by Ann Herrick
When Matt left, I leaned against the closed door and sighed. It had been a perfect day. Just perfect. Nothing had gone wrong. Surely nothing would go wrong.
Would it?
CHAPTER 7
On the way to school Monday I told Anna all about my weekend with Matt. "Everything's going to fall into place. I just know it." I hugged my books to my chest. "It has to work. It's too special not to."
"Mmmm-hmmm." Anna nodded.
"Mmmm-hmmm? Is that all you have to say? You, who promoted a romance with Matt from the beginning."
"Mmmm." Anna nodded again.
"Hey!" I waved my hand in front of Anna's face. "It's Laurel. Your best friend. Discussing her love life."
"Oh. Sorry." Anna smiled apologetically. "I guess I was sort of distracted."
"Sort of."
"It's just that Stuart called last night..."
"Stuart? That's great! What did he want?"
"He's coming home to see me this weekend."
"Wow! Usually he doesn't come home until Thanksgiving. Why so soon? What's up?"
"He was kind of...mysterious." She looked worried. "Just said he wanted to talk."
"Anna!" I clutched her arm. "I'll bet he's going to propose!"
"Propose?" Anna's eyes widened. "Do you think so?"
"Of course! What else would drag the ever-dedicated Stuart away from his studies? He...he can't live without you, and he wants to get married this summer so you can be together at MIT next fall."
"Hmmm. In that case I'd better get accepted at MIT."
"How can you joke about it?" I exclaimed.
"Stuart isn't even in town yet," Anna said matter-of-factly. "He's probably just homesick. Your imagination is working overtime because you're all ga-ga over Matt."
"Well..." I blushed. "That's…possible."
"Hey, I've got an idea. Come with me on Friday afternoon when I meet Stuart at the train station. We can find out together what he's up to."
"Sure," I said. "Though I doubt he'll propose right there with me hanging around."
I could hardly keep from skipping in the halls that day at school. My feelings of romance in the air colored the usually drab school interior with hues as bright as the autumn leaves. In history class I barely heard what was going on as Matt and I exchanged meaningful glances all period. I couldn't wait until the yearbook meeting after school. The thought of a ride home with Matt was almost intoxicating.
Finally, after what seemed an eternity, the last bell rang. I rushed to the yearbook meeting after a pit stop in the lavatory to comb my hair and touch up my lipstick. I couldn't help it, I wanted to look nice for Matt. He was there, waiting for me, when I arrived at the meeting.
"Hi, Laurel." Matt beckoned to me. "I spent all day yesterday printing pictures. Come see."
"The candid’s? Already?" I shuffled through a stack of photographs. "These are terrific! Everyone looks so...so natural."
"You make it sound as if they're dead!" Matt feigned horror.
"You know what I mean." I elbowed him in the ribs. "You did a great job."
"We did a great job," Matt corrected. "I couldn't have done it without your help."
I smiled, pleased that he was so willing to give me credit. "Well, they inspirational. I'm almost dizzy spinning captions in my head already."
Others started arriving. I couldn't wait for them to see the pictures. "Look." I waved around a bunch of photos. "Aren't these great?"
Everyone clustered around, passing pictures back and forth.
They laughed at the silly poses, nodded approvingly over the ones that captured people perfectly, and suggested ideas on how to use them. I jotted down as much as I could. But everyone was talking at once.
"Hold it." I shouted over the mild roar. "Let's get organized. We can divide these up into categories. Pure candid’s, pictures we'll use for advertising, that sort of thing."
"Good idea," Matt said as his eyes met mine.
I felt warm all over. Excited as I was about the yearbook plans, I almost couldn't wait for the meeting to be over so I could be alone with him. But first things first.
Mr. Bonine stopped by to check on our progress and drop off some sample cover material the printer had sent. He thumbed through a few of the candid’s, and the next think I knew he was going through each pile, murmuring, "Good, good. Oh, that one's great."
He came to see what I was working on. I showed him a couple of captions I'd come up with for the ads.
