What If... All Your Friends Turned On You (13 page)

“You look scary,” Irene said. “In a totally hot way.”

“Thanks.” Haley turned in front of the mirror, trying to get used to the alien person reflected back at her. It was amazing how a few cosmetic changes could transform a girl, even suggest a completely different personality. Was this what Devon wanted? Haley had to admit that her new look made her feel bolder and wilder.

Mitchell passed by Haley's door and stopped cold. “Is it Halloween? Did I forget about Halloween?”

“Mitchell, go away,” Haley said.

Mitchell refused to obey. “Wait—it can't be Halloween. It's January! What happened to you? You look like you slammed face-first into a clown and he left half his makeup on you.”

Haley frowned. “Very helpful. Now get out of here.”

“Has Mom seen you yet?” Mitchell said. “Because when she does, you're going to be in biiiig trouble.”

“I said get out of here.” Haley took him by the shoulders, turned him toward the hallway and marched him out of the room, shutting the door behind him.

“Just let me be there when you show Mom!” Mitchell shouted through the door. “Please?”

“Go away,” Haley said. “Ignore him,” she added to Irene, though she felt a twinge of guilt. Mitchell was an odd boy who didn't have a lot of friends, and she sometimes thought he seemed lonely. Of course, if he wanted to hang around Haley, he didn't have to insult her.

“I already have,” Irene said. “Now, remember what I told you: the outfit alone is not enough. The real key to this makeover is your attitude. The new look is just the outward manifestation of it. You're tough—you don't care about anything or anybody, least of all Devon McKnight. Trust me, you do this and he'll realize what a fool he's been.” She smiled deviously.

“But how do you know it will work?”

“Because I know Devon,” Irene said. “Think about it, the way he's jerked you around all this time. Why? Because he can never make up his mind. About anything. He acts cool but at heart he's very
indecisive. Wishy-washy, even. That makes him easy pickings for a tattoo-covered scam artist like Darcy.”

“Or me,” Haley said, a kernel of doubt rising in her mind as she touched the green streak in her hair.

“You're not a scam artist,” Irene insisted. “You're his soul mate. The girl he was meant to be with. We just have to help clue him in.”

“And you think all this will convince him?”

“He'll love the new you, but remember—it's the attitude that will seal the deal,” Irene said. “I hate to say anything nice about that Stepford chick Coco, but one thing I'll give her: she's been a pro at freezing out Spencer since she dumped him last week. The more he begs for forgiveness the colder she gets—and it just keeps him coming back for more. That is exactly what you need to do to Devon. And if you can keep it up, soon he'll be right where you want him: wrapped around your skull-ringed little finger.”

Looks as though Haley's trying to outpunk her rival, Darcy. And since she and Devon actually do have more in common than Devon and Darcy, this style change might be the tipping point in Haley's conquest of the adorably arty photographer
.

Every change comes with a price, however. And if Irene's clever plan doesn't work—or worse yet
,
backfires—what will Haley be left with? A vat of green hair dye and a tub of humiliation? Is it worth the risk?

And what if Mitchell is right—will Joan Miller take one look at Green Day Haley and scrub the eyeliner off until her skin is raw? Maybe Haley's little bro just said that because he's desperate for attention. As the big sister, shouldn't Haley look out for him? Or will she be too busy chasing Devon?

If you think Haley loves her punky new look and wants to take on Darcy and destroy the Devon love triangle, turn to,
SHOWDOWN AT JACK'S
. If you think Haley should ditch this Halloween-costume look and spend more quality time with her little brother, and perhaps help him get to know his fellow oddball Dave Metzger, turn to,
ROBOT ER
.

Finally, what if Haley decides that punk rock chic isn't her vibe? If it takes pretending to be someone she's not to get Devon, then maybe Devon isn't the guy for her. If this is your take on the situation, turn to,
LOVE AND ROCKETS
.

Punk is an attitude for sure, and not everyone can pull it off. But can Haley? That's for you to decide
.

O
ne afternoon Haley received a mysterious text from Alex: “dnr 2nite, bubbies, 7. celebr8!”

Celebrate what?
Haley wondered. She had to find out, and she couldn't resist the invitation, so she texted back: “ilbt.”

She walked into Bubbies Bistro at seven that night just as Annie and Dave arrived in Annie's electric car.

“Do you know what this is all about?” Haley asked Annie.

Annie shook her head. “No idea.”

Alex was sitting at the round table in the back, grinning ecstatically, his face glowing. He waved his friends over and they sat down. Each place was already set with a glass of sparkling cider.

“What's the big news?” Annie asked.

“My friends, I'm glad you could join me,” Alex said. “I wanted to make this announcement in person—”

“Then hurry up and make it already!” Dave said, ever the patient diplomat.

“All right,” Alex said. “I found out today that I've been accepted at Georgetown. I'll be studying polisci there in the fall.”

“That's wonderful!” Haley cried. She threw her arms around him and gave him a huge hug. She was genuinely excited for him. Getting into Georgetown had been Alex's dream for as long as she'd known him.

“Congratulations!” Annie and Dave chorused. They all toasted Alex with their sparkling cider.

