Generations 2.7 kindle (21 page)

And in place of all the face to face with Ben (which yes, included the kissing), she and Ben now spent a great deal of time on the phone. Talking. It was incredible. They could talk about anything. She was glad to know that they had substance to their relationship. That it wasn’t just infatuation. Or passion. They really were friends. She hadn’t realized how important that was.

Also this past week was the release of the video. That launch party at the school was huge. Way huge. The kids at school would remember it their entire lives. They had come face to face with Ben Wilder. He’d signed autographs for an hour. He’d talk to them. Told a few jokes. The girls were swooning over him. Seriously, swooning. Which is almost like fainting, but without hitting the floor. It was incredible to see the power that Ben had over a crowd.

And the video? Wow. It had gone blockbuster. It was all the media talked about. “The Thriller of this century,” it’d already been dubbed. Kat had fallen back in Ms. Stella’s good graces. In fact, Ms. Stella said that Katrina had caused a surge in attendance. Girls across the valley wanted to learn to dance like Katrina. She felt like a goddess walking through the dance studio: the younger girls would stop whatever they were doing and gawk at Kat with this look of awe. They were worshiping her. Weird! And it wasn’t just at the dance studio that Kat got this kind of treatment. People everywhere were recognizing Kat. Asking
her
for her autograph. It was a little bewildering. Like Ben had said, she was getting her fifteen minutes of fame. And she loved every second of it.

Well, except for the fact that her mom was none too thrilled about it. Her parents were getting scores of phone calls from the media asking for interviews with Kat. Kat’s mom had put the kibosh on that immediately. She had their number changed and then unlisted. Kat was told that she could not talk to the press, under any circumstances. This bugged Kat to no end. She wanted an interview. She wanted a magazine cover. Not like she was vain or anything … but how cool would that be to see her name in print? It would make her presence in the video more concrete … she’d have her place in history. But no. Her mom thought that it would be the end of their privacy. That once Kat talked, all the rest of the press would come knocking on the door for their turn. Kat’s mom thought that if they were quiet, that all this commotion would leave quickly. Which it needed to. How could Kat grow up to be a humble, unpretentious person if she had this spotlight following her accomplishments?

But, not to end things on a negative note, Kat had also had the most incredible week at school. She was
it.
The most popular girl in school. Even more popular than the seniors. Which never happened.

When people had found out weeks ago that she had worked with Ben, she saw herself rise in popularity. People who had never talked to her before said “hi” in the halls and sat by her in class. But now … after the release of the video, she wasn’t just a person who had met a celebrity, she
was
the celebrity. The crowds in the halls literally parted when she walked through. It was surreal. Almost like she was royalty.

Also on a positive note, Kat had a date tonight. Well, sort of. She was taking Ben bowling (cause he’d never been to a public bowling alley, just ones in the basements of various mansions). And Jackson was coming along.

Ben had thought that it might help to maintain the “friendship” illusion if another friend came along. Kat didn’t know how Ben had persuaded Jack to come, because when she’d asked him, he’d said that there was no way, no how, that he would ever tag along on a date with Ben and Kat.

But Kat was excited that Jack had agreed. She’d spent next to zero time with him since the video wrapped. He’d been too busy for her. And for a while there, she’d been too busy for him. Plus, they never got to talk at school like they used to. There was always someone else budging in. Their lunch table had been overrun with other “elite” juniors who always turned the conversation toward Ben or the video. And Jackson wasn’t any too excited to rehash details for the thousandth time. Especially when there was so little they could actually say about the video. “It was great. Neat.” And not much more. Paul had warned them how quickly people twist words … take things out of context. So they had to be safe. And say literally nothing.

……

I’m alone. I don’t know where. I can’t see anything. I’m surrounded by a bright light. I squint against it. I feel warm. Peaceful.

A man comes into view. Then my heart starts to race. I begin to feel afraid. Panicked.

He comes toward me, his hands reaching for me. I see that his hands are covered in blood. He falls, taking me down with him. I struggle to get out from under him, but I keep slipping. Falling into pools of blood. I start to scream.

“Help me,” he groans, his voice raspy.

I know it’s too late. I can’t help. He’s already dead. I feel something around my leg. I look down. His fingers are wrapped around my ankle, pulling me down, making me his companion in death. “No!” I yell, over and over again.

I feel my body flinch. I am wet, sweaty. The heaviness is lifting off me. I wonder if I yelled out loud this time.

