by Betsy Haynes
"That's terrible," exclaimed Taffy. "Those creeps! Why would they say a thing like that?"
"I guess everybody thinks of you differently now. You're our resident celebrity, and they don't know how to handle it," Shawnie offered sadly.
The bell rang, and the girls said good-bye and headed for their lockers. Taffy felt more confused than ever. Now even Cory was having trouble because she was a movie star.
I'd better keep my fingers crossed that the movie does become a series, she thought, because I'm never going to fit in again at Wakeman.
Taffy was still thinking about her predicament when she and Shawnie headed out of the building after school. Suddenly Shawnie stopped and pointed toward the street.
"Look, Taffy!" she cried excitedly. "There's a limousine at the curb, and your mother's standing beside it."
Taffy looked up quickly. A long, white limousine was parked between two yellow school buses, and standing beside it, just as Shawnie had said, was Mrs. Sinclair, waving frantically in Taffy's direction.
"Oh, my gosh," Taffy murmured.
"Taffy! Guess what?" shouted her mother. "Channing Crandall is back in town. He sent this limo to get you and take you to The Merry Chase Acting Studio to see him. Oh, Taffy. I know it can only mean one thing. Hurry, dear. We can't keep Mr. Crandall waiting."
Taffy nodded and turned to Shawnie, but she couldn't look at her right away. Her mother was probably right. There was only one thing this could mean. She was going back to Hollywood. But for herself and Shawnie it would mean saying good-bye again. How could she be so excited and so sad at the same time?
"I guess I'd better go," said Taffy.
Shawnie nodded and cleared her throat. "Right," she said softly. "And, Taffy . . . good luck."
Taffy got into the backseat of the limousine and pretended to stare out the window so that her mother couldn't see the tears streaming down her face.
"Well, if it isn't the brightest new star in Hollywod," said Channing Crandall when Taffy and her mother stepped into the studio. He strode forward, grinning broadly, and clasped her small hand in his large one. Merry Chase was beaming beside him.
"Congratulations, love," she said in her deep, throaty voice.
"The ratings are in from last night's broadcast of Nobody Likes Tiffany Stafford," Mr. Crandall went on, "and I'm pleased to tell you that they were spectacular. That's all the producers were waiting for. Good ratings mean that we're going to turn the movie into a series, and . . ." The casting director paused to build suspense. "And we'd like to have the same cast, which means that you have the starring role of Tiffany Stafford again if you want it. What do you say? Will you do it?"
Taffy couldn't answer right away, although she could see her mother twisting her hands nervously.
"We have the first three scripts completed already, so we'd like to start filming next week," the casting director added.
Taffy stared at Channing Crandall. This was it. If she said yes, her life would change forever. She would have to leave Wakeman Junior High for six long months. She would have to leave her best friend and her steady boyfriend. She would never be a normal teenager again.
She closed her eyes. No, she thought as a smile spread slowly across her face. I'll never be normal again, but I'll be a star.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
"Nothing's definite yet," Taffy said when Shawnie called her later in the evening after the interview with Marge Whitworth had been broadcast. She knew she was lying to her best friend, but she still didn't know how to break the news.
"When will you know?" Shawnie asked.
"Pretty soon," replied Taffy, wondering if her voice was giving her away. "If I do go back to Hollywood," she added slowly, "you'll have Kimm to be friends with, won't you?"
There was a long pause. "Sure," said Shawnie, "but believe me, it won't be the same."
Taffy bit her lip to keep from crying. It won't be the same for me, either, she wanted to say. Instead she went on, "But you were telling me how much fun it is to go to her house, and how interesting she is."
"Yeah, I know," said Shawnie, sounding more and more dejected, "and I meant it, but. . . . Let's change the subject, okay?"
After they hung up, Taffy stared at the phone for a while. Finally she looked up Kimm's number and dialed it.
"Hi, Kimm," she said when the girl answered. "This is Taffy. Can you talk a minute?"
"Sure," Kimm replied. "I watched your interview on TV a few minutes ago, and it was great. What's up?"
Taffy chose her words carefully. "When I first got home from Hollywood, I was pretty jealous of how much time you and Shawnie had spent together while I was gone."
