‘Are you sure he didn’t hear us?’ I ask Syd and Kali, who are sitting on either side of me in the backseat of the car. ‘It looked like he might have been loitering.’
After group this afternoon, we hung back in the basement until the rehearsal ended so we wouldn’t risk bumping into Addison. We ended up talking through some of the details of our plan for tonight’s dance-party slam. When I got up to go to the bathroom, Dieter was at the end of the hall.
‘Eavesdropping isn’t Dieter’s style,’ Kali says. ‘Confrontation is. And I haven’t had any text messages. My mom would be on me so fast if he’d called.’
‘But we can’t get reception out here,’ I say, peering out the window into the darkness of the hill country.
‘If Dieter had heard us, we’d be swabbing dirty tarps right now,’ Syd says.
‘I guess. I just have a bad feeling about this,’ I say.
A voice from the front seat says, ‘Quit your whining or my fee doubles.’
It’s Brody, riding shotgun beside Luke.
Kali whacks her brother in the back of the head with a map. ‘We’re paying you to keep quiet.’
Actually, we’re paying for a ride. Glennis’s car is in the shop, so Brody enlisted Luke to take us to the party. Having male backup makes me feel better about heading into a remote field in the middle of the night – even if I can’t get along with one of the guys, and Kali can’t get along with the other.
‘There!’ The headlamps illuminate the road in front of us, and Syd points out an orange rag tied to a tree. ‘The last marker.’
Luke steers the car off Ranch Street onto a bumpy dirt road that winds around the back of Enchanted Rock State Park. ‘I can’t believe I let you talk me into this. If I wreck the suspension on the car, my dad will kill me.’
Kali grabs Luke’s shoulder belt and jerks hard. ‘You agreed to take this job.’
‘I’m merely expressing concern for my dad’s property. Thanks to you setting me up with that loose cannon I took to my cousin’s wedding, I’m in enough trouble with my family already.’
Kali flops back in her seat and snorts. ‘Brody, could you change the CD? This one is stuck.’
By the time we find a place to park and follow the noise to a clearing, a crowd has already gathered. On the far side of the open space is a huge pickup truck with a long, low platform hitched to it. Behind this makeshift stage, two white cube trucks are parked lengthwise. Random images project onto the side of the trucks like movie screens as the screamo band onstage whips the crowd into a frenzy.
Inside the last cube, a DJ dances among his turntables and computers, pausing every once in a while to feed some new images through the projector that’s hooked up to a laptop. Outside of his truck, a tangle of cables run into the woods beyond, where I assume they connect to generators. There are torches and twinkle lights, but the full moon overhead is bright enough to light the clearing all on its own.
‘This is so cool,’ Kali says, twirling to take it all in. ‘There must be at least five hundred people here.’
‘We’ll have to divide and conquer,’ Syd says, taking charge. She hands a walkie-talkie to Kali and another to me. ‘Brody, you stick with Zahra, and Luke you’re with Kali. I’ll be fine on my own.’
Kali and I glare at her, but neither of us wants to give the guys the satisfaction of complaining. This is business. We can get along for a couple of hours.
Tuning in to channel three, I hear Syd’s voice come over my radio. ‘Test, test.’
Syd is the model of efficiency as she outlines the rest of the plan. Brody and I are to cover the stage and DJ area, while Kali and Luke cover the dance floor. Syd will scope out the perimeter, ready to rush in with the video camera when someone locates Addison.
We split up, and Brody leads the way to the stage. ‘How come Ri-ass couldn’t come along to serve and protect tonight?’ he asks. ‘Did he need to rest his delicate pre-premed hands?’
‘Riaz got traded,’ I say, peering around for Addison. ‘Not that it’s any of your business.’
Brody raises his eyebrows. ‘I didn’t realise there was a new player in town. What’s his name?’
‘Doesn’t matter,’ I say. ‘He’s history too.’
The smug smile is back. ‘Don’t tell me perfect Zahra got caught double-dipping?’
‘No,’ I say. ‘Unlike you and your model friend, Juliette, I don’t need the thrill of deception.’ It still bugs me that Brody would fool around with a girl he knows is taken. He should be better than that; he’s Kali’s brother.
‘You really think you’ve got me pegged, don’t you?’ Brody’s green eyes flash with anger.
