V is for Virgin (11 page)

Two hours later, as the band was about to start, Cara was still trying to convince me to come watch the show. “Please!” she whined over and over again. “You could just come and flip him off the whole time or something.”

“He would take that as an invitation.”

“Then come and pretend to sleep through it. That would piss him off.”

That was tempting, but it would still piss him off more if I just didn’t show at all. “You go. Have lots of fun making goo-goo eyes at Shane. I’ll be fine here.”

“I don’t want to go by myself.”

“You won’t be by yourself. Your boyfriend will be up on stage just a few feet from you.”

Cara rolled her eyes at me, but she couldn’t hold back the giddy smile.

“Someone has to stay here and man the booth anyway,” I went on.

Cara frowned. All of the booths had been deserted for a while now. Everybody was over at the football field waiting for the show to start. That’s when the crowd roared and we heard Kyle start in on his bogus spiel about being grateful to be back at his old high school doing a show for such a good cause.

“Fine!” Cara snapped and then stomped off without me.

“Wow she’s really unhappy about something,” a voice laughed behind me.

I turned around to see Lacy and Devon and a whole bunch of the most popular kids in school, including Isaac. “You guys are late for the show,” I said surprised to see them.

“Chicks and the bathroom,” Devon grumbled. “I told you we shouldn’t have waited for them.

“They’re not even playing yet,” Olivia retorted. But just as she said that, the music tore through the air.

I was surprised to hear them start with their most popular song, the one that played on the radio. I would have thought they’d save that one for last.

“Oh, I love this song!” Lacy said dragging Devon off at full speed. “Come on you guys, lets go! Val, aren’t you coming? Do you want to sit with us?”

I was floored by the invitation. Isaac’s circle of friends was a step or two above me in social status. They were a step above
everyone.
The thought of watching the show with Isaac was almost tempting enough to go, but Cara would have
killed
me if I went with someone after refusing to go with her so I said, “Oh, no thanks. You guys better hurry, though, or you’ll miss it all.”

They waved bye and then hurried off. I started packing up my stuff again and didn’t realize that Isaac hadn’t left with his friends until he said, “You’re not going?”

“Nope.”

“Not a fan of Tralse?”

“Not a fan of Kyle Hamilton.”

“Really?” Isaac was unable to hide his surprise. “I saw him talking to you earlier. It seemed like you guys knew each other pretty well.”

“He wishes,” I grumbled, the annoyance creeping back into my voice.

Isaac laughed and then wandered into my booth and sat down in Cara’s chair. “You’re going to miss the concert,” I couldn’t help but stammer.

“I can hear just fine from here.” Isaac glanced up at me. “Unless you want me to go.”

“No, you can stay. I may not be a fan of Kyle, but I’m definitely a fan of company.”

“Cool.”

Cool
. That was an understatement. Isaac Warren ditched his friends and missed the Tralse concert to keep me company.

We talked through the whole concert and he was just as perfect as his reputation. It was almost enough to forgive Zach for dumping me. In fact it was heaven on earth until the crowd quieted and Kyle’s voice sounded out loud and clear for miles around.

“Thought we’d end the show tonight with a brand new song since it’s inspired by one of your own. I call it, ‘Cryin’ Shame.’” It was quiet for a moment and then in an almost angry laugh he shouted, “Blow off
this
Virgin Val! One! Two! Three! Four!”

The band wailed out a short intro and then Kyle began singing.

She’s smokin’ hearts with a burnin’ flame

She’s got a wild side without a name

And when she’s riled it’s a cryin’ shame

Yeah! Yeah! Yeah! I’ve got it bad

Yeah! Yeah! Yeah! I’m goin’ mad

Cause in your head you’ve got it right

Won’t go to bed without a fight

You think you’re wise, you think it shows

So show me wise without those clothes

Isaac raised an eyebrow at me, but I couldn’t even shrug. I was frozen. My heart had stopped.
Everything
had stopped.

She’s playin’ hardball and it’s nothin’ new

Short skirts so enjoy the view

She’s a coldblooded tease baby through and through

Yeah! Yeah! Yeah! I’ve got it bad

Yeah! Yeah! Yeah! I’m goin’ mad

Cause in your head you’ve got it right

Won’t go to bed without a fight

You think you’re wise you think it shows

So show me wise without those clothes

Come on Legs don’t go to waste

I could be your only savin’ grace

Put those morals on the back burner

Something tells me you’re a fast fast learner

As I listened to the chorus taunt me over and over again until the song came to a climatic end, I somehow remembered to breathe.

Cara says that I’m not a music freak like her because I’ve never had a song truly rock my world. She says that songs are like soul mates. That there are a lot out there that you might think you love, but then you hear that one song and you never question it again. The song shatters any previous notions you had about your favorites, and changes the way you see music.

Well I can attest to you that without a doubt Kyle’s song rocked me to my inner core. And it most definitely changed the way I see music. But that euphoric bliss Cara says you’re supposed to feel when a song changes you? Yeah… Not so much. Kyle’s song was the complete opposite of euphoric bliss. And Kyle, I’m quite sure, was the opposite of my soul mate. I was wrong about Olivia being the devil reincarnate. Kyle was way more evil.

The crowd was still cheering even though it felt like it had been hours since the song ended.

“Hey, you all right?”

“Oh!” I shook myself from my daze. I’d forgotten all about Isaac. “I’m fine,” I assured him. “I’m just going to kill him.”

“Eh, don’t let him get to you.”

“Easy for you to say. You’re not the one he’s
got it bad
for.”

Isaac laughed but he didn’t get the chance to respond because his friends were back. “There you are!” Stephanie DeWitt called to him.

