The It Girl (13 page)

“Hey, Anna,” she said brightly once I'd wiped myself down. “Why don't you sit with us at lunch today?”

I looked around me just in case there was another Anna in the line behind me. I didn't want another “awkward wave on the volleyball court” situation. “Me?”

“Yes.” She laughed. “Would be nice to catch up.”

I thought this was an odd thing to say considering Sophie and I have never really talked before, so “catching up” would mean catching up on our entire lives starting with the day of birth.

“Brendan told us that he saw you last week in the park with your dog,” she continued. I immediately tensed, ready for
an onslaught of mockery. “You have a Labrador right? I love dogs. I'd like to meet him. Brendan said he was cute.”

I looked at her in confusion. “Oh. Yeah, well, he's great. You can definitely meet him.”

“Nice. Well, see you at lunch then.” She flicked her hair, twirled around, and sauntered back down the hall, her short skirt swishing from side to side in time to the clips of her shoes.

I couldn't work it out for a while, but then it hit me midway through French. Not only had Brendan been kind enough not to tell them what had gone down at the park, the mere fact that he had mentioned hanging out with me had prompted Sophie Parker to want to hang out with me.

This was a cause for note-passing with Jess.

Guess what?

I hate this game.

What game?

The Guess What game.

How can you hate the Guess What game?

Because it's annoying. Just tell me what you want to say.

It's technically not a game. It's more of a lead-up to a revelation.

But why not just lead with the revelation?

You're taking the fun out of guessing.

FINE. Start again.

Guess what?

I don't know, Anna. What?

Sophie Parker wants us to sit with her at lunch!

She what? That's so weird! Did she talk to you?

By the water fountain.

You must have hated that. Did you dribble? You
always dribble afterward. You need to remember to close your mouth on that last sip.

I did not dribble.

I can tell you're lying. But tell me more about what happened.

She said that Brendan told her about hanging out with me at the park and he thought Dog was cute. And she said we should sit with them at lunch.

Wow, that's odd. Do you think we HAVE to sit with them?

It would be a bit rude not to. She purposefully found me to ask us to sit with them at lunch. Don't you think we should?

I think it's weird to formally ask someone at school to sit with them at lunch. Like she's royalty or something and she's granting permission.

She is sort of school royalty, wouldn't you say?

No, I would not say Sophie Parker is school royalty. Although she probably likes to think she is. I guess we can sit with them though—there are SOME nice people in that group. And I guess as it's Friday we can throw caution to the wind.

YAY!

What have I told you about playing it cool?

Sorry. Yeah, sure, whatever, we'll sit with them, whatever. That's cool, yeah.

You'll get there one day. Keep practicing.

Everyone in the cafeteria was looking at us at lunch break. It's something I suppose people like Brendan get used to, being so popular and good-looking. I put my tray nervously down next to Sophie's, and Jess and Danny put theirs opposite. James Tyndale was in the middle of a story when we joined them. Brendan gave me a smile as I sat down, making me blush, and then he returned his attention to James.

“That was the funny thing though. It wasn't like I had ever
been there before. Completely coincidental that—”

“Anna, what's Marianne Montaine like?” Josie loudly interrupted right in the middle of his sentence.

Everyone at our table turned to look at me.

“Uh, yeah, she's nice. I haven't seen her lots, but she seems cool.” I tried to keep it vague, hoping no one would probe into the details of mine and Marianne's lack of similarities.

“Do you think you'll get to go on film sets with Helena?” Sophie asked eagerly.

“I don't know, maybe. I hope so. It'd definitely be cool to see what happens behind the scenes.”

“Yeah, that would be cool,” Brendan agreed, playing with a ball in his hand. “You must get to go to some exclusive events.”

“Are you going to go to all her premieres?” Josie gasped excitedly. “I am so jealous. You'll probably meet loads of famous people. You HAVE to date someone from a boy band.”

“Why does she have to date someone from a boy band?” Brendan asked, rolling his eyes.

