Jenna leans over. "You stuck? I can help. No one should suffer proofs insilence.”
I glance up at the front of the class. The teacher's gone for a fewminutes.
Jenna shows me how to work through the proof, and I try to keepup.
“What do you even need this class for?” sheasks.
“Pen and I are going to Columbia together. She wants to do journalism. I’m going to start in liberal arts and niche down later.” I want to do something that helps people, but I can’t decide if it’s through journalism or social science or evenpsychology.
“I’m going into engineering at Stanford. I need math. You don’t. Are you taking the musical forcredit?”
I shake my head. “There’s an evaluation component if I want credit, and I didn’t think I’d havetime.”
“If I had the lead in the musical and an extra course, I’d for sure drop calc and get the credit for dramainstead.”
I’m still turning that over when the bell rings and she falls into step next to me on my way to mylocker.
“I don’t mind suffering for my craft, but I’m not gonna lose sleep suffering for someoneelse’s.”
I’d never thought seriously about getting credit for the musical, but given that I’m at risk of losing the lead, it’s time for desperatemeasures.
“I’m sorry about what happened with Kellan.” Jenna’s voice pulls me back. “I was with Carly, so I didn’t see what went down, but I can’t picture you hitting on him and him prying youoff.”
“Thanks. Are you and Carly hanging outnow?”
She shrugs. “We’re not best friends or anything, but she’s nicer to me than she has been. She’s pissed at you, though. More than usual. Tyler was crazy-fierce Saturday night when he kicked everyoneout.”
I’d been so caught up in the fallout with Kellan I hadn’t thought aboutthat.
I hug my books and glance down the row of lockers to see Tyler’s friends at their lockers without him because he’s at home,suspended.
It still meansnothing.
But after school, I scan my first-period English notes and leave the copies on the doorstep of the poolhouse.
* * *
“Got your speech?”Haley asks my dad in the back of the limo that night. “Tell me you’re not wingingit.”
“I’ve played sold-out shows at Horseshoe. That’s a hundred and five thousand seats. I think I can manage a room full of richdonors.”
She stares him down until he pulls the marked-up sheet of paper from his pocket. “So, you had your agent spend half a day writing that,” she says dryly, “and you won’t use a word. That’s borderlinesadistic.”
My dad flashes her a grin. “Come on, Hales. I’m a songwriter. And it’s only sadistic if he’d be at the fundraisertonight.”
I can’t helpsmiling.
I like my stepmom a lot. She’s smart and funny and bold. She runs her own software company with a guy in Philly who’s Tom Hiddleston hot and used to be herprofessor.
Itkillsmy dad that she won’t leave Carter and go out on her own, which he insists is because Haley could do better solo, not because Carter’s younger than my dad with a panty-droppingsmile.
Dad and Haley met back when he was still on tour and she was interning. However it happened, he looks at her like the sun rises and sets out of herass.
It’s the real fuckingdeal.
“You look fantastic, Annie,” Haleycomments.
“Thanks.”