What If... All the Rumors Were True (23 page)

HIGH SCHOOL HOME-WRECKER

Sometimes models don't exhibit model behavior.

“W
hitney, I've got something to tell you,” Haley confided. She'd found Whitney in the cafeteria at lunchtime, scarfing down an ice cream sandwich. Upon hearing Haley's serious tone, Whitney glanced up nervously and said, “Just let me get some more ice cream first.”

“In a minute,” Haley said, sitting down beside Whitney. “After you hear what I have to say, even you might be too disgusted to eat.”

“I doubt that,” Whitney said. “Hit me.”

“Remember how we were all wondering what Mia was doing at Mrs. Eton's Casino Night?” Haley said. Whitney nodded. “Well, I found out who invited her.”

“Who?”

Haley swallowed. This was going to be hard. “It was your dad.”

“My dad?” Whitney screeched. She paused for a moment to let this news sink in. Then she said, “I knew it! I knew something funny was going on between them. Did you see the way that slut was flirting with him at the party?” She jumped to her feet, forgetting about the second ice cream sandwich, and ran off.

“Where are you going?” Haley called after her.

“There's someone else who needs to know this,” Whitney said. Haley's heart sank. This gossip bomb was clearly going to wipe out people for miles around.

 

Haley found out the next day that Whitney had cut English to run home and tell her stepmonster, Trish, that Jerry Klein was now cheating on her. How life does come full circle. Whitney had found Trish lying on the couch, watching soap opera reruns. Trish was of course upset by the news, and as soon as Jerry Klein got home from work that night, she let him have it. He denied everything—even knowing any Mia Delgado.

“You know that's not true,” Haley told Whitney. “You saw him talking to her at the party. You saw it with your own eyes.”

“You're right,” Whitney said. “But I know Dad. He'll stick to his story unless someone confronts him with convertible proof.”

“You mean incontrovertible proof,” Haley said.

“That's what I said,” Whitney replied.

“Well, I can get that for you.” Haley made a call to Mrs. Eton's office, asking for the social secretary. All she had to do was say the secret code, “Garth,” and the next thing she knew Rachel had faxed her a copy of Jerry Klein's guest list, which Haley gave to Whitney.

“This proves Dad's lying,” Whitney told Trish when she showed her the fax. “Why would he spend $1,500 on a ticket for Mia if there wasn't something going on?” Within a week, Trish moved out of the house. Whitney had never been a big fan of hers, but she couldn't help feeling a little sorry for the former waitress.

Haley, meanwhile, felt sorry for Whitney, whose family was once again undergoing an upheaval thanks to her. Whitney was so stressed she started shoplifting and eating and repeating again. And all the while, Mia blithely went on in her usual flirtatious way, completely unfazed by the whole scandal. Nothing seemed to be able to shake that girl. She was truly shameless.

Haley's zeal to expose the ugly underbelly of Whitney's family didn't do anyone any good. The Kleins had always been dysfunctional; now they were basically destroyed. Whitney wasn't speaking to her dad, and her mom was so caught up in her new romance with Sasha's dad that she wasn't really there for Whitney either.
Ka-boom.
All that progress Whitney had made these last few months, erased in a single afternoon.

If Haley was hoping to derail Mia's march through the male population of Hillsdale, that didn't work, either. Haley should have thought twice before setting off such a scandal bomb. Now it's too late.

You blew it. Go back to Chapter 1.

CONCEALED WEAPON

If you're going to try to bury something, you'd better dig a really deep hole.

W
hen Haley arrived at Whitney's house, she had already decided she was not going to tell anyone about Jerry Klein's alleged affair with Mia Delgado—especially not Whitney. But when Whitney invited her up to her bedroom and secretively closed the door behind them, Haley also realized she would probably need to confess if Whitney pressed her on the Mia subject.

“I wanted to ask you about something,” Whitney began. “It's serious.”

“Okay,” Haley said, sitting down on Whitney's fluffy white bed, looking wide-eyed and innocent.

“Do you ever get really awful stomach pains that twist up your intestines into knots and make you want to bend over and cry?” she blurted out, gripping her waist.

“Do you mean
cramps
?” Haley asked, not sure where Whitney was going with this one, but relieved she wasn't talking about her dad and Mia Delgado.

“My stomach has been off for days,” she went on.

“Maybe you should drink some herbal tea,” Haley suggested. “I bet peppermint would settle your tummy. Is it stress? Everyone in our class seems to be succumbing to it lately.”

Haley had hit the nail on the head. Whitney suddenly burst into tears.