‘Whatever.’ I have to shout the word because we’re close to the stage now and the music is deafening. The lead singer is screeching into the microphone.
Brody circles around in front of me so that I can’t ignore him. ‘All I did was take Juliette’s picture for her portfolio. She hit me up at a football game when I was photographing her boyfriend. I had Mom’s camera, so she thought I was a pro.’
‘She hit on you too. I saw you in the trailer, remember?’
‘Yeah, and you just assumed I’d go for it, because you’re expecting the worst from me.’
The news that Brody isn’t with Juliette ignites fireworks inside. I realise now that he’s a good guy that came into my life at a bad time, right after I found out about Eric. From the moment Brody offered me that carton of chocolate milk, all cute and cocky, I transferred my anger about guys onto him and haven’t been able to let it go. It was stupid. Hating him has wasted a lot of energy.
I send out a peace offering. ‘Ben’s glad to have her back anyway.’
Brody accepts it. ‘He’s a control freak. They’ll never make it.’
‘They’ll make it,’ I shout. ‘I know more about relationships than you do.’
‘Ya think?’
‘I’ve studied enough of them,’ I say, smiling. ‘I’m practically an expert.’
‘In theory.’
‘For now,’ I say. ‘One of these days I’ll be applying everything I know.’
‘Lord help the guy,’ Brody says. But he takes my hand and leads me through the crowd to the front of the stage, where I finally spot Addison dancing with some girlfriends. She’s barely recognizable in a short suede skirt, fishnet stockings, and a sequined halter top under a fake-fur bomber jacket.
Seeing me, Addison breaks away from her friends and comes over. Her hair is flowing around her shoulders, and when she gets close enough, I notice she’s wearing fake lashes and heavy eyeliner. Leaning over, she yells into my ear: ‘Is this your boyfriend?’
I shake my head and grin. ‘We just met.’
‘You work fast.’ Checking Brody out, she says, ‘Nice.’
‘Thanks. So where’s Viper?’
Addison points to the lead singer, who’s licking the microphone with his pierced tongue. Despite the chill in the air, he’s in a short-sleeved T-shirt that reveals two large snake tattoos that wind around each arm. His dirty blond hair is swept forward from the crown in an emo-type shag.
Addison waves at Viper, and I notice a pretty ring on the fourth finger of her left hand. When I comment on it, she takes it off and slips it into her pocket.
‘That’s my promise ring from Willem,’ she says. ‘I think he’s going to replace it with his grandmother’s diamond on Valentine’s Day.’
‘You’re going to marry Willem?’ I ask, fighting to strip the judgment out of my voice.
‘Sure, eventually,’ she says, shrugging. ‘Our families expect it. With our combined connections, we’ll practically rule the state.’
‘But you love him, right?’
‘Willem’s a great guy, we look good together, and he treats me like a princess,’ she says. ‘There’s no spark, but that doesn’t really matter.’ She sighs, and then grins. ‘Because Vipers aren’t that hard to find.’
If I had doubts about bringing this girl down, I don’t anymore.
After inviting us to hang with Viper and her in the parking area after the set, Addison goes back to dancing with her friends.
Brody and I circle behind the stage, where it’s a little quieter, and I walkie the others to let them know we’ve found Addison. Syd joins us almost immediately, followed a few minutes later by Kali and Luke, both of whom are carrying bulging plastic garbage bags. ‘Recycling,’ Kali explains. ‘You wouldn’t believe the number of people who put water bottles in the trash.’
‘We’re going to talk to the organizers about providing water stations for the next event,’ Luke says.
‘By the way, we bumped into Max,’ Kali says to Syd, while Brody helps Luke take the recycling to the car. ‘Madison’s brother.’
I glare at Kali. I can’t believe she’s cramming in a little matchmaking on the night of our biggest gig. ‘What a coincidence,’ I say.
Kali’s smile is all innocence. ‘Isn’t it?’ Syd is scowling at her, but Kali waves Max over anyway. ‘Well, it would be rude not to say hello.’
Max looks super cool tonight. His hair is all spiked up, and he’s wearing a long vintage police coat. ‘Hey,’ he says, smiling at Syd.
‘Hey,’ Syd says. She fights to hold on to her scowl, but it fades quickly.