“Because,” Josie said, with an air of authority, “that's what It Girls do.”

“I'm not an It Girl,” I said quickly. “I don't know why the
papers keep saying that. It's only because of Marianne. I haven't done anything differently.”

“Except for have lots of dinners with a hugely famous actress who is about to become your stepmother.” Jess smiled.

“Yeah.” I grinned back. “Apart from that.”

“I don't think you should date someone from a boy band,” Brendan stated, looking at me.

There was a pause, and then Sophie laughed stiffly. “What does it have to do with you, Brendan? You can't tell her what to do.”

“That's just not you, Anna,” he said, looking at me intently before turning back to the boys at the other end of the table. “James, finish that story you were telling us earlier. I wanted to hear the end.”

Danny raised his eyebrows at me as I sat there with my mouth open, ignoring the heat rising to my cheeks. What had just happened? I decided I wasn't going to think too much about Brendan's comment. Nope, not at all.

•  •  •

Obviously this was impossible, and I thought about it every second of the rest of the day.

Even in detention I was distracted. “You thinking about your new friends there, Spidey?” Connor said suddenly, waking
me from my daydream about Brendan Dakers taking me to a premiere.

“What?”

“That's the first time I've said something controversial about Spider-Man and you haven't reacted. I was wondering if your expanding social circle had something to do with your short attention span today. What was the conversation like at lunch? I've always wanted to know what that group talks about.”

“I didn't see you in the cafeteria. Where were you sitting?”

“I'm not surprised you didn't see me. You seemed pretty focused on your own table.”

“They're nice.” I shrugged, sensing that Connor was waiting for an opportunity to make fun of something. “You should have come and sat with us.”

Connor went “HA!” and I scowled at him. He did have a point though—it was a stupid thing to suggest. The student population had already been thrown by the fact that Jess, Danny, and
I
had been sitting with Brendan and Queen Bee. If Connor had sat down with us, the school would have been thrown into a frenzy.

“I would be wary of that crowd if I were you,” he said irritatingly, turning a page in his sketchbook. “Brendan, Sophie,
and those guys who think they're too good for everyone else. They're not all that.”

“Thank you for your opinion,” I replied curtly.

“I'm just saying, Anna, you're smart. They won't get that.”

I looked up. He didn't call me Anna very much these days.

“I'll have you know that Brendan said something along those lines to me this exact day.”

“Did he really?” Connor chuckled. “Well, I hope he means it.”

How rude.
I frowned at him and returned to highlighting my chemistry notes. I don't know why his comments bugged me so much. Connor Lawrence is hardly an expert on these sorts of things. And it's not like he's even talked to those guys before, so he doesn't know what they are like.

Still, I felt angry at him. The fact that I was actually starting to make new friends at school could only be a good thing. For the first time maybe ever, I was being noticed by people who were popular and fun, and it felt good. I wasn't going to let people like Connor Lawrence, who have no idea what they are talking about, ruin it for me.

Hello! It's Anna here. Leave a message. Okay, bye!

*BEEP*

“Hi, Anna. It's Sophie, from school. I know you probably have a lot going on this weekend, but if you're free, you should come join us at the park on Saturday. Everyone will be there. Would be nice to hang out more. And you can bring your dog maybe. Have a nice evening! Bye!”

MARIANNE LOOKED AT ME WITH
an expression of confusion. “What did you just say?”

I sighed and put my glass of seltzer down. “How do you make a boy like you?” I repeated slowly. Marianne blinked at me, and Helena chuckled. My dad leaned back in his chair with his eyebrows raised—but I resolutely ignored him. I don't know why they all looked so surprised. It is a perfectly valid question to ask a glamorous celebrity icon.

We were at Helena's favorite glitzy London restaurant. I wasn't that enthusiastic about the idea of another dinner with them; that's all we seemed to have done so far: dinners. I was starting to run out of conversation with Marianne. There are only so many times that you can comment on your meal. I couldn't think of any more adjectives these days. “Wow, this is delicious!” “Mine is scrumptious!” “Is
yours as mouthwatering as mine?” “This is fantastic.” “These ingredients are just so fresh!”

