V is for Virgin (13 page)

“Why would they care about me? It’s not like Kyle and I are dating or anything.”

“Are you kidding?” Robin laughed.

I didn’t mean to sound stupid with all the questions, but I was having a very hard time wrapping my head around all of this.

When Robin cringed again, I tried to prepare myself because whatever was making her look so pale couldn’t be good news.

“You haven’t seen Tralse’s website today.” She said it as a statement, not a question.

Without saying another word—apparently there were none to explain the coming horror—Robin surfed over to Tralse’s website. Aside from having posted videos from the concert last night of their new song, Kyle had posted a new blog.

“
Ten reasons why Virgin Val sucks?
” I screeched.

A couple walking past the store looked up, startled, so I bit my tongue to keep from spouting profanities of my own.

I clicked on the blog. There was no way to make myself not click on it.

The Top Ten Reasons Why Virgin Val Sucks

10. She called me a one-hit-wonder.

9. She doesn’t appreciate the endearing nickname I gave her.

8. She makes me write stupid blogs about her at four in the morning.

7. She’s encouraging people not to have sex.

6. She blew me off when I asked her out.

5. She has a crush on a douche bag.

4. She won’t answer any of my calls.

3. She’s such a tease with her look-but-don’t-touch policy.

2. I played a whole effing concert just for her and she didn’t come even though she told me she would. (You’re such a liar!)

And the #1 reason why Virgin Val sucks?

I still want her anyway.

A full minute of silence passed with me staring at the computer screen, blinking over and over, hoping that the next time my eyes closed the blog would disappear.

“It’s actually very sweet…” Robin said. “If you think about it.”

My jaw, which had already fallen slack, hit the floor as I gaped at her. “Sweet?” I choked on the word. “I’m going to KILL him!”

I whipped out my phone and texted, “Where R U? We need 2 talk NOW!” to Cara. I hadn’t heard from her since she went to the concert yesterday, which kind of had me worried, but she’s a big girl and I’m not her babysitter.

“I’M GOING TO KILL HIM!” I screeched again.

I’d startled both Robin and Margret with that second outburst, but I just couldn’t help it. I’d never been so angry in all my life. I must have looked as close to going off the deep end as I felt too, because Margret patted my shoulder and said, “Valerie, dear, why don’t you take a break for fifteen minutes or so. You need to get some air.”

“I’m sorry, Margret.” I sighed, trying to rein in my temper. I shouldn’t worry her so much—she’s liable to have a heart attack. “I’m okay.”

“Nonsense dear. You go with your friend and relax for a bit.” She glanced around at the empty story and smiled. “I’m pretty sure I can manage on my own until you get back.”

“Thanks, Margret.”

I dragged Robin over to the food court, and she continued to fill me in on everything while I got my usual orange smoothie and then went over to the frozen yogurt stand. I was in luck, because this guy Reggie was working, and he has this big nerdy crush on me so he always puts a shot of chocolate frozen yogurt in my smoothie when his boss isn’t looking.

“Hey, Valerie!” he chirped as I handed him my cup.

Robin wrinkled up her nose as she realized what he was doing. “That’s disgusting.”

“Don’t knock it till you’ve tried it,” I told her. “If it wasn’t good they wouldn’t make those chocolate oranges at Christmas.”

Robin continued to frown as Reggie handed me back my cup. Then he pointed to the string on his apron rather proudly. “See?” he asked me. “This is why I needed a bracelet.”

Yesterday, Reggie had come by my booth at the festival and bought a white bracelet. I’d questioned him on his choice of jewelry and he told me to come see him at work. He had that bracelet tied around the strap of his apron. The white beads contrasted perfectly against the black material. Everyone in the food court could see that Reggie was still a virgin—not that they were at all surprised about that.

“I’ve been explaining it to everyone all day!”

“That’s great, Reggie.”

I started to walk away—getting a free shot of chocolate for my smoothies is one thing, but I don’t need him thinking he’s taking me to prom—but he called me back. “Hey, Valerie, if you’ve got any more copies of the fliers from yesterday for your website, you could leave them on the counter here. I’d be happy to hand them out to people.”

“That’s really sweet, Reggie, thanks, but I ran out. I’ve got to get back to work now. I’ll see you next time.”

“Looks like someone has a fan club,” Robin said as we got back to the store.

“Yeah, that’s Reggie. I kind of feel bad about using the poor guy for free yogurt, but it’s not like I’m extra friendly or anything. He just offers.”

“I’m not talking about the yogurt guy,” Robin said. She was pointing inside the jewelry store.

At first all I saw was the group of people, and I felt bad for leaving Margret alone. It’s not that she doesn’t know how to do her job, but she does pay me even though she doesn’t need the help. I should at least do the work. When there ever is any.

But the people in the store weren’t there to buy any gold. When I got closer, I could see all the camera equipment gathered around their feet. There were also big lights being set up and one of those long microphone things that they hold over your head. All of them said KTLA Eyewitness news.

“I wonder why they’re back,” Robin whispered under her breath as we walked in. I didn’t get the chance to mimic her question.

“Oh! Here she is!” Margret cheered. She smiled as proud as if I were her own granddaughter. “Valerie! These nice folks want to do a story on you.”

