PrideandPopularity20July11 Page 8

  Alyssa raised her head at the mention of Zack.

  “They each wanted a legible list of the qualities of their perfect girl,” Emma went on, “so that way they could—”

  “Emma!” Taylor bellowed. “Don’t worry. No one needs to know why we wanted them. We’re good.”

  “Oh?” Emma frowned at Taylor. “Did I say something wrong?”

  “No, no,” I reassured her. “He’s just been a little on edge.” The look I gave Taylor dared him to contradict me. I was surprised at the intent stare he gave me in return, almost like a challenge. What is he trying to say? Am I wrong about him? Will what Emma says surprise me? I pulled my eyes away from his and smiled at Emma. “Go ahead. We’re ready.” Madison and Alyssa were all ears.

  Emma turned back to Taylor. “Your list said your perfect girl had to be funny.” She began to tick off the list on her fingers. “She had to be smart. She had to be beautiful. She had to have long hair. She had to be adventurous. She had to be talented. She had to be athletic. She had to—”

  Good grief!

  “Okay, Emma,” interrupted Taylor, “you can stop now.”

  “Don’t be silly, Taylor.” She giggled. “There’s more! She had to be talkative. She had to like children. She had to be independent. She had to be trustworthy. She had to—”

  What kind of a guy has a list like that for one girl? Talk about pressure. I couldn’t bear to hear the rest of the list. “Whoa! Okay, Emma. We get the idea. Apparently Taylor’s idea of the perfect girl is an imaginary one.”

  Taylor looked amused. “Are you saying there’s not a girl out there with all those qualities?”

  “If there is I’ve never met her,” I responded, looking at Maddi and Alyssa. “Have you?” I asked them. Both shook their heads.

  “You’ve never met a girl like that—” Emma imitated my sweet smile “—because you don’t hang out with the people we do. Right, Taylor?”

  I turned toward Emma, my mouth hanging open. Uh, ouch. Wow. Why did she say that? Oh my gosh! Of course—she thinks she fits the list. She probably does fit it! I wonder if Taylor has noticed.

  I decided to be nice to Emma. “So have any of your girlfriends been this ideal girl?” I asked Taylor.

  “No,” he answered matter-of-factly.

  I looked at Emma, who was smiling down at Taylor, then asked him, “And have you met a girl who you think fits that description?” I could see Emma actually hold her breath as she waited for his response. Silly girl.

  “I—uh,” he started. When he didn’t say more, I turned back toward him. My eyes were captured once again by the energy in his.

  What? What are you trying to say to me?

  “I—uh,” he tried again. His gaze settled on his hands. “I—I may have.” He looked at me again. “I mean, I think so. I don’t know.”

  Emma’s breath released in an audible whoosh above my head, reminding me of her presence—and more importantly, her desire to capture Taylor’s heart.

  “You know what I think?” I grinned at Taylor as I tried to shake off the odd feeling of unease that had come over me. “I think you have met her.”

  “You—you do?” he asked, his eyes wide. He bit his lip, turned, and stared numbly at his drawing.

  My smile began to crack. He was taking this way too seriously. “Ye–ah. I think she’s someone closer than you kno–ow,” I chanted lightly to catch his attention again. It worked. He glanced up, and as I looked in his eyes, the meaning there almost took my breath away. Entranced, I stared a moment before recalling where I was and that Emma was beside me. Taylor’s smile began to grow and light up his whole face. I tore my eyes from his to glance at Emma and signal she was the girl I had talked of. When I looked back at him, the smile was gone. In fact, his face was completely bereft of emotion. Absolutely blank.

  “Emma, what are you doing over there?” Ms. Bailey interrupted.

  “I, uh . . .” Emma looked around nervously.

  “She was helping me, Ms. Bailey,” I answered, smiling at Emma.

  “Okay. Go sit back down, Emma,” Ms. B. ordered. “The next time you have a problem, Chloe, I would be glad to help you.”

  “Thanks,” I said sheepishly. For a brief moment I paused as I picked up my charcoal pencil. I turned my head a little and perused Taylor’s dark hair as he bent over his picture. What can he be thinking? I followed his shoulder and arm down to the paper he was working on. Cats. He is drawing cats. What guy chooses cats for his subject in art class? That is so weird. Lions or tigers I could understand, but cats? I couldn’t help myself. I had to ask.

