Afraid No More

Vanessa needs to come out of her shell...and she knows it.

Afraid No More

“I have never been so tired in my life!” Vanessa winced she sat down on “her” bed in her latest hotel suite. She kicked off her shoes and lay back on the bed as Ashley and Monique came in, sat down, kicked off their own shoes, and lay back alongside her. “You know, I’m starting to get sick of the sound of my own voice,” Vanessa grumbled.
“You and me both, sister,” Ashley muttered back.
Monique grunted in agreement, too tired to form words. The HSM cast had been going non-stop for weeks. In numerous cities, they had been promoting High School Musical around the clock. Now, they were all totally worn out.
As the girls lay prostrate on the bed, there was a knock on the door.
Monique grunted.
Ashley managed to raise her head, but she dropped it back down with a sigh.
Vanessa rolled her eyes, and then dragged her body up into a sitting position. “Come in.”
The door opened, and a girl popped her head in. “Hey girls!”
Both Monique and Ashley raised their heads and smiled. “Carmen! Hey!” Their response was still a little weak.
Carmen shook her head and opened the door all they way. She had Zac, Corbin, and Lucas in tow, and all three boys trooped in and promptly collapsed wherever there was empty space. “You guys, this is just sad,” Carmen said with a frown. “When was the last time you had a day off?”
“Day…off?” Lucas said wearily. “What do these strange words mean?”
“Seriously?” Carmen exclaimed. “Okay, I’m going to something about this.”
Carmen began pacing back and forth, whiles the rest of them continued to lay/sit where they were. Zac followed Carmen around the room with his eyes, then grabbed her hand when she passed by the upholstered chair he was sprawled in. “Baby, please stop doing that. I’m so tired that watching you pace is straining my eyes.”
“I'm sorry,” Carmen said, stopping to sit gingerly on his lap. “I don’t need to pace anymore, because I have a plan.” Carmen opened her purse and took out her cell phone. She opened it, pressed a button and put the phone to her ear.
“Hola, Mami…Ah sí? Dónde Papí?...Ok. Hey Ma, can I run something by you?” Carmen got up from Zac’s lap and began pacing again, but now everyone was curious as to why Carmen was calling her Mom. “Do you and Dad have any big plans over Spring Break?” She paced in silence for a few moments, and then smiled. “Okay, good. Is it okay if I have a few friends over…for the week?”
Zac’s head snapped up, and everyone else sat up at attention, albeit slowly.
A whole week off for Spring Break? No way…, Vanessa thought hopefully.
“I’m sure it’ll be okay, Ma…yeah…yeah…absolutely.” Carmen bit her lip in uncertainty, then squealed and smiled happily. “Gracias, Mami!!” Carmen hung up the phone, and then turned to address them all. “You guys…would I be able to interest you in a week-long, totally free, Spring Break vacation?”

Two weeks later
“I can’t believe I’m so excited,” Vanessa said after taking a sip of her soda.
Carmen glanced at her in the rear view mirror of her rented SUV and smiled. “I’m excited too! I get to show you guys my hood and everything…”
Corbin snorted. “Your ‘hood’? You live in the OC, for God’s sake.”
The whole group laughed.
“This is definitely cool,” Zac said with a sigh as he fiddled with his sunglasses in the front seat next to Carmen. “It was a good idea to drive.”
Everyone voiced their agreement. Their little road trip had been a lot of fun. They had been on the road for a little over three hours, talking, laughing, and singing along to the radio.
“Are we there yet?” Monique whined from the back seat, causing everyone to laugh and groan.
“I just wish Lucas had come with us,” Carmen said when the hilarity died down. “But I guess I understand. If I had my own apartment, I’d probably want to spend this week “totally and completely alone and worry-free” myself.” Suddenly, Carmen squealed. “Oh my God, there it is!”
Everyone else in the car craned their necks to see out of the windows. “What, what?” Vanessa asked excitedly.