Stephanie is gorgeous of course. And nice. She’d be my main competition if I were actually in the running for Isaac’s affections—not that that would be much of a competition.

My heart sank when she held out her hand to him and he allowed her to pull him to his feet. But I felt a little better when she said, “I figured this might be where you’d disappeared to.” Then she turned to me with an enormous smile and said, “Can you believe it Valerie? Kyle Hamilton wrote a song for you! That is so awesome!”

“Awesome,” I agreed half-heartedly. It was easier than explaining how I really felt.

“Wow, you are so lucky,” she said with a bit of a sigh. “Are you going to go out with him?”

“So I can
show him wise without my clothes
?” I laughed. “I’ll pass. Besides, if I remember correctly, he’s going out with Olivia tonight.”

Everyone looked at Olivia, who’d been standing in the back of the group, clearly sore about Kyle’s newest song. I smiled as fake-sincerely as I could and said, “I wouldn’t want to move in on your man. He seems kind of perfect for you.”

She missed my sarcasm because her face perked up like she was touched by my concern. “Thanks Val,” she said in her sickeningly sweet whine. “I was afraid you were mad when he asked me out for tonight instead of you.”

I thought back to a couple of hours ago when he’d been begging me to hang out tonight. I had a feeling Olivia was going to be stood up.

It was so hard not to laugh in her face, especially when I saw the way Isaac was biting back a smile too. “Oh, no,” I said. “Of course I’m not mad about that. Kyle and I would never work out. I mean could you see the bad-boy rock star dating
Virgin Val
?”

“Oh! That reminds me,” Stephanie said interrupting the conversation. “I didn’t get the chance to come by your booth earlier. Am I too late?”

“Did you want to buy something?” I asked, as surprised as I had been every time someone purchased something that day.

“Yeah! Lacy’s necklace is so cute, and I think what you’re doing is just so great.”

“You do?”

“Of course! Us girls need to stand up for ourselves more often. I’m kind of in to feminism, you know? I’m going to major in liberal arts.”

“That’s cool.”

“So is all of this. What you’re doing could really help the feminist movement, Val.”

I was a little overwhelmed by Stephanie’s energy. I stumbled over my words as I asked, “There’s a feminist movement?”

“Oh yeah! I belong to the National Organization for Women. That’s the organization we were supporting over at the cheer squad booth. You should come with me to my next meeting. You’d be perfect for it. We need pro-active people so badly.”

“Feminist organizations?” Mason Hewlett laughed. “You are such a freak, Steph.”

Mason had been one of the bigger culprits in all the harassment I’d received over the past month.

“Shut up Mason,” Stephanie teased back. “Like you’re not a freak with your protein shakes and peanut butter-banana sandwiches every day for lunch?”

“Yeah, but encouraging people to not have sex?” Jeff McCormick argued. He was on the football team, and one of the bigger tools in our class if you ask me, but he was popular none-the-less. “At least Mason’s not hurting anybody with his nasty sandwiches.”

“Except for the people who have to smell his breath,” Devon teased, making the entire group laugh at poor Mason. Mason’s only response was a very rude gesture aimed at Devon.

I ignored the mindless insult war that started and pulled out some more necklaces for Stephanie. “So are you needing an abstinence necklace or a virgin necklace?”

“Oh.” Stephanie held up her hand like she was being sworn in on a witness stand. “I’m still a virgin. At least until I find the right guy.”

“I can fix that for you Steph,” Mason offered.

Why is that always guys’ first response when they find out a girl is a virgin? I liked Stephanie a little more after her response, though. “Keep dreaming,” she laughed. “Like I’d ever give it up to you.”

“As if anyone would ever give it up to you,” Lacy added.

Apparently being harassed by the A-crowd was a sign of affection. Maybe I wasn’t as big of a social pariah as I thought.

“Ooh, this one’s pretty!” Stephanie said handing me some cash. She turned to Jeff and asked him to clasp it on for her.

“I’m not touching that thing!” he yelped and jumped backward out of arms reach. “This whole no-sex thing seems to be contagious.” He pointed an accusing finger at me. “You may have been able to bring out the altar boy in Isaac, Virgin Val,” he said. “But you’re not getting me! I’m not gonna end up like Devon, and get sucked into some crap abstinence challenge.”

Mason snickered, and elbowed Devon. “You are so whipped, dude,” he said, which made Devon punch him.

“Can we please go now, before nobody’s allowed to have sex?” Jeff whined.

“Yeah, yeah,” Stephanie said after Lacy finished clasping her necklace on for her. “Thanks Val! And hey, I’m serious about the Women’s Organization. If you ever want to go, call me.”

“I will,” I promised.

I still couldn’t quite believe what was happening. It was like I had just been bumped up from the B-list to the A-list. To prove it, before they walked away Lacy said, “Hey Val, we’re all headed over to Ruby’s on the Pier. You want to come?” and the rest of the group chimed in their encouragement.

“Yeah,” Isaac said. He’d been so quiet through all of this that I’d almost forgotten about him again. “You should get out of here before Kyle comes asking you what you thought of his song.”

I was so shocked by the offer that I couldn’t seem to form any kind of reply. “Come on, I’ll buy you a shake,” Isaac said and held out his hand to me.

Where was Cara when I needed her? Isaac Warren was basically asking me on a date! I didn’t just need my best friend to pinch me. I needed her to sit the booth so I could take him up on the offer. But if I knew Cara, she wouldn’t be returning to me tonight. Not only was she annoyed that I wouldn’t go sit in the front row with her, but her dream man had been asking about her. She was probably on her way to Vegas to get hitched by now.