Casey Barnes Eponymous (25 page)

In other words, she is popular.
 
When Casey walked from the outside of
the office to her locker, no less than two kids she never saw before smiled at
her.
 
Once she arrived at said
locker, an overweight girl in Goth clothing approached her.
 
“That bitch made my life a living hell
last year.
 
I am your band’s number
one fan from here to eternity.”
 
She
walked away.
 

2. Song 2 - “Starlight” by Muse.
 
“
Your song rocked,”
a cute soccer player said in between third and fourth periods.
 

Casey looked at him.
 
“Were you at auditions yesterday?”
 

“No.
 
But my friend
told me all about it.”
 
He walked
away.

High-energy pop.
 

3. Song 3 - “Ball and Biscuit” by The White
Stripes.
 
And even in the
midst of major league popularity rushes, there are dips.
 
Such as la clase de español.
 
Such as Ben.

Casey volunteered to put her (flawlessly executed) homework on
the board.
 
She received accolades
from Señor Griffin as well as nods from kids in the room who never noticed her
before yet were, clearly, toasting her songwriting skills every bit as much as
her ability to write sentences with reflexive verbs.
 
But Ben?
 
Ben who a mere week ago was invisible to
the school community and now was performing in talent show as one third of the
most talked about band?
 
Ben had no
reaction to offer his front woman.
 
He did not even say hello when he entered the classroom.
 

Casey scribbled a note.
 
Do you know yet?
 
We got selected.
 
In the show, drummer boy.
 
IN.
 
THE.
 
SHOW.
 
She passed it up and, after a
moment, he passed it back.
 
I heard.
 
Casey
fought the urge to rip the note up loudly and with force.
 
Well then, she thought, it’s a good
thing I am hanging with Alex Deal later.

Thus song número tres was a rock with a bluesy edge.
 
Nothing like The White Stripes when the
occasion called for it.
 
A little
grit to get a girl out of Spanish class with her head held high.
 
Some attitude to escort her to math
class, which, despite words of encouragement from random peers, she was still
nervous about.
 
Plus Leigh had not
shown up that day.
 
Casey could not
blame her, of course.
 
But for the
first time since the whole Leigh running away thing happened, Casey feared she
may not be coming back to school for good.

Math class, however, turned out to hold a pleasant
surprise.
 
And that was because
Maxine French did not show up that day!
 
She was a-b-s-e-n-t absent.
 
There
WAS a God.

At rehearsal Samantha announced what the lineup would be for
the show the following night.
 
Casey
was sitting with Sukh and Ben.
 
Sukh
was excited and Ben was continuing his campaign to be the most annoying person
ever by way of emitting sullen silence.

“Everything okay Ben?” Sukh asked.

“Just fine,” Ben muttered.

Alex Deal came over.
 
“Hey guys, congrats.”
 
Sukh
and Casey turned and smiled.
 
Ben
did not.
 
Alex focused on
Casey.
 
“We still on for later?”

Even though he did not so much as offer a head turn, Casey
could sense Ben tensing up.
 
She
looked at Alex.
 
“Yep.”

“Cool.”
 
He left.

When Pop Wire rehearsed with “Maxine French is a Bitch,” it
again got an enthusiastic response.
 
Yet as Casey tried to force Yull (who was not even present that day)’s
words from her mind, she could not help but notice there was less emotion than
the day before.
 
The shock value was
gone.
 
People had already heard that
joke.
 

As soon as they sat down after performing, Ben leaned
over.
 
“Nothing like day old
cupcakes.”

She stood and refused to look at him.
 
But as she walked up the aisle to go to
the bathroom not one kid said anything to her about the song.
 
People smiled, sure, a couple even
nodded, but they were already distracted by new gossip

And when she arrived at the hall at the back of the auditorium,
she froze.

32

Yull and Maxine French were standing there.
 
Together.
 
In the hall.
 
Casey turned and walked in the other
direction.
 

“Casey,” Yull said.

She turned.
 
“You
talking to me?”

Yull rolled his eyes.
 
“Come here.”

“Thing is, it’d be rude to leave my bandmates in the auditorium
alone for too long so I’m just gonna use the bathroom and be on my merry way--”

“Now,” Yull boomed.
 

Casey groaned and walked over.
 

“Maxine wasn’t in school today,” Yull said.

“I know,” Casey said, “It was the first time I enjoyed math
class all year.”

“Hear me out,” Yull said, “I called her after school to see how
she was doing in the wake of my sister’s little ‘song.’”

“Or little sister’s song.
 
It works either way,” Casey said.

“Shut up.
 
