Reality Check (12 page)

 

“They didn't mention our names.” Brooke sniffs. “They only mentioned you.”

“I'm sure the network gave them all our names and they just didn't have the space,” I tell her, but Brooke just shakes her head. “Hey!” I try again. “Brooke, this isn't me, remember? I have nothing to do with this. We're all the stars in my eyes. I couldn't do this without you.” Brooke doesn't say anything.

“But what about this May date?” Keiran asks with a frown, trying hard to keep Brooke from letting her jealousy turn her into the Hulk. “Are we really on TV in a few weeks?”

“That's like three weeks away!” Hallie says.

“I thought we were on this fall,” Keiran says.

“Didn't you guys hear Addison the other day?” Brooke asks. “The studio wants viewers to experience beach life as it's really happening so they're airing us as soon as possible. That's why we're taping such long days. They need more material.”

“May?” I repeat. “While we're still in school? That means everyone will be watching. Including Zac.”

“Including the whole country,” Brooke clarifies. “How great is that? We're going to be household names.”

“God, I hope people like us.” Keiran looks worried. “How much would it suck to be canceled before a full season?”

“My dad said when he was in the Associated the other day, we were all anyone was talking about,” I tell them.

“Well, you had to figure this was going to happen in our town,” Brooke points out as she pulls her phone out of her bag and starts texting. “It's not like—”

“Anything else exciting ever happens around here,” Hallie finishes in a high voice that is supposed to sound like Brooke. Brooke glares at her.

“Who are you texting anyway?” I ask Brooke. “We're all here.”

“Addison.” Brooke holds up her phone. “I wanted to let her know we made up and we need to shoot a scene for it.”

“You so want to be the teacher's pet,” I tease her. “You're telling Addison already?”

“What?” Brooke looks offended. “If anyone is the pet, it's
you
. I'm just trying to keep Addison from forgetting my name.”

“Brooke,” I say wearily. “This conversation is getting old.”

“It's the truth,” Brooke says for the umpteenth time. “You're the reason they wanted us in the first place. They think you're so cute and likeable.” She makes a face.

“Are you saying I'm not?” I try not to laugh.

“You are.” Brooke rolls her eyes. “I'm just trying to create a niche for myself by being the one who keeps Addison informed. I want to be valuable too.”

“Brooke, she finds us all valuable or she wouldn't have picked us,” Keiran says.

“Still, it can't hurt,” says Brooke as she continues texting.

Hallie looks at me and shakes her head. Brooke throws herself into everything she does at full force. We shouldn't be surprised she's doing the same here.

“Brooke Eastman? Is that you?” A girl about our own age is walking by with a group of girls and she stops and stares at Brooke.

She looks vaguely familiar. Wait a minute. That's—

“Marleyna Garrison from dance?” she says to Brooke. “We took that class at Toe Tappers years ago.”

I look at Brooke. I want her to be rude, and snotty, and all the things Marleyna has ever been to her. But instead, Brooke flashes a huge smile. “I remember,” Brooke says and pulls herself up. “How are you?” I give Hallie a look.

Unlike the rest of us, Marleyna is already tan, which means she must go to a tanning salon. Her skin is a golden bronze, as is her long, slightly curly blonde hair. She must still be dancing because there is not a lick of fat on her. Her jeans hug every curve and leave nothing to the imagination. She's got a fitted green tank on that barely covers the top of her jeans, and she's walking barefoot, revealing a perfect red pedicure. “How have you been?” Marleyna asks. “Is it true you're doing TV now?”

“Yeah,” Brooke tells her coolly. “We have our own show. These are my friends. Hallie, Keiran, and Charlie. They danced at Toe Tappers too.”

Marleyna barely glances our way. “Hi,” she says stiffly, then turns her attention back to Brooke. “What's it about?”

“Us,” Brooke explains. “Our friendship, our lives. It's really cool. We've only been taping two weeks, but the show airs in May. It's called
The Cliffs
.”

“Unique title,” Marleyna says sarcastically, not that Brooke notices. “I heard they scouted the whole fork looking for the right girls. I wonder why they picked you guys.” The way she says it, you can tell she doesn't mean it as a compliment.

“Charlie hooked them,” Brooke admits and smiles at me. “She's so goofy that people just want to eat her up.”

Marleyna finally looks at me, and gives me a total once-over. “You're Charlie?” she says. “Lucky you.”

“Lucky me,” I tell her, trying to keep the edge out of my voice. I wish Marleyna would go away and let us get back to our tanning session. There aren't many rays left at five o'clock. But Brooke is mesmerized and I can't break the spell with my mind power.

“If you want to check it out, you should come to this party we're having after our spring fling,” Brooke tells her. “We'll be taping it.”

I see Marleyna's eyes flicker. “Really? That would be spectacular.”