……

B
owling. Yippee. Jackson could hardly wait. He stunk at the sport. At all sports, actually. But tossing a couple of gutter balls wasn’t what he dreaded. It was the company he was required to keep. Not that he disliked either Kat or Ben. It was just the idea of being with them—together—that made him want to find a garbage can to retch in.

Jackson drove today, as Kat was currently grounded from her car for some reason or another. Most likely, the reason had something to do with Ben. Kat showed Jackson the designated parking garage where they were to meet Ben. Evidently, Kat frequently met him here, safe within this private, guarded tower. And then they would leave together in one of Ben’s many cars; dark windows veiling their faces. It was how they were able to keep ahead of the paparazzi. Evidently, it was working. They had yet to be photographed together as a couple. Which made Jackson wonder why exactly he was required to accompany them tonight. If no one was going to see Ben and Kat out together, why make certain this looked like just a friendly excursion? But Ben insisted that Jack was along for fun: not out of appearances. Whatever.

The first thing Ben did when Jackson parked in the garage was laugh. At Jackson’s car. “You drive a Geo? Crap, Jack. That thing’s pathetic.”

“Really? I think it’s pretty sweet. All it needs is racing stripes.” Yes, this was a direct rip on a few of Ben’s cars. He seemed to like stripes. And spoilers. And anything else aftermarket. Ben probably spent just as much money tuning his cars as Jackson had spent to buy his entire vehicle. And it had taken Jackson three years working a paper route to save up for it. Which meant he appreciated his car more than Ben appreciated any of his. In theory.

The second thing Ben did after Jackson had parked was rush to Kat’s side and plant a big wet one on her. Like Jackson wanted to see that. He didn’t hesitate to reprimand Ben. “You said I wouldn’t have to watch any kissy-face.”

“I was just saying hello,” Ben replied.

Of course. That meant that Jackson would also have to watch a goodbye. And intermittent gum freshness checks. And any other excuses Ben came up with to kiss Kat.

Ben must have seen Jackson’s disapproval, because he said, “Don’t worry, Jack. We’ll be out in public in a few minutes.”

They left the garage in a four-door Jeep. Jackson hadn’t seen this one before. It didn’t have stripes. Or a spoiler. It was rather bland for a Wilder vehicle. Which was an odd thought for a beautiful SUV in aqua marine. It matched Ben’s eyes. Wait a sec … contacts? It should have matched Ben’s eyes, except he’d opted for brown today. It took Jack a while to get used to it: Ben just didn’t look right without his blue eyes. Not as … powerful. But that must have been the point.

As they cruised through the streets of town, Jackson found himself watching Ben’s hat. He was wearing a white hat with a team logo, and the bill of the cap pointed at Kat more than the road. It was unnerving. Especially considering the speeds at which they were traveling. This was a suicide mission. Jackson should have known better than to go out with these two—even if their lips stayed separate. He decided that since he’d been asked to come along as a chaperone, he had better act the part. “Hey, turn up this song,” he called from the backseat. He urged Ben to increase the volume until Jackson could feel the thumping of the stereo through the seat. It worked: the conversation stopped between Ben and Kat. Ben’s bill stayed facing the road. They were safe—for the time being.

A few miles down the road, Kat turned down the volume and asked, “Can we stop at the mall real quick?”

“No!” Jackson yelled from the backseat. He knew that “mall” and “real quick” were the antithesis of one another. It wouldn’t happen.

“I just need some shoes, Jack,” she said defensively.

“Bowling shoes?” Ben asked. “You can’t get those at the mall. I ordered mine online.”

“You bought your own bowling shoes?” Jackson asked. As far as he understood, this was just a one-time thing. They weren’t joining a league or anything.

Ben snickered. “Well, yeah. I’m not going to rent them. That’s disgusting.”

Jackson saw Kat blink. Her mouth opened, then shut again. She was probably trying to figure out where she could go to buy her bowling shoes if they didn’t have them at the mall. She would rather die than have Ben think her feet were disgusting. But when she opened her mouth again, she said, “Not bowling shoes. I just need some new church shoes. I got a new skirt.”

“No, no, no. You do not need new church shoes.” Jackson should know. He’d seen her closet before. She had enough shoes—enough clothes period—to outfit the entire church choir.

“Yes, I do. I don’t have any that match this skirt.”

“Then wear something different,” Jackson said.

Kat turned her head to Ben. “Please. It will just take a sec. I know what I’m looking for.”

