Ex-Rating (7 page)

“You don’t think she’d like it?” Holly asked.

“It’s hard to tell,” Rob said.

“It’s true—sometimes Mom’s reactions are hard to predict,” Julia said. “Like one time in high school I bought a tube top and
she wouldn’t let me wear it. She actually took it from me and used it to polish the silver. But then a week later she found
out my boyfriend and I were, you know, parallel parking, and she was totally cool about it.”

“Nobody says ‘parallel parking’ anymore,” Rob said.

“Oh, sorry, I don’t know all the high school lingo,” Julia said sarcastically. “What do they say now?”

Rob shrugged. “I don’t know.”

“Your comments are so helpful,” Julia said.

“How did she find out?” Holly asked. “Your mother, I mean.”

“Read my diary. The bitch,” Julia said. “What do your parents think about this big scandal?”

“They’re not upset at all,” Holly said. “They think it’s funny. Curt said, ‘That’s my girl.’”

“Tell her what Jen said,” Rob said.

“Jen said, ‘There’s nothing like a little raciness to put some zip in your reputation.’” Holly imitated Jen’s low, smoky voice.

“She calls her parents Curt and Jen,” Rob said. “They’re partyers.”

“Maybe they should hook up with Dad,” Julia said.

The room went silent for a second. Rob had known his dad was dating all along—he’d told Holly about it early on. But Mrs.
Safran had just found out, and the wound was still fresh.

“Lighten up,” Julia said. “I was just kidding.”

“It’s true. I think Dad left because Mom’s not fun enough,” Gabe said.

“Well, who can blame him?” Julia said. “All she does is get headaches and lie around her bedroom.”

“That’s just lately,” Rob said.

“All I know is, she’s no help to me,” Julia said. “I thought the wedding would cheer her up, but no, she practically bursts
into tears every time I mention it.”

“Well, it kind of makes sense, if you think about it for one second,” Rob said. “I mean, her marriage just busted up, and
you want her to help you plan your wedding?”

“I’m her only daughter!” Julia said. “She should be in heaven.”

Rob looked at Holly and shook his head. “My sister. She’s not self-centered at all.”

“I’m not,” Julia insisted. “This wedding will bring much needed sunshine and cheer to our broken home. But I can’t do it all
by myself. And you two are useless.” She dropped her knitting and looked at Holly. “Blondie, you got here just in time. Want
to help me pick out a dress?”

Holly straightened up. “Sure.” Holly wasn’t a fussy fashion girl, but she couldn’t pass up a chance to ogle bridal gowns.

Julia stood up and took Holly’s hand. “Come to my room. I’ve got a stack of bridal magazines as tall as Murgatroyd.” She stepped
over the sleeping dog. Holly moved to follow her, but Rob grabbed her other hand.

“Hey,” he complained. “Don’t take my girl away. She was keeping my right side warm.”

Julia plucked a crocheted afghan off the back of an easy chair and tossed it at him. “Here’s a blanket. Come on, Blondie.”

They went to Julia’s room on the second floor. Three suitcases lay open with clothes spilling out of them onto the floor.
“Sorry about the mess,” Julia said. “I just got in from Boston a few days ago. Clear off a place on the bed and sit down.”

Holly moved a multicolored tangle of tights and sat on the bed. Julia perched beside her with a
Bride’s
magazine covered in yellow Post-its.

“I like the strapless look,” Julia said, turning to a marked page and showing Holly a simple white satin gown. “But my arms
are like sticks.”

“You’re lucky,” Holly said. “I’ve got grandma arms.”

Julia picked up one of Holly’s arms and stared at it. “You do not. You’re crazy. Look at this.” She rolled up her sleeve and
showed Holly her bony arm. “See how the skin hangs loose here? It flaps around like a chicken wing.”

Holly laughed. “Now
you’re
crazy. But don’t get strapless if you’re not going to be comfortable in it. Let’s see some of the other dresses.”

They looked through dozens of magazines, but Julia just couldn’t settle on a dress. Every one of them had something wrong
with it, however tiny.

“I love that,” she said, pointing to a lace slip dress with a blue satin sash. “If only the lace pattern wasn’t so flowery.”

Holly turned the page. “What about this? It’s just satin, no lace.”

“Yeah, but I want
some
lace,” Julia said. “Just not that kind of lace.”

When Rob knocked on the door a few hours later to announce that the Giants had lost, he found his girlfriend and his sister
collapsed on the floor, giggling like morons, and the walls of the room plastered with pictures of dresses. Holly had helped
Julia narrow it down from thirty possibilities to eight, which was a major accomplishment.

“Great,” Rob said. “My sister is spreading her insanity virus to my girlfriend. I’m so glad.”

“Holly, if you need advice on bossing him around, come to me,” Julia said. “I’m the expert. And I’ve got a lot of dirt on
him, for all your blackmailing needs.”

“Blackmail’s a little harsh,” Holly said. “But I’ll take the bossing tips. My older sister was a master, but I made it too
easy for her.” Julia’s sharpness reminded Holly of her older sister, Piper. But Piper had a stronger sense of style, and carried
herself with more confidence than Julia, even though Piper was only eighteen.