"I know you guys are best friends," Kimm interjected. "I wasn't trying to wreck your friendship. Honest."
"I understand that now," said Taffy. "And it's okay that you and Shawnie like each other so much." She paused, not wanting to say what was coming next. "There's something else."
"What?" asked Kimm.
"Can you keep a secret?"
"Well . . . sure," said Kimm.
Taffy took a deep breath. "I found out after school today that Nobody Likes Tiffany Stafford is definitely going to become a television series and that I've got the starring role again."
"So you'll be going back to Hollywood?" asked Kimm.
"Right. Shawnie doesn't know yet. I didn't want to tell her until . . ."
"Oh, I get it. Until you knew she'd have a good friend while you're gone?" asked Kimm in a soft voice.
Taffy tried to say yes, but the word stuck in her throat. She waited a moment until the awful feeling had passed and then whispered, "That's right. I leave on Sunday."
"Don't worry," said Kimm. "Shawnie and I will be good friends while you're gone. Not only that, we'll both be your friends when you come home."
Taffy couldn't keep her secret much longer. Her mother was telling everyone she knew. She even called the local newspaper.
"When are you going to be leaving?" Shawnie asked sadly. They were sitting on the front steps of the school after lunch the next day.
"Sunday," said Taffy. "Mother's checking with the airlines today." She paused a moment. "I just want you to know that as much as I want to do the series, it makes me sad to leave. I wish there was some way you could come with me."
"Maybe I can come and visit you during summer vacation," offered Shawnie.
"Do you think you could?" Taffy asked excitedly. "Would your parents let you?"
"I'll do anything to talk them into it if you'll promise me one thing," said Shawnie.
Taffy looked at her in surprise. "What's that?"
Shawnie glanced up to make sure no one was listening. Then she giggled and whispered, "Introduce me to Raven Blaine!"
Taffy laughed, too, and for a moment the whole idea of going back to her movie career seemed exciting again. Then she thought of Cory.
"I'll introduce you to Raven anytime, especially if you can help me figure out what to do about Cory. I can't go steady with him if I'm going to be gone for such a long time," she said, looking pleadingly at Shawnie. "But how can I break up with him without hurting him or making him think I'm stuck-up and conceited? No matter what I say, that's how it's going to sound."
Shawnie squeezed Taffy's hand. "I don't know," she admitted. "I guess all you can do is try. There he is, over by the bike rack. Why don't you talk to him now, before he hears about it from someone else?"
Taffy glanced toward Cory. He was standing alone, wearing the same sad expression he'd had ever since Raven's roses had arrived. He knows, she thought. But Shawnie's right. I have to talk to him now.
"Hi, Cory," she called out as she approached the bike rack. "Do you have a minute?"
"Sure," he said. A smile flickered across his face and then died away. "How's it going?"
"Okay." She paused, fighting to keep her nerve. "I have something to tell you."
Cory ran a finger across the top of the bike rack. Without looking at her, he said, "You're goi
ng back to Hollywood, right?"
Tears filled Taffy's eyes. She tried to say yes, but all she could do was nod. Finally she cleared her throat and said, "Part of me wants to stay here with you and Shawnie. The trouble is, I don't fit in anymore. Nobody likes me. Everyone thinks I'm conceited."
"Is that the only reason you want to go back?" asked Cory.
Cory's words startled Taffy. It was the one question she didn't want to answer, but she knew she had to. "No," she admitted. "I really do want to be a star."
"And singing with The Dreadful Alternatives would never make you a star, at least not a big star," said Cory.
Taffy started to protest, but Cory shook his head. "It's true. You're special. You belong in Hollywood." He paused and said softly, "I guess I shouldn't even get mad if you go out with Raven Blaine."
"But . . . Cory . . ." Taffy sputtered.
"It's okay. I've been thinking about it a lot since he sent you those roses. I won't get mad if you go out with Raven Blaine. But I don't want you to get mad, either, if I go out with Kimm."
Taffy stared at him in astonishment. She didn't know what to say.
