What If... All Your Friends Turned On You

by Liz Ruckdeschel

  Go straight to MUSICAL VALENTINE.

  MUSICAL VALENTINE

  If revenge is best served cold, February is a good time for it.

  “Guess what I just heard?” Coco said with glee as she snapped her cell phone shut. She had gathered the girls—Haley, Sasha, Whitney and Cecily—at Bubbies Bistro for a game-night/Valentine’s Day protest dinner. Well, that and to mark Haley’s seventeenth birthday. They were just collecting the check when Coco got a text from one of her underclassman minions. “Ridgewood destroyed Hillsdale tonight! Ha! I knew those boys were losers.”

  The girls clasped their gloved hands to celebrate. Four of their ex-boyfriends—Reese, Spencer, Johnny and Drew—were the stars of Hillsdale’s basket ball team, and that night’s matchup against archrival Ridgewood was the most important game of the season. As far as the girls were concerned, the boys deserved to be humiliated on the court after their R-rated Caribbean vacation, during which they were photographed hanging all over a group of scantily clad swimsuit models.

  That afternoon, Haley had taken her driver’s test and fortunately passed with flying colors. Unfortunately, her parents had given her a car, and not just any car: they expected her to drive her grandmother Polly’s hideous, backfiring, pale yellow beast of a sedan, nicknamed the Lemon. It had white Naugahyde seats and was covered with bumper stickers like “I Brake for Cookies,” “Lady in a Walker on Board” and “Sunday Drivers = Safe Drivers.” Nothing on the road was more unfortunate.

  Haley had been hoping for a car—but a shiny new car. Barring that, she at least wanted something she wouldn’t be embarrassed to be seen in. No such luck. She hid the Lemon in the garage and vowed never to let it out. And after telling her parents she still didn’t feel comfortable driving after dark, she hitched a ride to Bubbies with Sasha.

  Coco had called for skipping the game and having a girls-only Valentine’s Day to celebrate their “new year, new you” success. The girls had all been dieting and had never looked better, and Coco had just officially lifted the ban on solid foods. The fact that the boys had lost their big game only sweetened the night for them. It was as if the universe were punishing the boys for their bad behavior and rewarding all the girls—well, except for Haley. She was being punished with the Lemon.

  “Serves them right,” Sasha said.

  “I bet they lost because they couldn’t concentrate,” Whitney said. “They were so devastated by being dumped by the four of you. You took their mojo!”

  Out in the parking lot, Matthew Graham rolled up in his expensive European sedan, which was filled with rowdy, victorious Ridgewood basketball players. “Hey, girls,” Matthew said suggestively. He was an old friend of Spencer’s, though they sometimes had notorious falling-outs, and this was apparently one of those times. Matt and Spence had been at boarding school together once upon a time but both had been kicked out, and now Spencer was at Hillsdale, Matt at Ridgewood. “Tough loss. Want to skip the Hillsdale pity parties and kick it with some winners for a change?”

  “What did you have in mind?” Coco asked.

  “Big dance at Ridgewood tonight,” Matt said. “Everybody’s hopped up from the win. Come help us celebrate. You know it would burn Spencer if you came partying with us.”

  “Oh, Matthew,” Coco said with a theatrical sigh. “What are you guys fighting about now?”

  “He didn’t invite me on his exclusive island getaway,” Matt said. “I didn’t care at first—he told me it was going to be a quiet family trip, and I have no interest in that. But when I saw the pictures, I took it as a personal affront that Spencer kept me away from those girls. So now that we’ve crushed him in basketball, I’d like to twist the knife by celebrating with the hottest girls from his school.”

  “Makes perfect sense to me,” Coco said.

  The girls gathered to consult. “If the boys hear we spent Valentine’s Day with their worst enemies, it will kill them,” Coco said. “I say we go to the dance.”

  “It would be a chance to meet some new boys,” Whitney said, clapping her hands.

  “And crush our cheating, lying, no-good exes’ hearts even deeper into the dirt,” Cecily said. “I love it.”

  “Let’s show those guys they’re not the only game in town,” Sasha said. “We don’t need them, right, Haley?”

  Haley thought of how hurt she had felt when she saw the pictures of Reese and those models. Maybe this could help her heal. “I’m in,” she said.