Ben shrugged. He looked in the rearview mirror, catching Jackson’s eye. “I’m fine with it,” Ben said to Jackson. “We’re not in a hurry or anything.”

Jackson shook his head as Ben pulled into the parking lot of the mall. “You’re going to regret this,” he muttered under his breath.

So obviously after that statement, Jackson had to make certain to keep track of the time. “It’s been ten minutes since we arrived at the mall …” and “It’s been twenty- two minutes since we arrived at the mall …” and “this is the fourth shoe store we’ve been in since arriving at the mall.” Yeah, he was annoying the heck out of Kat, but that was his job. He was going to make sure he was never invited back on another date.

They were in a department store, in yet another shoe section. It was very, very boring. Ben and Jackson were sitting in some chairs near the clearance rack. Kat was around the corner trying on her fiftieth pair. Jackson entertained himself by counting the girls who checked out Ben. There had been ten in this store alone. And they were checking him out just because he was hot … not because he was Ben Wilder. Although, Jackson did hear one girl say, “OMG, he looks like Ben Wilder.”

Jackson gave Ben a sideways glance. It wasn’t really much of a disguise. He still looked like Ben. But, then again, Jackson knew it was Ben. So he asked—in a whisper, of course, “Does anyone ever recognize you … when you’re going incognito?”

“Um, kind of. I see people pause—like think that they know who I am—but then they always dismiss it with a ‘couldn’t be.’ Why?”

Jackson could see that tiny little crack in Ben’s ego again. Ben had insecurities just like the rest of the population. Maybe it was a fair world after all.

“Because your disguises really suck,” Jackson said bluntly.

“Really?” Ben didn’t sound worried; he sounded ticked. “You got any better ideas?”

“Actually, yeah.” Jackson reached into the little box that was on the shelf next to him. He grabbed one of those nylon footie things and pulled it over his head, robber style. He turned and looked at Ben.

Ben looked like he was taken aback. Like maybe he thought that Jackson was the biggest idiot on the planet. But then he laughed. An all-out, hearty laugh. “Give me one of those,” he said.

Now they looked like the two biggest idiots on the planet. They decided to go find Kat; to see if she’d be impressed with Jackson’s idea.

She might not have been impressed, but at least she was startled. She seriously gasped when they peeked around the corner of the shelf. And then she smacked Jackson on the arm. “Dork,” she said. To Jackson. Not Ben, even though he was being equally as dorky.

But the disguises worked a miracle: Kat was so embarrassed with Ben and Jack’s behavior that she grabbed the box of shoes she was fretting over and decided to buy them. Just so they could get out of the store—even though she said she wasn’t totally in love with the shoes. Man. Jackson wished he would have thought of wearing pantyhose over his head sooner.

He convinced Kat to let him buy the shoes. Well, not with his own money—because he didn’t have any. But with Kat’s. He just wanted to be the one to pay the cashier. And he got Ben to tag along.

The cashier jumped when she turned around to find two “robbers” at her till. But then Jackson held out Kat’s cash and said, “I’d like to buy these shoes please.”

“You can’t wear that. Someone will call security,” the twenty-something cashier said. She sounded all high-and-mighty.

“We have to,” Jackson replied, his voice sounding morose. “Leprosy. These nylons keep our skin from falling off.”

“Leprosy?” the cashier asked. She still sounded snooty. And she wasn’t buying it. “You’re what? Freshmen in high school?”

“No,” Jackson quickly responded, “We can’t go to school. Because of the leprosy. We spend most of our time at the Center for Treatment of Skin Lesions. We’re out on a field trip.”

She looked like she was considering believing him. She wouldn’t touch his money. She left it on the counter while she completed the transaction, and then raked the money across the counter with a stiff cardstock coupon.

But then Ben blew it. He said, “Crud. I think my nose is falling off.” He reached up and pinched his nose and pretended like he was holding it to his face.

The cashier grumbled something about them being “so immature,” as she handed Jackson the receipt. Jackson cringed a little. This was probably the first time that Ben had ever been called immature. But it didn’t seem to bother him. In fact, Ben seemed to be having fun. Jackson could see Ben smiling underneath the nylon covering. Even with Kat rolling her eyes at them.

They went back to the mall’s main corridor, but they shed their disguises. Too many people were staring. They passed a Big and Tall store. It gave Jackson an idea. “Hey Kat, there’s a sale at Bath and Body Works.”

He saw her eyes grow bright. “Give me a couple minutes,” she mumbled, already heading in that direction. “I just need some lotion.”