“I think we're only supposed to invite people from our own school,” Hallie says, looking at Marleyna in disdain.

“Addison didn't say that,” Brooke says. “You should come and bring friends.”

Marleyna shakes her head. “No need.” She looks over at them and laughs. “But I'll be there.”

Eww. I still don't like this girl at all. Why is Brooke so smitten?

“Great,” Brooke says and to my disappointment writes down the day and the time of the party on the back of her magazine. She rips off the info and hands it to Marleyna.

“Excellent,” Marleyna says, reading the info. “I'll call you so we can debate ensembles. I'm sure you're going to wear something incredible. You always had the best clothes.”

Brooke blushes. “Stop. You did! But yeah, call me.”

“Will do,” Marleyna says and slips the paper into her very tight jeans pocket. “See you later.”

Of course, she doesn't say goodbye to the rest of us. When she's out of earshot, Hallie pounces on Brooke.

“Are you bonkers? That girl was always evil to you! Don't you remember the dance recital?”

Brooke looks at us like we're nuts. “That was ages ago! Didn't you see how nice she was to me just now?”

“She's the same girl she always was,” Hallie tells her. “She's Marleyna Garrison, the snotty rich girl whose parents own that mansion in Mattituck high on the cliff. She treks to the Ross School in the Hamptons every day for class and ignores townies.”

“Thanks for reminding me how fabulous her life is compared to mine.” Brooke rolls her eyes.

“
Your
life is more fab,” I remind her. “You're a TV star now. You don't need some less-than-desirable hanger-on kissing your butt.” Brooke nods, but I can tell she's not convinced. She stares at Marleyna as she continues to walk down the beach.

“Next time you invite someone, clear it with us first, okay?” Hallie says bitterly. “I can tell that girl is going to want the spotlight.”

Brooke laughs. “She'll have to fight me for it.”

I smile. Brooke still has one thing right and you've got to love her for it.

nine

Dance as if the Cameras Weren't Watching

 

Zac and I are walking onto the pier, toward the Crab Shack, holding hands and giggling about some stupid
America's Funniest Home Videos
we both happened to watch last night, when the two of us look up and stop dead in our tracks.

Zac whistles. “Whoa.”

Whoa is right.

I can't believe it. The Crab Shack has been transformed. It's as if overnight a team of designers from one of those HGTV shows my mom is hooked on came in and tore down all the corny fish humor signs, netting, and seaman touches, and turned the Shack into a gorgeous outdoor club.

I like it better the old way. “Are you sure we're in the right place?” Zac asks me with a lopsided grin. “Because if this is the Crab Shack then I've been getting my shrimp roll somewhere else all these years.”

“You and me both,” I say, feeling confused.

“I thought you said this was supposed to look like a party you would actually throw.” Zac's lower lip turns into a slight frown. “You must make a lot at Milk and Sugar.”

Addison had asked us all for suggestions on how to make the party our own. What kind of decorations we'd have, what kind of music would be playing, the type of food served. And yet, from a distance, this doesn't look the kind of party we'd throw at all. It looks beautiful, but not really “us.” I was hoping for something low-key and romantic overlooking the water. This is big and flashy and very New York. The only thing I recognize is the large white canopy that hangs over the entire restaurant. And even that has been spruced up for the evening, with thousands of twinkling strands of lights and a disco ball hanging in the middle of the tent. A DJ has taken over the lobster tank area. He's blasting music so loud I'm surprised the lobsters haven't tried to jump out of the tank. Most of the tables we usually sit at are missing and have been replaced with smaller, higher bar tables and stools that line the dance floor. Speaking of the dance area, it's beyond packed with my classmates. I'm not even sure the school dance was this crowded. It's as if everyone we know—and don't know—has given the after-party the official stamp of approval.

“Charlie!” Hallie sees me and begins waving frantically. She's already on the dance floor with her date, a waiter at the Shack named Brandon, whom she asked yesterday. Hallie looks great in a strapless ivory sequined dress. Her hair is down and curly and her tan is better than ever, thanks to this tinted foam we found at CVS two nights ago. Brooke is the only one of us who didn't use it. She went professional tanning with Marleyna, but Hallie, Keiran, and I didn't want to pay the sixty bucks so we did the bottled version for ten. Not that we were actually invited to go tanning with them. Brooke has been hanging out with Marleyna all week.

Hallie drags Brandon off the dance floor and I notice one of the camera guys, Phil, is taping her. She takes off running so fast, he can barely keep up. “Can you believe this?” she asks me when she makes it to where Zac and I are standing. “My parents freaked. They like it, but it's not really lunch crowd–friendly.”

“I thought Addison said they wanted this party to be like something we'd throw.” I frown. “We don't have the money to do this.”