“It’s the sign!”
Sure enough, there was a big blue sign about 100 feet away, placed on the side of the road. It had a picture of a dolphin riding a huge, white-capped wave, and said in big white letters, “Welcome to Estrellas!!” Carmen squealed again as she made a left. “I’m so excited!”
“Uh Carmen, it looked like the center of town was in that direction,” Monique, pointing out of the window at the retreating sign.
‘I know,” Carmen answered. “But that’s the long way through town. It’s faster to get to my house this way.”
Carmen drove the SUV down a paved road on the outskirts of town. No one spoke because they were all looking out of the windows in curiosity. Soon, the road began slanting upward in a slight incline and they drove past gated driveways. Zac looked over and smiled when he saw Carmen gnawing on her bottom lip in excitement. Suddenly, she squealed.
“We’re here!”
Carmen turned the SUV into what looked like a security station, placed in front of a large wrought iron gate, and grinned at the guy who stuck his head out of the window. “Hey Frank!”
“Well it‘s about time you showed up,” he growled.
Carmen’s smile never wavered, even as everyone else in the car exchanged confused looks. “Aww Frank, does that mean you missed me?”
He visibly squirmed. “Well, the kids have been askin’ for ya. Drivin’ me crazy with questions.”
“Well, you tell them they can come visit me anytime, or I’ll just see them in church on Sunday, ok?”
Frank pushed a button on the wall and the gate began to open. “Will do. Welcome home, Carmen.”
With one last brilliant smile, Carmen drove the truck through the gate. She tapped her hands on the steering wheel in an ever-increasing tempo as they came closer, then sighed as she finally steered the truck into the circular driveway.
“Oh…my…god,” Corbin said as he stared out of the window.
Carmen suddenly squealed again as a tall, very handsome man appeared in the open doorway of the house. “Papí!”
As Carmen vaulted out of the car, up the front steps of the house, and into the man’s outstretched arms, the rest of them got out of the car and stared in awe at the huge, in fact palatial, residence.
“Wow,” Vanessa gasped. “We are definitely in the OC.”



Friday
“Come on in, just make yourselves at home,” Carmen said as the group entered the house. “Welcome to ‘Casa Carmen’.”
Corbin let out a low whistle as they walked through the foyer. Their shoes squeaked on the white shiny marble floors. Carmen and her Dad led the way into the family room. It was there that Carmen made all the introductions. She couldn’t help but be nervous when her Dad fixed Zac with one of the hard, unforgiving stares he usually reserved for errant junior executives, but she barely managed to hold in her sigh of relief when Daddy grinned and pumped Zac’s offered hand.
“Welcome to our home,” Daddy said, keeping an arm around Carmen. “My wife, Carmen’s mother, would be here, but she’s stuck in a meeting.” He glanced down, saw Carmen’s pouty frown, and tightened his arm around her in reassurance. “But she promised that she’ll be home in time to make dinner.”
Carmen perked up. “Ooh, y’all haven’t tasted anything until you’ve tasted my Mom’s cooking.”
“Well, thank you for having us, Mr. De Marco,” Monique said.
As Zac, Vanessa, Corbin, and Ashley voiced their thanks, Mr. De Marco shook his head. “Call me Paolo, or Mr. D. Thank you, Steven, David,” he said as two men in green jumpsuit uniforms finished bringing everyone’s luggage in from the truck. He checked his watch and sighed. “I’m sorry princesa, but I have to head back to the office. But I promise I’ll be back for dinner, ok?” He kissed Carmen’s forehead and made his way out of the room.
“Are you coming back for me or Mom’s cooking?” Carmen called after him.
“If you would help your mother fix dinner, then I wouldn’t have to answer that!” He ducked the couch pillow Carmen threw at him and laughed. “See you later kids! Our house is your house!” he called as he scooted out the door.
Carmen rolled her eyes, but couldn’t help smiling. “Come on you guys, let’s go upstairs so you can pick out your rooms.”