“Sure you did.” Rob reached for her hand and helped her off the floor. “Come on,
Blondie
, I need a little more face time before you have to go home. Can I have my girlfriend back now, Julia?”

“But we haven’t found my dream dress yet,” Julia said.

“Don’t worry, I’ll be back,” Holly said. In fact, she could hardly wait.

HERE IS TODAY’S HOROSCOPE: CANCER: Are you in pain? Oh, I’m so sorry. But guess what? You deserve it!

W
alker, why didn’t you show up at Vineland yesterday?”

Lina found Walker covering a swim meet after school. She was nervous about seeing him. She used to talk to him so easily,
but now, suddenly, she felt clammy and tongue-tied around him. She couldn’t stop thinking about him and wondering why he’d
blown her off. Ramona recommended coming straight out and asking him. It wasn’t subtle—and Ramona was no love expert. But
it was the quickest way to find out.

Walker glanced up at her and opened his mouth to speak. But then the whistle blew and the 100-meter freestyle started. “Can’t
talk now,” Walker said. “Got to watch the race.”

Lina sighed and sat down beside him on the bleacher. The sprint ended about a minute later. Walker jotted some notes on his
pad and said, “Sorry—did you just ask me something?”

Lina frowned at the side of his face. Was he really going to make her ask again? She’d be mad at him if he hadn’t had such
a sweet profile. “Vineland? I waited for you for two hours.”

“Really?” He didn’t stop writing. “Sorry, I didn’t know. I figured you were going to be with a bunch of friends. I didn’t
think you’d miss me.”

“There was no bunch of friends,” Lina told him. “I’d planned to talk to you alone. About the Dating Game controversy.”

“Oh, right. I’m sorry, Lina.”

“I guess it was just a misunderstanding.”

“Exactly,” Walker said. “It was a misunderstanding.”

His words had an eerily familiar ring. In fact, she had said something very similar to him not long ago. He’d asked her to
a movie, and she’d assumed it was just a group hang, not a date. But apparently she’d misunderstood him, just as he’d misunderstood
her yesterday. Coincidence? Lina didn’t think so. She studied him, trying to figure out if he was really saying what he meant.
But another race had started, and his attention was on the pool.

“Well, let me know when you want to get together … and talk about the Dating Game article,” she said, getting to her feet.

Walker ignored her, concentrating on the race. Or pretending to, anyway. Lina returned to Holly and Mads, who were sitting
a few bleachers up in the stands. Ramona had tagged along, too, because she had nothing better to do.

“What did he say?” Holly asked.

“He said it was a misunderstanding,” Lina said. “He thought it was supposed to be a group hang.”

“Weird,” Mads said. “That’s exactly what you said when—”

“I know,” Lina said. “The question is, was it an honest mistake? Or is he punishing me for standing him up before? Which I
didn’t mean to do, by the way.”

“He’s punishing you,” Ramona said. “The old ‘taste of your own medicine’ deal.”

“Mads?” Lina asked.

“He seems too nice to be that mean on purpose,” Mads said. “But it sure feels like déjà vu. I vote punishing.”

“Holly?”

“Punishing. But none of us really knows for sure. There’s one way to find out, though.”

“What?”

“You could ask him whether he really meant to stand you up,” Mads said.

“That’s too direct,” Holly said. “And, anyway, he might lie. You’ve got to do something that doesn’t leave room for misunderstandings
and misinterpretations. Ask him out on a date. Make it crystal clear that that’s what it is—a date. See what he says.”

“He’s got to say yes,” Mads said, bouncing in her seat. “I know he will! I think he’s liked you for a long time. He’s probably
been waiting for you to ask him out.”

“Maybe that’s why he stood me up in the first place,” Lina said. “To force me to ask him on a real date.” Her mood brightened.
There was hope. He was just playing hard to get!

“That’s giving him too much credit,” Holly said. “Remember, he’s a guy. They’re not usually that clever when it comes to dating
strategy.”

“You’re right,” Ramona said.

Lina’s mood deflated again. “I hope he says yes. What will I do if he says no?”

“At least you’ll know where you stand,” Holly said.

“We’ll help you forget about him,” Mads said. “We’re matchmakers, remember?”

“What if he says yes and then stands you up again?” Ramona said.

“He couldn’t be that mean,” Lina said. “Could he?”

“If he is, he’s toast,” Ramona said. “I’ll make it my business to see that he feels major pain.”

“Ramona!” Lina said.

“Stop being so dramatic, Ramona,” Holly said. She was impatient with Ramona and her affectations. She didn’t understand why
Lina let her hang around.

“I don’t want anyone feeling pain, no matter what,” Lina said.

“You will if he hurts you again,” Ramona said. “It’s human nature.”

“The worst part is not knowing what he’s thinking,” Lina said. “The uncertainty. Was standing me up an honest mistake? Or
is he blowing me off?”

“If you ask him out, you’ll have your answer,” Holly said. “Probably.”

He says he’s busy—but with what? Is it that he can’t see you, or he doesn’t want to see you? Sometimes the guy of your dreams
really has a legit excuse—and sometimes he’s avoiding you. How can you tell the difference? It’s all in the way he handles
it. Take this quiz and learn.

1.
You ask him to the movies. He says:

a
he’d love to another time.

b
he’s got to take care of his sick mother that night.

c
movies are against his religion.