“Oh, Addison didn't redecorate,” Hallie says and makes a face. “This is a Garrison production.”

“Garrison?” I ask. “Marleyna Garrison?” Hallie nods. “But why? How? I don't understand.”

“Apparently yesterday Addison was setting up the very low-key version that we wanted when Brooke and Marleyna stopped by. Addison told me that Marleyna offered to help add some dazzle to the space, so they filmed Brooke and Marleyna adding other touches—courtesy of Marleyna's dad, of course.”

“Why didn't Addison stop them?” I want to know.

Hallie shrugs. “I guess it wouldn't have been real if she did, right? Anyway, it's too much, isn't it? Now we look like we live in the Hamptons.”

“Seriously,” agrees Zac.

Hallie glances from Zac to our hands, which are still interlocked, and grins. “Hey, Zac.”

Zac looks so good tonight I can barely stop staring at him. I'm not used to seeing him dressed up. He's wearing a button-down light blue dress shirt and khakis. We actually coordinate really well. Feeling guilty about raiding Brooke's closet again, the girls and I all tried on a slew of dresses last weekend at the Smith Haven Mall, cameras in tow. While Hallie's and Brooke's are definitely on the trendy side, Keiran's and mine are a bit more toned down. No sequins. No beads. I'm in a cream-colored sundress with spaghetti straps and a wide brown sash. Brooke said it made me look extra tan and as thin as a rail. That sounded like a keeper to me.

“Hallie.” Zac bows. “Long time no see.”

Hallie left the real Cliffside High dance before I did to ckeck on her parents’ restaurant. Zac and I were having so much fun that we were part of a handful of people who actually stayed till the end. Everyone else who had an after-party invite hightailed it over here.

Phil stops recording. Unlike the rest of us, he's in jeans and a T-shirt. “Charlie, Addison wants me to tape you walking in to the party. Are you ready?”

“I'll see you in there,” Hallie says with a wink. “I have to get back to Brandon. And make sure my dad isn't having a coronary that we're breaking the fire code with the amount of people here.”

I look at Zac nervously. I know he said he'd do this for me, but I feel guilty. “Are you ready to do this?”

He nods and gives my hand a little squeeze. “Let's give it our best shot.”

Phil radios Addison. “I've got Charlie and I'm bringing her in on camera one. Cameras two and three get a long shot.”

I decide it might help to give Zac a quick off-camera pep talk. “Pretend the camera isn't there. Just focus on me.”

He laughs. “How am I supposed to do that when he's in our face?”

“You'll forget all about them in a few minutes,” I reassure him. I squeeze his hand back. “If it gets to be too much, just let me know.”

He shakes his head. “I can handle it.”

I wince as Phil turns on his camera light. One of the sound guys walks up behind him. “And go,” he says.

Zac and I start walking and I have to admit, this feels weird. Different than it usually does. “I think Brooke, Hallie, and Keiran are already here,” I tell Zac awkwardly.

He looks at me strangely. “Didn't we just talk to—” he stops himself. “Yeah, I'm sure they're inside. I think I see Brooke.”

He points to the middle of the dance floor and I see Brooke. She's wearing a black sequined dress that has sheer sleeves, a sheer neckline, and a pleated skirt. She said Anne Hathaway has one just like it. I look for Brooke's date, this guy named Keith, but he's nowhere to be seen. “Yeah, that's her.” I frown. “But where is Keith? He's her date.”

Instead of Keith, Brooke's after-party date seems to be Marleyna. The two of them are attached at the hip. They're both guy-less and they're holding hands and dancing like maniacs to Rihanna. Brooke was texting Marleyna all night at the dance. Marleyna wanted to make sure she got to the party at the same time we did. Brooke was so freaked out she met Marleyna early so they could head over together. I wonder why she didn't tell the rest of us about Marleyna's Crab Shack Extreme Makeover.

Keiran bops along nearby, with her date, Tom, a friend of Hallie's date, Brandon. She's wearing a dark green tank dress that looks amazing on her. It has a fitted top and then flows into a bell shape to her knees. The color really does bring out her blond hair, which is twisted back into a soft bun. Even if Keiran looks the fashionista part, Brooke doesn't seem to be paying her much attention.

“Should we go say hi?” Zac asks me.

“Yeah,” I yell over the music. It's much louder under the tent than it was on the pier.

Zac leads the way through the crowd, holding my hand tightly, and makes his way over to Brooke's circle. She sees me and shrieks, as if we haven't seen each other in weeks, not an hour.

“Char, you made it!” She throws her arms around me and squeezes tight, not letting go. One of her dangling earrings hits my neck. It's ice cold. “Go with it,” she whispers in my ear.

Go with what, I have to wonder.