I suggested to Dad that we all do an activity together like Laser Quest or something. You can really get to know a person through Laser Quest. But Dad just chewed on the pen he was holding and went, “It's still early, Anna. I'm not sure we're ready for Laser Quest.”

So there we were having another expensive and slightly awkward dinner. It wasn't all bad though—my steak and French fries were awesome. Dog would have been beside himself with jealousy. A bit like I suspect Marianne actually was as she sat and nursed a salad. Not wanting her to be distracted by my superior food choices, I tried again, reaching for a French fry and dipping it in some ketchup. “Seriously, I need to know. I'm twelve and I don't have a clue. Plus I'm not asking Dad.”

“Hey, why not?” Dad protested. “I'd be a great help. You've just never asked.”

“Oh really? Go on then—how do you get boys to like you?” I asked, humoring him.

“Cook them a steak,” he announced proudly, pointing at my dish.

“Cook them a steak?” I sighed. “Dad, you expect me to
stroll on into school and offer the most popular boy in class a steak? He already thinks I'm a loser. I don't want to look completely crazy.”

“He's the most popular boy in class?” Marianne asked quietly, her interest sparked.

“Yeah.” I picked up my steak knife. “I know. He's never going to notice me. But I wondered if you might have any tips. You and Helena seem like the best people to ask.”

“Well”—Helena smiled and placed a hand on her heart—“I am flattered, I have to say. Anna, I have several tips when it comes to winning the heart of the object of your affections. Would you like me to run through them?”

“I would very much.” I nodded, digging into my perfectly cooked steak.

Marianne let out a long sigh. “Here we go,” she said under her breath as her mom launched into a monologue on the art of male attracting. I wasn't sure, but I think Marianne might have caught my eye and given me a very slight, barely there glimpse of a smile.

It counts.

HELENA MONTAINE'S TIPS ON HOW TO MAKE A BOY LIKE YOU

1. First, one must look fabulous. Boys do not like girls who fall out of bed and decide that will do. That will most certainly NOT do.

2. Hair—must be always washed. The non-washed-hair look is for try-hards, and they are always a bore.

3. Nails—chipped? Absolutely not. Boys will not want to kiss a girl who can't stay on top of her hand maintenance. A quick coat of color, topcoat, and voila! The boy is yours.

4. Clothes—an expression of your personality, so wear what you wish. However, holes, scuffs, or rips, unless they are purposefully ripped by a designer, are unacceptable. Throw the item away.

5. Now that you're looking fabulous, it's time to focus on what you say—draw them in with your wit and charm.

6. If you don't have wit and charm, draw them in with your eyes. Eye contact is vital. Don't scare them of course.

7. Compliment them ALL THE TIME. I like to accentuate how masculine they are. For
example, insist on him opening the stuck window or the tough jar lid and then, when he is victorious, look at him in awe and tell him how strong he is.

8. Act like you are good at everything without being boastful—in fact you are incredibly modest about being good at everything. If possible, get your friends to comment on your array of talents while you blush and say, “She's exaggerating.” But we all know she's not.

9. Laugh—keep it dainty and feminine. A hearty laugh is for farmers.

10. Anecdotes—humor is essential, but never be the butt of a joke.

11. Until there is a ring involved, you should not eat indelicate food in front of him such as a burrito or hamburger. Remember, you are an elegant female, superior to him in every way.

“What happens if you've set someone on fire and your dog has peed on a picnic basket in front of him?” I asked when Helena was finished. “Hypothetically.”

“If he really likes you, things like that won't matter,” Dad said encouragingly. “Who is this boy you like?”

“Gross, Dad. I'm not talking about this with you.”

Dad looked offended. “Why not?”

“Because you're my dad. And that's weird.”

“Marianne, you must have some advice for Anna? You've constantly got boys after you.” Helena smiled at her daughter, who was picking cautiously at her salad.