Darby busted through my doorway before Tess and I had finished up.
“You will not believe this.” Darby held out her phone. “You’ll never guess who just called. Oh my, I don’t know. It’s crazy—I mean, like, totally crazy.”
“What is it?” Tess and I asked, jumping up at the same time.
“It was a producer. For the Mandy & More Show,” Darby said.
“I love that show,” Tess said. “‘Tough love for today’s woman.’”
“They want to fly us to New York tomorrow to be on the show Monday morning.”
“Because of…,” I started.
“Because of the story last night. The producer, Adrian something, must have seen it, and they were already going to do a show on talking to your teens about sex, and now they want to have us on it. Can you believe it?”
“Us?” I sank back down into my chair, suddenly feeling sick.
“You don’t have to do it, but I’m going. How could I say no?”
“You just say the word no. It’s easy. One syllable,” I said.
“That would be so cool. I wanna go. I could tell them that I’ve decided to be totally abstinent now,” Tess cut in.
“What?” I asked.
“Darby was very convincing in that interview,” Tess said.
Darby grinned, her face all lit up. She really was a completely new person.
Darby walked over and sat on my bed, then turned my chair so that we were facing each other.
“Mom’s already mad at me. Now she’s going to hate me,” I said.
Darby shook her head. “Mom’s not mad at you. She’s mad at herself, and me. But you didn’t do anything wrong. You’ve done nothing but help me. Sometimes hard things are good for us. And doing the show, that’s totally your call. You don’t have to.”
I glanced over at Tess. “Think of it as cheerleading.” She clapped her hands twice and then lifted them in a pose. “Nooooo sex!”
“It’s not exactly what I saw myself doing, you know?” I said.
“But that’s how things happen sometimes,” Darby said. “You fall into them. Think of the difference we could make, Mallory. You and me.”
I took a deep breath and blew it out slowly. I was already in the middle of it all. But if I was being honest with myself, I didn’t want to be. Not anymore. Step 12 was about bringing the message to others. But I couldn’t do it—at least not this way.
I shook my head. “I think you’re the one who can make the difference. You don’t need me. I kind of want to live a normal, boring life. This is your passion, but I know it’s not mine.”
Darby hugged me. “You’re sure?”
I nodded. “If you’re okay with me not going.”
“Of course. You have to do what’s right for you. And I know I need to do this. Thank you, Mallory. None of this would’ve happened if it wasn’t for you.” She hugged me again and then left to call the show back.
“You just turned down meeting Mandy Oliver! You could have been the world’s most famous virgin.”
“I don’t want to be the world’s most famous virgin. I don’t even want to hear that word anymore. Seriously, can we ban it from our vocabulary?”
Tess laughed. “Ours maybe, but you’ve already been crowned the Virgin Queen of North County. You never know, though, maybe someone will get arrested or get caught sleeping with a teacher, and it’ll deflect all the attention.”
I could only hope.
CHAPTER 22
Once Tess went back to the Bakers’ house, I headed downstairs to find Mom, Dad, and Darby at the kitchen table. I was not in the mood for another family meeting. I tried to sneak back upstairs, but Dad waved me over. I slipped into a chair.
Darby said, “I was just telling Mom about the show.”
“I don’t understand. Why can’t we move on and put all this behind us? Why do you need to go on national television and tell the whole world?”
“Mom, I’ve told you. I think I can help others not make the same mistakes. I need to do this,” Darby said.
“Why can’t you leave it alone?” Mom looked at Darby as if she were from another planet. Totally incomprehensible.
“Why can’t you understand?” Darby said.
Mom switched tactics. “It’s too much pressure for you. The doctors told us that we have to make sure not to bring too much stress into your life. I’m trying to protect you.”
“I know. I know you are. But I can handle it. I promise you.”
We were all silent.
“Well, I’m not going to let you go up there alone,” Mom said finally.
Dad spoke up. “I’ll go with her if you want me to… or you can go.”
Mom was quiet for a few minutes. “I’ll go.”
Mom and Darby were both gone by the time I woke up the next morning. I decided to tag along with Dad and go to the wedding he was shooting. Anything to avoid reality a little while longer. Things were good with Liam and Tess, but I still wasn’t eager to go back to school and face anyone.
On the way, Dad called the cell company to get my phone number changed. The house phone was unplugged from the wall, but I needed my phone. I couldn’t bear to look at any more evil texts. Once it changed over to the new number, I texted Liam and Tess. For the first time since the newscast, my phone finally stopped buzzing every second.
At the wedding, I watched Dad do his magic, confident and calm. It relaxed me. That was what passion looked like. Like a perfect fit. I couldn’t imagine my dad doing anything but photography.
On the drive home, I asked him, “Did you always want to be a photographer?”
“When I was your age, I didn’t know what I wanted to be. I had a few sales jobs, which I hated, but I always did photography as a hobby. It was your mom who talked me into doing it as a profession. I’m not sure I would’ve taken the risk if she hadn’t.”
“Why?”
Dad waved his hand, “I guess because following your dreams takes courage. I needed an extra shove.”
I laughed, realizing I was more like him than I thought.
