I didn’t have a chance to tell Eva about it until the next day.
“You mean he gave you an expensive guitar and then just left without saying anything else?” Eva asked.
I’d invited her to come over to my house to see the guitar, but really, I wanted my best friend’s advice.
I nodded.
“He and Connor were giving each other dirty looks all night,” Eva said. “And then that musical showdown.”
“Musical showdown?”
“You have to realize that they were both singing about you,” she said. “To you.”
“I didn’t recognize the song Connor sang,” I admitted.
She snorted. “It was ‘Fall for You.’” At my blank look, she added, “By Secondhand Serenade? No, nothing? Jessica, you really need to expand your playlist. That song is pretty romantic.”
“Who has time?” I asked. “Romantic, huh?”
“Very,” she said. “Now what are you going to do about it?”
“Nothing,” I finally said. “I had my chance with Connor and I chose not to take it.”
“Things change,” she said. “He doesn’t seem to be holding a grudge.”
“It’s complicated.”
“That’s what’s great about it,” she said.
“Only if you’re on the outside looking in,” I replied. “Otherwise, it’s just confusing.”
“We’re teenagers. We’re supposed to be confused,” Eva said. “In the meantime, let’s do something.”
“What do you have in mind?”
She bounced up and down on the bed. “I don’t know,” she said. “Matinee?”
“There’s nothing good out.”
Eva’s eyes lit up. “Want to go shopping?”
“That’s a great idea. I got tons of gift cards for my birthday. But how are we going to get there?” I asked. It was doubtful Mom would have the time to take us.
“Bethany?” Eva suggested halfheartedly. Bethany was Eva’s older sister.
“Nah,” we said at once.
My phone rang. “What are you doing right now?” Andy asked me. My fellow virago was always blunt and didn’t always bother with greetings.
“Not much,” I admitted. “Eva and I were talking about going to the mall.”
“I’ll pick you guys up in ten minutes,” she said, and then hung up.
I stared at the phone. “We have a ride,” I said. “I just need to ask Mom.”
My mother was surprisingly agreeable, which I didn’t get until she said, “Can you return these for me? Katie’s feet have grown again and they don’t fit her. I’m going to have to take her in, but I don’t have time right now.” Mom handed me a pair of shoes from Nordstrom and a receipt.
She kept a list of all our sizes and often bought something and made all the girls try it on until she found someone it fit, but Katie was the youngest. Hand-me-downs were completely worn out by the time they reached her, so she usually got something new.
“Do you need any money?”
“No, thanks.”
Andy honked her horn and Eva and I dashed outside. She was in the driver’s seat of an older Mercedes four-door. “New car?” I asked.
“Dad’s,” Andy said. “He hardly ever lets me drive it. But he’s thinking about giving me his old one.”
“Nice,” I said. Sometimes I envied Andy being an only child. A little privacy once in a while might be a pleasant change.
“I’m glad you guys wanted to come,” Andy replied. “Selena was busy.”
I didn’t spend too much friend time with Andy. She was intensely competitive and a total thrill-seeker. She’d also known forever that she was a virago, so she always acted like she knew more than everyone else.
And Selena Silvertongue was her best friend. Or at least she used to be.
“Everything okay?” I asked.
“Yeah,” Andy said. “She’s just been caught up with this new band she’s in. They’re playing today, you know. The first round of the Battle of the Bands is taking place right here at the mall.”
My stomach did a little flip. I wondered if Dominic would be there too.
“Cool,” Eva said. “But why are they playing at the mall?”
“It’s good exposure for the merchants who are sponsoring the contest,” Andy said. “Plus, the acoustics are great in there.”
There were plenty of parking spots at the mall. Andy found one right up front. We hit the food court for lemonades and then strolled along, window-shopping.
Andy seemed a little sulky after we spotted Selena in a store with Harmony.
“Do you want to say hi?” I asked.
“No,” Andy said. “Let them have their band bonding or whatever. Besides, it looks like Selena’s helping Harmony pick out new clothes. She’s been losing weight lately so she probably needs some.”
Now that Andy mentioned it, I did notice that Harmony had lost some weight. I wondered if her makeover had to do with the band or something else.
“Those two are practically attached at the hip these days,” Eva said. “Remember when we saw them at the estate sale, Jess?”
“Estate sale?” Andy said. “What were they doing there?”
“Buying music stuff,” Eva said. “Did you hear about the theft?”
“Theft?” Andy repeated. After Eva filled her in, Andy said, “Jessica, why didn’t you tell me? We should be investigating.”
I shrugged. “My tattoo didn’t even get warm.”
“Maybe it’s having an off day,” Andy suggested. “You know the whirlwinds aren’t a hundred percent accurate.”
“They’re not?” I was surprised by the information.
“Don’t get me wrong,” Andy replied. “They help, but you can’t always count on it.”
“I’m sure it’s nothing the viragos need to worry about,” I said to her. “I told Flo all about it, and she didn’t seem to be worried.”
