“Take a chance!” Rory sang. “Ask her out, she might go. I can’t! What if she says no . . .”
“It’s about you,” Chloe added. “I’m sure of it.”
“Whatever,” I said.
I felt my face getting hot. Could Rory’s song really be about me?
“There’s nothing cooler than being the lead singer’s girlfriend,” Chloe said.
I flinched. I didn’t mean to, but Chloe noticed.
“Don’t you like Rory?” Chloe asked.
“Yes, no . . . I mean —” I took a breath and shook my head. Then I said, “Never mind. I was thinking about something else.”
Claudia was going to want to know everything about Rory’s band. She wanted Brad’s band to win. But I didn’t.
I wanted Rory to win.
Chapter Five
No
Excuses
I did not want to go to Claudia’s house. I was a terrible liar, and I looked guilty when I felt guilty. There had to be a way out.
I went into the kitchen. Grandpa was there, taking a big baking dish out of the oven. My stepsister Angela was there too, drawing a picture at the table. “Is Mom working tonight?” I asked Grandpa.
“Yes, but she made a casserole for us,” Grandpa said. He put the baking dish on the table.
“Where’s Logan?” I asked.
“He’ll be late,” Grandpa said. “He said to eat without him.” He handed me three plates. He gave Angela the silverware, and we set the table.
That gave me a great idea.
I hated watching my little stepsister. Angela was a loud, spoiled brat. But she was just the excuse I needed tonight.
“If you want to go to the Senior Center tonight, I can watch Angela,” I said.
“That’s sweet of you,” Grandpa said. “But I’m too tired.” He rubbed his shoulder. “I weeded the rose garden today.”
“You have to go to Claudia’s house,” Angela said. “She called to remind you.”
“Oh, yeah,” I said. “Right.”
After dinner, Angela followed me to my room. “Are you mad at Claudia?” she asked.
“No,” I said.
“Is she mad at you?” Angela asked.
“Not yet,” I muttered. That made Angela look worried, so I tried to explain. “I just don’t want to spy on one friend to help another friend,” I said. “And Claudia will want me to.”
Angela’s eyes got wide. “You mean like sneaking around in the dark and taking pictures?” she asked.
“No, not like that,” I said. “See, Claudia’s friend Brad has a band, and my friend Rory has a band. And they’re both in the Battle of the Bands this weekend.”
“So?” Angela said.
“Claudia really wants Brad to win,” I said. “She already asked me to spy on Jenny’s band. If I tell her that Rory has a band, she’ll want me to tell her everything he’s doing.”
“Then don’t tell Claudia that Rory has a band,” Angela said.
Oh. Right.
Chapter Six
Help
for My Friends
“What took you so long?” Claudia asked when she opened the door.
“I’m only a few minutes late,” I replied. I tried not to look her in the eye. She’d be able to tell I was hiding something.
I didn’t have to worry. Claudia was too excited about the Scrimmage rehearsal to notice that I was nervous. Problem solved.
In Claudia’s living room, Becca was sitting on the couch with Nick, Claudia’s bratty six-year-old neighbor.
Claudia had to babysit Nick all the time — even more than I watched Angela. Nick was a little easier to handle. He liked to lie and throw tantrums, but he could be bribed.
“You should have been there this afternoon, Monica!” Claudia gushed. “Hanging out with Brad’s band was amazing. So much fun. I could listen to them play all day long.”
“You’re their number-one groupie,” Becca teased.
“I’m not a groupie!” Claudia replied, her eyes flashing. “I’m the band’s official video person. I even took notes and wrote out a set list of their songs.”
“What’s a groupie?” Nick asked.
“Someone who likes a band so much they go to all the concerts and buy all the songs,” Becca said.
“Like Claudia and Bad Dog,” I said.
“I like Scrimmage better,” Claudia said.
“I like Adam,” Nick said. “He plays baseball, and he loves Viper-Man.”
“So does Brad,” Claudia said.
“Yeah, but Adam likes me,” Nick said, narrowing his eyes at Claudia. “Where’s the popcorn? You said we’d have popcorn.”
“And you promised to behave if I let you watch the rehearsal,” Claudia said.
“I want popcorn too,” Nick said.
Five minutes later, we were all sitting on the couch with bowls of popcorn. Claudia clicked play on her laptop and the video began.
The first song was a fast hit song I knew from the radio. Nobody spoke until it ended. Claudia paused the video.
“Wow!” Nick whispered. “Adam is awesome!”
“I love the way Brad flips his hair off his face,” Claudia said.
“Yeah, he looks pretty cool,” I said.
“So, how do they sound?” Claudia asked. She looked at Becca and then me.
“Good,” Becca said.
Claudia grinned. “They’re fantastic, aren’t they?” she said, smiling.
I wanted to be honest. “They all play great,” I said. “They just need to blend more.”
Claudia frowned. “What do you mean?” she asked.
“It sounds like everyone is playing a solo,” I explained. “At the same time.”
