“Sure, Nat,” Hannah teased, following her into the dressing room with Grace and Jenna. “That’s what you said last time you spent three months’ allowance on clothes.”
“Critics,” Nat mumbled before closing her dressing room door. Ten minutes and twenty outfits later, she found the perfect fit—a cotton-candy-pink jacket with sleek charcoal pants to match.
“Snow bunny central,” Hannah said, nodding in approval.
“What about me?” Jenna said, stepping out of her dressing room. She had on a huge jester-style hat with points that hung all the way down to her waist, a pair of pants that were three sizes too big and on backward, and a kid-size jacket adorned with SpongeBob SquarePants decals.
Nat, Alyssa, and Grace all cracked up.
“You look fantastic,” Alyssa said. “If you’re going for a demented clown look.”
“All right, all right,” Jenna joked. “I’ll lose SpongeBob, but I’m keeping the hat. You guys are going to be eating my powder!”
Suddenly Nat’s cell phone rang and she nearly dropped the pair of ski gloves she was holding. Her stomach knotted before she even looked at the caller ID. She had a feeling she knew who was calling her, and as soon as she saw Simon’s name pop up, she sent him straight into voicemail.
“It’s Simon,” Nat said to the girls. “I’ll call him back later.”
“Um, hello?” Hannah said. “Since when do you screen Simon’s calls? Normally you dive for the phone when it’s him.”
“Yeah,” Jenna said. “And Adam told me that Simon told him that you’ve been acting a little weird lately.”
“Omigod . . . Simon said that?” Nat’s heart hammered. “I didn’t think he noticed.”
“He’s not that oblivious,” Alyssa said. “So spill it. What’s the prob?”
“I don’t know.” Nat stared at the gloves in her hands, not even feeling the slightest desire to try them on anymore, which meant she was in really bad shape. “When we talk on the phone lately, there are these long periods of silence, where I can’t think of a single thing to say.”
“No way,” Grace said. “You’re exaggerating.”
Nat shot her a look. “I counted an entire minute of absolute silence in our last conversation.”
“Okay,” Alyssa said. “So you’re not exaggerating.”
Nat sighed, nodding. “He wanted to come into the city this weekend to stay with Rick, but I told him I was busy with you guys. Normally, I would have changed all my plans to spend time with him. I don’t know what’s wrong with me.”
“What about trying to date other guys?” Alyssa asked, gathering up her clothes to take them to the cash register. “You and Simon never set rules about dating other people.”
“But I’d feel horrible knowing that Simon was waiting around for me to call him while I was on a date with some other guy.”
“Maybe he wouldn’t be,” Hannah said. “Maybe he feels the same way, too. You could talk to him about it and find out.”
“Right,” Nat said. “I don’t even have the guts to talk to half our friends about the ski trip. I am obviously challenged in the art of awkward conversations.”
“Join the club,” Jenna said. “We’re all having trouble there. It’s the guilt factor.”
“I felt bad not telling Brynn about this shopping spree,” Grace said.
“We still have the reunion to straighten everything out with the girls,” Nat said. “But that still leaves Simon.”
Hannah gave Nat’s hand a squeeze. “You’ll figure everything out. But right now we need to focus on the perfect accessories for your jacket. Do you want to look totally glam for this ski trip or not?”
Nat grinned. “Totally glam. And I think this ivory hat has my name on it.” She grabbed it off the top of her pile. “I’ll model, you guys critique. Tahoe skiing, here we come!”
Brynn clutched her bag tighter and tighter, her heart hammering. She was dying to check the cast list to find out if she’d gotten the part of Eliza in My Fair Lady, but her rubber-chicken legs flat out refused to walk the few feet to the white sheet of paper hanging on the auditorium door. But when she saw Tanya heading toward her, a determined look on her face, she knew there was no getting out of it.
“Did you look? Did you look?” Tanya blurted out.
Brynn had to smile at her friend. “Not yet,” she admitted, then gave a weak laugh when Tanya gaped at her. “I needed to prepare myself first.”
“For what?” Tanya said, rolling her eyes. “A tragedy? Are you so sure it’s going to be bad news?”
Brynn took a deep breath. “I . . . I’m afraid it is.”
Tanya grabbed Brynn’s hand and playfully pulled her toward the cast list. “Come on,” Tanya said. “If you don’t look, I will. The suspense is killing me.”
Together, they took a few steps closer to the door until Brynn could see the names on the list clearly. She found Lindsay’s first, and as soon as she saw it, her mouth dropped open.
“Lindsay got the part of Professor Higgins’s mother,” Brynn said between quiet giggles. “She’s only got about three lines in the whole play.”
Tanya laughed. “I knew it. You can’t be cheerleading captain, resident beauty queen, and honors student without being challenged in some area. I guess drama isn’t her thing. But it sure is yours.” With that, she pointed to Brynn’s name, written next to the words: Eliza Doolittle.
Brynn did a celebratory dance and hugged Tanya. “I can’t believe I got the part!” She quickly skimmed the rest of the flyer, making a mental note of rehearsal dates, which—yikes!—started Tuesday, January 23. That was tomorrow!