As the group made their way back into the foyer, Ashley raised an eyebrow. “Rooms? As in, we can have our own?”
“God, no. Geez, we’re not the British Royal Family!”

A little later after everyone had settled into their rooms, they all gathered in Carmen’s room, the girls sprawled across her bed, while Zac and Corbin reclined in over-stuffed chairs.
“Carmen, I love your room,” Vanessa said with envy. “I love your whole house.”
Carmen kicked off her tennis shoes and slid out of her socks. “You haven’t even seen my whole house, ‘Nessa,” she said as she plopped down in Zac’s lap. “I’ll give you guys a tour later…at least of the kitchen.”
“Cuz that’s where the food is. Excellent choice,” Corbin said, and then picked up a picture from Carmen’s small bedside table. His eyes widened as he gazed at it. “I sincerely hope these are your friends…”
“Gimme that,” Monique said, grabbing the photo from him and rolling her eyes. “This is such a cute picture! Who are these people?”
“Let me see it.” Monique passed the framed photo to Vanessa, who passed it back to Corbin on the floor, who tossed it to Zac, who handed it to Carmen. “This girl with the red hair? That’s Heather. She’s my best friend in the whole world,” Carmen said, holding up the picture so they could see who she was pointing to. “The black girl is Persia, and the guys are Trey and Adrian.”
Ashley picked up another photo. “Forget about them,” she said slowly, turning the picture so everyone could see, “Who…is this?”
Carmen smirked. It was an professionally done photo of Carmen within the arms of a very good looking guy with dark hair and eyes. “That’s –“
“Me. One of my better pictures, I must say.”
Carmen let loose an ear-splitting shriek and leapt out of the chair and into the newcomer’s embrace. The same dark haired, dark eyed guy hugged her close, holding her up off of the ground and spinning her around. When he finally set her down, she faced her friends with a huge smile. “Guys, this is my brother Ricky.” As introductions were made all around, Vanessa couldn’t help but notice how good looking Ricky was. Man, this family has good genes, she thought to herself. I hope all the guys in this town are this hot.
“Everyone’s so psyched about y’all being here,” Ricky said, leaning against the doorjamb. “Heather told me to tell you that there’s a bonfire tonight on the beach.”
“Cool! That way, you guys can meet everyone at once,” Carmen said excitedly. “And since the bonfire’s not until tonight, I guess now’s the perfect time for the tour.”

Later that evening, Carmen, Ricky, the rest of the piled back into the truck and headed for the beach. After the tour of the house and grounds, they had lain around for a while, just relaxing. Then they had gotten dressed for an evening at the beach. Vanessa changed into white jean shorts, a grey USC T-shirt that she had borrowed from Carmen, and a white cardigan, just in case the sea air turned cold. Carmen had rolled the windows down, and while everyone else in the car chatted, Vanessa gazed out of the window, relishing the feeling of the fragrant and slightly salty breeze ruffle her long hair . She sighed, smiling. She couldn’t remember a time when she felt this relaxed. Life since HSM had been…interesting, to say the least. Now, she finally felt as if she could kick back and be a kid...at least until next Sunday. A week is all I need.
“We’re here!”
They all piled out of the truck and began walking down the beach.
“Who all is gonna be there?” Carmen asked Ricky.
“Heather, Persia, Trey, your whole cheerleading posse, plus Aaron, Adrian, some more of the guys from the team…you know, everybody.”
“I see smoke,” Zac announced, pointing to the distance. Their group walked a little further down and rounded a group of tall, craggy rocks. Vanessa felt a curl of self-consciousness settle in her stomach as she saw a large group of people around a roaring fire. They were all gathered around, standing or sitting in little groups, laughing and talking. A few guys were throwing a football around, and a few people were roasting hot dogs and marshmallows.
As they approached, an ear-splitting shriek rose in the air. “Carmen!”