“I can't believe I now live with Sasha's dad and that Sasha hasn't even come over once to visit me,” she cried. “Not once. She has her own room here, right across the hall, and she doesn't even care. We used to be best friends! Do you know I designed my fall collection with her in mind?”

Haley put her arm around Whitney's shoulder. She was glad she had decided to butt out of the Kleins' ongoing scandals. Whitney had already been through enough upheaval in her family and seemingly couldn't stand much more.

“I know Sasha is going to come around, Whit. Maybe you should tell her how you're feeling.”

“You think I should call her?” she whimpered, drying her tears with her sleeve.

“Yes, you should be the bigger person here and call. You'll feel better about it. I know you will.”

“Thanks, Haley. Maybe I should. You're such a good friend. I don't know what I would do without you.”

Haley smiled. She felt good about protecting her friend from all the rumors, and her conscience was crystal-clear.

“Here, I'll dial the number,” she said, picking up Whitney's cell phone and looking forward to the day when she and Whitney and Sasha could all hang out as friends.

 

THE END

JOHNNY BE GONE

Don't jump to conclusions without a safety net.

“H
ey, Haley—come with me.” Sasha pulled up in front of Haley's house in her new car after school and rolled down the window. “Get in. We're going to see what Johnny's up to at work.”

Haley hopped in and Sasha headed to Bubbies. Sasha had been going through a rough time with Johnny lately, and Haley figured she could use a supportive friend. Ever since she had caught Mia and Johnny cozying up to each other in a corner booth at the bistro, Sasha was convinced her boyfriend had a crush on
la modela.

“I just can't stop thinking about it,” Sasha muttered. “Mia. And Johnny. Together. Laughing, kissing, doing who knows what kind of exotic Spanish make-out techniques…Something's definitely going on. I just know it.”

“Is Johnny expecting us?” Haley asked.

“No,” Sasha said. “This way we can surprise him.”

“Well, I wasn't going to tell you this, but Mia has been flirting with Johnny since the day she got here,” Haley said. “You should see the way she hangs all over him in art class.”

“Ugh!” Sasha hit the steering wheel with the palm of her hand. “Who does that Spanish bimbo think she is?”

“Someone should teach that girl a lesson,” Haley said.

“I know just the person for the job,” Sasha said. “Me.”

The car skidded to a stop in front of the restaurant. Sasha stormed out, leaving Haley to follow in her wake. Sure enough, inside Johnny was sitting at the bar, talking intently with Mia.

“I don't mean to interrupt,” Sasha said abruptly, disturbing the customers who were finishing their late lunches. “Mia, I'm surprised you even have time to hang out here, considering you're seducing my former best friend's father. And filming hookup sessions that air on the Internet. Is there any depth you won't sink to?”

Johnny reached out to calm Sasha down, but she brushed him away. “You haven't heard her side,” he said.

“Oh, and I suppose you have? That's what's going on here? She's crying on your shoulder? You're a greedy little slut who can't keep her hands off any man who walks by!” She stabbed a finger in Mia's face. “Why don't you go back to Spain and stick to what you're good at; topless modeling?”

Haley saw wrath flicker across Mia's face. But Mia was nothing if not an excellent actress. She glanced sideways at Johnny, and within seconds, her eyes were welling up with tears. Johnny reached over and tenderly put a hand on her shoulder.

“Clearly, you've made your choice, I hope you don't mind sharing her with half of Hillsdale,” Sasha said, stomping out of the restaurant, ignoring the whispers and stares of the stunned customers. Haley followed her dutifully and got back into the car.

“That'll show them,” Sasha muttered.

“You had to do it,” Haley said. “You can't let people get away with sneaking around behind your back.”

“Then how come I feel so terrible?” Sasha asked. Unlike Mia's, her tears were real.

Now Sasha needs a shoulder to cry on. But maybe Haley's wouldn't be the best choice? She's the one who urged Sasha to make a scene.

A few days later, Sasha found out that Johnny and Mia weren't fooling around behind her back at all; in fact, Johnny had been asking Mia's advice about a piece of jewelry he wanted to buy for Sasha to celebrate their one-year anniversary. Needless to say, he never bought that necklace. Sasha didn't have the nerve to beg him to take her back, but he wouldn't have done it anyway—not after the way she'd humiliated them all at Bubbies.

Sasha's just made a huge mistake, and Haley was the only one who could have talked her out of it. Let's hope Haley can do better next time, now that she's learned her lesson.

Go back to Chapter 1.