“I told you there was nothing to worry about,” Tanya said. “Come on, let’s celebrate. We can grab decaf mochas from the Au Lait Café on our way home. My treat.”
“Sounds great,” Brynn said, feeling her face glowing warm with happiness. “But wait, I should call Jordan first. And I have to e-mail the girls from camp to let them know, too.” As soon as the words left her mouth, some of the initial thrill she’d felt at getting the part faded.
“Wait a minute,” Tanya said, frowning. “You’re not talking about the girls who are going on the ski trip without you?”
“No, I’m definitely going to tell Alex, Priya, and the other girls who aren’t going to Tahoe,” Brynn said as they walked to the café. “But I haven’t decided whether or not to tell the other girls who are going.”
“I still can’t believe they’re excluding you like that.”
“It’s not their faults,” Brynn said, trying halfheartedly to defend her friends. “Tori was the one who picked who to invite, and she feels horrible about it. And I don’t blame the other girls for going. It sounds like an awesome trip.”
“But why should you include them in your life when they’re not including you in theirs?” Tanya asked. “You’re being way too understanding if you ask me. I’d be really mad.”
“I’m mad that we can’t all go,” Brynn said. “And I’m mad that the whole trip has made things tense between all of us. And Grace . . .” She sighed. “She’s called and e-mailed me three times in the last week, but I haven’t returned any of her calls. I keep thinking that if I’d been invited to Tahoe and Grace hadn’t, I wouldn’t have gone. And even though it’s completely warped, that makes me peeved at Grace. It’s like, I want to tell her about the play, but at the same time . . . I kind of don’t. Am I just being a big baby about the whole thing?”
“I don’t think so, and I don’t think you’re overreacting, either,” Tanya said.
Brynn stopped walking and stared at the ground, debating. Then she pulled out her cell phone. “No, you know what? This is stupid. The ski trip shouldn’t come between me and Grace. Nothing should. I’m going to call her right now.”
Tanya nodded while Brynn dialed. The line rang a couple of times, and then finally, Grace picked up.
“Grace?” Brynn said, her heart speeding up. “Um, it’s Brynn.”
“Hi!” Grace s
aid. “Did you get all my messages?”
“Yeah, um, that’s why I’m calling,” Brynn said, swallowing down the awkward feeling in her chest. “I just wanted to tell you, I—”
“Hey, Brynn?” Grace interrupted. “I really want to hear this, but I’m on the other line with Tori giving her my flight info for the ski trip. Can I call you right back?”
Brynn’s smile dropped off her face. “That’s okay,” she said quietly. “It wasn’t important. Don’t worry about calling me back.”
“But I want to,” Grace said, sounding worried. “I just have to finish up with Tori.”
“Just forget I called,” Brynn said, trying to sound nonchalant. “It’s no biggie. Really. Tell Tori I said hi. Bye.” She clicked her phone shut.
“You okay?” Tanya asked, seeing the waterworks building up that Brynn was trying so hard to hide.
“Yeah,” Brynn whispered. “I guess I shouldn’t have called her after all.”
“Do you want to talk about it?” Tanya asked.
Brynn shook her head. “Not really.”
Tanya nodded. “Okay. Then I have another idea. Why don’t you call Jordan? You’ll feel way better after you invite him to the play. Besides, it’s about time I get to meet this guy.”
Brynn took a deep breath. “I don’t know. What if he blows me off, too? I can’t handle rejection twice in one day.”
“Are you kidding?” Tanya said. “Any guy who would sit through the entire movie of My Fair Lady has to be crazy about you. There’s no way he’ll say no.”
“I hope you’re right,” Brynn said. She dialed Jordan’s number with trembling fingers, and when he answered, she felt a mixture of nervousness and excitement.
“Did you get the part?” he asked right away.
Brynn beamed, so glad he’d remembered. “Yeah, I did. And . . . you should totally come see the play opening night, it’s in about three weeks, on February 10.” The words rushed out of her because she figured if she didn’t say them all in one breath, she’d panic and freeze up. The next few seconds seemed to take whole centuries to pass, but then Jordan practically shouted into the phone.
“That’s awesome, Brynn! I knew you’d get the part. And I’ll definitely come. There’s no way I could pass up a chance to see you as a leading lady.”
Brynn blushed and gave Tanya the thumbs-up sign to show her that Jordan had said yes. “Great!” Tanya mouthed.
Brynn talked with Jordan for a few more minutes, feeling happier than she had for most of the day. She almost forgot all about her awful conversation with Grace, and by the time she hung up with Jordan, she was in a good mood again.
As she sat down at the coffee shop with Tanya, she thought about how lucky she was. She’d gotten her first role as the leading lady in a school play, and her boyfriend and her best friend would both be there to cheer for her on opening night.
