Awkward (22 page)

After talking with Mary, I realized just how badly I needed this trip. I had to get out of Oregon, even if it was just for a day, and it was about time I took control of the press.

“Hold on, honey.” My mom held up her hand for silence. “We need to talk. I know I told you to be a teenager, but there are limits. You can’t party every night, jet off to LA, and shirk your responsibilities here.” She held up a copy of the newspaper. “And we need to talk about this—”

“Mom, it wasn’t the way they made it sound,” I interrupted. “I never did any drugs, I swear! I drank too much and I feel really bad about it. But Dylan and my friends made sure nothing happened to me. I’m really fine. And I promise I’ll never drink again before I’m legal—maybe not even then.”

She gave me one of her steely-eyed Mom looks. “Why didn’t you
call
me last night? I would have picked you up. I’d much rather wake up to that than a call from the hospital.”

“I’m sorry,” I said, and I meant it. “I should have called. I wasn’t nearly as unsafe as it sounds though. I got a ride from the designated driver, who was completely sober, I promise. So at the time I thought it was fine. I swear, if it happens again—which it won’t—I’ll call you.”

“Good. Now tell me about this phone call.”

“Okay, so the producer wants me there Monday morning, which means we need to fly out, like,
now
. Hotel and airfare are covered, and we even get a food stipend or something.”

“I can’t do it.”

My mouth dropped open. “Mom, this is
Ellen
we’re talking about here.”

“I know who we’re talking about, Mackenzie. I can’t leave without any warning. I’d need to get someone to cover for me at work, and since Darlene came down with a nasty cold, I don’t think it’s going to happen. I’m sorry, honey.”

I sank down into the sofa. All my plans had been ruined. No mom, no trip, no escape from my normal life so I could get some perspective. I don’t know what I was about to say—“Don’t worry about it, Mom. It’s not a big deal. I’ll be in my room unpacking if you need me.” Whatever it was, my cell phone cut me off.

“I Need a Hero” blared into the silent kitchen.

I flipped it open. “Hey, Corey. How was your date?”

“Great!” His voice bubbled over like soup left on a very hot stove. “Best first date in the history of first dates.”

“Oh, Corey, I’m so happy for you!” And a little bit jealous—a nasty voice in my head pointed out—but primarily happy.

“Yeah, he just called me with some great news! Tim said his agent called and they want
you
to join the band on
Ellen
with them. Did you hear about that?”

“Yeah, I got that call too.”

“Okay, before you make arrangements, hear me out. Tim said there is room on the tour bus for both of us. We could ride down with them, fly out of LA Tuesday morning, and be back in school by Wednesday at the latest. Perfect, right?”

“You want us to ride to Los Angeles with a bunch of rock stars,” I clarified, “for two days. Your parents would be cool with that?”

Corey laughed. “You must still be out of it from last night. We’re talking about
my
parents, remember? I told them it was an opportunity for me to gain a whole new perspective on the entertainment industry. And then I mentioned that I was indispensable, since your mom would never agree to let you ride on the tour bus with three strange boys if I wasn’t there too.”

I let out a whistle as it sank in. “You’re good. You could teach classes on how to get what you want.”

“I’d rather focus on Speech and Debate. Now, we have to move
fast
. Tim, Dominic, and Chris want to be on the road within the next hour, so get permission, pack your bags, and let’s get out of here!”

I looked at my mom warily as she sliced cheese for her turkey sandwich.

“Call you right back.”

“But—”

“Call you right back,” I repeated, and hung up.

“Mom, that was Corey.”

Her expression was studiously blank. “I figured that out for myself. I take it he came up with alternative traveling arrangements.”

I sat down at the table and folded my hands. “Would it be okay if the two of us made the trip in the …” My voice became softer and more hesitant. “ReadySet tour bus? Please?”

My mom stared at me. “I’m never telling you to act like a teenager again. Mackenzie, you can’t shirk your responsibilities and go gallivanting off with some boy band you’ve never met. What about school? What about tutoring?”

“I’ve met them, Mom,” I protested. “They’re really nice, and I’d be going with Corey. I’ll be fine. Plus, I got a break from my tutoring.”