  “Taylor, why are you drawing cats?”

  “They’re not cats, they’re kittens,” he answered without looking up.

  Kittens? I tried to hide my smile but gave up. “Kittens? You? You are drawing kittens?” I attempted to smother a chuckle.

  He looked up at me, grinning mischievously. “What? Didn’t you know I liked furry little kittens?” At my answering snort, he said, “They’re for Georgia. She loves kittens.”

  “Georgia who? Is she the next Kylie?”

  Taylor laughed and shook his head. “You’re interested in my love life? I never would have thought it, Chloe.”

  I rolled my eyes. “Please. Being curious at how quickly you exchange your girlfriends does not mean I’m interested.”

  Taylor nodded his head, accepting the hit. “Georgia is my four-year-old sister. She loves kittens. This is for her.” Then he bent his head down to work on his picture again.

  He has a little sister? One that he loves enough to draw pictures for? I tried to visualize Taylor with a little sister, and it was a harder thought to process than I’d imagined. I glanced across the table. Madison looked up and our eyes met. She wiggled her eyebrows and gave a quick look at Taylor before watching me roll my eyes in return.

  It wasn’t until much later at my house that I even thought of Taylor again. Madison, Alyssa, and I were sitting on the floor of my bedroom, attempting to make all fifty invitations in one night. That’s when the ever-vigilant Madison pointed out that Taylor had looked really weird when I had motioned toward Emma earlier.

  “Yeah, he did, didn’t he?”

  “What do you think he meant by that face?” Alyssa asked as she created more antennas. “He was so happy one second and then the next it was like someone had slapped him.”

  “I don’t know.” I shrugged as I glued a piece of typed vellum to a piece of black cardstock. “Maybe he—”

  “Maybe he was hoping the girl you were talking about was a little closer to him than Emma was,” Madison interrupted.

  Alyssa laughed. “Who was closer than Emma? She was practically on our table.”

  Madison rolled her eyes. “Come on, I’m talking about someone whose knees and elbows could’ve touched him, she was so close.” She zeroed in on me.

  Dang! “No way.” I tried to laugh it off. “No, he just doesn’t like Emma and was freaking out about it, that’s all. He wasn’t hoping I was talking about myself, so stop thinking it.” I pointed my finger and the miniature TV right at Madison. “I mean you. Knock off this—this forever attempt to convince me that Taylor likes me. I can’t take it.” I took a deep breath. “Okay, Alyssa, tell us what you’ve decided to wear tomorrow when Zack takes you to the orchestra.”

  She smiled. “I still can’t believe he bought those tickets. I’ve wanted to go since I first heard they were on tour.”

  “I have to say, Zack Bradford has definitely amazed me,” Madison said.

  “He really is the nicest guy,” I admitted. “I wonder how I ever took his shyness as being stuck up. I’m so glad you’re seeing him so you could prove me wrong.”

  “How many dates have you been on now?” Madison asked.

  Alyssa leaned dreamily against my bed, imitation antennas now forgotten. “Five.”

  “Five? Really?” I asked. “I thought it was like three or something.”

  “Nope, five.” She sighed. “Plus, I still see
him every Sunday, too. But I don’t count those. I just wished I knew if he liked me or not. I mean he hasn’t asked me to go with him, you know?”

  Madison laughed as I leaned over and tugged the hem of Alyssa’s pants. “Hello? A high school guy doesn’t buy way expensive tickets to an orchestra concert if he doesn’t like the girl he’s taking. Besides, you are so beautiful. Mark my words. I would be very surprised if he doesn’t declare how much he’s fallen in love with you by the end of the month.”

  “Besides, you can totally tell how much a guy likes you by his kiss.” Madison tilted her head and stared at Alyssa.

  “Ugh!” Alyssa sat up. “Don’t even bring up kissing.”

  “Why?” Madison asked.

  “Because, thanks to Tanner spying on us, we’ve been on five dates and Zack has been too weirded out by him to even try to kiss me goodnight.” She moaned and fell back against the bed. “It’s so embarrassing.”

  I could just imagine Alyssa’s little brother peeking out the curtains at them. “Have you asked your mom and dad to keep him away?”

