What If... All the Rumors Were True (15 page)

SOLVING FOR EX

Some people never learn—not even in the library.

“S
o, what are you doing your history research paper on?” Reese asked as Haley waltzed into the library for their “date.” The very idea of having a date at the library seemed suspect to Haley, but she wanted to give Reese the benefit of the doubt. Maybe he had some kind of bookish surprise cooked up for her. The fact that the first words out of his mouth were about their AP history paper didn't exactly seem like a good sign.

“I was thinking of comparing the presidencies of John Adams and John Quincy Adams,” Haley said as she settled at a study table next to him. “You?”

“Teapot Dome Scandal,” Reese said. “We're not getting to it until the end of the semester but that means I'll have a head start.”

“Smart move,” Haley said.

Reese got up and headed into the aisles of books in search of twentieth-century history. Haley started to follow him, wondering if he might try to steal a kiss among the stacks, but he pointed her to the next row and said, “I think the eighteenth century is in that stack over there.”

“Oh,” she said. “Thanks.”
This has to be the most prudish, boring date in the history of romance,
she thought as she halfheartedly scanned the rows of presidential biographies. She waited for Reese to find his book and then find her, but he didn't reappear.
This can't be all there is,
she thought, and turned the corner to find him engrossed in a pile of books.

“What are you doing Friday night?” she asked, hoping to salvage this sad date by setting up another. “Want to get together, and, I don't know, go to a movie? Make out in my basement?”

“Actually, we're having our freshman initiation Friday night,” Reese said, barely lifting his head from the book he was reading. He was a star of the soccer team, and the upperclassman players had a tradition of initiating the freshman kickers at a special party every fall. Haley wasn't sure exactly what went on at those events—they were shrouded in mystery and rumor. But she and her cocaptain, Sasha, had always thought the girls' soccer team should have an initiation party too. After all, if it was good enough for the boys, it was good enough for them too.

“That's cool,” Haley said. “Sasha and I thought it might be fun to have a coed soccer initiation this year. Maybe we could team up with you guys on Friday night? What do you think?”

“Sure, whatever you want,” Reese said, but Haley wasn't sure he'd heard her suggestion. And even if he had heard her, it wasn't clear from his lackluster response how he really felt about the idea. Were the girls welcome, or did he think they were horning in on the boys' fun?

With a sigh Haley sank to the carpeted library floor and watched, bored out of her mind, while Reese studied.
This sucks,
she thought. Just then, Devon McKnight passed by her carrying a bound copy of
A Midsummer Night's Dream,
the drama club's next play. She found herself watching Devon as he strutted over to the counter and checked out the book.
What would it be like to spend time alone with him?
Haley wondered.
Would he be as boring as Reese, or could something actually heat up?

This library date with Reese is obviously going nowhere. What was he thinking? And what was
Haley
thinking when she agreed to it in the first place? Reese is so caught up in his studies this year, he is barely listening to a word Haley says.

How much of this is Haley willing to tolerate at this stage in their relationship? It could be just a phase, and if she waits it out, the old, charming Reese may return to her. Or maybe not. Meanwhile, arty photographer Devon is looking pretty hot right about now, and at least he's doing something more interesting than burying his head in a book. Oh wait, maybe not.

If you think Haley should ditch Reese and find out what Devon's up to, go to
"RUN LINES WITH DEVON"
. If you think she's serious about having a coed initiation, no matter what Reese says, send her to the
"INITIATION"
. Finally, you can hear the latest Hillsdale High gossip on
"PRINCIPAL CRUM'S LITANY"
.

Every relationship hits a snag once in a while. But is this a minor bump in the road or a serious dead end? It's up to you to steer Haley in the right direction.

FREEDOM ROCK

Rock shows tend to bring out the blockheads.

“I
can't wait to see these bands,” Haley said, growing more and more excited. She was sitting in the backseat of Sasha's Mustang, with Johnny Lane riding shotgun as Sasha steered the car down the Garden State Parkway to the George Washington Bridge. The three of them were headed to the College Music Festival in Manhattan—a hundred bands in three days, with headliners packing into dozens of venues. Sasha's mom had bought them tickets for day two, which had a stellar lineup. Haley was actually surprised to find Johnny in the car when Sasha arrived to pick her up. The couple hadn't exactly been spending loads of time together of late. But then, Haley knew Johnny would never pass up a music festival with this caliber of talent. And Sasha would never be able to go to one without him.

“Wait 'til you see this first performance,” Sasha said, turning to Johnny and grinning. “Twenty-five musicians onstage, dancers, fire-eaters, fiddlers, a chorus—”

“It's Thai dinner theater meets the Grand Ol' Opry,” Haley offered.

“That's cool for some bands,” said Johnny. “But I don't get it. It's not the Hedon. Lately I've been thinking we should be paring things down, not cluttering them up.”

Johnny was the lead guitarist for one of the best local bands in Hillsdale. Their sound was raw seventies garage rock, and there was most definitely no room for fiddlers or fire-eaters on their stage. Even so, Haley thought Johnny should be a little more generous. Sasha had, after all, gotten them the tickets.

A few months back, Sasha had had a stint with the Hedon. But she had quit to go solo as a singer-songwriter over the summer. Haley believed that decision had probably saved Sasha and Johnny's relationship, or what was left of it anyway. Through Sasha, Haley had seen firsthand the tension and infighting that could spring up between bandmates. “Now I know why the Beatles broke up,” Sasha had put it at the time.