I didn’t mention that this “break” might be permanent.

Her lips pursed and my heart sank. She was giving Mom Body Language that said,
I don’t think so, missy.

“You went to a party last night and a concert before that. You’ve had your fun. I don’t think it’s unreasonable for me to want you here for the rest of the weekend.”

I nodded. “It’s not unreasonable. This is a last-minute request, and I know that my timing couldn’t be any worse. I got drunk at a party last night, and I understand if trusting me right now doesn’t seem like the best idea. But Mom, it’s me. You know you can trust me. I really need to do this interview. I need to prove to myself that I can handle this once and for all. How long have you been trying to get me out of my shell? Well, I’m ready to do it, Mom.”

She considered that for a moment. “If you meet certain conditions … you can go.”

I jumped out of my chair and wrapped her into a giant hug. “Just name your terms.”

“Hold on. I want phone calls. Lots of phone calls from the road. You will pick up every time I call you, when I call you. No drinking. No drugs. No partying. I’m trusting you, Mackenzie.” She said the last part slowly, emphasizing every word, so it would really sink in.

“Done and done.” I ran into the computer room to print out the parental consent forms. “Just sign on the dotted line.”

That’s pretty much all it took. A signature and a few phone calls later, I was boarding a tour bus with my suitcase, my best friend, and my favorite rock band.

And I couldn’t help thinking,
Hollywood, show me what you’ve got. I can take it.

T
he guys were great. I don’t know if Tim got the others to clean up before we arrived, but the bus was totally presentable when Corey and I boarded with our stuff. No Playboy magazines or dirty underwear lying around. Which was a relief, actually, since with two new additions the bus was pretty cramped. Not that any of us seemed to mind. The minifridge was stocked with soft drinks so I could lean back against the supercomfy leather couch, pop open the top, and hang out with four very cool guys. And when Tim and Corey started holding hands it was such a sweet form of
PDA
that no one said anything in case it killed the moment.

“So, Mackenzie, I still haven’t heard about the party.” Corey’s words instantly piqued everyone’s interest.

I sipped on my Coke and tried to think of some way to get out of it. “I’m a bit fuzzy on certain parts myself.”

Dominic laughed. “Drink too much?”

“Yep, tequila. Never again.”

Tim grinned. “Blame it on the alcohol.”

Everyone groaned at the Jamie Foxx song reference.

“Last night was … complicated. Patrick told me—I’m not making this up—that I’m only interested in guys for their money and popularity.”

Corey tensed, and his eyes flashed with annoyance. “What an idiot!”

“And then I saw Logan making out with Chelsea.” I didn’t mean for that to come out. I was going to keep it to myself. What happens at night in a gazebo ought to stay private. Of course, they really should have found a better location for their make out session if they wanted it to be such a secret. That’s how I justified blurting it out at the first opportunity.

“Who’s Logan?” asked Tim.

Corey answered before I could. “He’s a really great guy who Mackenzie
wants
to date, but she is too thickheaded to admit it.”

“I don’t … okay, yeah.” I put my head in my hands. How was it that Corey could see everything so much sooner than me? Talk about unfair. “It gets worse.”

Dominic, Chris, and Tim exchanged grins and leaned back in their seats as if they loved nothing more than watching an emotional train wreck.

“First I started drinking.” Corey winced. “Yeah, I know. Bad idea. Anyhow Logan took me to his house since it was pretty obvious I needed to get out of there fast.”

“I would’ve picked you up,” he said with a frown. “You know I would’ve picked you up.”

“I didn’t want to ruin your night.” I included Tim in my smile. “The two of you didn’t need an idiot like me screwing up the date. Anyhow, Logan took me to his house.”

Dominic got up to grab another can of soda. “His house. That’s cozy.”

“It didn’t mean anything.” That was the part that really sucked. “He was the designated driver before … not the point. So I puked and he told me all about Chelsea.” I found myself searching for details that weren’t altogether clear. “Something about how confident she is. He said she dumped him right after some big dance.”

“What’s the problem then?” asked Tim.

“That was ages ago, before she started flirting and he looked down her shirt in front of me and they made out in a gazebo.”

“Okay, what else?” Corey said. “You’re leaving stuff out. I can tell.”