  “Er, okay. How well do you think that will go over? ‘Mom, Dad, do you mind keeping Tanner away from the window so Zack and I can make out?’”

  We all laughed.

  Madison shrugged. “Hey, it’s worth a try.”

  “You at least have to ask,” I said. “It’s like, against the laws of dating if you don’t.”

  Alyssa looked right at me. “All right, Chloe, I will ask my parents to help me with Tanner if you promise to ask Taylor to our party.” She raised her eyebrows in a defiant challenge.

  “What?” I gasped.

  Madison laughed. “Look at her face! She is totally scared.” She pointed her finger right at me.

  Alyssa began to laugh too. I guess I looked more scared than I realized. Truth be told, I was scared. I was more than scared—I was terrified.

  “How is this fair?” I asked. “Kissing Zack and asking Taylor to our party are two very different things.”

  “So. That’s irrelevant,” Madison said. “At least it will show Taylor that we don’t consider him a snob.”

  “Can you believe for the last three years he has wanted to come?” Alyssa asked. “I mean, it was just so crazy when he admitted that.”

  “Oh, yeah,” I responded sarcastically. “Thanks for jumping in there, girls. Nothing like fighting a losing battle with Taylor all on my own.”

  Madison laughed. “No way am I going to interrupt anything you and Taylor talk about. It’s too good to miss. You really should take a step back and see the sparks that fly off the two of you.”

  “She’s right,” Alyssa remarked. “I’m always afraid I’ll interrupt something and stop the flow coming from you guys. It’s too exciting. I never know what you’re going to say next. Honestly, I think you baffle him, the way you’re always challenging him.”

  Madison laughed again. “You do realize you’re probably the first girl in history to argue with him.”

  “If that’s true, then he deserves it,” I muttered.

  “Besides,” Alyssa continued, “he wanted to know why you hadn’t invited him, not why we hadn’t invited him. So it’s only fair that you do it.”

  “Come on. This is way harsh. I can’t beg Taylor to come to our party.”

  Madison grinned. “What’s the big deal, Chloe?”

  “I’m totally afraid he’ll get the wrong idea.”

  “I’ve got it,” Alyssa exclaimed dramatically as she smiled at us both. “Ask Blake too. Then Taylor can’t think you like him, because you’ll be around Blake all the time.”

  “That’s perfect,” I replied. “Why didn’t I think of it?”

  “Then we could actually meet this hunk in the flesh,” Madison said.

  “All right.” I smiled at Alyssa. Now it was my turn to feel smug. “You’re on. I’ll invite Taylor. Just remember you have to ask your mom and dad to give you some privacy. I wanna hear about Zack’s kiss.”

  TWELVE

  IT’S PARTY TIME!

  “Here,” I said as dropped the party invite in front of Taylor. Then I removed my backpack and sat it next to my chair. It was still a few minutes before the bell.

  “What’s this?” he asked as he looked up at me. He picked up the invite and flipped it over in his hand.

  As if he doesn’t know. “Your invite. You said you wanted one. There it is.” I walked away to get my art supplies. When I came back he was waiting for me.

  “So, I, uh, actually got a coveted invite?”

  “It appears so, doesn’t it?” I grinned so my words wouldn’t sting as I plopped into my seat. “Zack got one, too.”

  “Why the sudden change of heart, Chloe Hart?” He grinned back at me.

  “Oh, I thought it would be good for you.”

  He frowned slightly. “Good for me? What do you mean?”

  “I thought you’d like to meet Blake.” I stood up to sharpen my already-sharp pencil. For some reason I wanted to be as far away from Taylor as possible. “Be sure to bring Kylie,” I called back as I walked across the room to the pencil sharpener.

  As I began to sharpen my pencil to make my ploy look good, I was surprised to hear Taylor’s voice behind me.

  “Why are you sharpening something that’s already sharp?”

  Dang! “One can never be too prepared.” I cranked the wheel of the sharpener. “What are you doing here?” I tossed over my shoulder.

  “Oh, just sharpening my pencil. Same as you.” He stepped forward and stood right behind me. His arm reached around mine to show his pencil.

