nick, Simone, and our moms, but I got turned around and I have no idea where any of them are.”

  “Want to go get a soda or something?” he asked.

  We walked over and got something to drink.

  “Can I ask you something?” he said. “Why are girls so flakey? I mean, why did Reagan come with me and then ditch me when some older guy came along?”

  “Girls aren’t the only ones like that. Guys do stuff like that too.”

  “I don’t.”

  He looked sad and it was a side of Lucas I had never seen—a sensitive side. Now I realized why Pilar still liked him.