by Meg Haston
“Oww.” I licked my thumb and pressed it into the widening heart-shaped stain on the knee of my new bottle-green jeggings.
“Watch it. I’m def borrowing those.” Molly clacked across the faded wood floor in towering platform booties. “If it’s okay.”
“Of course.” I jumped up to hug her. “Whenever you want.” I didn’t let go right away. Maybe I was holding on too long. But I was so relieved to be friends again, there wasn’t enough room in my brain to care.
Mols wriggled away, a mischievous grin playing over her rosy lips. “So?” A few wisps of platinum hair slipped from beneath a cropped hoodie.
“So, sit.” I slapped the seat next to me.
“First you have to guess what’s different about me.”
“Ummm…” I reviewed her from head to toe. I’d seen the hoodie before, and the black leather skinnies were a definite rerun. I’d watched her buy the yellow RUCKUS tee at the showcase Friday night. It was a consolation prize for being the girlfriend of the dude who bombed onstage, she’d told me when we got back to my house.
“Kacey! Guess!”
“Did your shirt have that stain on it when you bought it?” The old Kacey would have informed Mols that wearing a (dirty) rival band’s T-shirt to school made her a subpar rock ’n’ roll girlfriend. The new, slightly-less-honest-but-more-aware-of-people’s-feelings Kacey ran her tongue over her braces to give her mouth something else to do.
“Not a stain.” Molly perched on the edge of the sofa. Her voice dropped to a whisper, and she leaned close enough for me to catch a whiff of gingerbread body butter. “It’s the signature of the lead guy in Ruckus. He’s in ninth, and his name is Phoenix. Which is so weird, because you know how my grandparents live close to Phoenix and it’s, like, my fave place ever?”
“You said staying in the desert for spring break was like being trapped in a huge litter box.” I squinted through a fresh set of contacts at the chicken scratch above her left boob. Why were we talking about some strange kid in ninth when Molly had the coolest, most talented guy in seventh by her side?
“You’re not guessing.” Impatiently, Mols wound a lock of hair around her index finger and yanked.
“Your hair iiiissss…” I bit the inside of my cheek. When I was Channel M’s star reporter, I never worried about saying the wrong thing. I missed being a reporter. Or maybe I just missed having a reason to give people the straight story without having to feel bad about it. “… blonder?”
“Wrong!” She smacked an imaginary game-show buzzer on the coffee table, then whipped off her hoodie, revealing an angled, shoulder-length bob.
“You cut it all off!” I squealed. “Ohmygod, it looks so much healthier without those stringy exten—” I gulped. “You look so good!”
“Really? You think so?”
I grinned. “For real! What made you do it?”
“I’m starting fresh,” Molly proclaimed.
I adjusted the feathered head wrap holding my long auburn waves in place. The piece was fashioned from a costume mask our friend Liv Parillo’s grandmother had worn to a masquerade ball a zillion years ago. It was the latest item in LivItUp, Liv’s brand-new line of upscale repurposed accessories. “Starting fresh from what?”
“Well…” Molly scanned each of the vintage-school-desks-turned-tables in the tiny bakery. The tip of her nose and her cheeks were tinged with pink, and not from the early-morning chill.
“What? Tell me!” I scooted close enough for our knees to touch.
“I broke up with Z last night.”
The words took my breath away. I felt like I was back in the dunking booth at last year’s Channel M fund-raiser, the split second after I hit the icy water.
Okay, so it was my producer, Carlos, who’d actually agreed to the dunking booth. But I imagined that it probably felt exactly like this.
Molly blinked. “Hello? Earth to Kacey!”
“Ohmygod!” I coughed, my mind spinning with questions. Why would anyone ever dump Zander? Was he okay? What did this mean for us? Was there an “us”? Since Molly had asked me to quit Gravity in the first place, I’d been beyond nervous to tell her that I’d rejoined the band before I knew about the split. Did this make my news better, or worse?
“What did he—why did you—are you okay?” I asked.
“Aww, Kace. You’re the best. I’m fine.” She squeezed my arm reassuringly. “It’s like I texted Z last night. We just don’t have that much in common, you know?”
I nodded. That much was definitely true.
“Plus, I’m Molly Knight. I can’t be the girl who dated that loser who sucked onstage.”
“Did you tell him that?”
“I would have, but then this hilarious commercial came on and I forgot. Anyway, you’re gonna love Phoenix. We have so much in common!”
“Like what?” I wanted to focus 100 percent on Molly, but a voice in the back of my head kept ordering me to confess that I’d rejoined Gravity. Now that she’d broken up with Zander, she wouldn’t care. Right?