Becca nodded. “The bass sounds like a heartbeat in a scary movie,” she said.
“I liked that part,” Nick said. “But I don’t like that Brad guy.”
“Why not?” Claudia asked. She looked hurt.
“His guitar is too loud,” Nick said. “I could hardly hear Adam.”
“Brad plays lead guitar,” Claudia said. “He’s supposed to be louder.”
“Maybe it was just that song,” I said.
Claudia started the video again. The second song was a slow ballad. Brad strained to hit the high note.
“See? They blended together in that one,” Claudia said.
“Much better,” I said.
“It was boring!” Nick said, frowning.
“Seven-year-old boys aren’t supposed to like love songs,” Becca said.
“Brad has a great voice, doesn’t he?” Claudia asked, smiling.
I didn’t mention that his high note was off. “The backup vocals need work,” I said. “Adam and Jake weren’t harmonizing.”
Claudia rolled her eyes. Nick glared at me. “What’s harmonizing?” he asked.
“Each singer sings different notes, but they sound good together,” I explained.
At Rory’s house, Kenny and Jason had explained that harmonizing wasn’t hard. It just took extra time and effort to figure out.
“Will the judges take points away if a group doesn’t harmonize?” Claudia asked.
“I don’t know,” Becca said, “but I bet they’ll take points away for bad harmonies.”
Claudia looked nervous.
I stopped offering advice after the fourth song. Claudia thought Brad’s band was totally terrific. She didn’t think anything needed to be fixed. She wasn’t listening to anything I said anyway.
That was
okay with me. I had done my duty as a friend. I had watched the rehearsal and given an honest opinion, just like Claudia asked. It wasn’t my fault she didn’t want to listen.
I called Chloe right away. “What happened?” I asked. “Why are they dropping out?
“Rory lost his drummer,” Chloe said.
“Wade quit?” I asked.
“No, he sprained his wrist shooting hoops after rehearsal,” Chloe said. She sighed. “The doctor won’t let him play next Friday.”
“River Stone is better off without him,” I said. “Wade just wanted to show off. He didn’t care if he made the band sound bad.”
“I know, but they still needs drums,” Chloe said. “Every drummer at Rock Creek is already in another band.”
“Hmm. How good does the drum guy have to be?” I asked.
“Rory just wants a middle school kid who’s willing to work and can keep the beat,” Chloe said. “Do you know someone?”
“Maybe,” I said. “I’ll call you back.”
I had an idea.
Chapter Seven
Taking
Sides
Claudia babbled about Brad and his band all the way to school Monday morning. Becca and I hardly said a word. I didn’t mind. I knew that if I talked, I might mention River Stone. I couldn’t make that mistake around Claudia.
I even avoided talking to Claudia in homeroom. “I have to read over my book report,” I told her as soon as we walked into the classroom. “I didn’t have time to look for mistakes last night.”
Becca and Claudia left me alone. But while I pretended to read my report, Sylvia and Jaden rushed over.
“Thank you so much for telling Jenny I play bass,” Sylvia said. “I never thought I’d be in a real band.”
“Same here,” Jaden said. “I sure was surprised when you called.”
“Why?” I asked. “You’re the best drummer in the marching band.”
“But most kids think marching music is all I can do,” Jaden said. “I’ve got a full set of drums in my garage. Rory’s band rehearsed at my house all weekend.”
“How did it go?” I asked.
“Great,” Jaden said. “It was really fun to rock out for a change.”
“So, did Jenny find a saxophone player?” I asked Sylvia.
Sylvia shook her head. “Jake Medina is the only good one at Pine Tree,” she said. “We don’t want to have a boy in a girl band.”
After Jaden and Sylvia sat down, I saw Claudia staring at me.
She had heard everything.
I didn’t know Claudia was mad until we started walking home. She turned to me the minute we got outside.
“Why didn’t you tell me Rory had a band?” Claudia asked.
“Because I thought you might ask me to spy on them,” I admitted. “And that wouldn’t be fair.”
“It wasn’t fair to spy on Brad’s band for Rory, either,” Claudia said, narrowing her eyes at me. “You saw the whole Scrimmage rehearsal, and now you’ll tell Rory everything that happened!”
“I didn’t tell Rory about it,” I said.
I couldn’t believe that Claudia would think that I could betray her like that. But she wasn’t done.
“Maybe not, but you found a drummer for Rory and a bass player for Jenny,” Claudia said.
“Rory and Jenny needed players,” I explained, “and Sylvia and Jaden wanted to play.”
“Monica wasn’t trying to hurt Brad,” Becca said. She hated it when Claudia and I argued. “She was just helping some friends.”
“I’m supposed to be your best friend, Monica,” Claudia said. Then she turned around and walked away.
“I can’t believe that just happened,” I said.
“She just needs time to calm down,” Becca said, trying to comfort me.