Carmen echoed the shriek and ran towards the girl responsible for the first shriek, and they hugged enthusiastically. By the time Vanessa and the rest of them had caught up to Carmen, she and the girl Vanessa recognized from Carmen’s pictures as Heather were talking a mile a minute.
“I’m so glad you guys could come!” Heather exclaimed. “I’m Heather, but Carmen tells me you already know that. Come on, we’ll introduce you to everyone else.”
Heather grabbed Vanessa’s hand and herded her toward the fire. In the next few minutes, Vanessa was bombarded with so many names and faces, her head was spinning, but everyone was really nice. After all the introductions had been made, Vanessa sat down on a log in the sand and watched the goings-on. Even though she was sitting by herself, she was content to watch everyone having fun. Corbin had been inducted into the makeshift football game, Monique and Ashley had joined the group that was roasting marshmallows on the fire, and Zac and Carmen were stuck together at the hip, as usual, laughing and chatting with Heather and another group of people. Zac had a possessive arm around Carmen’s waist, and during a break in the conversation, Carmen smiled up at him and he kissed her forehead. Vanessa couldn’t help the stab of jealousy she felt as she witnessed the easy affection they shared. It seemed as though Carmen had everything Vanessa had always dreamed of. With a sigh, Vanessa turned her head to watch the waves roll back and forth on the sand.
“Could I interest you in a wiener?”
Vanessa looked up with a frown. “What?”
The guy who had spoken hunkered down to her level and held up a package of hot dogs. “A hot dog. Do you want a hot dog?”
Vanessa stared into the deepest pair of chocolate brown eyes she had ever seen. “Uh…yeah, sure.”
He nodded and stood up, taking a hot dog out of the plastic package and sticking on a long and thin stick of metal. Vanessa stood up as he stuck it over the fire. “How do you take it? Rare, medium, well done…”
“Surprise me…as long as it isn’t crunchy.”
“Works for me,” he answered. He stuck out a hand to shake. “I’m Trey.”
Vanessa put her hand in his and smiled. “Vanessa.”
Trey let go of her hand and turned back to the fire, but not before giving Vanessa a slow, easy grin that could have easily belonged to any movie star/famous heartthrob Vanessa could think of. A chilly breeze wafted in from the ocean, but it wasn’t enough to win out over the warm flush Vanessa could feel spreading over her face. Vanessa watched as he took up a conversation with a guy next to him and thought to herself, The O.C. never looked as good as it does right now.

Saturday
“This…is…the…life,” Vanessa sighed as she slid her sunglasses over her eyes and lay back on her reclining pool chair. “Carmen, when was the last time I thanked you for inviting me here?”
Carmen smiled as she turned the page of an ‘Archie and Jughead’ comic book. “About an hour ago after brunch.”
“Well I’m saying it again,” Vanessa murmured, relishing the warmth that seeped into her skin from the sun’s rays.
“Now this is a sight for sore eyes!”
Vanessa opened her eyes and nearly jumped out of her skin when she saw Trey hovering over her. He grinned. “Enjoying yourself?” he asked, sitting down on an unoccupied pool chair.
Vanessa closed her eyes and lay back, more to try and recover than appear nonchalant. “Why yes, I am…thank you for asking.”
“Hey Trey,” Carmen said, never looking up from her comic book. “What are you up to?”
“Just came by to see what you guys are doing…a whole lot of nothing, I see,” he said with a smile.
“Yeah well, the boys are inside. I for one have no intention of leaving this spot for quite some time,” Carmen said with a relaxed sigh. “Maybe they’ll wanna do something.”
“Okay, I’ll check.”
Trey got up and went into the house through the sliding glass door, and Vanessa let out a breath she didn’t know she had been holding.
“Are you okay, Vanessa?” Carmen asked with a raised eyebrow. “Is the sun getting to you?”
“No…no, he just startled me, that’s all,” Vanessa explained, shifting her body. “Why wouldn’t I be okay?”