Kali pulls me aside to give them a little privacy. ‘Guess what?’ she says. ‘Caleb and I have gone out three times, and I still like him. It’s a miracle, right?’
‘Not really,’ I say. ‘He’s built like Owen Gaines.’
The real miracle is taking place beside us, where Syd is actually giggling. She enters her number into Max’s phone, before he heads back into the crowd.
‘What?’ she says, joining us. ‘I agreed to help Max keep score at Madison’s Valentine’s Day exhibition match. It’s no big deal. Understood?’
‘Understood,’ I say.
‘Syd’s got a boyfriend!’ Kali shouts to Brody when he comes back from the car with Luke.
When the band launches into the last song of their set, we get back to business. Syd double-checks the battery power on her video camera, plugs an earpiece into her walkie-talkie, and repeats the plan. I’m to put my walkie in my coat pocket and keep it turned on. When Addison’s in position with Viper, all I have to do is hit the talk button a couple of times. The static will alert Syd to come with the camera. Kali and Luke need to be ready to create a diversion while Syd records.
Syd delivers a last warning. ‘Don’t forget to turn off your walkie after you signal us, Z. Otherwise, Addison will hear voices coming out of your pocket if Kali and I need to communicate, and we’re dead. The code word for trouble is coyote.’
‘Press several times for static. Turn it off. Coyote means trouble,’ I say. ‘Got it.’
As we’re about to split up again, someone calls my name. I turn to see Angel, the boxer. ‘Hey, Angel,’ I say, trying to be friendly, although we’re in the middle of our biggest sting ever.
‘You look great,’ he says, hugging me.
‘Thanks.’ I break the hug as soon as I can without being rude. Angel looks amazing in a fitted sweater that shows off his hard-earned physique. I glance around and see that the only one not checking him out is Luke.
‘You never said you were into Jack Spit,’ Angel says.
That must be Viper’s band. ‘Recent convert.’
‘Lucky for me,’ he replies. ‘I didn’t think I’d see you again.’
Brody touches my arm. ‘We’d better get going.’
Angel catches the gruff tone. ‘Hey, dude, I’m sorry. Zahra didn’t mention a boyfriend.’
‘I’m not her boyfriend,’ Brody says, too quickly and forcefully for someone who was holding my hand ten minutes ago.
Waving to Angel, I say, ‘We’re all meeting some friends. It was nice to see you, though.’
Brody and I break away from the others as Jack Spit finishes its set and the DJ takes the stage to introduce the next band.
‘Can you slow down?’ I ask, as we head into the field that serves as a parking lot. ‘What’s wrong with you?’
‘For a girl who hates guys, you seem to lead a lot of them on.’
‘I do not hate guys,’ I say. ‘And I don’t lead them on.’
‘Right. Unless you have to for a case.’
His comment takes me aback. I’d never really thought about it that way before. ‘Then it’s business,’ I say, worried now that Brody might see me as a man-eating insect, like Andrew did. ‘That’s different.’
‘Yeah, well, how does someone know where the acting ends and the real Zahra begins?’
‘I guess someone would have to ask,’ I say. ‘In Crazy Class we call it communication.’
Brody ignores this, but he slows down as we weave our way through the cars and trucks until we spot Addison. She’s sitting with Viper on the tailgate of a truck.
Before we reach them, I haul on Brody’s sleeve until he finally turns. ‘Whatever’s bugging you, save it until we’re done,’ I say. ‘Right now, you’re getting paid to act too.’
Brody slides an arm around my shoulder. ‘You’ll get your money’s worth.’
We join the group, and Addison introduces us to Viper and the rest of the band.
Viper bends over a cooler and hands us a couple of beers.
I crack open the can and take a sip. It’s just as bitter and horrible as I expected, but I smile. ‘A cold beer on a beautiful night – what more could you want?’
‘Just a beautiful girl,’ Brody says, pulling me closer.
‘Hear, hear,’ Viper says. He taps his can against Brody’s and wraps an arm around Addison. One of his rings is like armor, covering his finger from base to tip.
Reaching out with her beer can, Addison touches mine and whispers, ‘To blowing off steam.’
Brody compliments Viper on the band’s set, and Viper shares his plan to drop out of school and tour Czechoslovakia, where Jack Spit has a big Internet following.
‘Poor Addison,’ I say. ‘You’ll be left all alone.’ With just one boyfriend, the devoted Willem.