“I know,” I said. But I didn’t really believe that. “Is Claudia being ridiculous?” I asked Becca. “Or am I the one who is?”
Becca sighed. “She is,” she said. “But it’s only because she likes Brad so much.”
“And because this might be her only chance to meet Bad Dog’s lead singer,” I added.
“So there’s no point trying to make up until the Battle of the Bands is over,” Becca said.
I felt sad about that, but I also felt relieved.
Claudia was crazy about Brad. She didn’t want anything to do with me unless I was completely on Brad’s side.
Well, too bad. Rory hadn’t made me feel guilty or asked me to choose sides.
Chapter Eight
Grabbing
for Groupies
The students at Pine Tree and Rock Creek turned everything into a school rivalry.
I didn’t care about that. But Claudia did. She didn’t speak to me all morning. And our regular lunch table was empty when I got to the cafeteria. I sat down anyway.
After a couple of minutes, Larry Kyle sat down next to me. “Did you and Claudia have a fight or something?” he asked.
“Kind of,” I said. “She’s cheering for Brad’s band at the Battle of the Bands, and I’m not.”
Larry and I glanced at the Scrimmage table.
Claudia wasn’t the only friend who had left me to sit with Brad’s band. Tommy and Peter were Adam’s best friends, so they were sitting there.
And Becca had a crush on Tommy, so she was there too.
Domingo Medina, the saxophone player, was the other person at the table.
“Did Dom join Brad’s band?” I asked Larry.
Larry nodded and jabbed his straw into his milk carton. “He usually eats with me,” he said.
I nibbled my tuna sandwich and looked around. Usually, every kid at Pine Tree Middle sat with the same kids at the same table every day. Today they were all jumbled up.
“How many Pine Tree bands are playing this weekend?” I asked.
“Five,” Larry said. “And all of them have tons of groupies.”
Larry wasn’t kidding. Jenny and Sylvia sat at the popular girls’ table with Anna, Carly, and Karen. A dozen other girls had Glitter & Grit buttons pinned to their shirts. A sparkly G&G poster hung from the end of the table.
“All the popular and desperate-to-be-popular girls are cheering for Anna,” Larry said. “And Jenny has everyone who doesn’t want to make her mad.”
“So Jenny has everyone,” I joked.
“Not quite,” Larry said. He grinned. “Brad has the football team, most of the cheerleaders, and kids who just like him. The other three bands get the rest.”
I didn’t know who the other three bands were. But now I understood why Claudia cared so much about making sure Brad had a lot of fans.
The judges would notice.
The more groupies a band had, the better.
A class of beginning riders was just tacking up when I rode my bike up to the barn. Chloe was already there. She and I walked over to the group of kids standing around Alice, the lessons instructor. The kids were all from Rock Creek.
“Is anyone going to the Battle of the Bands Friday night?” Chloe asked.
“I am,” a blond girl said, raising her hand. “I want to hear Rory’s band.”
“Me too,” a boy said. “I hope River Stone is good.”
“They’re fantastic,” I said.
“All the lesson kids are going to be cheering for Rory,” Alice said. “But Owen and his friends — the other owners, I guess — aren’t planning to go.”
“Oh, really?” Chloe said. “Hmm. We’ll see about that.” She spun around on her h
eel, and I followed her away from Alice.
Chloe and I headed back to the main barn. Owen, Lydia, and Megan were sitting on the benches by the front doors.
“Why aren’t you going to the Battle of Bands?” I asked.
“Don’t you want to support Rory?” Chloe asked.
“No,” Owen snapped.
Lydia shook her head.
“Absolutely not,” Megan added.
“Why not?” I asked.
“I’m sick of this. If we want to ride, we have to do all the work,” Owen explained.
“Because Rory’s too busy practicing with his stupid band,” Megan said.
I was pretty sure that Megan had a crush on Rory. She didn’t like anything that got between them. That included me.
“So we’re mad,” Lydia said. “And we don’t care if he loses.”
“Mark cares,” Chloe said.
Owen and the two girls looked up.
Hard work and good sportsmanship meant more to Mark than riding well and winning ribbons. We all knew that. Mark was a great trainer, and nobody wanted to risk getting booted out of his barn.
“Mark wants Rory to win,” Chloe went on. “That’s why he gave him time off to practice.”
“He won’t be happy if you don’t show up to cheer for River Stone,” I said.
Chapter Nine
Best
Seats
I stayed out of Claudia’s way all week. Becca avoided both of us so she didn’t have to choose sides.
But we couldn’t avoid a clash on Friday afternoon when it was time for the Battle of the Bands.
Everybody wanted to sit close to the stage. All of the bands sent friends to stake out good spots, as close to the stage as possible.
I walked to the park with Angela after school. Grandpa had a Bingo tournament at the Senior Center. He wouldn’t get home until 5:30. Then he’d come pick up Angela at the park.
Chloe’s mom drove her to the park with our plastic chairs and blankets. They got there first.
Monica and the Sweetest Song Page 2