"See, it's not that I don't like you as much as ever," Cory continued. "I do. No one can take your place. Honest. But Kimm's nice. And we have lots of fun together . . . the same way you have fun with your friends in Hollywood."
Taffy wanted to hug Cory, right there on the school grounds with half the student body watching. He did understand, after all. It was too wonderful to be true.
Instead she smiled shyly and said, "Thanks, Cory. I'm leaving Sunday, but I'll be back."
"Yeah," he said. "In six months. That'll be great."
When the bell rang a few minutes later, Taffy headed for her afternoon classes feeling better than she had in a long time. She could leave for Hollywood now knowing that everything was settled with Shawnie and Cory, partly—she smiled and shook her head in disbelief—because of Kimm, the girl she had thought of as an enemy just a few days before.
On Friday after school Cory stopped her in the hall. "I know that you're leaving on Sunday, and that you'll be busy packing, but I'd really like you to come to The Dreadful Alternatives rehearsal tomorrow afternoon. Do you think you could talk your mom into letting you stop by?"
"Wow," said Taffy. "You want me to come to a rehearsal even though we've broken up."
Cory grinned. "Sure. Why not? Anyway, do you think your mom will let you?"
Taffy sighed. "I don't know. You know how she is."
"Will you try?" asked Cory. "It's important to me that you be there."
Taffy took a deep breath and let it out slowly. Why did he want her to come to rehearsal now that she was leaving town? she wondered. They had already agreed that she'd never get to sing with his band. But maybe it would be all right to go. After all, he still liked her, and she still liked him.
"Okay," she said. "I'll talk to her."
Mrs. Sinclair was impossible to convince.
"Taffy, you know that we have a lot to do before our flight on Sunday. How can you possibly ask to go to some band rehearsal?"
"It's not just some band rehearsal," Taffy argued. "It's Cory's band, and he wants me to be there. It will be six months before I'll see him again. Please let me go. Pleeease. I'll get everything done. I promise."
"Absolutely not," said her mother in the tone of voice that told Taffy it was useless to argue.
She trudged up to her room and closed the door. What am I going to do now? she wondered as she took a sweater out of a drawer, folded it, and placed it in her suitcase. I really want to go to that rehearsal!
A little later she heard the phone ring. She listened at the door for a moment, hoping it was for her, but her mother didn't call her. Resignedly she went back to her packing. After a few minutes there was a soft knock on her bedroom door.
"Who is it?" Taffy called.
"It's your mother, dear. May I come in?"
"Sure," she replied.
Mrs. Sinclair came into the room and sat down in the chair beside Taffy's desk. "I've been thinking," she said slowly, and then paused.
Taffy waited, but when her mother didn't say anything else, she frowned and asked, "Thinking about what?"
Her mother gave Taffy a brief smile. "Well, depending on how your packing is coming along, of course, maybe it would be all right for you to go to the band rehearsal tomorrow."
Taffy's mouth dropped open. "Do you mean that?" she cried. When her mother nodded, Taffy began jumping up and down. "Oh, thank you! Thank you! I'll get all my packing finished ahead of time. I promise."
When Taffy arrived at Cory's house the next afternoon, she parked her bike and walked slowly up the front steps of the two-story Colonial house, hesitating a moment before knocking. Cory opened the door.
"Hi, Taffy. Come on in," he said.
Taffy followed Cory inside, thinking he seemed strangely uneasy. She glanced around the silent living room. "Where is everybody?"
"Oh . . . well, they're downstairs in the family room getting set up," he replied.
He took her jacket, but he didn't head for the stairs.
"Aren't we going down, too?" she asked. "They can't rehearse without you."
Cory blinked at her and looked at his watch. "Oh, sure," he said. Then he moved toward the stairway and said in an unusually loud voice, "Sure, Taffy. Let's go on downstairs."
Taffy raised an eyebrow and gave him a puzzled look. Then she went down the stairs behind him.
"SURPRISE!" came a chorus of voices as kids jumped out from behind sofas and chairs, giggling and squealing. "SURPRISE! SURPRISE!"