‘I know,’ she says, kissing Viper on the cheek. ‘Poor me.’
Viper leans over and nuzzles her neck.
Deciding the time is right, I reach into my pocket and press the button on the walkie-talkie a few times.
Brody whispers, ‘Let’s show them how it’s done.’
Leaning over, he kisses me, letting his hand slide down my back to pull me closer. It feels so good that I take my hand out of my pocket and put it on the back of his neck. He kisses me again, and the soles of my sneakers seem to fuse with the rocky soil. I open my eyes and see the stars and the moon overhead and forget where I am for a moment. This is the best kiss ever. It makes all the kisses I’ve had before seem ordinary. Mediocre. This is what Brody was talking about before. No one should settle for less than this.
It could be two minutes or ten before Brody finally stops for breath. ‘Wow,’ he says.
‘Yeah,’ I say. ‘Not acting. In case you were wondering.’
‘Thanks for communicating,’ he says.
We grin at each other for another few seconds before I suddenly remember our mission, and glance over his shoulder. Viper has pulled Addison right onto his lap and they’re going at it hard. Off to our right, I see Syd’s head between the parked trucks. She has the camera trained on Addison and Viper. When they finally come up for air, Syd gives me the thumbs-up and slips out of sight.
‘Thanks for the beer,’ I say to Addison and Viper. ‘I think we’re going to find somewhere a little more private.’
We rendezvous with the others and watch over Syd’s shoulder while she replays the footage. ‘Phase one complete,’ Syd says, handing me her phone. ‘Call Willem and fill him in. I managed to get a cell signal near the Porta-Potties.’
Despite the noise and distractions, I try to break the bad news tactfully, but Willem is beside himself. After a string of curses, he takes a deep breath. ‘You have the evidence?’
‘It’s all on video.’
He’s silent for so long that I worry the call has dropped. Finally, in a steely voice, he asks me if there’s any video playing at the party. I tell him about the film clips they’re showing against the trucks behind the stage.
‘Put up the footage of Addison,’ he says.
‘What? No, Willem, you don’t really want to do that. This is personal.’
‘Do it,’ Willem says, ‘and I will double your bonus.’
That’s a total of two hundred dollars each, on top of the seven he already owes us. I’m not sure Syd and Kali would appreciate it, but I argue anyway. ‘Her father—’
Willem cuts me off. ‘—is hosting a party next week to debut fifty of Austin’s purest. Do you really think their role model should be Addison? Just put up the video, Zahra.’ His voice cracks. ‘I mean it.’
I return to tell my friends what happened.
Kali nods. ‘He wants to lash out because he feels so helpless.’
‘What the hell,’ Syd says. ‘We’ve come this far. If that’s what the guy wants, we should give it to him. We don’t owe Addison any favors. But Kali, you’re going to have to do some more acting to get us onto that DJ’s truck.’
Kali doesn’t respond. Her eyes are glued to the stage, where a familiar, angular figure is standing at a microphone in front of the Austin High jazz band. ‘This is the gig Hollis was talking about at Blue Velvet,’ she says.
The band launches into a loungey trip-hop cover of an old jazz standard, and Hollis sways to the beat. She’s wearing a long silver dress with a higher neckline than the one we liked. The gloves are gone, but the rhinestone bracelet made the cut. As Hollis starts to sing, a backlight comes up and shines through the thin material of her dress, outlining her legs. It’s a sexy effect, and the crowd cheers.
To our surprise, Hollis is actually pretty good. Behind her, images from old black-and-white movies flicker across the cube trucks. A few people start waving cell phones and lighters.
‘I don’t see Fletcher, so Hollis must have chewed through her leash tonight,’ Syd says. ‘I’d love to stay and watch, but we have work to do.’
Outside the DJ trailer, Kali takes off her pea coat and turns on her charm to lure the DJ away from his post. Once they’re deep in a conversation about music, Syd and I sneak past them to figure out how to project the images of Addison with Viper.
The program to run the projection is open on the laptop, so it only takes a few seconds to download the footage from Syd’s memory card. I’m about to hit enter when a horrible wailing rises over Hollis and the jazz band.