"Those are good," he said. "The idea itself is great. Drawing attention to the ads is good business and good public relations. It shows you're concerned with the whole community." He looked at his watch. "I've got to go. You probably should wrap things up now too."
After everyone else had left and Matt and I were gathering up the photographs, a thought came to me. "Say, Matt. I was talking to Mr. Bonine, and he sort of gave me an idea. What do you think about taking candid’s of the teachers? They can't always afford to have new pictures taken each year, so some of their photos are fairly old. There's even one of Mr. Robinson when he still had hair!"
Matt laughed.
"It should be easy to catch them in class or in the halls or at school activities."
"Good idea," said Matt. "The only drawback is that I won't need you to guide me around the school."
"I'm sure I could come up with some excuse to escort you."
"Good." Matt took my hands in his. "I like working with you." He grinned. "You inspire me."
"Hmmm. I'll have to think of more ways for us to work together."
"I can think of one." Matt gave me a smile that sent my pulse racing.
"Oh? What's that?" Anything that gave us more time together would be perfect.
"We could start planning shots for the Who's Who."
Anything but that. I withdrew my hands from Matt's and walked over to the window. It was still light out, but long shadows crossed the courtyard. I swallowed a lump in my throat. Maybe Matt was just teasing. We'd had such a good time together this past weekend. The football game, the pizza at Shakey's, taking pictures, the Mill Pond. The goodnight kiss.
Surely it had all meant something. Would Matt have spent all that time with me, laughed with me, kissed me just to get his way about the Who's Who? I turned and faced him. I searched his eyes, those gorgeous blue eyes that made me want to melt. What was he really thinking?
"You know I don't want to include the Who's Who." I tried to keep my voice steady.
"I know." Matt grinned. "But I thought I could change your mind."
"Well, you can't." I had to hold my ground. It was more than just a matter of what I wanted or didn't want. I had to show Matt who was editor-in-chief. I couldn't be swayed by what I was now sure was his phony interest in me.
"Come on. I've got lot of good reasons that should convince you." He came over to the window. "First of all..."
"Forget it!" I brushed him aside and grabbed my coat. "It's my decision and I've decided no Who's Who."
"But..."
"No 'buts.' It's final. Don't bring it up again." I thought I saw a hurt look in Matt eyes. For a second, I almost weakened. But the dull ache in my stomach reminded me that he'd already fooled me once. I started to leave.
"Laurel, wait." Matt reached out and caught my arm. "I don't know why you're so upset about this, but can't we talk about it? We could drive to..."
"I can't." I had to cut it off completely. No more rides. "I-I have to go to the...drug store."
"I'll give you a lift."
"No." I waved him off. "It's out of your way."
"But it's getting dark."
"So? I'm a big girl. I can find my way home in the dark."
"All right," Matt said evenly. "Have it your way."
I shivered all the way home. Not just from the chill in the air but from the cold gripping my heart. I blinked back tears. Why hadn't I listened to my own voice of reason in the first place? I knew it would be trouble if I got involved with Matt.
At home, I barely picked at my dinner. I hardly reacted when Iris knocked her glass of milk over on to my plate. "It's all right," I said. I mopped up the milk with my napkin. "I wasn't very hungry anyway."
"You feeling okay?" Dad asked.
"Not coming down with something, are you?" Mom had that parental look of concern on her face.
"I'm, uh, just tired. May I be excused? I've...got a lot of homework."
"Sure, Laurel." Dad exchanged a worried glance with Mom.
"Really," I assured them. "I just had a long day at school."
In my room, I laid down on my bed and stared at the ceiling. I noticed a tiny cobweb in the corner. A bug was heading right for it. That's me, I thought. I walked right into Matt's web of deception.
There was a knock on the door. Iris stuck her head inside. "Hi. Can I see you minute?"
"Well..."
"I just need you to check this math problem for me."
"Okay. Come on in." I sat up and motioned Iris to sit next to me. "What is it?"
