Blue Moon (2 page)

“Maybe Tyler and I will come see you tomorrow night,” Kate said to Cooper, interrupting Annie’s

moping. “It would be fun to hear you, and then we could all go out to eat afterward. It would almost be

like a double date.”

Generated by ABC Amber LIT Conv
erter, http://www.processtext.com/abclit.html

“That would be okay,” replied Cooper. “What about you, Annie? Do you want to come?”

“I don’t know,” Annie said. “I don’t have anyone to go with. A double date plus one extra isn’t much

fun for you guys.”

“You have us,” said Kate. “What else do you need? Come on. It will be a blast. We can heckle

Cooper.”

“Sure,” Annie said after a moment. “I’ll go.”

Kate smiled and resumed her conversation with Cooper.
What else do I need?
Annie thought to herself,

echoing Kate’s words of a moment before. She wasn’t sure, but she knew she needed something. Her

friends were both happier than she’d ever seen them. But there was an empty space inside of her. Partly

she knew that this was because of the death of Ben Rowe. But that was only part of it. His death had

made her see that she’d been shutting herself off from even the possibility of getting close to someone.

Not her friends, but someone who would be more than that. A boyfriend. She’d never even really let

herself think about having one.

Not that you’re pretty enough to get one,
said that same nagging voice. She knew that wasn’t true.

Well, mostly it wasn’t true. Sure, she wasn’t a glamour queen or anything. But she was cute, and the one

time she’d let Kate make her over she’d been really pleased with how she’d looked. She’d even noticed

some of the guys looking at her in a different way. But no one had asked her out. No one had
ever
asked

her out.

Maybe it’s time to change that,
she thought. But how? She couldn’t just turn herself from a science

brain into a hottie overnight. Still, perhaps it was time to try a little harder. After all, she was going to be

sixteen in a little more than two months. It was about time she found out what all the fuss was about

dating and, well, all the stuff that went along with it.

“Penny for your thoughts,” said Kate, waving her hand in front of Annie’s face and startling her back to

attention.

“Oh, sorry,” said Annie. “I spaced out for a minute. Um, I was just thinking about what to wear

tomorrow night.”

Cooper and Kate looked at her strangely. Then Cooper laughed. “It’s just a coffeehouse,” she said.

“It’s not the prom or anything. Wear whatever you want.”

“Since when have you worried about what to wear?” Kate asked.

Annie felt herself reddening. She had said that about wondering what to wear simply because she

couldn’t think of anything else to say. “Don’t worry about it,” she said. “I was just thinking, that’s all.”

“Okay,” Kate said. “Well, I should get going.”

“But it’s only eight o’clock!” said Annie. “Don’t you want to watch a video or something?”

Kate shook her head. “I’ve got to be up early to help my mother,” she said.

“I should go, too,” Cooper told her, standing up. “I want to rewrite some stuff before tomorrow night.”

Generated by ABC Amber LIT Conv
erter, http://www.processtext.com/abclit.html

They picked up the food containers and plates and took them down to the kitchen. Then Annie walked

her friends to the door and said good night. Afterward she went back to her room and threw herself on

the bed.

“Well, that was a lot of fun,” she said aloud. “Eight o’clock on a Friday night and here I am by myself.”

She was annoyed. She’d been hoping for a night of fun with her friends. A night like they usually had

when they got together. But lately those nights had been few and far between. Kate and Cooper always

seemed to have more important things to do. Even Annie’s aunt and little sister had plans for the evening,

going to a movie together so that Annie, Kate, and Cooper could have the house to themselves. But now

there was no point to that. Annie was alone, and with nothing to do.

Even her plans for a blue moon ritual had been shot down. That was something she’d been looking

forward to. She’d been sure that Cooper and Kate would want to do it, too. But they didn’t. They had

more important things to do—things that didn’t include her.

So do it yourself,
she told herself.
Why do you need them?

“Because we’re a team,” she said, as if she were really arguing with herself. “We’re supposed to do

things together. That’s the whole point.”

But Kate and Cooper didn’t seem too worried about doing things together. They were making all kinds

of plans that didn’t include her. Plans with their boyfriends. Maybe it was time she started doing the same

thing.
But I can’t do that,
she thought. Then she paused.
Or could I?

CHAPTER 2

Cooper sat beside T.J. at the little table, anxiously swirling the ice around in her half-empty glass of

ginger ale. She was nervous, which surprised her. She was usually never edgy before a performance, or

at least she never
had
been before. But now she was more than a little apprehensive about going onstage.

Her heart was beating quickly, and she kept taking sips from the glass sitting in front of her.

“Relax,” T.J. whispered in her ear as he slid his hand onto her knee and gave it a little squeeze. “You’re

going to be fine.”

Cooper smiled nervously at him.
Easy for you to say,
she thought.
You’re not the one about to make a

fool of yourself.

They were sitting in Cuppa Joe’s, one of the coffee shops in the neighborhood around Jasper College.

Normally it was filled with students who spread their books and papers all over the tables while they

studied and wrote, or with people occupying the old sofas and armchairs that dotted the room. But

tonight it had been transformed into a performance space. The tables and chairs had been arranged

around a microphone at the back of the room, and a small spotlight made a bright circle behind the mike.