“So this Liam boy.”
“Yeah.”
“He seems like a nice kid.”
“He is.”
As soon as Tess and I walked into the school lobby the next day, we were assaulted by Greg and a bunch of his friends.
“Hey, baby!” Greg laughed, and sauntered over. “Now, why’d you go and hate on me like that? Telling people you’re still a virgin after our night together?” Greg was talking loudly for the benefit of the entire lobby.
Conversations around us stilled, and people walking by slowed. I wasn’t awake enough to have a showdown.
“I am a virgin. I wouldn’t have sex with you for a million bucks,” I said.
A murmur rose around us.
“You were the one begging,” Greg said, laughing like a buffoon and fisting his friends.
I started to push past him, but he grabbed my elbow.
“I’ve got a smokin’ video of us together.”
“No, you don’t.” I wrenched my arm away from him and stalked off, Tess at my side, ignoring the stares around me.
“He is such a liar,” I said. “I was with him for less than an hour, and all he did was eat.”
Tess bit her lip.
“Tell me!”
“I got it this morning. I was hoping you wouldn’t hear about it.” Tess held out her phone. A video was playing, but it was small and blurry. All you could really see was a cheerleader with a guy who looked like Greg. The girl in the picture had my color hair, but it obviously wasn’t me.
“That doesn’t show anything.”
“I know, but he’s gonna say whatever he wants.”
“This is never going to go away, is it?”
“It doesn’t matter, Mallory. People say things all the time.”
“It matters to me.” At that moment I caught sight of Liam waiting near my locker. I walked straight into his arms.
“He’s a liar, Li
am. I didn’t do anything with him.”
“I know.” Liam rubbed my back.
The bell rang, and I reluctantly pulled away from Liam. He kissed my cheek. “I’ll see you in trig.”
I saw Sophie hanging by the door of the chemistry lab, and I slowed down. She and Yvie hadn’t spoken to me—just glared—since the whole Todd debacle. I circled back to Step 10 again: continuing to take inventory and making amends. And Step 11: asking God for help. Here goes nothing.
But as I got closer, it didn’t seem like she was mad. She waved me over.
“Can we talk real quick?” she asked.
“Of course.” I glanced up at the clock. “We’ve got two minutes. But Sophie, first, I’m really sorry for lying to you.”
“Look, it’s okay. I’m not mad like Yvie. I even kind of understand why you lied. I mean, I did, too. I didn’t make up a boyfriend but… that summer? I lied about having sex.”
“So you’re a virgin, too?”
Sophie shook her head. “Well, I did eventually sleep with Cole. Remember him? But after seeing your sister on that newscast. Wow. Next time I’m gonna wait for someone who is really committed to me. She made a lot of sense.”
“Really?” I was kind of shocked.
The bell rang, and she gave me a quick hug. “Can we be lab partners again? Hank is smart, but he’s got really bad breath. I can’t take it anymore.”
I laughed. “Sure.”
She grinned, and I followed her into the classroom.
I headed toward the newspaper office after school to meet with Samantha. Tara still hadn’t reinstated me, but she’d given me a return date. I would have to miss one more game, and then I could come back.
On the way I ran into Lexi. She looked a little sad, and I instantly felt bad. Not bad enough to give up Liam or anything. But I could do something else. I could be her friend.
So I stopped and asked her how she was doing.
“Probably better than you,” she said.
Before I could answer, Chad, one of Greg’s football buddies, knocked my backpack off my shoulder.
“Hey!” I spun around, and he threw his arms out to the sides and took a step toward me. He was far bigger, towering over me. I refused to back down. I wasn’t going to let him see how scared I was.
Lexi stepped closer, enough to let me know she was right there.
Chad pointed his finger in my face. He looked like he wanted to strangle me, but he was careful not to touch me. “This is your fault. My girlfriend suddenly doesn’t want to have sex anymore.”
One of the guys next to Chad chuckled, and Chad whipped out his arm and punched him in the shoulder, effectively shutting him up.
“How is that my fault?” I knew laughing would only make the situation worse, but it struck me as hysterical.
“Your stupid news show. And it’s not just my girlfriend who’s not putting out. You better fix this.”
“Sounds to me like your girlfriend is way smarter than you.”
I grabbed Lexi’s arm and hurried in the opposite direction, leaving Chad to yell obscenities at my back.
“Whoa,” Lexi said.
“Thanks for not bailing on me,” I told her. “What are friends for?” she said.
CHAPTER 23
It was a little pathetic, but I had to ask someone to help me find the newspaper office. A guy led me down a hallway to the very corner of the building. It was a large room with windows, and I was surprised by the number of people in there—probably a dozen or more.
Samantha came over as soon as she saw me.
“I’m so glad you could make it. I really appreciate this.” She led me to a bank of computers along the wall. “You can put your stuff anywhere. I already had Drew pull up the template program for you to look at.”
Drew, a nervous, skinny guy with glasses and a deep voice, pointed at one of the computers. “It’s right here. The navigation is there on the left.”
“Do you need anything else?” Samantha asked.
I set down my bag. “No. Let me just take a look at it.”
