The Lonely Hearts Club (14 page)

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"Thanks so much, all of you. I think I might be slightly overreacting. it probably will be good for me to see him -- I never really had closure with him. I basically fled anytime he was in the vicinity of our house!'

"Hey, Pen!' Tracy said. "I'd be more than happy to help you with the closure. that is, if by closure yon mean kick his ass."

I started to relax. Plus, maybe Tracy was onto something. I wouldn't be violent, but I wasn't going to pass on an opportunity to set things straight with him.

"All right, enough about me! Anybody else have any issues -- boy-related or otherwise?"

Jen shot up from her seat. "Actually, we do!" She gestured to Jessica and Diane.

"As a lot of you may know, the girls' basketball team is in desperate need of new uniforms. And since it seems that the entire athletic fund always goes to the guys' sports, we need to do some sort of fund-raiser. We wanted to do something different this year instead of a car wash or the gross candy drive. So what do you all think of doing a karaoke night to raise money?"

Erin Fitzgerald screamed, "I love that idea, Jen -- brilliant!"

No one was surprised by Erin's reaction, since everybody in school knew that Erin had the best voice at McKinley and loved any chance she could get to show it off.

"thanks, but do you think people would actually do it?" Jen asked. "Pay a cover charge and one dollar per song to sing in front of people?" Erin raised her hand. "People besides Erin?"

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"Could we go in groups?" Amy asked.

"I don't see why not." the crowd started to talk amongst themselves, and there was mostly nodding and excitement as people started discussing songs.

Jen looked hopeful. "Okay, we're going to do it. Just promise me that you guys will help kick it off if people are chicken."

Erin stood up. "I promise you I'll be the first person in line. I cant watt!"

"So, Diane, how's practice going?" Amy asked.

Diane smiled. "Well, people have been looking at me a little differently the last couple of days, because . . " She sighed as she got up and put her foot on the table.

Tracy gasped. "Diane, are you wearing sneakers'?"

"Yep! I'm officially in pain and unable to wear heels. I think it's hysterical that you guys didn't notice. I'm only about four inches shorter!"

"I knew there was something different!" Tracy shouted.

"Oh, that isn't the only thing." Diane got a mischievous look on her face as she opened her lunch bag and pulled out a large piece of bread. "I'm eating complex carbs!"

"Holy crap!" Tracy's eyes were huge. "It's like you're an entirely different person."

Diane threw a napkin at Tracy. "No, I'm just hungry from all the workouts. it's amazing guys -- I'm so excited."

"She's totally going to get a spot on the team," Jen proclaimed. "Meg, you need to do a feature on our newest player."

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Meg Ross smiled. "Well, I do have something I wanted to discuss with all of you on Saturday but I've got deadlines, so no time like the present. As some of you know, I'm the Life-Styles editor at the McKinley Monitor, and, well, I'd like to do an article on the Lonely Hearts Club."

Ob, dear God, no. I wasn't sure I could handle any more drama in my life. the school paper?

Meg continued, "Word about the Club is starting to spread and there are a lot of people out there who aren't truly understanding what this Club is all about I think its important for us to get our side of the story out. What do you guys think?"

Meg looked directly at me when she asked the question, and I could tell that there could only be one answer. the Lonely Hearts Club was about to go public in a big way.

"So, are your parents okay with the concert?" Ryan asked at the end of the day.

"Well, as much as my parents can be okay." He smiled at me and I felt my heart sink. I really needed to get over whatever it was that was making me so nervous before our outing.

"Hey, guys. Ryan, ready for our run?" Diane approached us with her workout gear.

"Yep, I just have to drop off some student advisor stuff to Braddock," Ryan responded.

"Okay, seriously, what is the deal with that?"

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Ryan shrugged. "Hey, as soon as I figure it out, I'll let you know. We now have gone from talking football to talking about the upcoming basketball season. I'm starting to get annoyed that I'm losing out on study hall once a week."

Diane rolled her eyes. "Oh, poor you."

He grimaced at her before heading to the office.

they seemed rather friendly . . . although I knew better than anybody that they were just friends.

"At last, we're alone." Diane smiled at me. "So the jig is up!"

I stopped dead in my tracks. "What are you even talking about?"

"So when exactly were you going to mention to me that you and Ryan are going to a concert?"

My heart stopped. "Oh, Diane, I'm so sorry. it's just everything with Nate happened and it sort of slipped my mind. I was planning on telling you and the Club, but I didn't want anybody to think it was a date or something. I mean, I was going to say no, but Ryan made it seem like it was almost your idea so I didn't think you would mind --"

Diane just started to laugh. "Jeez, relax, will ya, Pen! I'm not upset. I was just watting for you to say something. Are you worried what the Club will think?"

"Honestly? I haven't thought much about it. He called last night, and then before I knew it, my parents dropped the Nate bomb on me. So .. ." this was so awkward. "What exactly did Ryan tell you?"

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Diane's smile just widened. "Not much. He asked me if I thought you'd be interested in going with him to the concert. He was afraid that he might offend you."

"Why?"

Diane curled a long, blond strand of hair with her finger. "He just thought that you'd be a true Beatle fan and not want to hear some cheesy tribute band. I know how your parents feel about it,"

"Yes, my parents don't understand why people remake anything -- even movies. they are very traditional, although the term traditional is probably the last word people would use when thinking of my parents,"

Diane smiled at me, "Well, I'm sure you guys will have a great time."

"Diane, are you really okay that I'm going?"

She nodded. "Of course. You two are the most important people in my life. Why would I be upset?"

I paused for a moment, "No reason,"

"Well, I'm going to warm up -- can you tell Ryan I'll meet him at the track?"

