What Holly Heard (2 page)

He's exactly the kind of guy parents are afraid of, Miriam thought.

“If Mei is angry at her mother,” Ruth said, “Noah Brennan is just the guy to bring home. It must drive Mrs. Kamata nuts to see her daughter with a guy like him!”

Miriam smiled. Ruth had read her mind.

“What do you think will happen?” Holly asked.

“You're the one with all the dirt, Holl,” Miriam teased.

Holly's eyes sparkled. “Well…”

“Come on, Holly,” Ruth said. “What else?”

“I thought you hated gossip, Ruth.” Holly laughed.

Ruth straightened up, as if suddenly remembering herself. “I do. I'm just … curious.”

Miriam was glad to see her friend interested in
something other than books. Maybe she and Holly were finally rubbing off on Ruth.

It's about time, Miriam thought. The three of us could have so much fun if Ruth would only come out of her shell.

Miriam couldn't even count all the times she had introduced Ruth to boys and taken her to parties. In fact, she'd set Ruth up with her cousin Patrick for that very night. She thought they might make a cute couple.

But Ruth had resisted—as always—before giving in. Miriam couldn't understand why Ruth was so shy.

“I think Mei and Noah will break up,” Holly predicted, bringing Miriam back to the moment.

“No way,” Miriam replied. “Mei is nuts about him. She'll never give him up just because her mother wants her to.”

Holly sighed. “A girl can hope, can't she?”

“You're still interested in Noah?” Ruth cried, sounding shocked. “What about Gary?”

Miriam raised an eyebrow. It was a good question. Holly had been dating Gary Foster for about a month—and her friends had assumed that Holly had given up her long-standing crush on Noah.

I guess that was too much to expect, Miriam thought. She glanced at Ruth.

Gary lived next door to Ruth, and the two had grown up together. Miriam knew that Ruth thought of Gary as a brother. She was always amused by the way Ruth watched out for him.

Holly shrugged. “Gary's nice, Ruth. But I don't
know what it is about Noah. I think about him all the time.”

“Don't look now,” Miriam warned, peering over Holly's shoulder. “But here he comes.”

“Oh,
no!”
Holly frantically fluffed her curly bangs. “How do I look?”

Miriam groaned. “You look fine.”

Ruth scowled. “I don't know what you see in Noah. He's a jerk. You and Gary have a good thing going.”

“Gary who?” Holly asked, deadpan. She smiled at Ruth's reaction. “I'm kidding, Ruth. Calm down!”

Still, Miriam saw Holly gazing at Noah. As he worked his way down the hall, Holly's expression grew more and more hopeful.

Miriam knew what it was like to have a crush on someone. Miriam had felt that way about Jed Holman for weeks before they went on their first date.

Miriam noticed that Noah was dressed in his usual ripped jeans, a black T-shirt, and worn leather bomber jacket. His hair was shaggy, but Miriam had a feeling he'd spent a lot of time getting it to look that way.

“Hey, Holly,” Noah called, his voice gravelly and low.

Holly's grin grew wider. “Hi, Noah. Nice earring.”

Noah absently fingered the silver arrow dangling from his lobe. Why does he always have to act bored by everything? Miriam wondered.

“Yeah, it's new,” Noah said.

“So what's up?” Holly asked. She ran a hand through her dark curls and nervously wet her lips.

Miriam felt a poke in the ribs. She turned to Ruth.

“Here comes Mei,” Ruth muttered.

Miriam spun around. Mei Kamata strode down the hall toward them, her glossy black hair flowing behind her. She was dressed in a black miniskirt and snug blue cotton top. Miriam could understand why a guy like Noah would be attracted to Mei. She was gorgeous.

Noah's tough attitude and Mei's quiet cool made them a strange match. But Miriam had to admit they made a great couple in spite of their differences.

Mei strode toward them.

Miriam knew what Mei saw: Holly Silva flirting with her boyfriend!

