It turned out that I really did have to work the Saturday night of Jordan's party, which eased my conscience a bit. My mood improved at the thought that it was a huge computer error and not some personal flaw that accounted for my lack of acceptance at UC Nightshade.
Still, it didn't change the fact that I didn't know what my plans were for the fall.
I did know, however, that I was becoming this whiny self-obsessed person, and I didn't like her very much. I vowed to shape up and quickly.
Which is why I didn't say no when Sam approached me about the senior talent show. The talent show was a tradition, and the date of the performance was always announced a mere forty-eight hours before the actual event.
Everyone in the senior class was supposed to participate, but the rules were that you couldn't do something you were really talented at doing. So Sam couldn't boss people around, and I couldn't bake a cake. And we weren't allowed to practice more than once before the show. People broke a few of the rules sometimes, but the idea was to be as spontaneous as possible.
"Want to do something together?" she said.
"Wouldn't you rather perform with Sean?" I asked.
"He's doing an act with Ryan. Very hush-hush," she said.
I remembered my vow to try to get into the spirit of things.
"What do you have in mind?"
"Can you sing or dance?" Samantha said.
"No," I said.
"Perfect," she said. "Then that's what we're going to do."
I smothered a groan.
"You already said yes," Sam reminded me. "Besides, all those years of gymnastics have to be good for something."
After a couple of hours of debate, we finally agreed on a song, "I Love Rock and Roll," which was definitely done better by Joan Jett and the Blackhearts.
"Do you have any leather pants?" Sam asked me.
"No," I said. "And I don't intend to buy any." Sam had the body for tight leather pants. I did not.
"Do you think Nurse Phillips would let you borrow a pair of hers?" she said.
I sent her a horrified look. "Poppy has a leather jacket I can borrow," I said. "I am not, under any circumstances, appearing in front of my classmates in leather pants."
Forty-eight hours later, we were backstage at the talent show. Sam had chosen to go the full black-leather route. She wore skintight black leather pants and a short leather jacket over a red shirt.
I did my best tough-girl impression in cheetah-print leggings and a black T-shirt. My hair was curling wildly about my face. Poppy had teased it until it added about six inches to my already-tall frame.
The faculty advisor put a bunch of numbers into the hat to decide what order we would perform in.
Sam reached in and pulled out a number while I prayed we wouldn't have to go first.
"Seventh," she said. "That's lucky, right?"
I started stretching, my body protesting as I used muscles that I hadn't even thought about since I quit the cheerleading team.
Penny and Tyler were the first to go on, but judging from their laughter, it didn't seem to bother them. Penny was dressed as Sandy in Grease, after the big makeover, and Tyler was wearing something very similar to what he wore to prom—black jeans and a black T-shirt. They were obviously going to sing "You're the One That I Want." We heard the music start and then Tyler and Penny began to sing. I was right about their song choice. Penny was a little pitchy at first, but she ended strong. They finished to a burst of applause.
Then a couple of the football players threw lit batons in the air and caught them.
"That's cheating a little," Ryan said. "Brian Miller's sister is a twirler for marching band."
The next performers were Jordan and Rachel, who did a comedy routine that had the crowd in stitches.
"Don't look so nervous," Ryan said. "This is supposed to be fun."
He and Sean were wearing matching white shirts with black vests and black pants.
"What are you doing for the performance?" I asked.
He only smiled and said, "You'll see."
I bit my nails while I was waiting for our number to be called. There was a time when I was used to performing in public. As a gymnast.
Then it was Samantha's and my turn. I put on Poppy's black leather jacket, took a deep breath, and followed Sam as she strutted onto the stage.
When the music started, I took a deep breath and waited for my cue. The good thing about the song we'd chosen was that it needed to be belted out, so I really used my lungs as I sang.
The crowd started to sing along, and suddenly, I felt freer than I'd felt in months. While Sam sang the last few notes, I launched myself across the stage and went into a handstand and then down into a split as the song ended.
The crowd shouted its approval, and Sam and I took a brief bow, then ran offstage, sweaty and exhilarated.
"That was fun," I said. "I'm so glad you talked me into it."
She linked arms with me. "Let's slip into the audience so we can watch the guys."
We found seats at the end of a row near the front.
I noticed quite a few strangers in the audience, which was a little unusual. The talent show was open to the public, but I couldn't imagine wanting to sit through it unless you either were a graduating senior or knew and loved one.
There was a woman sitting next to Mr. Devereaux. They seemed to know each other quite well and whispered to each other during the performances. She wore a white trench coat, scarf, and huge sunglasses that made her look a little bit like a bug.
I nudged Samantha."Is that your father's new girlfriend?"
"I don't know who that is," she said, dismissing the woman with a glance. "But Daddy dates a lot of women."
We sat through three other acts before Ryan and Sean came onstage. Reese and Andres joined them, and the four broke into a song I'd never heard of called "Girl of My Dreams." I was happy to see that the animosity between them seemed to have disappeared.
"I would never have guessed a barbershop quartet," I said.
"I didn't even know Sean could sing," Samantha admitted.
After that, we sat in silence, mesmerized by their voices. Halfway through, all four boys left the stage and walked down the aisles, singing as they went. They were obviously searching for specific people. Sean and Ryan stopped in front of Sam and me. Ryan took my hand and knelt in front of me just as the last bars of the song faded away.
I looked around and saw that the other three boys had done the same thing. Sean was next to us, kneeling in front of Sam. Andres was kissing Lilah's hand, and Reese had Jordan in a low dip.
The crowd jumped to their feet and gave the guys a standing ovation.