  I paused to compose my senses. Taylor was so close I could smell his aftershave. He smells so good. The tingling warmth of his arm as it touched mine nearly undid me. I turned my head slightly to look at his pencil, but I couldn’t focus enough to comprehend what I was seeing. He breathed on my neck, sending a multitude of sparks racing down my back. What is wrong with me?

  “Your hair smells good, Chloe,” he whispered near my ear.

  “Uh!” Instantly, I became a flurry of motion again as I realized I had nearly gone dizzy over the guy. Taylor dropped his arm and chuckled as he stepped back.

  “You’re not going to have much pencil left if you keep that up,” he pointed out.

  I pulled my sharp pencil out and saw it was couple inches shorter than when I’d started. In my haste to move away, I accidentally broke the pencil point against the sharpener. Taylor laughed.

  I resigned myself to stay there long enough to sharpen the pencil again.

  “Who is Blake?” Taylor asked, still a little too close for my comfort.

  “The guy I’m seeing,” I answered. “He’s really great. You’ll love him.”

  “I hope not,” he stated. “That would be awkward.”

  I rolled my eyes and focused on the pencil sharpener again.

  “Blake? What’s his last name?”

  “Winter.” I sighed, trying to annoy him.

  “Blake Winter,” Taylor repeated. “You sure about that?”

  “Yeah. Why?”

  “Winter. Why does that name sound so familiar?”

  I thought of how Blake worked for Taylor’s dad. For some reason I didn’t want to remind Taylor of that fact. “You’re a smart guy, figure it out,” I said as I miraculously managed to move myself and my pencil away from him. I could hear his laughter behind me as I walked away. I looked down and saw my pencil was half the size it had been when I’d started. Why is it he always gets the last laugh?

  It was two weeks later and the Halloween party was in full swing. Almost forty vintage TV characters had arrived. Everyone looked so cool. I had dressed up like Lucille Ball from the I Love Lucy show. I thought with my red hair it would be the best bet.

  Alyssa dressed up as Catwoman. Her costume looked really good, and Zack couldn’t stop staring at her. I was so happy he had come. His costume was probably one of the coolest. He came as Cosmo Kramer from Seinfeld, with a brown frizzy wig and all. He did a mean
impression of Kramer, too. We were all impressed.

  Madison went all Scooby Doo on us and dressed as Daphne. She had found this funky purple dress from the thrift store. It looked so cute. With her red wig and lime green scarf, I almost didn’t recognize her.

  I couldn’t wait to see Blake. He was supposed to come as Bo Duke from The Dukes of Hazzard. As soon as I’d told him about the vintage TV show theme, he’d announced his character. With his blond hair and those dimples, I knew he would make a killer Bo. I just hoped he showed up before Taylor did. As of today, Taylor had insisted he would bring Kylie to the party. I kind of thought he would change his mind at the last moment. He still could. Now, that would be a relief.

  The doorbell rang and I ran to answer it. Please let this be Blake.

  “Hello. Come on in.” I smiled to hide my disappointment as I let Knight Rider and Batman in. They were both guys I knew from four-wheeling. Just like a proper hostess, I exclaimed over their costumes and pointed them to the back room. Before I shut the door I searched again for Blake’s truck. Where is he?

  “Chloe!”

  I turned to see Alyssa hurry through the crowd. “What’s up?”

  She stopped in front of me and looked around, then pulled me down the side hall and into my bedroom.

  I frowned. “What?”

  She gulped dramatically. “Ethan just told me that Blake’s not coming.”

  “What? Why? Did something happen? Is he okay?”

  “Apparently—” I had to lean over to catch her words “—Blake isn’t coming because of Taylor.”

  “Taylor? What? Why? That’s crazy. What has Taylor got to do with anything?”

  “Ethan said that Taylor stormed up to the front desk of the hotel where Blake was working and demanded that he tell him his name. As soon as Blake said, ‘Blake Winter,’ Taylor turned and stomped into his father’s office and told him to fire Blake.”

  My jaw dropped. “Taylor wouldn’t dare! What gives him the right to do that?”

  “Yeah, I guess Mr. Anderson talked to Blake for over an hour after Taylor left,” Alyssa continued. “Anyway, Blake found out Taylor was coming to the party and opted to work tonight to avoid him.”