Samantha went off to work on something else and I sat. It was a PC, and I couldn’t help but notice two gorgeous, dusty iMacs sitting in a corner not even turned on. I had never used the software, but it took me only twenty minutes of playing with it to see that it was severely limited. I gave it another twenty just to see if there was anything at all I could suggest. I had nothing. They were either going to have to start from scratch or be stuck making tiny changes that no one would notice at all.
As soon as I turned around, Samantha hurried over.
“So what do you think?”
I showed her the places where changes could be made but explained how more elaborate changes weren’t possible in the current program.
“InDesign would work much better for you. Do you have that software?”
Samantha looked completely deflated. “Yeah, it’s loaded on the Macs I think, but everyone already knows how to use this program. Thanks for trying. I guess we just can’t do it.”
I stood up and glanced around the room at all the people who were completely devoted to a newspaper that I seriously wondered if anyone read.
“Have you ever thought about publishing The Falcon’s Nest online only?”
“Yes,” Drew said.
“No.” Samantha glared at Drew. “It’s a newspaper, not a website. People still read regular newspapers.”
I resisted asking her how she knew that. “Does everyone feel that way?” I glanced at Drew, who didn’t look like he was going to speak up again.
“You’re not the first person to suggest it, if that’s what you’re asking,” Samantha said.
That was what I was asking. “It would be worth considering. There’s a reason why so many print mags and papers have been moved online. You can have fresher content, and it’s more accessible.” I was pretty sure Samantha wasn’t buying it. “Look, just think about it. If you switch to something like InDesign, the paper could be redesigned the way you really want it. At least online.”
“Thanks for your help,” Samantha said again, and I knew I was getting the brush-off. I grabbed my bag, surprised at how disappointed I was. I had only been doing a favor. This wasn’t my world, so why did it matter to me?
As I walked home, I couldn’t help planning what I would do if she’d given me the chance. By the time I got home, my head was so full of ideas that I had to put them somewhere. So I fired up my computer and went to work. Maybe if I showed Samantha what I was talking about, she’d get excited about it.
At the very least, it helped me avoid the world and homework a little longer. I had a working web layout of The Falcon’s Nest by eight.
When I finally wandered downstairs to find some food, Liam and Brian were at the counter talking with my dad. Huh? It was at once both so bizarre and so comforting that I had to stop and take it in. Liam looked up and smiled—the kind of smile that you know is meant only for you.
“You’re ignoring your phone.” He raised his eyebrows at me.
“Sorry. But it’s your fault.”
“How could it be my fault?”
“You were the one who was all ‘explore the possibilities.’”
“The newspaper?” he asked.
I took him upstairs to show him the layout and told him my plan to try and convince Samantha and the newspaper staff to go to a web-only version. “Not only is it environmentally friendly, but I think people would actually read it if we could deliver the content in multiple ways. Don’t you think?”
“I’m convinced.” He laughed. “And I’ve never seen you so excited about something. Definitely a side of you I like.” He took my hand and pulled me and my chair closer to where he was sitting.
“I have some news, too.”
“Oh, yeah?”
“I got a nomination to attend the naval academy.”
I frowned. “Is that good news?”
“No, but I told my dad that I didn’t want to go there or
join any branch of the military.”
“You did!” I hugged him but sat back quickly. “What happened?”
“Let’s put it this way—I’m living with Brian at the moment.”
I covered my mouth with my hand. “That bad?”
Liam nodded. “Yeah. But I feel so relieved, I swear I could fly. I didn’t know how much it was holding me down until it was finally out in the open.”
I could relate to that.
He rubbed the top of my hand and smiled at me.
“What are you thinking?” I asked.
“I’m thinking that I’m just beginning to know who you are, Mallory Dane.”
“Maybe I am, too.”
He laughed at that and then leaned in and kissed me. Total perfection.
“Wait!” I jumped up and grabbed my camera from my dresser. “We need a picture.” I put my cheek next to his, held out the camera, and snapped our picture.
No Photoshop necessary.
A few minutes later we heard voices downstairs. That meant Mom and Darby were home. I squeezed Liam’s hand before we went to join them.
The first thing I noticed was the laughter. Darby was in Brian’s arms, and my mom was smiling—something I hadn’t seen since that day they went to the mall.
Mom caught my eye, walked over to me, and wrapped me in a hug. I stayed there soaking it in until she leaned back with her hands on my shoulders.
“I’m sorry, Mallory. I took out my frustration on you, and it wasn’t fair. You’re right. Darby’s happy. And I want that for you, too.”
She hugged me again.
Dad made everyone come into the living room, and the six of us sat around and listened to Darby tell us everything that had happened on the show. Every time I saw a smile spread across her face, it caught me off guard. This was a new Darby. It was pretty amazing to see.
Once Liam left and I assured Tess that I wasn’t dead, I was drawn back to my computer. I kept rearranging the placements, trying to get a feel for the best way to arrange the content. I used the paper with my interview as a guide for what kind of features they typically had. The website had so many possibilities that I wasn’t sure how far to go with it.
Me & My Invisible Guy Page 18