“Holly, let's go.” Miriam gave Holly's sleeve a sharp tug.

Holly shook her off. Miriam decided to go for Mei instead.

“Hi, Mei!” she called as she stepped into Mei's path. “Your parents aren't going to spoil the party tonight by hanging around, are they?”

“Over my dead body,” Mei replied, her icy gaze on Noah and Holly.

Miriam saw Noah turn at Mei's voice, a smile slowly curling his lips. “There's my girl,” he murmured. “Ready to go?”

He turned away from Holly and slid his arm around Mei's slender waist. Mei grinned in triumph, tossing her glossy hair right in Holly's face.

Miriam winced. Noah had instantly forgotten
Holly was there—and that had to hurt. She could practically feel Holly's embarrassment.

“Let's go,” Mei said, giving him a soft hug. She turned to the rest of them. “See you at my party.”

Miriam and Ruth both smiled and gave a quick wave. Holly didn't. Miriam saw her jaw muscles clench.

Noah and Mei started down the hall, hand in hand.

“Guess what,” Mei told Noah, just loud enough for all of them to hear. “My parents won't be home until six.”

“Cool,” Noah replied.

Miriam turned to find Holly slumped against the lockers, defeat on her face. Her green eyes shot daggers at Mei's back.

“I'm sorry, Holly,” Miriam said softly.

“That's one couple that's not breaking up anytime soon,” Ruth added.

“Tell me something I don't know,” Holly muttered, rolling her eyes.

“Give me a break,” Ruth snapped. “You've got a great guy like Gary—and all you can think about is that jerk!”

“Just because you're friends with Gary doesn't mean Noah is a jerk,” Holly argued.

“Whoa. Take it easy. We're all on the same side here,” Miriam reminded them.

“I don't get it about Noah,” Ruth grumbled. She stared after the disappearing couple with a shiver. “He's a creep. He
gives
me the creeps.”

“Not me,” Holly replied dreamily. Her eyes followed Noah to the front doors, a stare so intense, so trancelike, that Miriam thought Holly might be daydreaming a little
too
hard.

“Be careful what you wish for,” Miriam warned her friend. “Noah seems really hard to deal with.”

“Yeah, give it up, Holly,” Ruth insisted as she grabbed one last book and closed her locker. “He'll never break up with Mei.”

“We'll see,” Holly whispered. Finally she broke her stare, flashing a playful smile. “In fact, maybe we'll see tonight at Mei's party.”

Ruth gazed at Holly with raised eyebrows.

Miriam asked, “What does
that
mean?”

Holly shrugged. “Things happen. Girlfriends break up with boyfriends. And for the silliest reasons.”

“Uh-oh. What are you thinking?” Miriam demanded.

Holly shrugged again, a strange smile on her face.

“Holly,”
Miriam pressed. “You're being weird. What are you going to do?”

Holly smiled. “Well, if Mei saw Noah doing something he shouldn't be doing, she would go totally
ballistic.
Wouldn't she, Miriam? You were friends with her for a long time before Noah came along. You know her better than anyone.”

“Come on, Holly,” Miriam replied. “You aren't that kind of a person.”

“Well,” Holly declared, “love makes you do crazy things.”

“You mean
stupid
things,” Ruth muttered. She
slung her backpack over her shoulder and stared directly at Holly. “Really
stupid.”

“Lighten up, Ruth. I'm not going to hurt Gary. But you've known for a long time that it's Noah I really want.”

“And Gary gets dumped.”

Holly met Ruth's stare, but didn't reply.

“I'm out of here,” Ruth said, heading for the doors.

“Hey, Ruth!” Miriam called.

Ruth turned back.

“We're still going to the party together, right?”

Ruth nodded. “Call me when you get home.”

Miriam sighed as she watched Ruth disappear out the doors. She wished she didn't always have to play referee between her two best friends.

“I'm sorry for being evil, Miriam,” Holly admitted with a sigh. “It's just that I'm so crazy about Noah, you have no idea!”