We peer out of the truck and see Fletcher staggering around on the stage behind Hollis, wearing long white gloves and a tiara. Drunk, he starts gyrating behind his girlfriend. She tries hard to finish her piece, but Fletcher keeps leaning into the mike to mimic her.
Half the Austin High football team has gathered in front of the stage, and they cheer Fletch on. It’s all the encouragement he needs to pull off his shirt and twirl it over his head. Laughter ripples through the crowd as he begins to stomp around Hollis in an over-the-top striptease. Layer after layer of clothing falls at Hollis’s feet as the audience chants, ‘Go Fletch! Go Fletch.’ Finally, Hollis gives up and stands frozen and silent at the microphone, a humiliated prop for a drunk guy in boxer shorts.
‘I’m seriously sorry we didn’t take his ass down,’ Syd says.
Watching Hollis wipe tears away, I say, ‘We still have the chance.’ I pull my iTouch out of my bag and remind Syd what’s on it.
‘Let’s do it,’ she says.
I wave the iTouch at Kali, and she simply nods.
Syd pulls the memory card out of the laptop and jams it back into the camera while I connect my iTouch and download the video of Fletcher tampering with the other players’ equipment.
‘I think I can play both clips in a loop,’ I whisper to Syd.
I manage to bring up the Fletcher video into a preview screen. I’m working to try to attach the downloaded clip of Addison and Viper, when someone yells, ‘Coyote!’ It’s Luke’s voice and it’s coming from my pocket.
The DJ turns and sees me messing with his equipment. ‘Hey! What are you doing?’
‘Sorry, just admiring your setup.’ I give up on trying to attach the footage of Addison and quickly initialize Fletcher’s clip before we push past the DJ and leave the truck. As I climb off, I see the DJ examining his laptop to figure out what I’ve done.
Outside the truck, Luke gestures toward Brody, who’s distracting Addison and Viper as the band gathers for its second set. We’re trying to get Brody’s attention when the DJ sticks his head out the back.
‘Viper!’ he shouts. ‘They downloaded video of you and your girl on my laptop.’
Meanwhile, the crowd jeers and then boos as people recognise Fletcher in a more sinister role. Since the show’s going on behind him, it might take the drunken star himself a little longer to clue in.
Addison sprints past us and into the DJ’s truck to see what’s cued up on the computer. ‘They set us up,’ she says. ‘Do not play that video.’ Then she turns to Viper. ‘Get that camera!’
Instantly, the band members surround us, and the drummer snatches the camera right out of Syd’s hands. Brody sneaks up behind him, grabs the camera, and tosses it to me.
‘Run!’ Luke yells.
We all take off with Viper and his band hot on our heels. Fortunately, their tight leather clothing slows them down, and we manage to put a little distance between them and us. We’re almost at the parking lot when I see Fletcher running toward us in his boxer shorts. He appears to have sobered up quickly, and his eyebrows shoot up when he sees us. In that second, I know he’s figured out who’s behind the film loop. But there isn’t a lot he can do about it with the football team in pursuit.
Luke manages to pull the keys out of his pocket while he runs, and unlocks the car remotely. For a moment I think we’re going to make it, but then the drummer kicks the camera out of my hand. An army boot lands on it with a mighty crunch.
Meanwhile, a big pickup truck rolls in front of Luke’s car, blocking our exit completely. We don’t stand much of a chance against this mob.
Parking lot partiers gather to gawk. ‘Fight!’ someone says, and the word echoes through the crowd. Nearby, a motorcycle engine revs and a single headlight is coming straight at us. Other vehicles appear out of nowhere, blinding us with their high beams. All around me, people scatter.
‘It’s the cops!’ someone yells, and the word carries. ‘Cops! Cops!’
Suddenly the crowd is moving. One minute I’m holding Brody’s hand, and the next I’m swept away in a mass of people fleeing into the dance area. Running hard, I search for a familiar face, but I can only see silhouettes in the glare. As I try to work my way sideways to the edge of the crowd, I’m hit hard from behind.
It seems as if I’m falling in slow motion, arms flailing, but when I hit the ground, it’s in real time, and it hurts. For a second, I lie on my back staring up at the stars. Then a dark shape blocks the moon as someone leaps over me. There’s a sharp pain in my side as someone else kicks me. I catch a fleeting glimpse of boxer shorts in retreat as I roll onto my side.
Then I curl up and moan.