At first Taffy could only stand in the middle of the room, staring at the dozens of boys and girls swarming around her. Alexis Duvall and Lisa Snow had big smiles on their faces. Mona Vaughn looked as if she might explode with joy, and from every direction kids were calling her name and grinning. Even The Fabulous Five were there. Balloons floated overhead, and at one end of the room stood a table covered with refreshments.
Suddenly Shawnie rushed up and gave Taffy a hug. "We all got together to say good-bye."
"And, brother, did we have a tough time getting you here," smiled Kimm. "Shawnie had to call your mother and beg her to let you come."
"But . . ." Taffy fumbled. "All these kids . . . I thought . . ."
"You thought nobody likes you," Shawnie said softly, "but you were wrong. They may not be your best friends, and they may get jealous of you sometimes. But you're still a Wacko kid, and everyone admires your talent."
"Most of them just had to get used to the idea of having a movie star for a classmate," interjected Kimm. "But they're starting to understand better now."
"Yeah," said Cory. "They don't think you're stuck-up. They know that you're special, that you belong in Hollywood, just as the rest of us belong here at Wacko."
Taffy felt her eyes fill with tears. She would never have dreamed that a moment like this could happen.
"Yeah, Taffy!"
"Congratulations!"
The air was filled with happy chatter as one after another of Taffy's classmates came forward to wish her success with the new series.
"How soon will it be on TV?" asked Randy Kirwan, who was there with Jana Morgan.
"I don't know," replied Taffy, "but we're going to start shooting on Monday."
"Maybe you could get Igor a part in one of the episodes," said Shane Arrington, referring to his pet iguana. "He's a big ham, and he's wanted to get into show business for ages."
"I'll see what I can do," Taffy promised, laughing.
It was then that she noticed Beth Barry standing a little to the side. Am I imagining it, or does she look like she wants to talk to me? thought Taffy.
Taffy approached her, and Beth flashed a big smile. "I have to admit that I wish I were in your shoes," Beth said. "Any tips for an aspiring amateur actress?"
Taffy returned Beth's smile and rolled her eyes. "Get out of the Media Club," she said, groaning. "After that, you might s
ee if you can get into one of Merry Chase's acting classes."
"Thanks," said Beth. "And, Taffy . . ." she added. "Good luck in Hollywood."
"Right," echoed Katie Shannon and Melanie Edwards, who had just walked up.
Taffy felt her throat tighten. Even her old enemies, The Fabulous Five, were wishing her luck. She couldn't let anyone see the tears that were threatening to spill from her eyes, so she nodded her thanks and turned around quickly, shouting to the others. "Hey, I thought this was going to be a band rehearsal for The Dreadful Alternatives. Why don't you guys play something?"
A cheer went up, and Cory and the other members of the band scrambled to tune their instruments, while Kimm took her place in front, ready to sing. Taffy watched her talk to Cory for a moment. They do look right together, she realized.
Taffy couldn't remember when she had had such a great time. She danced till her feet ached, stuffed herself with brownies and punch, and by the time the afternoon was almost over and most of the kids had gone home, she knew she was truly going to miss Wakeman Junior High.
"Cory, this is the most wonderful party I've ever had," she said, gesturing around at the empty soda cans and half-eaten cookies that now littered the room.
"I'm glad you liked it," he said. He lowered his eyes and drew her to him, kissing her softly on the lips. "That's for good-bye and this is for good luck," he said, kissing her again.
When Taffy rode her bike home, she felt as if she were floating on clouds. She couldn't believe how well everything had turned out. Maybe she didn't exactly fit in at Wakeman Junior High anymore, but at least she had learned that a lot of kids cared about her and wished her the best.
She smiled and whispered, "No Hollywood movie could ever have a happier ending."
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Betsy Haynes, the daughter of a former newswoman, began scribbling poetry and short stories as soon as she learned to write. A serious writing career, however, had to wait until after her marriage and the arrival of her two children. But that early practice must have paid off, for within three months Mrs. Haynes had sold her first story. In addition to a number of magazine short stories and the Taffy Sinclair series, Mrs. Haynes is also the author of Spies on the Devil's Belt and the highly acclaimed Cowslip. She lives in Colleyville, Texas, with her children and husband, a businessman who is the author of a young adult novel.