“Oh, I think I do.”

“I can't help it,” Holly moaned.

“Just don't do anything dumb tonight at the party, Holl,” Miriam warned. “Mei is crazy about Noah.”

“That's the problem,” Holly cried miserably. “I am, too!”

“That's because you can't have him.”

Holly glared at her. The coldest look Miriam had ever received from her friend.

Miriam took a quick step back.

Instantly Holly's expression returned to normal. Still, a chill crawled up Miriam's spine.

Her best friend was losing it.

“Sorry. It just hurts so much, Miriam.” Holly sighed. “I would do absolutely anything to get Noah.”

Miriam eyed her skeptically. “Anything?”

Holly nodded and her eyes narrowed farther.

“Anything.”

Miriam felt another chill.

What did Holly plan for the party tonight?

“W
here do you hear all these rumors, anyway?” Miriam asked Holly as they wandered down the hall toward the front doors of the school. Holly gave Miriam a ride home almost every day, since both girls lived on Fear Street. It was one of Miriam's favorite times of the day.

Holly laughed and tossed her blue scarf over her shoulder. “A good reporter never reveals her sources.”

Miriam gave her a shove. “You're no reporter!” she declared. “You're a walking tabloid!”

Holly pointed down a side hallway. “Isn't that Jed?”

Miriam turned to the water fountain outside the
boys' locker room and saw her boyfriend. Jed Holman wiped his mouth and stepped away from the fountain. He dropped something into his gym bag and zipped it quickly.

“Yeah, it's him,” Miriam answered.
“Jed!”

Jed whipped around at Miriam's call.

“I'll be right back, Holl,” Miriam said. “I have to talk to him real quick.”

“Go ahead,” Holly replied, waving her away. “I'll wait.”

Miriam half walked, half jogged over to the tall, muscular captain of the Shadyside Tigers basketball team. Miriam had been dating Jed since the beginning of their senior year, and it was now February.

She was nuts about Jed. He was the most important thing in her life—which was why she could appreciate a relationship like Mei's and Noah's. Jed was a great guy. Smart, athletic, handsome….

Miriam had always thought of him as her dream guy.

That had changed over the past few weeks.

The boy Miriam had fallen for was gone. Jed was still Jed, of course. But more and more often a dark, angry creature seemed to slide into his body. Jed had been acting like a different person ever since the basketball playoffs had started.

“Hi,” she greeted him. She pecked him on the lips. He barely responded. “What's the matter?”

“Nothing,” he replied stiffly.

Miriam knew he was lying. The dark circles under his eyes matched the gray of his Shadyside sweatshirt.

“Are you up for the party tonight?” she asked cheerfully.

“What party?” he replied.

“At Mei's house,” Miriam reminded him. “We're going with Ruth and my cousin Patrick. Remember?”

Jed frowned. “No.” He looked so tired, so angry. She knew Jed had been concentrating on the playoffs. But how could he forget one of the biggest parties of the year?

“Do we have to go?” he demanded.

“I
want
to go. I've been looking forward to it all week. What's wrong with you?”

“Nothing,” he growled, shaking his head. He pinched the bridge of his nose. “Oh,
man.”

“Jed? What's wrong?” Miriam cried.

“Nothing!”
he barked. “Nothing's wrong! I have to go to practice, Miriam. I'll pick you up at eight.”

“Jed—”

“Eight,”
Jed repeated gruffly, throwing open the locker room door.

Then he was gone, leaving Miriam to stare at the empty hall.

“What's his problem?” Holly asked as they drove toward Fear Street.

Miriam pressed her forehead against the passenger window. “I don't know. Sometimes he's so nice, and other times it's like I don't even know him.”

“Are you still going to the party?”

“I think so,” Miriam replied. “He said he'd pick me up at eight. But first he totally forgot about it.”

“What was he putting in his gym bag?” Holly asked casually.