"Sure." I instantly felt uncomfortable with the thought of having to deal with Ryan alone.

He came back a few minutes later,

"Diane said she'd meet you at the track."

"Okay, thanks."

I started to walk to Tracy's locker.

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"Hey, Penny!' Ryan called after me.

"Yeah."

I turned around and saw him smiling at me. "I'm really glad you agreed to go with me to the concert. It will be nice to spend some time together outside of school."

I just stared at him.

"See you tomorrow," he said to me. As he jogged by, he reached out and gently squeezed my arm.

There was no way this was going to end well.

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chapter twenty two

MEG SPENT THAT SATURDAY interviewing the Club members for her article. But she wanted to interview me, Tracy, and Diane separately.

While I was one hundred percent behind the Club and couldn't have been happier about our success, the timing for this interview couldn't have been any worse. The looks we all had been getting from the male population at McKinley High and girl nonmembers had become more and more awkward. Todd, had stopped talking to me all together.

"So do you consider yourself a feminist?" Meg asked after I'd given her the background.

"Um, I guess?"

Nice answer.

I knew I had to start focusing on the interview. The Club was too important to me not to, and I really wanted it to be portrayed as something positive.

"You better only be saying nice things about me," Tracy interrupted as she walked into the room. "is it my turn yet?"

Meg shut off the tape recorder. "I just need to grab another tape. I'll be right back."

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For over a week I'd been avoiding telling Tracy about the upcoming whatever-it-was with Ryan. With Meg out of the room, it seemed as good a time as any.

After I was done, I asked, "So how do you feel about that?" "Sounds like fun, Pen, this isn't a date or anything, is it?" "Are you kidding me? No, Tracy. It's just a concert. No big deal."

"Yeah, I've always liked Ryan. I'm surprised he hasn't started dating someone new."

"Well, he went to Homecoming with Missy --" "Penny, he's not dating her -- he just took her to Homecoming, He is one hundred percent single and available." My heart stopped. "Man, I should talk to Meg about writing some sort of gossip column for the Monitor, I would hate to think where you'd be without my knowledge of the goings-on of the student body. Anyways, you're not going to believe what those little brats did to me last night while I was babysitting. . .."

And like that, the conversation was over. I had nothing to worry about. it was just going to be an evening with two classmates catching a concert. Nothing more.

Diane looked like she was going to be sick.

"Everything is going to be okay," I did my best to reassure her.

"Oh God, oh God, oh God." She paced the hallway, her hands rolled up in tight fists.

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Tracy and I exchanged worried looks.

Diane slouched down on the floor. "What was I thinking?"

I sat down next to her. Tracy moved a few feet away with Jen to give us privacy.

"Diane." I put my arm around her, "I can't get over how much you've changed the past few weeks -- you should be proud. No matter what happens."

We looked up to see Coach Ramsey open the gymnasium doors and slowly walk toward the bulletin board. A group of girls opened up a narrow passage for her and quickly closed up once she'd posted a single sheet of paper.

"Do you want me to look?" I asked.

Diane looked up as several girls started jumping up and down, cheering. Tracy walked over and scanned the list. Coach Ramsey walked past us on her way back to the gym, paused, and turned around.

"Welcome to the team, Monroe."

Diane's eyes widened. "You mean . .."

"Of course you made the team.'" Tracy could no longer contain herself. "You made the flippin' varsity squad, Diane!

Diane jumped up and rushed over to the bulletin board and studied the team list.

"I... I..." She turned back toward us. "I did it! Holy crap, I did it!" She rushed over and engulfed me in a giant hug.

"Congratulations, we all knew you could do it!" I was practically screaming, I was so excited for her. "All right, guys, you can come over now!"

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A screaming mob with "Congratulations, Diane" signs came rushing from around the corner.

"What's going on?" Diane said in shock.

"You didn't want there to be a big scene in case you didn't make the team, but of course everybody wanted to be here for you."

Laura proudly displayed her "Way to Go, Diane" sign and quickly flipped it over to reveal another option: "Screw 'em, they don't know what they're missing." Laura winked at Diane, "Hey, a girl's gotta be prepared!"

Diane was swarmed by well-wishers, including the rest of her team members.

Tracy put her arm around me. "Our little baby is all grown up! Did you ever imagine this could've happened?" Tracy asked.

I shook my head.

Not even in my wildest dreams.

"Extra! Extra! Read all about us!" Meg greeted me at my locker between classes on Monday and handed me a copy of the McKinley Monitor.

I grabbed the paper, and my eyes went straight to the headline about the Club and a picture of us that was on the front page.

"Oh, I didn't realize it was so big," I remarked as I tried to not have a panic attack.

I raced to the girls' bathroom, checked the stalls to make sure I was alone, and sat down. it was all pretty much the

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standard story that I fell was already getting pretty old . . . until we got to the end.

Rumors about the Club have been swirling the last few weeks, especially among the males at McKinley.

"All that estrogen in one place can't be good, "said junior Todd, Chesney. "I just think all this no-dating stuff is a bunch of crap."

"I really haven't seen too much of a change in the chicks at school, except that they are a little too busy to hang," adds senior Derek Simpson.

Despite some concerns of the male population at McKinley, the Lonely Hearts Club doesn't appear to be slowing down anytime soon.

"I'm really excited to see what happens next, "said Bloom. "there really doesn't seem to be an end in sight."

One thing is for sure. this reporter looks forward to her standing date every Saturday night, thanks to Penny Bloom and her lonely heart.

I just stared at the last words:

Penny Bloom and her lonely heart.

My stomach tightened as the realization sank in that the entire school was going to read this. the entire school

What were people going to think of me after this got around?