“Yeah, well, Flo’s a little preoccupied these days,” Andy said.
“What do you mean?”
“Haven’t you noticed?” Andy shook her head and her blond curls bounced. “Flo’s in love.”
“With Vinnie?” Eva asked.
“Of course with Vinnie,” I said.
“I wouldn’t be surprised if she retired from virago duty soon,” Andy said.
I stopped walking. “Flo wouldn’t do that.”
“She and Vinnie are talking about getting married,” Andy pointed out.
“So?”
“So that changes things,” Andy said.
“I don’t believe it,” I said. “Even if they do get married, Flo isn’t going to retire.”
“Believe it,” Andy said. “It’s going to happen. We should be ready for it.”
My stomach hurt at the thought. I changed the subject. “Aren’t those cute?” I pointed to a random pair of jeans in a store window.
Andy snorted. “Yeah, if you’re into mom jeans.”
“I think they’re cute,” I replied.
She thought I wasn’t looking and mouthed “Denial” to Eva.
They were honestly hideous, but I wasn’t going to back down and let her know she was right.
“I have a gift card to Nordstrom’s,” I said. “And I have to take these back. Let’s go in here.”
We returned the shoes with no problem, but I couldn’t find anything I wanted to buy with my gift card. Maybe because Andy had a comment for every single thing I tried on.
Pink sweats: “Clashes with your hair.” Long black skirt: “Makes you look washed out.”
Purple mini: “Not with your legs, I wouldn’t.” The last one was just mean because I knew that my legs were a plus. In fact, they were the one thing I really liked about my body.
“Andy, Jessica has the best legs in the freshman class,” Eva said angrily.
“Who says?” Andy asked derisively.
“The entire freshman class,” Eva snapped. “Plus, she’s gone out with two hot guys this year. How many have you dated?”
That shut Andy up. But I felt bad when I caught a miserable expression cross her face at the mention of hot guys. Did she have a crush on someone? And if so, who was it?
I changed the subject. “Is anybody else hungry? Let’s get smoothies. My treat.”
“Let me guess,” Andy said. “You have a gift card.”
“I certainly do.” We all laughed and the tension lifted.
We took the escalator up to the food court, where we ran into Dominic, Raven, and their Aunt Katrina.
“I’m so glad you guys made it,” Raven said.
“We’re checking out the competition before we perform,” Katrina explained. “We’re the fourth band today.”
On the second floor, near the food court, there were neat rows of folding chairs set up in front of a stage adorned with a NIGHTSHADE BATTLE OF THE BANDS banner.
“Let’s sit in the back,” Dominic said.
The seats gradually filled up. I waved to Rose Giordano and her boyfriend, Nicholas Bone, who were sitting with Nicholas’s dad.
Ms. Johns took the stage and announced the judges. There was a polite smattering of applause. The Battle of the Bands would be judged by three celebrity judges: Flo’s songwriter friend Hunter Verrat; Talulah Crank, who owned the indie label Cranky Kitten; and Teddie Myles, the owner of the Black Opal and a famous former rock star.
They were going to have to judge more than fifty bands over the course of the month. I didn’t envy them.
“Why isn’t Mitch Peverell one of the judges?” I asked idly while we waited for the first band to take the stage.
“He represents one of the bands,” Dominic said. “It’d be a conflict of interest.”
Ms. Johns announced the first band. “And now, give a round of applause for Hamlin!”
The band took the stage and started to tune up. I realized I’d seen the guitar player before, getting out of the town car at Mr. Lindquist’s estate sale. Hamlin launched into a deafeningly loud song. I fought the urge to clasp my hands over my ears and we were in the last row.
The band played three songs, and then, thankfully, their set was over, and we stood up to leave. Ms. Johns came out again and announced another band, Moonlight and Magic, so we sat back down. I’d never heard of the band before, but I certainly recognized the members when they walked onstage: Connor, Harmony, and Selena.
Selena played drums, Connor played guitar, and Harmony sang. It was amazing how much she’d improved. It was like she was a completely different person. I was happy to hear enthusiastic applause for them.
Then Ms. Johns announced Drew Barrymore’s Boyfriends. There was a roar of applause from the audience. The Hamlin fans had sour looks on their faces as DBBF took the stage.
Scotty Turntable’s performance was the hit of the show.
“He’s got a ton of charisma,” Raven commented. She wasn’t kidding. Scotty was practically causing girls to faint. After their performance, DBBF were surrounded by squealing fans.
They announced a ten-minute break, and we stood up to stretch our legs. A couple of girls went up to Connor and asked him for his autograph. I noticed he spent a lot of time talking to a pretty brunette. I had to suppress a twinge of jealousy. What was wrong with me? I didn’t know what I wanted. Or who.
Eva and I went over to say hi to Rose, who was Daisy’s older sister.
“Hi, Rose,” I said. “I haven’t seen you around lately.”