  “Girls? The party is waiting,” Matt said.

  “We’re coming,” Coco told him.

  “Great,” he said. “Follow us.”

  The girls piled into Sasha’s car and followed Matt to Ridgewood High’s Valentine’s Day dance. Luckily they were already wearing flirty party dresses for their big night out at Bubbies. Ridgewood had a preppier vibe than Hillsdale, with boys in blue blazers over their jeans and girls in neat dresses.

  “Welcome to Ridgewood, my lovelies,” Matt said. “Have a drink.”

  He eyed the girls as he handed out plastic cups with some kind of pink liquid in them. Haley took a sip. She had no idea what it was, but knowing Matt, the drink probably contained at least one hundred-proof ingredient. After a few more sips, she started feeling suspiciously relaxed.

  The girls lined up against the wall to survey the mysterious new crop of boys. “Not bad,” Coco said, nodding at a tall blond basketball forward. He noticed her interest and came up to her. “Dance?” the blond asked Coco. She took his hand and let him lead her onto the dance floor. Cecily paired up with a very cute boy with brown hair that curled behind his ears. A buff point guard with a short Afro twirled Sasha onto the floor, while Haley found herself cornered by the notorious womanizer Matt.

  “Hey there,” he purred. “So Reese Highland’s history, eh? I don’t mind following in his footsteps. I always thought he had great taste.”

  Haley had to keep herself from wrinkling her nose in disgust. She was all for meeting new guys, but Matt Graham was hardly an unknown quantity—and what she knew about him wasn’t good. She had to admit he was cute, though—in the preppy Spencer mold, of course, only darker—and he could be charming when he wanted to be. The trouble was, he wanted to be charming for all the wrong reasons, like to get a girl drunk and separate her from her pants.

  Three minutes into the dance Matt was running his hands down Haley’s back. She was racking her brain for an excuse not to dance to another song with Mr. Paws when his eyes darted over to Whitney—or more specifically, Whitney’s bursting cleavage. “Hel-lo,” he said, turning away from Haley, but not before grabbing a friend and plunking him down in front of her as his replacement.

  Matt’s friend, a tall, blue-eyed cutie in glasses, smiled down at her. “Hi,” he said.

  “Hi,” she said, relieved to be rid of Matt and glad to have a new prospect to dance with.

  “My name’s Rob,” he said. “Feel like dancing?”

  “Yes, in fact, I do.” Haley took Rob’s hand and they grooved to a hip-hop hit. Even though the song was fast and funky, Rob kept pulling Haley close and grinding up against her as if it were a ballad. She glanced around and noticed that her friends were being pawed in the same way. This preppy Ridgewood crew was a little more hands-on than the Hillsdale girls were used to, and harder to control. A subtle nudge away wasn’t enough to keep the boys from coming back for more.

  I guess it means he likes me, Haley told herself, but she didn’t feel completely comfortable. Fortunately, she didn’t have long to think about it, because she was soon caught up in a game of musical boys. Coco poached Cecily’s cutie, so Cecily snagged Sasha’s studly point guard, leaving Sasha eyeing Haley’s Rob. Haley found herself passed from one boy to the next before she even had a chance to learn their names.

  Finally, Haley somehow found herself stuck with the least attractive guy in the group. He was tall and a basketball player, but that didn’t help. He had invisible braces that weren’t invisible enough, horrible acne on his jutting chin, boo
ze on his breath and a tendency to spit when he talked.

  Just her luck, at that moment the DJ called for a slow dance. Haley sighed as Acne Boy took her in his arms. “I sweated so much at the game my chin broke out,” Acne Boy said self-consciously. Haley shut her eyes so that he couldn’t see her rolling them. Why did he feel the need to explain? Acne was acne; she didn’t care how he got it. But talking about it definitely made it worse.

  “It was worth it, though—it’s worth anything to kick Reese Highland’s butt. That guy’s so stuck-up. Thinks he’s so great because of his perfect skin.”

  That’s true, Haley thought sadly. Reese’s skin never breaks out. She suddenly missed him very much.

  The dance was winding down. “Some Valentine’s Day, huh?” Acne Boy said. “There’s an afterparty at the Morton place. It’s just up the street.”