“Hello, Valerie!”

“Um, hi?”

“You’re going to have to speak up when the camera’s rolling, hon—with confidence, and stand up straight. The outfit’s nice, but we have got to do something about that hair.”

“What about my hair?” I wasn’t appreciating this woman’s in-your-face attitude.

“It’s nice,” the reporter assured me. “But the camera will not be kind to your face if you keep your hair framing it that way, trust me. You’ll look as round as a button. Have you got a clip? We need to see cheekbones.”

Margret was reaching for a jewel-studded hair clip before I even had any time to respond.

“Have you got any make-up in your purse? You could use a touch-up,” the reported continued on.

“Uh… maybe?”

“Try not to use the words ‘uh’ and ‘um’ when we’re rolling.”

The woman reached out to straighten the collar on my shirt, and I finally snapped. “Why don’t you back up out of my personal space, and take a breather for five minutes?” I snapped.

The woman looked totally abashed. Journalists. If Eric were here he’d be rolling his eyes with me. Robin, however, was excited by it all.

“Now, let’s try this again,” I said once I had the lady’s attention. “You want to interview me?”

The woman nodded. She was still a little dumbfounded at the way I was running the conversation.

“All right. Then why don’t you try asking me if you can? Make sure you say please. Then, maybe we’ll talk.”

The women looked even more surprised still, but her frown turned into an appraising smile. “I like your style,” she said, and then stuck her hand out to me. “Destiny Williams. KTLA Eyewitness news. I would very much like to do an interview with you, Valerie.”

I raised my eyebrow at her.

“Please?” she asked with a laugh.

“And what would be the subject of this interview?”

My question confused her. “You, of course.”

“You mean my V is for Virgin campaign?”

“Yes, and the jewelry, and the website…”

The way her voice trailed off made me suspicious. “And Kyle Hamilton and his new song about me?”

Destiny blushed. She was so busted.

“I have no comment,” I said and walked back behind the counter.

“Okay, fine, no Kyle Hamilton.”

I glared at her. “Or anything to do with Tralse.”

“Or anything to do with Tralse,” she echoed, though clearly not happy about it. “I promise.”

I glanced over at Robin, and she nodded her head enthusiastically.

Fifteen minutes later Destiny-with-KTLA-Eyewitness-News had kept her word and not mentioned a word about Tralse, or their stupid new song, or Kyle and his awesome blog—which I’m betting she didn’t know about or she wouldn’t have promised.

Ugh, I
so
wanted to murder him for that.

I wouldn’t talk about Kyle, but I did tell her about Zach when she asked. “It wasn’t entirely his fault,” I explained. I surprised myself when I defended him. “I never lied to him, but I wasn’t straightforward either. I caught him off guard, and I think I really hurt his feelings. It’s just that I was always too scared to tell him the truth. If he knew from the beginning that I wasn’t going to have sex, maybe things would have been different.”

I sounded optimistic, but since Zach hooked up with Olivia Lewis like five seconds after dumping me, I had my doubts. “But that’s my whole point,” I said. “If I hadn’t been so sure of my decision for so long, I might have given him what he wanted just because I was too scared to tell him the truth. It happens to people all the time.”

That’s when I told her about the YouTube video and all the comments. It was the comments that had inspired me anyway, not Zach. Then I explained my booth at the festival and how people really seemed to respond. I even told her about Reggie over at the yogurt stand wearing his virgin bracelet, and told her she should interview him since he seemed so excited to shout it from the rooftops.

The interview went pretty much the way the one at the festival had, except that it was more in depth. Then, at the end she asked me how I felt about the money I’d raised, and all the media attention I was receiving.

“I’m shocked,” I said. “It’s all very overwhelming. I just wanted to prove a point to the kids at school who’d been laughing at me. I hoped I might make it easier for anyone else who might be in my position. I never dreamed it would go past the walls of Huntington High. I could do without the TV interviews, but I do think it’s important, and I’m glad that so many people have taken an interest in it.”

As Destiny wrapped up her interview she asked me one last question. One I most definitely hadn’t been expecting. “So where can people get more of your V is for Virgin jewelry?” she asked, pointing to the necklace I was wearing.

“What do you mean?”

“After our broadcast last night our station was swarmed with phone calls and e-mails from viewers wanting to know where they can get their own V is for Virgin necklaces.”

“Really?”

I’d become the stammering idiot again because I just couldn’t believe it. People who didn’t even know me—who didn’t know what happened, and had no idea how cool Isaac Warren was, or that Devon and Lacy were trying the abstinence challenge—still wanted to wear the jewelry?

“Face it Virgin Val, you’re a smash hit!”

That comment was coming dangerously close to the Kyle subject. Destiny understood the icy glare I gave her. She sighed and kept to a safe topic. “So how about it? Where can people get their hands on a V is for Virgin bracelet?”

I shook my head, about to tell her I didn’t have any more, that I’d sold out at the festival, but Margret stepped in and put her arm around me. “We’re working on it,” she told the reporter. I looked at her and she winked quickly. “Valerie’s always wanted to start her own line of jewelry. She’s got a bunch of sketches already made up. As soon as the jewelry is ready it’ll be for sale here at the store.”