“We’re both super mature, and we both love how he’s in ninth.”
“He sounds great. Really. I’m happy for you.” Tell her.
“I knew you would be. Only there’s something I kind of need advice on.” Molly tugged at the leather choker around her neck.
“About your new boy? Shoot,” I said graciously. Boys were the one and only area where Molly’s expertise outshone mine. This had to be killing her.
“Okay.” She took a deep breath. “Phoenix likes girls who have a thing. You know, like designing is Liv’s thing, and being smart is Nessa’s thing. And journalism is your thing.”
Used to be my thing.
“But since I quit skating lessons, I don’t have a thing anymore.” Molly lowered her head. “Do you think I should go back to gymnastics? I’m kind of over tight ponytails and glitter hair spray.”
“So’s the rest of the world. But not to worry.” I borrowed the soothing, low tone that sounded so reassuring when Dr. Phil, our school shrink, used it. “You’re good at a ton of other things.”
“Like what?” Her white-blond lashes fluttered skeptically.
“Like…” I reached for my hot chocolate and took a long sip, thinking hard. “Like you always put together amazing outfits. And out of all the girls I know, you’re the best at talking to boys. You don’t get nervous or anything.”
“I guess.”
“Most of all, you’re an amazing friend. I was just thinking how glad I am that we’re friends again.”
“Me, too,” she said quickly. “Things weren’t the same when we weren’t talking. And”—she pulled a brown throw pillow into her lap and squeezed it—“I’m really sorry about how mean I was to you.”
“Same.” I wanted to hug her again. “Okay. So we’ve got outfits, boy-talking, and friendship. What else do you like?”
“Parties, for sure. I had a killer time at my b-day party. Everybody did.” A horrified look flashed across her face. “Until you bit it, obv.”
“Obv.” My teeth ached at the memory. “Okay. Parties!” I settled back into the couch cushions and thought for a few seconds. “What if you were a party planner, or something? You could plan special events at Marquette! Like fund-raisers and dances and stuff.”
Molly’s head snapped toward me. Her delicate features locked into a deadly serious expression. “Yes. Party planner. Yes.”
“Actually, I heard the student council was looking for someone to head the Party Planning Committee for the spring dance. I bet I could get Paige to approve your app by the end of the day!”
Molly’s nose scrunched in disapproval. “Paige Greene has to approve me?” She and Paige, my old fifth-grade BFF, got along almost as well as my six-year-old sister, Ella, and I had during her I know you are, but what am I? phase.
“Well, she is seventh-grade class president. But it’s just a formality,” I assured her.
She pretended to weigh her option. Singular.
“O
kay, I’ll do it!” Mols reached over and hugged me.
“Yay! I really think this is a great idea,” I said into her shoulder. You know what else is a great idea? Telling your best friend the truth! Say it! “I. Rejoined. Gravity.” My mouth tasted dry and stale, like I’d been sucking on mothballs.
“Me, too. Thanks, Ka—” Suddenly, Molly jerked away. “Wait. You never said if you thought it was a good idea to break up with Zander.” Her eyebrows shot up in panic.
“I—uh—” I hadn’t had time to process. For that, I’d need at least a couple of hours alone in my room. And a good, soul-searching-themed playlist. I channeled Dr. Phil again. “Do you think it was a good idea to break up with Zander?”
Molly’s cornflower-blue eyes flitted anxiously across my face. “I dunno. I guess. I mean, we really didn’t have much in common. Plus, I heard he was into some other girl while we were dating.”
My blood ran cold. “What? Who?”
“Ridic, right?” Molly half coughed, half laughed. “Z was totally into me when we were dating. I was the one who broke up with him, remember?” A tiny vein in her forehead throbbed.
“Yeah. I remember.” I crossed my arms over my black dolman-sleeve top, suddenly aware of a draft in the bakery. “So, did you hear who it was?”
“Please. If I knew who it was, we wouldn’t be having this conversation. I’d be out kicking her a—”
“OHMYGOD. I just had the most amazing idea.” I cut her off before she could give me the gory play-by-play. “What if I rejoined Gravity, and then I could get the inside scoop on whether he was into someone else while you guys were together?” I reached for my hot chocolate mug again, afraid to steal a glance at her expression.
“You mean, like, you’d be a spy? Just for me?”
“Mmmm.” I chugged the rest of my hot chocolate with complete disregard for the third-degree throat burns I was inflicting on myself. And the lie I was inflicting on her. But if I’d learned anything in the past few weeks, it was that sometimes the truth wasn’t the best option.