Carmen turned another page and shrugged. “No reason,” she said with a knowing smile. “I just thought you be happy to see Trey. You two got along so well at the bonfire last night and everything…”
“We were just talking,” Vanessa said abruptly.
“Okay, forget I said anything…”
The sliding glass door opened, and Zac, Corbin, and Trey came out onto the pool deck. Zac hunkered down next to Carmen’s chair. “Baby, we’re gonna go play basketball with Trey and the guys.”
“Okay,” Carmen answered him, and gave him a kiss.
“I’ll call you later!” Zac called as they left the house by the back gate.
Vanessa watched them go, then sighed. She found Carmen looking at her. “What?”
Carmen smiled, and was about to say something when Ashley stuck her head out of the house. “Carmen, is there any ice cream around here?”
“That’s like asking if we have any oxygen,” Carmen said, getting up from her chair, and grabbing Vanessa’s hand, went into the house. She found Monique and Ashley already in the kitchen, so she quickly found several flavors of ice cream, bowls, and spoons, and the four girls dug in.
Suddenly, there was a loud beeping noise from a panel in the kitchen wall. Carmen got up and pressed the flashing red button. “What’s up, Frank?”
“Your friends Heather and Persia are here.”
“Thanks. Tell ‘em to come on in,” Carmen answered, and came back to the table and her ice cream. Moments later, the front door opened and closed.
“Carmen? Where are you?” Heather’s voice called.
“In the kitchen!” Carmen yelled back, and greetings were exchanged all around when the two newcomers entered the kitchen.
“Ooh, just in time!” Heather said, licking her lips as she helped herself to her own bowl of ice cream. “Oh, you guys haven’t met Persia yet. She couldn’t come to the bonfire. Persia, this is Ashley, Monique-“
“And Vanessa, I know. Hi,” Persia said, scooping ice cream into her own bowl. “Some form of HSM is playing at my house at all times. No offense, but I cannot wait for another DCOM to come out. At least then I can listen to a different soundtrack.”
“Persia!” Carmen exclaimed, sounding perfectly scandalized.
“What?” Persia said around a mouthful of ice cream. “I’m just sayin’…”
“No Carmen, it’s okay,” Monique giggled. “Believe me, I barely even sing in this movie, and I’m totally sick of “We’re All In This Together.”
Ashley nodded in agreement. “Bop to the Top.”
Vanessa made a face. “The Start of Something New.”
The girls all laughed together, then Heather leaned back in her chair with her bowl. “So, did you hear about Tara’s little get together later?”
Carmen’s spoon froze on the way to her mouth. “No, why?”
“She said she called to invite you, but you didn’t call her back,” Persia said. “She’s having a ‘little get together at Casa Tara’s. You know, so we can all hang out and stuff”,” she said in a high-pitched nasally voice.
Carmen picked up her cell phone and checked her messages. “Yeah, she called me… listen.”
Carmen turned the speakerphone on and placed her phone on the table. A high pitched voice said, “Hi, Carmen this is Tara. I just wanted to let you know that I’m having a little get together at my place. You know, so we can all hang out and stuff.” The girls all giggled at how accurately Persia had mimicked her. “It’ll be on Saturday, sometime in the evening. Just come on over anytime after 5. Oh, and you can bring your friends…if you want. See ya there!”
Carmen clicked her phone off. “Well, I guess we should go…”
“Are you serious?” Persia asked incredulously. “You’re really gonna go to that girl’s party?”
“Well, she actually called and invited me…us. Maybe now we can finally move past all the drama. I’m just…not into it anymore.” She sighed. “So let’s just go tonight, be civil, and clear the air, okay?”
“Is there something…wrong with this Tara person?” Vanessa asked, curious about why Persia and Heather seemed so against the idea.
“No there’s nothing wrong with her…except that she’s a backstabbing, scum-sucking, roadwho-“
“Heather!” Carmen exclaimed.
“What? She is!”