“He was great. Made me drink water. Loaned me clothes to sleep in. And, no, he didn’t help me change,” I said, knowing that Corey had been about to ask. “Everything was great. He told me a secret or something and then I fell asleep.”

“What was the secret?” Chris jumped back into the conversation. Then looked defensive as everyone stared at him. “What? I want to know the secret.”

“It wasn’t much of a secret. Something about not liking the way I looked at Patrick this one time.”

Corey’s hand tightened reflexively to squeeze Tim’s in excitement. “He said that!”

“Yeah, something along those lines. Then he said we were friends and I thought,
Okay, maybe not
EXACTLY
what I want, but it could be worse.
And things were fine between us until he let
a real secret
slip out. Apparently, he went behind my back and threatened Alex Thompson.” I felt my indignation return in full force.

“Wait, who’s Alex?” Tim wanted to know.

“The asshole who was pushing Mackenzie around.”

“Oh.” He soaked this in. “Then why do we care if Logan threatened him?”

“Because he didn’t ask me for permission! It was stupid male macho garbage that I really don’t need in my life.”

“Wait a second,” Corey interrupted. “Since when do people have to check in with you before helping you out? He wanted Alex to leave you alone and he made it happen.”

“
I
made it happen!”

“So the real problem was that he stepped on your pride.”

“Well.” I had to think about that one. “Maybe …”

“Here’s a question for you: what if it had been me?”

“What if what had been you?”

“What if I told you Alex kept shoving me around in the boys’ locker room and kept making gay slurs directed at me. What would you do?”

My hands had curled into fists, and I could feel the anger pooling inside me. “Did he really do that to you, Corey? Did you report him to Principal Taylor?”

“Good ol’ boy Taylor whose life revolves around our school athletics won’t do anything that might jeopardize his star tackle.” The bitterness was back in his voice.

“I’d—I’d, damn, I’d totally pick a fight with him.” I looked down at my clenched hands. “I’d get pummeled, but it’d be worth it.”

“Interesting, isn’t it? You didn’t need to ask for my permission first.”

“That’s completely different,” I protested.

“I don’t see how. You want to take a swing at him, and it has nothing to do with believing I’m weak. It has everything to do with the fact that I’m your best friend and he’s blatantly homophobic. When you think a friend needs you, you don’t always think clearly.” He grinned at me. “We’d have to scrape you off the cafeteria floor.”

“Hey!” I said defensively. “I’d do all right.”

“My point is that you may not like his methods, but whatever Logan did worked. And as your best friend, I’m glad he did it. I wish I had thought to do it myself, actually.”

“Corey, that’s so not important right now. Is he leaving
you
alone?”

He grinned. “Look, I took care of it, so no need to attack him with a textbook, okay? After Taylor blew me off, I lodged a complaint with the guidance center. They hauled everyone in for a ‘discussion.’ ” His smile was filled with humor. “My parents wore their rainbow What Part of Equality Don’t You Understand? shirts. I’m really lucky to have so much support. Lots of people don’t.” His expression swiftly became serious. “I just hope he didn’t go after you as a way to get at me.”

I laughed. “No, I’m pretty sure he hates me plenty on my own. I wish you’d told me about it earlier.”

His grin cocked back into place. “I didn’t want you doing anything stupid. So … what happened after your hissy fit?”

“I do not have hissy fits,” I said prissily. “I have heated arguments.”

“Right. What happened next?”

It was strange trying so hard to recall what had been said only a few hours earlier. I blamed the tequila.

“I was trying to set boundaries, or something … it was, weird. Anyhow, I ended up quitting my job and royally pissing him off.” I shrugged as if it didn’t matter what Logan thought of me, even though, of course, it did. “I might have said something about him and Chelsea being perfect for each other. You sort of had to be there.” I scanned the disbelieving faces of the boys in the tour bus with me. “What?”

“This is better than cable,” Chris decided.

Dominic shook his head. “She’s like an accident on the side of the road. I just can’t seem to look away.”

“I’m not that bad!” I insisted. I turned to Corey for confirmation. “Right?”

“You’re worse. Why didn’t you just stab a number two pencil through him while you were at it.”