“Thank you,” Alex said. “I'm really grateful to have such amazingly supportive friends to share this news with. Now, let's order some food! My treat.”

After they ordered dinner and began to eat, Haley felt her excitement fade somewhat. She was truly happy for Alex, but the reality suddenly struck her: he was going away to college next year. To Washington, D.C. Not that Washington was all that far
away, but still … he'd be in college, and she'd still be a New Jersey high school girl. How could their relationship grow under those conditions?

“Mrs. Eton was really excited for me too,” Alex was saying. “She even threw together a little toast for me at the office this afternoon.” He paused to eat a bite of steak.

“She must be sorry to lose you,” Haley said. “She obviously thinks you're a great asset to her administration.”

“She wouldn't think so highly of me if it weren't for you, Haley,” Alex said. “You guys should have seen Haley at the inaugural ball! She was amazing. She knew all these influential people, and she remembered everybody's name and what their interests were and who was enemies with whom…. She really saved my butt a few times—and Governor Eton's, too.”

“Really?” Annie eyed her with suspicion. “I thought you were dreading hobnobbing with those Republicans.”

Haley blushed, pleased by Alex's praise, even as the pit in her stomach grew. That night at the inaugural ball had been wonderful, but also a little unsettling. Haley had felt so competent, so on top of her game and in perfect sync with Alex—until Governor Eton had practically commanded him to take down Coco De Clerq so that Mrs. Eton's son Spencer's social status in Hillsdale would once again be restored.
Ever since then, Alex had secretly been working on undermining Coco, and Haley had been glad he hadn't asked her to get her hands dirty. Yet. As she looked over at Alex, and caught herself smiling at his handsome face, nerdy glasses and bow tie, it began to dawn on her just how attached she felt to him.

But what kind of future could they have? He was an elephant, she was a donkey. Two different species, with wholly different ideas. And besides, he was bound to meet plenty of girls at Georgetown who were just as smart and capable as Haley, if not more so, and girls who shared his conservative worldview. His head would be turned before he even settled into his dorm.

Haley watched him holding court at the table and her heart sank further. He was so cute and, now that he knew he'd been accepted at the college of his choice, more confident than ever. And more of a catch.

Calm down
, she told herself.
He's not leaving for months, and a lot can happen in that time
.

But what did she want to happen? What could possibly happen that would keep them together once he left?

She tried to smile through dinner, but she was feeling worse and worse. Alex insisted she have crème brûlée for dessert, so she ordered one, but her stomach felt so knotted up with worry she barely touched it.

As they were just finishing up, the theme from
Battlestar Galactica
suddenly blared through the restaurant, startling her. Then she realized it was only Dave's ringtone.

Dave scraped up the last of his chocolate pudding and answered the call. “Hannah? Yes? What's the matter?”

Haley could hear Hannah's panicky chipmunk voice babbling through the phone from across the table.

“Oh no!” Dave said. “Okay, I'll be right there.” He clicked off. “RoBro! just short-circuited. Hannah says he's flatlining. She's freaking out. I've got to get back there.”

“Really? You want to interrupt Alex's celebration dinner to tend to your robot?” Haley asked before she could stop herself.

“Haley!” Annie chastised, glaring at her friend. “You're growing more Republican red by the minute.” Haley felt it coming—the inevitable split with her lefty friends and maybe even her parents if she was to stick with Alex. Suddenly, she was very confused.

“Hey, now,” Alex said, defending Haley. “Let's everyone settle down and think.”

Haley noticed then that Dave's eyes were actually tearing up. She should have known how much RoBro! meant to him. Although she was aware that RoBro! was just a machine, to Dave, RoBro! was his
flesh-and-blood brother. Haley thought of how upset she'd be if something happened to Mitchell.

“I'll come with you, Dave,” she offered. “Maybe we should bring RoBro! over to my house. My little brother, Mitchell, is actually something of an electronics whiz. He might be able to help. And in any case, he's got tons of equipment in the basement that could be useful.”

“Thanks, Haley,” Dave said, swallowing his tears. “You're a lifesaver.”

Poor RoBro! Dave has certainly taken to his metallic sibling. It's sad, really. But does Haley have the heart to watch a friend cry or a robot die? She knows for a fact that Mitchell can take apart and fix just about anything; she's seen him do it oh so many times. (Of course, he often breaks the thing himself first, just for fun, but that's a technicality.) If you think her first priority is to bring RoBro! to her house and have Mitchell help Dave and Hannah save his electronic life, turn to,
ROBOT ER
.

Or maybe you think the RoBro! news is sad but the Alex news is sadder. Yes, college orientation is still months away, but for the first time it feels real to Haley: Alex is going away next year. And the more time she spends with him now, helping plan inaugural balls and saving ailing robots, the more it will hurt when he finally leaves. She's already in pretty deep. If she gets too close
to him before he ships off to school, she could get her heart seriously broken. And also, the more time she spends with Alex, the more apparent their political differences become. Can they even make it as a couple, or will their polar-opposite stances on global warming and market reform clash and get in the way?