The place was filled with people who had come to read their work and with people who had come to

listen to them.

Cooper looked around at all the faces. It was an interesting mix of people, ranging from teenagers like

herself to professors from the college, local artists of all kinds, and even a few business suit types who

seemed wildly out of place in the casual crowd. Cooper recognized some of the people from past trips to

Generated by ABC Amber LIT Conv
erter, http://www.processtext.com/abclit.html

the shop, but most of them she didn’t. At least that made things easier. It was harder performing in front

of people she knew. In fact, she was almost regretting having told her friends about the evening. But it

was too late now. They were there, and she was about to go on.

She closed her eyes and went over the words to her piece in her head. It was short and she’d

memorized it, of course, but she was suddenly afraid that she wouldn’t remember the lines when the time

came. It wasn’t like lyrics, which at least had a melody behind them to give her memory a little kick when

it needed one. This was a spoken word piece. She’d never performed anything like it before. She hadn’t

even
written
anything like it until pretty recently. This was all a little new to her, and while she was excited

to be trying something different, she was nervous that it wouldn’t come off the way she wanted it to.

She thought about her friends. Even though having them there was sort of stressful, she really was glad

they’d come. Besides T.J., Kate and Tyler had come to support her. Annie was there, too, but she’d

been very quiet all night. Probably she was still a little depressed about Ben Rowe’s death, Cooper

thought. At least she had come out with them. That was the important thing.

She opened her eyes and looked at the guy who was currently performing. He was apparently a favorite

with the crowd, because they were laughing and applauding as he performed.
And I get to follow him,

thought Cooper, wishing she could go after someone the audience didn’t like so much so that she would

look great by default.

“When I see you with him,” said the guy into the microphone, “my heart breaks open and my anger spills

across the floor like those oranges that fell from the paper bag while we were running across the street in

the rain after our first date.”

He looked out at the audience as he finished, and Cooper was sure he was looking right at her as the

crowd erupted in applause. Was he challenging her?
That’s ridiculous,
she told herself.
He can’t even

see you in this crowd.
But still she felt as if he were daring her to be as good as he was.

The performer walked offstage and the host, a woman who doubled as a waitress, walked to the

microphone.

“Thank you, Bob,” she said as the applause faded. “There’s nothing like a bitter breakup to inspire you,

is there, folks?”

People laughed. Cooper rubbed her hands against her thighs, knowing she was next. Suddenly she

wished she’d never signed up for the performance. What had she been thinking? Well, it was too late

now.

“And now let’s hear it for a new face,” the woman said. “She’s pretty brave doing her first open-mike

night in front of you animals, so give a hand for Cooper Rivers.”

There was polite applause from the people around her as Cooper stood up. She walked through the

tables and approached the mike, trying not to think too much about what she was going to say. She

knew that if she did she would forget a lot of it. The best thing to do was to just launch into her

performance.

“Why is it that little boys always chase little girls on the playground?” she began, looking out at the black

shadows that were the faces of the people facing her. “Touching us and yelling ‘cooties’!”

Now that she was talking, Cooper found that her mind had gone to that place it went to when she sang.

Generated by ABC Amber LIT Conv
erter, http://www.processtext.com/abclit.html

She wasn’t thinking about the words so much as she was feeling them. They came out of her mouth, a gift

to the audience, and she let them speak for themselves. She felt herself becoming the person in her piece,

the person whose words she was saying.

“If they’re afraid that touching us will contaminate them, then why run by and pull our braids?” she

continued. “Is it because they think they have to show us that they’re stronger, faster, sharper? Or is it

because they’re afraid that if they don’t touch us just a little that they won’t be immune to what we carry?

Like some kind of vaccination, maybe the teasing and the pinching are meant to keep them from

becoming like us—weak, silly, slow.”

She paused, letting the anticipation build as the audience waited for her to continue. The room was silent,

and she knew they were listening, wanting to know what came next. That gave her a rush, and she

launched into the final part of her piece with a lot of energy.

“But what they don’t know is that we’re not running as fast as we can,” she said as if confiding a secret

to her listeners. “We’re
letting
them catch us. Because when they run off to wash their hands and boast

to each other about how brave they are for touching us we stand and watch them go, laughing at their

stupidity and knowing that for the rest of their lives they’ll be trying to get more of what they’ve gotten on

their hands. And we’ll never give it to them.”

She stopped, holding her breath. She could hear the gentle clicking of coffee cups and glasses. Then,

like a wave crashing on the beach, those sounds disappeared in a flood of applause. She heard people

whistling, and she was pretty sure that her friends were calling out “Way to go, Cooper!” as she walked

away from the microphone and found her way back to the table.

“Well,” said the hostess as she stepped to the mike. “It looks like we have a new crowd favorite here

tonight at the Cuppa. Let’s have another round for Cooper Rivers. Way to go, girl.”

There was more applause, and Cooper felt a warm glow fill her as she heard the sound. She’d felt it

before, during shows with her band, but never for her alone. The people in the coffee shop had liked her

words. They’d liked her performance. It made her feel alive, electric. The fear she’d felt was completely

gone, replaced by pure joy.