Carmen stood up and began gathering up their empty bowls. “Remember what I said a few seconds ago? About squashing the drama?” Heather rolled her eyes. “Will you two promise me to at least try to be civil tonight? I would really like my only trip home in the last 5 months to be drama-free, if you don’t mind.”
Persia sighed. “Fine.”
“But if she and that trained minion of hers give me even one of those condescending looks…” Heather began menacingly.
“You will turn around and walk away. Far away,” Carmen finished for her.
Ashley cocked an eyebrow. “Well, I think tonight could get very, very interesting.”


“Whoa…Tara’s house is almost as big as yours,” Corbin said to Carmen as he, Zac, Carmen, Ashley, Monique, Vanessa, Heather, and Persia made their way up the driveway and into the back gate leading to the backyard of Tara’s house.
“Yeah, and it’s been her pet peeve for years,” Persia said, threading her arm through Corbin’s. “That’s why I love reminding her of it.”
As the others laughed and giggled, Carmen sighed with exasperation. “Hey! You guys promised, right?”
“Yeah, yeah, whatever,” Heather said crossly yanking on the hem of her skirt. “Let’s just get this over with.”

“Hello, hello!”
Carmen couldn’t stop a miniscule grimace on her face before turning to greet-
“Tara, Maggie, how are you?”
The three girls exchanged air kisses, then stepped away from each other. “Oh, just fine,” Tara answered. “And these must be your new friends!”
“Yeah. This is Corbin, Ashley, Monique, Vanessa and Zac.”
“Welcome to my home,” Tara said smiling prettily at them. “We would’ve met at the bonfire, but sadly, I was…erroneously unaware. This is my friend Maggie.” As Maggie smiled and batted her eyelashes, Vanessa couldn’t help but feel a little wary of them. It was something about the way they both smiled and acted…and the predatory way Tara was eyeing Zac made Vanessa’s skin crawl. “Well, all the drinks and food are over there on that table, so you just help yourselves.”
As Tara and Maggie flounced away, Monique cocked an eyebrow. “Persia, Heather, now I understand what you were talking about.”
“Hey guys!” Trey came and joined their group as they wandered towards the refreshment table. He and the other guys did that handshake thing that Vanessa had always thought was a little weird, and then he turned to Vanessa and smiled. “Man, I thought you guys would never get here. I couldn’t get Tara off my back.”
“Well, we’re here now,” Persia said, taking a sip of her soda.
“Yeah! Now Vanessa can protect you,” Heather agreed.
Vanessa felt her face turn at least 3 shades of red as the other girls giggled, and the boys grinned, including Trey. “Well, in that case…” He took Vanessa’s hand. “I guess we’ll see you guys later.”
“Bye,” Carmen sang as Trey drew Vanessa away, red face and all.
Trey led her over to the refreshment table and got her a cup of punch. “Thank you,” Vanessa said as she took a sip. Her eyes wandered until she saw a wooden swing set on the grass near the fence on the other side of the yard. “Aw, how cute!” She took off across the yard, and was sitting and swinging slowly when Trey caught up to her. He shook his head as he watched her.
“What?” Vanessa asked.
“Nothing. It’s just that it’s been a long time since I’ve seen any girl over the age of 10 on a swing set. Most girls are too worried about messing up their hair.”
“That, my friend, is what a ponytail is for,” Vanessa said, motioning towards her hair-do.
He smiled, then set his drink down next to hers and moved behind her, giving her a gentle push. “I’m sure you get this a lot, but what’s it like to be famous?”
“Tiring,” Vanessa answered, feeling a tiny curl of warmth in her stomach from his touch on her upper back. “Honestly, this break couldn’t have come at a better time. I felt like…I don’t know. I just really needed a vacation.”
“And what better place to vacation than a small beachside town where the press and crazy fans can’t get to you?” Trey said, squatting down to her level as the swing came to a stop.
Vanessa laughed. “Well, I have to admit that played a tiny part in the decision. But I’ve never felt so relaxed in my entire life. I’m really glad I came.”