  They’d passed “the Morton place” on their way to the dance. It was a huge gated estate. Haley had no idea who lived there, but any party at an estate, especially when Matt Graham was involved, was bound to be lively, to say the least.

  “I don’t know,” Haley said. “I’ve got to check with my friends.”

  She broke away from him and joined Coco and Company in a huddle. “We have to go to the after-party,” Coco said. “It will sweeten our revenge on the boys. We can take pictures of ourselves partying at this fabulous estate with these new guys and post them on the Internet to make sure we really rub it into the boys’ faces.”

  “Do we have to stay with the boys we were dancing with?” Whitney asked. “Mine smells like vodka.”

  “No, we can keep switching around or whatever,” Coco said. “Remember—girl power! We’ve got to stick together.”

  “So, you girls coming to the party?” Matt brazenly inserted himself into the circle and interrupted their deliberations. “It won’t be the same without you.”

  “We’re coming,” Coco said. “Spencer and his friends are going to be so pissed when they hear about this.”

  Matt laughed. “I don’t think so. I texted Spencer that I was bringing you girls to the dance, so it’s not exactly going to shock them.”

  Coco’s mouth fell open. “They know? What did Spencer say?”

  “He seemed like he couldn’t care less. I was surprised, to be honest. He said he and the boys were going to console themselves with a few freshman rally girls. I think he’s throwing an impromptu SIGMA.” SIGMA was an exclusive traveling party Spencer sometimes held, notorious for wild goings-on. Drinking, gambling, hooking up … it all happened at a SIGMA party, and whenever Spencer threw one, it was always the place to be. Suddenly the school gym at Ridgewood High seemed dull and dreary by comparison, in spite of all the elaborate Valentine’s Day decorations.

  Coco looked like a volcano about to erupt. Her plan had backfired horribly. The Ridgewood boys who’d seemed so cute only minutes before—well, except for Haley’s dance partner—now looked like big dorky goons who couldn’t keep their hands to themselves. Coco had been had, and she wasn’t taking it well.

  “We’re out!” she commanded. She marched out of the gym. Haley followed her, thrilled to leave Acne Boy behind.

  “What a rip,” Whitney muttered when they were outside on the sidewalk in front of the school. “We wasted our whole Valentine’s Day on those Ridge-wood dorks!”

  “Yeah, if I wanted to dance with someone who had two left feet I could have stayed home and boogied with my dad,” Cecily said.

  “Let’s get out of here,” Sasha said.

  They started for Sasha’s car, but Haley held back a little. It was her birthday, after all, and so far she hadn’t had much fun. She wished she could go somewhere else before the night was over and have at least a little adventure.

  “Come on, Haley,” Coco called from Sasha’s car.

  Just then a blue sports car pulled up and stopped in front of Haley. “Hey, going to the party or what?” It was Rob, Mr. Glasses with the sweet blue eyes—the cutest one of Matt’s friends. Haley paused, considering what she should do.

  Well, that was a bust. Coco’s plan totally backfired. If the girls want another chance to take revenge on their hoop-shooting exes, they’ll have to think of something better than flirting with the boys from Ridgewood. The girls wasted the evening fending off handsy jocks they don’t even like. Except for Mr. Glasses, that is—he could be different. Who knows? Anything’s possible. Haley barely knows the guy, but if she doesn’t give him a chance, she never will. And how does she know he won’t turn out to be the love of her life?

  If you think Haley should give adventure one more shot before her birthday night is over, have her get into the car with Mr. Glasses on, DATE WITH DWI. If you’re looking forward to seeing Hillsdale take on Ridgewood in a play-offs rematch, go to HOME GAME.

  It’s Valentine’s Day, and you get only one of those a year. It’s not very romantic unless you have a valentine to celebrate with. But will any old valentine do? That’s up to you.

  DESPERATELY

  SEEKING HALEY

  Sometimes playing hard to get really works.

  Haley felt a little down. It was the day after her birthday, the day after Valentine’s Day, and nothing had really changed. She woke up that morning and thought, I’m seventeen, and she felt happy, but what did it really mean? Was anything different? Nothing she could point to. Sure, she had her driver’s license now, but her new car was so heinous she didn’t want to be seen in it. What good was having your license if you didn’t even want to drive?