“Hey, Zac,” Brooke says, flashing him a large smile. “Listen, I have someone I want you two to meet.” She grabs each of our hands and drags us over to Marleyna.

Marleyna looks stunning. Her hair is curly, but it barely moves as she bounces. Her makeup is perfect, her tan dark, and her short dress is incredible. It's black, like Brooke's, and it hugs her every curve from the strapless beaded top to the fringe along her mid-thigh. It's hard not to stare. Both she and Brooke look like they belong at the VMAs, not a Cliffside after-party.

“This is Marleyna,” Brooke says. “We met yesterday when she and I both happened to be at the Crab Shack.”

Huh?

“She goes to the Ross School in the Hamptons so she hardly knows anyone local,” Brooke adds. “Marleyna offered to help with the décor for tonight. Doesn't it look incredible, Char? Ten trillion times better than we could have done on no budget.”

“It does look different,” I say tactfully.

“It's so nice to meet you.” Marleyna, pulls my hand from Zac's and shakes it madly. “Charlotte, is it?”

“Charlie,” I correct her.

“What a gorgeous name,” she gushes. “You hardly hear anything old-school like that anymore. Do you and Brooke go to school together?”

I feel like I just entered the Twilight Zone.

I stare at Brooke, who nods encouragingly. “Yeah. We have forever. We're really close.”

Marleyna smiles sweetly. She's said more to me in the last few seconds than she has since we met her at the beach, where she barely grunted hello. “That must be nice to have tight friends. My school friends are all on the other fork so I don't get to see them outside classes that much. That's why I was so excited to hear about this party. I thought it would be nice to meet some local people my own age.”

The music pumps louder as a new song starts and Marleyna whips around to Brooke. The two of them scream and start dancing. I stand there dumbfounded. Then I feel a tap on my shoulder.

“Hey.” It's Keiran. “Some party, huh?”

“Has Brooke been like this all night?” I ask, not caring that Phil is still taping.

Keiran laughs. “Pretty much. She seems really into her
new
friend Marleyna.” She looks over at her date, Tom. “Have you guys met Tom?”

I'd like to say yes, at the dance, but since we seem to be pretending this is the only party that matters, I don't.

Zac shakes his hand and the two get into a deep conversation about the Mets.

One of the camera crew, Kayla, drops the bright light that was just trained on my face. “Girls, Addison is radioing me,” Phil informs us. “Some new scene they're setting up. I'll be back. Addison wants to see you too, Charlie.”

“Be right there,” I tell him and watch him leave. Hallie bounces over in the meantime.

“Okay, someone tell me what is going on,” I say. “I'm so confused. We just
met
Marleyna and she's being nice now? And why are she and Brooke acting like BFFs?”

Hallie rolls her eyes. “They showed up together and had a long talk with Addison before the cameras started to roll. Get this—they were here when I arrived and when I tried to walk over, Brooke actually said ‘not now.’ And brace yourselves: I overheard Addison say to someone on the phone that Marleyna could be a great ‘addition.’”

“Addition to what?” I freak out. “The show? Our group? That girl can't stand us and we can't tolerate her!”

“But she loves Brooke,” Keiran points out. “Every time I try to talk to Brooke, she pulls her away, and I have to say, Brooke doesn't seem to mind.”

“Brooke is in awe of her,” Hallie agrees. “The money, the house, the fact that Marleyna is fawning all over her and throwing money at a party we're supposedly throwing. Obviously, this girl wants on the show.”

“You think?” I watch Brooke and Marleyna dancing. Hank and two other camera guys, hired for the night, follow their every move. The two are laughing and falling all over each other. A group of people are gathered around them, either to get on camera or to see what the commotion is about.

“There you guys are,” Addison says. Like the rest of the crew, Addison is underdressed for the party, but she still looks great in a white cropped jacket, a navy v-neck, and jeans. “You look beautiful, Charlie. I have a dress just like that.”

“Is that what you wore to your sister's wedding?” I ask.

She grins. “Yep, and my sister was so mad that everyone kept complimenting me on it. That's what she gets for not making me a bridesmaid.”

I laugh. Addison had told me stories about how she and her sister got along—or rather didn't—when they were growing up. Addison is the younger sib too, just like I am to Bella, and being the younger sister can be pretty rough sometimes.

“What do you think of the party?” Addison asks me.

“It's beautiful,” I say tentatively. “But just so you know, no one at school is going to believe we paid for this.”

Addison tucks her hair behind her ear nervously. “I know what you mean.” She looks around. “It's not really what I had in mind.” I look at her curiously. Isn't she the one who let Marleyna and Brooke have free rein? “It will still look great on the show. Phil has gotten some beautiful shots of the boats going by at night and everyone dancing. He'll want to get some stuff with just you later as well.” Introduction time. I grab Zac's arm. “By the way, Addison, this is Zac.”