Trey smiled. “Yeah, me too.”
As she gazed into his eyes and watched the warm color deepen as he smiled, Vanessa felt as if everything in her life was changing… again. But this time, she was ready and waiting.

“How disgustingly cute.” Maggie smirked as she watched Vanessa and Trey laughing together. “I can’t believe he’s even wasting his time with her. She’s practically Mary Poppins.”
“Well, I can’t believe that Carmen actually came tonight,” Tara said smugly. “Maybe she finally realizes that she doesn’t rule the roost anymore. Even if she does have all of her famous friends with her like some sort of drooling, paid posse.”
Maggie raised an eyebrow. “You told her to bring them. They’re visiting for the week, so it’s not like she can leave them at her house. Besides, you know you wanted Zac to come.”
Both girls turned and watched him as he visited with a group of guys by the hot tub. “You’re right, he is delicious, isn’t he?” Tara practically purred. “I think I’ll go over there and see if he needs anything.” Tara smoothed her miniskirt and re-applied her lipgloss. “Oh, and Mags, If you’re so against Trey going after that Girl Scout wannabe, why don’t you just do something about it?” As Tara made her way towards Zac and the guys, Maggie looked over to see Vanessa and Trey coming back towards the party. Maybe I will.

“Um Carmen, I think you need to go retrieve your man candy,” Heather said.
Carmen looked to where Heather was pointing and frowned. Tara was hanging onto Zac’s arm, batting her eyelashes and giggling prettily behind a perfectly manicured hand. Some other boys in the group looked on while Zac looked decidedly uncomfortable.
“Excuse me,” Carmen said, and went over to them.
“Well, here we go again,” Persia said as she, Heather, Ashley, Monique, and Corbon watched Carmen step in between Tara and Zac. “That girl will never change.”
“What’s going on?” Vanessa asked as she and Trey joined them.
“Tara’s up to her old tricks,” Heather answered.
“Does this have anything to do with why you guys don’t like her?” Corbin asked, popping a cheese ball into his mouth.
“What…Carmen hasn’t told you?” Heather asked.
“Heather…” Trey said warily.
“They need to know!” Heather motioned for them to gather tightly around her. “Tara was our friend once. She was always a little bit of a brat, but we liked her. But I could tell she was always kinda jealous of Carmen. But then…” Heather paused and took a deep breath, almost as if she was too angry to continue. Persia did it for her.
“Tara helped Carmen’s ex-boyfriend cheat on her,” Persia announce in a low tone.
Vanessa, Ashley and Monique gasped, while Corbin’s mouth hung open.
“No way!” Ashley exclaimed.
“When did this happen?” Vanessa asked.
“Last year, in junior year,” Heather answered. “When word got out, Carmen was heartbroken. But at least Tara was blacklisted for her crime. Maggie is her only friend now, and she’s just as bad as Tara.”
“Well, if Maggie is her only friend, then what are all these people doing here, at her party?” Vanessa asked.
“Word got around that Carmen, and you guys, were gonna be here. And I really, really hope Tara knows that.”
“Bottom line, now you guys know where we’re coming from,” Persia said. “The important thing is that you guys stay as far away from Tara and Maggie as humanly possible. For your own good.”

Tuesday
“This is too cute!” Carmen exclaimed, picking up a blouse from a low shelf. “This would be great on you, Ashley.”
“Really?” Ashley said, taking it and making a face. “I guess…”
Vanessa, Carmen, Monique, Ashley, Persia, and Heather had been shopping for quite some time, long enough that the girls had to return to the car to drop off the first load of bags, and now they were back in the mall. Vanessa took a sip of her soda, and flipped through a rack of clothes. Shopping. With girls. More than one girl…and no boys. No offense to Zac…I mean he has good taste for a guy, but sometimes you need another woman’s opinion. This is great.