“Yes! Do it! That’s totally brilliant.”
“Mmmmm.” I kept my mug between us. “Okay. Great. I’ll talk to Zander after school.”
Molly fell back into the sofa, a dreamy look on her face. “Perf.” Then she sat up again. “But wait. You can’t just find out whether he was into some girl before. You have to find out if he’s into anyone now. He can’t date anybody for at least a year after me. It’s the rule. Girl Code.”
Girl Code? “But aren’t you and Phoenix—”
“That’s different. I was the one who did the breaking up. I’m allowed to date.”
“Oh.” I squeezed my mug so hard I was sure tiny hairline cracks were forming in the painted ceramic lip. “Okay.” The rule was insane. But the look on her face told me she couldn’t have been more serious.
“So that’s it, then. You’ll get the dirt and report back to me. And if any girl even thinks about liking him—”
I bent over and reached for my messenger bag with numb, trembling fingers.
“—that girl will be in major trouble. She has no idea what I can do when I’m pissed,” Molly finished.
“Got it,” I said weakly.
But Molly was wrong. That girl had a pretty good idea of what Molly Knight was capable of. And that girl wasn’t looking for that kind of trouble.
Not again.
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Contents
WELCOME
DEDICATION
CHAPTER 1: LIGHTS, CAMERA… ADVICE!
CHAPTER 2: TRUE LOVE IS BLIND (OR GETTING THAT WAY)
CHAPTER 3: FEEL THE BURN
CHAPTER 4: A DATE WITH DOCTOR EVIL
CHAPTER 5: GIRLS JUST WANT TO HAVE FUN (PREFERABLY AT THE DRAKE)
CHAPTER 6: PARTY FOUL FALLOUT
CHAPTER 7: H IS FOR HOMESCHOOL
CHAPTER 8: THEEN AND NOT HEARD
CHAPTER 9: A JURY OF HER PEERS
CHAPTER 10: THE WRITING’S ON THE STALL
CHAPTER 11: THE DOCTOR IS IN
CHAPTER 12: TOGETHER AGAIN, FOR A LIMITED TIME…
CHAPTER 13: SAVING KACEY SIMON
CHAPTER 14: BEGGARS CAN’T BE DRAMA QUEENS
CHAPTER 15: WHO’S YOUR SUGAR DADDY?
CHAPTER 16: YOU CAN TAKE THE GIRL OUT OF LINCOLN PARK….
CHAPTER 17: THREE’S COMPANY, SIX IS A CROWD
CHAPTER 18: CULTURE CLUB
CHAPTER 19: MOMENT OF TRUTH
CHAPTER 20: IT’S NOT WHAT YOU SAID, IT’S THE WAY YOU SAID IT
CHAPTER 21: REUNITED, AND IT FEELS SO GOOD
CHAPTER 22: JUST LIKE RIDING A BIKE
CHAPTER 23: ONCE MORE, FROM THE TOP
CHAPTER 24: CHEAT SHEET
CHAPTER 25: SAME AS IT EVER WAS
CHAPTER 26: NOW THAT’S COLD
CHAPTER 27: OPENING (AND CLOSING) NIGHT
CHAPTER 28: WILL THE REAL KACEY SIMON PLEASE STAND UP?
CHAPTER 29: I’LL HAVE WHAT SHE’S HAVING
CHAPTER 30: IN THE HARSH LIGHT OF DAY
CHAPTER 31: GREENE WITH HONESTY
CHAPTER 32: DESPERATE MEASURES
CHAPTER 33: THAT’S THE PROBLEM WITH LIVE TELEVISION
CHAPTER 34: I’M (NOT) WITH THE BAND
CHAPTER 35: ENCORE
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
A PREVIEW OF HOW TO ROCK BREAK-UPS AND MAKE-UPS
NEWSLETTERS
COPYRIGHT
Copyright
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is coincidental.
Copyright © 2011 by Alloy Entertainment
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Second e-book edition: September 2012
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Excerpt from “Guys and Dolls” by Jo Swerling, Abe Burrows, and Frank Loesser. Copyright 1951 Jo Loesser, Jo Swerling, Jr., and Peter Swerling (renewed in 1979). All rights reserved.
“I’ve Never Been in Love Before” by Frank Loesser (Frank Music Corp.). All rights reserved.
“Go Your Own Way” by Lindsey Buckingham (New Sounds Music). All rights reserved.
Book design by Liz Dresner
Hand-lettering by Carolyn Sewell
Map design by Leah B. Mantini
ISBN 978-0-316-19289-7
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