  Then, that afternoon, the doorbell rang. It was Devon. He looked terrible: more rumpled than usual, with circles under his eyes as if he hadn’t slept well or was under a lot of stress.

  “Haley, I need to talk to you,” he announced.

  Haley wasn’t eager to let him inside—her parents and Mitchell were home, and they were all pretty nosy. The air was crisp but the afternoon sun warmed the front steps, so Haley sat down with Devon outside.

  “What’s up?” He looked so distraught she automatically softened the cold manner she’d been using with him lately. On Irene’s advice she’d been basically ignoring him, but she didn’t have the nerve to go hard-core on him just then.

  He poured his heart out. “I—I’ve just got to come out and say it: you’re the most amazing girl I’ve ever met. I made a huge mistake not telling you this sooner. And getting mixed up with Darcy, who I realized I don’t even like. But you! You, I totally and completely adore you, Haley. I think I might be falling in love.”

  Haley stared at him in amazement. Was this really Devon? Telling her he adored her? That he thought he was in love? She’d been waiting for this day for so long, and now that it was finally here she felt as if she needed to pinch herself.

  “I’ve always adored you,” he continued. “But I guess I was too afraid to say anything. Or I didn’t realize it, maybe. You know, I can’t always read you. You’re so confusing!”

  Inside, Haley wanted to laugh. She was confusing? Look who was talking!

  “Sometimes I think you like me, and sometimes I think you don’t know I’m alive,” Devon said. “I just can’t tell. And we have such a cool friendship, and I’d never want to mess it up. I’ve been crazy about you for ages but I was afraid if I told you and you didn’t feel the same way our friendship would be ruined.”

  He paused to look at her, to gauge her reaction. Haley didn’t know what to do. Should she drop the cold act? It had almost become second nature to her by now. Or should she keep him dangling and see how far he would go?

  She nodded, staying neutral for now. He kept talking.

  “Lately I’ve realized that what I feel for you is really serious. I realized I had to say something to you or risk losing the most amazing, inspiring person in my life. You’re so beautiful and smart and funny, and so cool, and you’re graceful and have this great style and you’re nice to people … you have a good heart … you’re really everything, Haley.”

  Her heart was pounding. This was one o
f the most beautiful, heartfelt speeches a boy had ever made to her. She’d been longing to hear someone say something like this ever since she could remember. She just never thought that someone would be Devon. This was a total shocker.

  “I don’t know why I’m telling you this,” Devon said, his head sinking as he still got no reaction from her. “It’s a total waste of time. Next year you’ll get into some incredible college and go away and forget all about me. And I’ll—well, who knows if I’ll even be able to afford to go to college. I’ll be some townie schlub and you’ll be a fancy college girl. Once you start dating rich Ivy League guys you’ll look back and remember Hillsdale as small-time. You won’t think of me the same way anymore. You and your college friends will probably laugh over the rinky-dink high school boys you once knew. Ha-ha, that jerk Devon.”

  Haley was stunned. She truly didn’t know what to say. She’d gotten her wish, all right. Devon was out-of-control, crazy in love with her. The question was, what should she do now?

  That Irene Chen is an evil genius. She should write her own advice column! She pegged Devon perfectly and her instructions for Haley couldn’t have worked better.

  But now Haley has the upper hand, and with power comes responsibility. Devon has basically dropped his heart at her feet and said, Do with it what you will. Pick it up or stomp on it. That’s a lot of pressure for young Haley.

  What do you think she should do? If you think she should stick with Irene’s plan and keep Devon dangling on the line as long as possible, turn to, DARK VICTORY If you think she’s had enough adoration and it’s time to level with Devon and be brutally honest, go to, SLOPPY SECONDS.

  Devon has bared his soul to Haley, but is that what she wanted? Didn’t she just want him to pay a little attention to her? Perhaps you think naked souls turn Haley off. Perhaps Devon’s big confession strikes her as just the teensiest bit juvenile after his escapades with Darcy, and Haley would just as soon write him off. If you think she would like to forget about Devon altogether and see what college boys are really like, head up to visit Coco’s sister at Yale, SPRING BREAK AT YALE.