“Cooper, that was just amazing,” Tyler said when the applause settled down. “It makes me feel guilty for

yanking all those braids when I was seven.”

Cooper laughed. As the next performer walked to the stage, T.J. leaned over. “I told you that you’d be

great,” he said softly. “Good show.”

She took his hand and squeezed it without saying a word. She was happy to have someone to share her

excitement with. Then she looked over at Kate, who gave her a thumbs-up signal. Annie, though, seemed

to be looking at the person who was about to go next. She didn’t smile or give any sign that she’d

enjoyed Cooper’s piece. She just looked straight ahead, almost as if she were thinking about something

totally different.

But Cooper didn’t let Annie’s reaction bother her. She knew she’d done well. The piece had come out

pretty much the way she’d wanted it to. She would change a few things the next time she did it, but for a

first time it was good, and she knew it.

There were three other performers. Cooper sat and listened to them closely, watching the way they

moved and making mental notes about their styles. Some of the people were really good, while others

Generated by ABC Amber LIT Conv
erter, http://www.processtext.com/abclit.html

needed some work. But each one of them had something to say, and that’s what Cooper was really

interested in. She loved hearing what people were thinking and feeling.

When it was all over and the hostess had wrapped the show up, Cooper turned to her friends.

“Anyone for food?” she asked. “I’m starving.”

“Sure,” Kate said, nodding. “Is that okay, Tyler?”

“Fine with me,” her boyfriend answered.

“Annie?” asked Cooper.

“I don’t know,” Annie said. “I’m not all that hungry.”

“Oh, come on,” T.J. said. “If you don’t come with us we’ll be forced to talk about you.”

“There’s nothing to say,” responded Annie sulkily.

“Then we’ll make it up,” Cooper told her, determined to not let anything ruin her good mood. She didn’t

know why Annie seemed so preoccupied, but she hoped she’d snap out of it soon.

Cooper stood up and the others followed. Annie was the last to leave the table, and she hung back as

they walked toward the coffee shop door.
But at least she’s coming,
Cooper thought. She would ask

her friend what was bothering her later. Normally, Annie would have been the first one to tell her what a

great job she’d done, but she still hadn’t said a word.

“Hey, I just want to say that your piece was really great,” a woman said, stopping Cooper.

“Thanks,” Cooper responded with surprise.

Someone else approached her—one of the guys who had performed. He reached out and took her

hand. “Wonderful,” he said dramatically. “Very inspired.”

“Uh, thanks,” Cooper said, pulling back her hand. “Yours was good, too.”

“But nothing like yours,” the man continued, clearly trying to make an impression.

“Ignore Trevor,” said a voice beside Cooper. “He’s a little wound up on caffeine.”

Cooper looked over and saw that Bob was standing beside her. “He’s right, though, you were really

good.”

“I think they liked your stuff better,” Cooper replied.

Bob shook his head. “I’m not sure about that. But we’ll see how it goes next time. See you later.”

He walked off, and Cooper and her friends left the shop.

“Sounds to me like you’re a hit,” T.J. said as they congregated on the sidewalk in front of the shop. “My

girlfriend the performance artist. I don’t know what I can possibly do to compete with your celebrity.”

Generated by ABC Amber LIT Conv
erter, http://www.processtext.com/abclit.html

“Don’t worry,” said Cooper, playing along with him. “My publicist will find a minute or two every week

to fit you into my schedule. And Kate, you can run my fan club. Tyler will be in charge of organizing the

tours. Annie can be my personal assistant. See, it will all work out perfectly.”

They walked down the street in the warm summer night, Cooper with T.J.’s arm around her shoulder

and Kate holding hands with Tyler. Annie walked in between the two couples. Cooper was happy to be

with her two best friends, and she was equally happy to have done a successful performance.

The group went into a restaurant at the end of the block. It was crowded with weekend business, but

there was a booth in the back that they could all fit into. They squeezed in and waited for the waitress to

bring them menus. When she did, Cooper was surprised to see that the person putting the menus on the

table was Kate’s old pal Jessica Talbot. Cooper looked at Kate to see what her reaction was, and

wasn’t at all shocked to see Kate looking uncomfortable.

“Hi, Jess,” Kate said uneasily.

“Hey,” Jessica replied in an equally strained voice.

Until she’d started hanging around with Annie and Cooper, Kate had been best friends with Jessica,

Tara Redding, and Sherrie Adams. Now she barely spoke to them, and Cooper knew that seeing her

former best friend standing beside her waiting to take her order must be unsettling for Kate.

“How’s everything?” Jessica asked. She very pointedly looked at Tyler.

“Great,” Kate said, ignoring Jessica’s stare. “How about with you?”

“About as good as it can be waitressing all summer,” Jessica said.

“How’s Tara?” Kate asked her. “I haven’t seen her in a while either.”

Jessica shrugged. “Okay, I guess,” she said. “She hasn’t been around much.”

Big shock,
Cooper thought. She knew that Tara wasn’t around much because Sherrie had spread a