Haley stared out the window as the Mustang flew over the GW Bridge. Across the Hudson, the New York City skyline reflected the golden sunlight of a crisp fall Saturday. Haley felt a surge of excitement every time she crossed the river into the city. She'd felt the same way in California, driving from her home in Marin County into San Francisco. But NYC had an energy even San Fran couldn't match—anything could happen here. You never knew whom you'd meet.

“Is there anything you do really want to see?” Sasha asked Johnny, anxiously awaiting his response.

“Well, it'll be great to see some new blood,” Johnny said. “We all got so hyped up over that Battle of the Bands competition last spring, we lost our sense of mission. We need to get back to our roots. Forget Rubber Dynamite. Our real competition is in here. We should be modeling ourselves on the friggin' Stones, man.”

Sasha laughed. “Nothing like keeping your expectations low.”

They drove down the FDR Drive and, just as quickly as they'd entered Manhattan, they exited it, heading over the Williamsburg Bridge into Brooklyn. The first festival event was to be held at a warehouse-sized club called the Lo-Fi. A crowd of hipsters jammed the entrance, hoping to snag tickets for the sold-out show. Sasha, Haley and Johnny pushed through the crowd, waved their tickets at the bouncer and went inside. Haley felt like she fit right in, wearing an old Sonic Youth T-shirt she had borrowed from Sasha with skinny jeans tucked into slouchy eighties boots. Those had been picked up for a song at Jack's Vintage. Sasha looked equally cool in plaid leggings, motorcycle boots and a black knit minidress under a leather jacket. Johnny, meanwhile, wore his standard uniform: black jeans, plain black tee, tinted glasses and his signature slouch.

One of the opening bands was already onstage, pounding out a funk-metal riff. “I'm going to get a bottle of water,” Haley shouted to Sasha over the music. “Need anything?”

“I'm good,” Sasha said. Johnny gave a nod, meaning if he needed anything, he'd handle it himself.

Haley headed for the bar, just as she was ordering her sparkling water, someone tugged on her sleeve. “I always say New York is just a small town in disguise.” Haley turned around and was shocked to see Alex Martin, of all people, grinning at her. He stood out among the rocker crowd in his neat button-down shirt, and khakis, but he didn't seem to be self-conscious about it—maybe because he had two VIP press passes dangling from his neck.

“What are you doing here?” she asked.

“Covering the show for the College Music Festival Web site,” Alex said. “They don't pay but I do get to hang in the VIP area—best seats in the house.”

“It's standing room only,” Haley reminded him, looking up at the balcony and over at the roped-off pit near the stage.

“Right,” Alex said, pursing his lips.

“How did you get the gig, anyway? You're not in college,” Haley asked.

“A minor technicality,” Alex said. “Besides, they like to groom their writers young.”

Haley nodded. Alex was certainly different from most of the guys she knew in Hillsdale—and there seemed to be a lot she didn't know about him yet.

As the opening band finished their set and cleared the stage, a trio of roadies prepped the equipment for the next act.

“Come on,” Alex suddenly blurted out. “Let's go get a good spot near the stage.” He took off one of his press passes and hung it around Haley's neck.

“Thanks,” Haley said, taking his hand as they wove their way through the crowd, flashing their passes at a guard standing by a roped-off area. Haley waved to Sasha to let her know she was okay. Sasha smiled when she saw Alex and gave Haley a big thumbs-up. They reached the front of the stage—just in time for the first song. The band started playing, and Haley could see everything. She'd never been so close to a famous act before. She danced and sang along with her favorite songs, with Alex right beside her.

“That was amazing,” she said to Alex when the set was over. “I think I actually have some of the band's sweat on me.”

“Let's hope that's not all yours,” Alex said, pointing to Haley's damp T-shirt. They wandered out of the VIP area and back through the club, where they found Sasha and Johnny leaning against the bar, drinking energy drinks.

“Hey! How was the view from the expensive seats?” Sasha asked.

Haley showed off her VIP press pass. “Let's just say I had a moment with one of the fiddle players. Do you guys know Alex?”

Johnny gave him a nod. “Hey, man. Way to score passes.”

“That's Johnny, I'm Sasha,” Sasha said, making the unnecessary introductions.

“Yeah, I know who you guys are. Listen, I'd better go scribble some notes on the show before I forget all the details,” Alex said. “See you later, Haley?”

“Sure, Alex,” Haley said, “and thanks.”

Alex blushed a little as he waved goodbye.

“Highland who?” Johnny said under his breath.

“Ready to roll, Hale?” Sasha asked, frowning at Johnny. They all headed outside to the car to drive to the next act.

“It's too bad we can't come into the city like this every weekend,” Haley observed. Somehow, she didn't think her parents would be down with that. It'd been hard enough getting them to let her out of the house for this.

“Ahem, we've got soccer team initiation next weekend, remember, Cap?” Sasha said, turning to Haley. “Those frosh aren't going to initiate themselves.”

Johnny scoffed.

“Right,” Haley said, remembering their commitment. She couldn't help but wonder if maybe there wasn't a more productive way to spend her time, though. Like, say, getting better acquainted with a certain senior?

What a coincidence running into Alex like that. Or was it a fated encounter? Who knew the master debater and math champ was also a published—albeit unpaid—rock journalist? What else is the superstar senior capable of?

Ready or not, frosh, here come the soccer captains. If you want to skip the school week and go straight to the
"INITIATION"
. If you think Haley's having second thoughts and would rather figure out a way to bump into Alex instead, go to
"PRINCIPAL CRUM'S LITANY"
.

All it takes to start a rumor is one little sighting, say of a junior girl and a senior guy dancing in front of a stage in Williamsburg. So what will Reese Highland have to say when he hears this one?