When she got home, she e-mailed Alex and invited her to come to the play, too, and Alex agreed in a heartbeat. But even though she was on cloud nine, Brynn still felt a hole in her heart where she was missing the rest of her camp friends and wishing things could go back to the way they used to be.
chapter FIVE
Tori ran the bar of warm wax slowly over her skis, careful not to let any drip on her bedroom carpet. She knew it was a little early to be getting everything ready for Tahoe, but she wanted to make sure the whole weekend was perfect. She’d already taken her ski boots into the sports shop for tightening, and her mom had agreed to buy her some new lavender ski pants to go with her ivory coat. Now all she had left to do was wax her skis and, when the time came, pack her clothes. Just as she was finishing up, the IM icon on her computer started flashing.
Tori’s heart dropped to her toes, through the floor, and into the basement. Her hands were trembling so badly that she could barely keep typing. This couldn’t be happening. It just couldn’t.
Tori gripped the edge of her desk. Oh, no. This was all her fault. She was the one who’d told everyone to book their tickets through CheapFlightz because of the great rates. And now she felt sick to her stomach about the whole thing.
Tori logged off and walked out to the mailbox. There it was, right on top of the pile of today’s mail. She opened the envelope with the Camp Lakeview letterhead and read:
Greetings, Lakeview Campers! It’s that time of year again! Forget the winter blues at the annual camp reunion. We hope to see all of you there!
Where: Wollman Skating Rink in Central Park, New York City
When: Saturday, February 17
Why: To make even more great Lakeview memories!
Time: 4:00 P.M.-10:00 P.M.
Dear Lakeview Alumni,
Join us to reunite with old friends and meet brand new ones at the annual camp reunion. This year, we’ll make the best of Manhattan’s winter wonderland by ice-skating in Central Park. The winter Olympics will be put to shame by our freestyle Ice Capades competition. (You might want to bring a helmet for this one. Nah, just kidding.)
Broom hockey, an obstacle course, and ice disco are just a few of the fun activities we have planned for you. Skate till you drop, and then reenergize with us at the Jekyll & Hyde Club for a fun-filled dinner worthy of all you mad scientists out there. You can feast on a Frankenburger while you’re enjoying the dinner show, and finish up a fantastic night with your Lakeview friends. We look forward to seeing you all!
Please RSVP by February 5.
Yours,
Dr. Steve
Tori stared at the invitation for a long time before slowly heading inside. She barely made it to her room before the tears started falling, and they kept coming until her mom called her to dinner. She washed her face with cold water in the hopes of hiding some of the puffiness around her eyes, then finally gave up and dragged herself to the table. But nothing on her plate looked even remotely appetizing. All she could think about was how she’d let everyone down.
“Earth to Tori,” her dad finally said. “You haven’t been this quiet since before you were born.” He laughed at his own joke, but Tori didn’t even have the energy to roll her eyes at his horrible sense of humor. “Don’t you want to nag us about all the things we need to do to get ready for your big ski trip?”
“Yeah,” her mom added. “For the last week it’s been all you’ve talked about. I was expecting you to give us more marching orders tonight. What’s wrong, hon?”
Fresh tears sprang up in Tori’s eyes. “It’s about the ski trip,” she started, her voice cracking. “I just found out it’s the same weekend as our camp reunion.”
“Oh, sweetie, that’s too bad,” her mom said, giving Tori’s hand a squeeze. “But I’m sure everyone will understand why y
ou and the other girls can’t make it.”
“No, Mom,” Tori said. “I don’t think they will. Half of the girls aren’t even speaking to me since I couldn’t invite them to Tahoe, and now Nat, Alyssa, Jenna, Sarah, and Grace are all going to be upset, too.”
Tori pushed her food around on her plate, and suddenly, an idea came to her. “You guys agreed to pay for lift tickets, food, and ski rentals for Tahoe. But what if we use the money to pay for the girls’ plane tickets out here instead? That way they can cancel their tickets without having to pay for them, and then we can all go to the reunion.” Tori paused to let the idea sink in with her dad. It was a long shot, but she had to at least try.
Her mom and dad exchanged one of those parenting “looks” Tori’d always hated. And right then and there, she knew there was no hope.
“We’re sorry this is turning out to be so hard for you, hon,” her mom said. “But paying for your friends’ plane tickets wasn’t part of our original plan. And canceling the tickets on such short notice is going to cost more than rentals and lift tickets would.” Her mom gave her a sympathetic smile. “You and the girls are going to have to figure out a way to make this work on your own.”
Tori opened her mouth to argue, but then thought better of it. What was the point? She knew once her parents made up their minds, there was no changing them.
“Can I please be excused?” Tori said. “I’m not hungry, and I want to call the girls to talk to them about this.”
Her dad nodded. “Sure, honey. We’ll stick your plate in the fridge in case you get hungry later and want to heat it up.” He kissed her on the forehead. “And don’t worry. Your friends will be all right, and so will you.”
Tori climbed the stairs to her bedroom with the feeling that she was climbing to a torture chamber. Once she’d changed into her yoga pants and curled up on her bed, hugging her pillow for support, she conference-called Alyssa, Jenna, Nat, Sarah, and Grace. When all of them were on the line, she took a deep breath and began.
Winter Games #12 Page 4