"I'm sure I'm doing this problem right, but the answer I keep getting doesn't match the one on the answer page." She handed me her homework paper.
I looked it over. "The math is correct," I said. "Let me see the book." I read over the problem. "Ah, here. You copied this number down wrong. It should be fifty three miles per hour, not fifty eight."
Iris took a close look at the book and then at her paper. "So that's all it was. I was going crazy trying to solve it. Thanks."
"Sure," I said. "No trouble." I expected Iris to leave. But she sat there with a questioning look on her face. "Is there something else?"
"Well..." Iris had the family tendency to blush easily. "I was just wondering, that is, um, how's Matt?"
"Matt?" My turn to blush. "He's fine. Why do you ask?"
"Is he your...your boyfriend now?"
"My boyfriend? Um, no. Whatever gave you that idea?"
"Well, gee. You sure were kissing long enough the other night!" She clapped her hand over her mouth. "I mean, gosh...I wasn't spying or anything. I started to go downstairs and I just saw you."
"You could have cleared your throat or something." I scowled. "How long were you standing there, anyway?"
"Long enough to see that you kissed for nineteen seconds!" Iris bit her lip. "Er, I think. It was kind of hard to read my watch in that dim light."
"You timed us?" I waved my arms in the air. Then I forced myself to calm down. I didn't want Iris to think it was a big deal. She would if I protested too much. "It's not really any of your business, but I will tell you that kiss didn't mean anything. Matt and I work on the yearbook together. That's all.
"Boy, when I'm in high school I hope I can work on the yearbook." Iris giggled. "It sure looks like fun!"
"Out!" I handed Iris her math book and pointed to the door.
She left, trying unsuccessfully not to laugh. I flopped back down on my bed. A wave of uneasiness swept over me as I realized that Iris wasn't the only one I'd have to explain to about Matt. I had to tell Anna. I turned over on my stomach. Well, maybe that wouldn't be so difficult. She'd been so distracted thinking about Stuart when I'd told her how I felt about Matt. It was possible she hadn't paid much attention to what I'd said.
The phone rang. It was Anna.
I shoved a pillow under my head, wondering if this was as good a time as any to fill her in on my latest situation.
"You know," Anna said, "I was so wrapped up about Stuart that it didn't really sink in until just a while ago what you were telling me about Matt. That's so great! I'd always hoped you'd find someone special."
"Sorry," I said, hoping to sound casual. "False alarm."
"But you said..."
"Forget what I said." I sighed. "It was all a big mistake." I filled her in on all the gory details.
"Are you sure your imagination isn't working overtime?" said Anna. "Matt seems too nice to be so insincere."
"I'm sure. Look, you hardly know him, right? Everything he said and did was carefully geared to get me to like him just so I'd change my mind about the Who's Who."
"Well, I think you could be wrong," Anna said. "But I guess you do know him better than I do."
"Yes, I do. Look, I've got to go. See you tomorrow, okay?" I was afraid that if I talked about it much longer, I'd cry.
The rest of the week I avoided Matt as much as possible. It wasn't hard, since he really didn't try to talk to me. In fact, it seemed that every time I turned around he was with Janie Wright. It hurt when I saw the two of them together taking pictures of teachers. But what did I expect? I decided I would let them worry about yearbook pictures, and I would concentrate on writing copy.
I threw myself into the work. It helped take my mind off Matt. Evenings at home, I tackled writing a paragraph for each senior. It wasn't easy trying to capture a whole personality in just a couple short paragraphs. I started jotting down whatever came to mind when I saw a name.
Hank Coleman...Three-letter athlete...tall...likes a certain sophomore...happy-go-lucky, but serious deep down...look out NFL.
Anna Wilson...long black hair...tough goalie...class president...our fearless leader.
I started to scratch out that last phrase because I remembered that Matt had used it. But I changed my mind. The phrase fit. I wouldn't let myself worry about Matt's influence one way or the other. I finished off with ...future doctor.
I worked on some more. Lance Jennings...Chevy...bowler..."What can I say?"...future in the business world.