“So much homework,” she said. “And I’ve been busy in the lab, too.” Rose was a science major at UC Nightshade.
We joined a group of girls from school. Mitch Peverell, the talent agent, was talking to them. “Who is your favorite member of Drew Barrymore’s Boyfriends?”
“I like Trevor,” a tall brunette said.
“Not me,” her friend, a blond girl with a purple streak in her hair, said. “Scotty Turntable is the heart and soul of DBBF.”
“And why is that?” Mr. Peverell asked intently.
“He writes all the songs,” the blonde stated. “And he started the band.”
Nicholas’s dad, Mr. Bone, came up and shook Mr. Peverell’s hand.
“Fine show,” Mr. Bone pronounced. “I really enjoyed Hamlin.” He wore his customary loud Hawaiian shirt and khaki shorts. “Fine show, indeed.”
Eva gave me a look, but we both nodded politely. We said our goodbyes, but we were barely out of earshot when Eva said, “Maybe the fumes finally got to him.”
“What do you mean?”
“I hear formaldehyde rots the brain,” she replied darkly. Mr. Bone was the town undertaker.
Then I remembered that Rose was psychic, a telepath, which meant she’d probably read Eva’s mind and heard what she’d said even before she said it aloud. And we were talking about her boyfriend’s father.
“People have different tastes in music,” I said.
Dominic, Raven, and their Aunt Katrina still sat in the back row. Katrina was staring at the now empty stage. “I’m going over to talk to him,” she said. She twirled her hair when she talked.
When she came back, Katrina’s eyes were strangely dilated. “Wasn’t he just the best?” she breathed. “His name is Brett.”
“You mean Scotty Turntable?” I asked. “I liked their new song, but the guitar player in Hamlin—”
“I know,” she said. I thought she was agreeing how terrible he was, but her next words cleared that up. “Brett was the best thing about Hamlin.”
Dominic stared at his aunt. “He was?”
She nodded fervently.
I had assumed she was talking about Drew Barrymore’s Boyfriends. Eva and I exchanged puzzled looks behind her back. Hamlin’s guitarist, Brett, could barely hold his guitar.
“You liked his playing, then?” Dominic asked carefully.
“Liked it?” she asked. “I didn’t like it, I loved it! Look what I have!” She held out a Hamlin tee.
Katrina was a killer bass player. There was no way she could admire an amateur performance like that. But apparently she did. She lost interest in our conversation and gravitated back to Brett, who wore a Hamlin trucker hat and satin jacket.
Dominic finally had to drag her away so they could get ready for their set.
Side Effects May Vary were fabulous, as usual, but I noticed Mitch Peverell at the back, watching them with a frown on his face.
When Katrina took the stage, she wasn’t wearing her naughty nurse’s outfit or even her leopard print thigh-high boots and black micro mini. She wasn’t even wearing a wig. Instead, she came out with her hair in pigtails and plain old jeans and a T-shirt.
“That’s a new look for her,” Eva commented.
“It’s a Hamlin tee,” I said. I pointed to the band’s name in enormous letters on the front of her shirt.
“She’s got it bad for that singer,” Eva said.
“Katrina wouldn’t change her entire look just to please some guy,” I said firmly. “And besides, they just met.”
Eva shrugged. “Stranger things have happened.”
“I don’t believe in love at first sight,” I said. But as I looked at Dominic up on the stage, I couldn’t help but remember how head over heels I had felt the first time I had heard him sing.
After the set ended and we were saying our goodbyes, Jeff Cool grabbed a skateboard from one of the kids in the crowd and hopped on it. He wobbled at first, but then whizzed past us through the food court, dodging frazzled diners.
“Jeff, quit clowning around,” Dominic yelled, but Jeff ignored him.
He turned and then gathered speed as he headed for the escalator.
“I’ve never seen him on a board,” Dominic said nervously. “I doubt he’s ever skated in his life.”
“He doesn’t have a helmet or pads on,” Raven commented. “If he falls, he’s going to get hurt.”
The skateboard clattered down a few steps of the escalator—but Jeff wasn’t on it. We ran to the railing and watched in horror as he flew. As he landed in the fountain on the first floor, he put his arms out to catch himself. There was a loud snapping sound when he went down.
“Someone call an ambulance!” Katrina ordered.
“On it!” Rose said. She was talking to the dispatcher on her cell, but ran down the escalator steps.
We followed her. She bent down next to Jeff. “Hang on.”
“Should we move him?” I asked. The water in the fountain had to be cold. Fortunately, someone from mall security turned off the water.
Paramedics arrived and tended to Jeff’s injuries. It looked like both of his arms were broken.
“How did this happen?” Dominic said. “How are we going to perform without a guitarist?”
After they’d taken Jeff out in a gurney, the crowd dispersed.
“Let’s go home,” Andy said. “I’ve had enough excitement for one day.”
Jeff was a showoff most of the time, but what had possessed him to hop on a skateboard?