Anyway,
Maxine invited me over,” Yull paused, “and explained some stuff.”
 
He looked at Maxine.
 
“Do you want to tell her or should
I?”
 

Maxine sighed.
 
“I’ll do it.”
 
She closed her
eyes briefly and then opened them.
 
“I was out for a semester last school year.”

Casey looked at her blankly.
 
Really the only thought going through
her mind was how she was going to get even with Yull for this.

“But I wasn’t studying abroad in France like I told everyone I
was,” Maxine continued, “I was in New York getting treated for cancer.”

“Excuse me?” Casey said.

“Cancer.
 
The tumor
was in my right chest.”
 

For a moment, Casey was too shocked to respond.
 
Then she spoke.
 
“Oh my God.
 
Are you okay?”

“They got it out with surgery.
 
But it takes five years until you can be
sure you’re completely in remission.”

Her chest.
 
Casey
connected the dots.
 
She got a
sinking feeling in her stomach.

“I got a boob job because there was nothing left on my right
side.
 
I wanted to keep cheerleading
and having boyfriends.
 
I didn’t
think guys would want to date a girl with one boob.”
 
Maxine’s voice cracked a bit.
 
“The nose job my parents threw in
because I’d been begging them for one ever since I was thirteen.”

Casey offered a weak smile.
 
“It looks nice.
 
I mean, your new nose.
 
The old one was nice too but they did a
good job.”

Yull rolled his eyes.
 
But Maxine French accepted it.
 
“I know I was nasty to you in math.”

Casey shook her head.
 
“You’re allowed to act however you want after that.”

“Not really,” Maxine continued, “My parents made me see this
shrink when I came back to school last year.
 
I went back for a session today.
 
I told him about how I treated you and
the song you wrote and how much everyone liked it.”
 
She fiddled with her nails.
 
“He said it’s because I felt vulnerable
and I wanted to make everyone else feel the same way.
 
He also said I was angry that I got sick
and no one else did.
 
But he said
that didn’t make any of it right.”

“I wouldn’t have written it had I known.”

“I know.”

“Maybe if you start telling people about what happened they’ll
understand,” Casey added.
 
Maxine
shook her head.
 
“Absolutely
not.
 
I’d rather people think I was
a bitch than feel sorry for me, and I’d appreciate it if you’d promise not to tell
anyone either.”

Casey shook her head.
 
“I won’t.
 
And we won’t say
your name when we do the song tomorrow night.”

Yull made a face.
 
“But the other lyrics in the song, Casey…”

Maxine sighed.
 
“She
only has a day.
 
It’s probably too
late for you to write a new one, right?”

Casey could see that she was trying to be nice, this new
Maxine.
 
But there was a note of
hopefulness in her voice.
 
She was
secretly praying Casey would not play the song.
 
She looked from Maxine to Yull.
 
That song was the whole reason they were
selected to be in the show.
 

“We’ll figure something out,” Casey said.
 

Maxine nodded but did not look at ease.
 
Yull shot Casey a sharp look.
 

“I promise,” she added.

Behind them, the door to the auditorium opened.
 
Casey heard footsteps that stopped
abruptly.
 
She turned and saw that
Alex was there.
 
He looked at the
three of them and then held up a hand. “Yo.”
 
He kept walking and entered the
bathroom.

Casey looked back to Yull and Maxine.
 
Maxine shook her head.
 

“What’s going on there?” Yull asked.

“Oh he dumped me the second we got out of here last night,”
Maxine said, “Said he’s not into the whole ‘plastic surgery’ thing.”

Casey looked down.
 
The last thing she wanted was to make Maxine feel worse.
 
But she also thought that if Alex knew
the truth he would understand, like she did now.
 
She was afraid that even saying that
much would tip her hand, though.
 
She kept her eyes on the ground.
 
Yull watched her.

“I’m gonna get going,” Maxine said.

“Thanks for telling me,” Casey replied.

Maxine forced a weak smile, turned, and walked away.

Which left Casey standing with Yull.
 
A second later Alex Deal exited the
bathroom.
 
He walked over to them.
 
“Brokering a peace deal?”
 
Yull shot him a cold look in
return.
 
“Right,” Alex said.
 
He looked to Casey.
 
“See ya in a few.” He walked away.

Yull frowned.
 
“Why’s he seeing you in a few?”

She hesitated, but then decided there was only one
course to take.
 
And that was lying.
 
“Because we’re both going to be in the
auditorium in a few.
 
Duh.”

Yull narrowed his eyes.
 

“My bandmates are waiting.”
 
She started to walk away.
 

“Casey.”
 

She stopped.