Ruby Melonson...organized...quiet...purple sweater...pet peeve--Trig...want to travel and teach.
Dorie Davis...athletic...many true loves...hearty laugh...essay winner...hopes to live and work in New York City.
After a while, what had started out as a difficult task became fun. I knew I'd have to have others on the staff help, since I didn't know each and every member of the class that well. But a plan evolved.
At the next yearbook meeting, I announced, "Let's not write formal paragraphs for senior write-ups. I mean, the school has been doing that since…well, at least since my parents went here. It's totally beyond time for a change. We'll list their activities and club associations, but then we'll just use a few words and phrases to capture the essence of each person. We could pass out forms to each senior too, so they could list pet peeves, special memories, favorite phrases, and that sort of thing that they might want included."
My suggestion was greeted with silence. I toyed with a pencil. I paced around a desk. Facing a room full of people was a lot different than dealing one on one. I could see Matt watching me out of the corner of his eyes. He was probably wondering if I'd be as bossy with the committee about this as I'd been with him about the Who's Who.
Finally, I said, "Let me give you some examples." On the blackboard I wrote out the characterizations I'd done of Ruby and Hank and Anna. I stepped back and let everyone read them and waited.
The room buzzed. Everyone started calling out catch phrases and special events and characterizations of various seniors.
"Write everything down," I said. "We can sort it all out later."
Matt, for the first time in days, approached me. "I like your idea," he said. "In a way, it's like verbal candid’s."
More phony flattery? All I said was, "Thank you."
"Speaking of candid’s," said Janie, "everyone's been asking when we're going to have the Senior Class Day downtown. How about if we set a date, Laurel, and get things going?"
I'd almost forgotten Senior Class Day. "Good idea. It should be on a weekend. How about a week from Saturday?" I looked to Matt for his approval. After all, he was the photographer.
"Fine with me," said Matt. Then he said something that surprised me. "You'll be there, won't you Laurel?"
For a moment, I was speechless. But then it occurred to me that he might have decided he couldn't influence me if he didn't see me. "Oh...I don't know."
"You have to be there," said Janie. "You're editor-in-chief."
"You once said anything to do with the yearbook was part of your job." Matt grinned. "You have to be there."
I knew when someone was mocking me. "I'll be there!"
"Oh, good," Janie said. "You always come up with such cool ideas. With the three of us working together, it should be great."
"I'm sure," I said. For a second, Matt and I looked at each other. I hoped that for the sake of the yearbook we could work together for one day.
"You know," Janie said, "we should start on the Who's Who soon too if it's going to be included."
That threw me off balance. Had Matt put Janie up to saying that? Or had he said nothing, and Janie was just innocently bringing it up on her own, not knowing I'd definitely shelved the Who's Who?
"We have a lot of stuff to do," I said carefully. "The write-ups for the seniors, the Senior Class Day downtown. I want to take it one step at a time for now. In fact, if you get started on some posters for the Senior Class Day, I'd really appreciate it."
"Oh, sure!" Janie went off to work on the posters. At least temporarily I'd diverted her attention away from the Who's Who.
I cast a sideways glance at Matt.
"I didn't put her up to that," Matt said. "No one knows you've already vetoed the Who's Who. Unless you've told them."
Matt's insinuation made me squirm. I kept my voice low, so no one would hear us. "I've been too busy with a lot of other things to worry about besides the Who's Who."
"You'll have to let everyone know about your decision sooner or later." Matt stepped closer to me. "They may be distracted by other stuff for now, but eventually they'll have to know."
Was Matt making a veiled threat? Was he trying to intimidate me into changing my mind? Was he implying that if I was too much of a coward to say anything, that he would?
He could be just hoping that I'd change my mind. Maybe he thought everyone would be against me and demand that I reinstate the Who's Who, if only they knew about it. Still, I thought he was telling the truth about not telling anyone. I wished I knew exactly what he was up to.
I folded my arms in front of me. "Don't worry. I'll deal with it."