“So Vanessa, what’s up with you and Trey?” Monique asked.
“What do you mean?” Vanessa asked turning towards another rack to hide her suddenly flushed face.
“She means that you two are practically stuck together at the hip,” Carmen said. “It’s cute actually. It’s about time someone calmed him down.”
“Yeah, well good luck with that,” snorted Persia.
“Persia…” Carmen said warily.
“Look, just because Trey is your best guy friend doesn’t mean you can totally ignore his faults.”
Carmen rolled her eyes and moved to leave the store. As the rest of the girls followed her, Vanessa made her way to the front of the group. “What do guys mean, ‘his faults’? Am I missing something?”
Encouraged by meaningful looks from Heather and Persia, Carmen sighed and threaded her arm through Vanessa’s. “Well, I have to admit that Trey can be a little…flaky…when it comes to girls.”
“Carmen, tell that girl the truth!” Persia exclaimed, then took Vanessa’s other arm. “Look, the truth is Trey can be a player.”
Vanessa didn’t know what to say. Carmen took her silence for acceptance. “He’s really not bad. I know it’s a little stereotypical, but Trey wasn’t always as good looking as he is today…when we first met, he looked like that nerdy kid from “The Wonder Years”.”
All of the other girls burst into laughter, but Vanessa was shocked. “So…what are you saying?”
“I’m saying that you and Trey…it could be a good thing. But I’d be careful if I were you,” Persia said, patting her arm kindly, then gasped. “Wicked! I love those jeans!”, and she veered off to look at a pair of jeans on display. The rest of the girls followed her, including Vanessa, but her mind was grinding away at the information she had just heard.
Trey? A player? How is the possible? He’s so…
“Vanessa! Come on, Neiman Marcus calls!”
As Vanessa walked quickly to catch up, her cell phone rang.
“Hello?” she answered as she caught up to the rest of the girls. “Oh hey Mom!...Everything’s great. We’re just doing some shopping…yeah, I’m having fun.” Vanessa looked at Carmen and returned her smile as she threaded her arm through Carmen’s. “It’s just us girls right now. The boys left this morning to—do something, I dunno…Really?... … uh huh…uh huh…Well, how’s Stella?......that’s cool…okay…okay…I love you too. Bye Mom.” Vanessa flipped her phone closed. “That was my Mom, just checking on me…” Just then, Vanessa’s phone rang again.
“My, aren’t we popular today?” Ashley said with a smile.
Vanessa shrugged and answered her phone. “Hello?”
“Hey Vanessa…it’s Trey.”
Vanessa almost forgot to answer him. “Uh…how did you get this number?”
“Zac gave it to me…I hope…that’s okay, right?”
“Oh! Yeah, sure. I mean…I guess. What’s up, Trey?”
“Well, my family and I are going upstate for a couple of days to visit my grandparents. We’re leaving tomorrow morning.”
“Oh, that’s cool.” As soon as Vanessa had sad Trey’s name, the entire group of girls had stopped dead in their tracks, effectively blocking the mall walkway. They were all crowded around Vanessa, eager for details.
“So…I’m not gonna be around for a while, so I wanted to ask you…if we could…you know…go to the carnival together? And maybe the party afterwards?”
“Um…” Suddenly, Vanessa had a hard time breathing. “Uh…”
“Are you okay?” Trey asked.
“Yeah…yeah, I’m fine. I’d love to go to the carnival…with you.”
Carmen could barely hear Trey’s reply above the girlish squeals that filled the air. “Great. I gotta go now, still have some packing to do and stuff, but I’ll see you Friday, alright?”
“Yeah…yeah, sure. See ya.”
The squeals continued as Vanessa hung up her phone once again.
“Vanessa’s got a date! Vanessa’s got a date!” Monique sang, and the rest of the girls joined her, hopping around in little circles. “Vanessa’s got a date! Vanessa’s got a date!”
“You guys!!” Vanessa exclaimed, stuffing her phone back into her purse as her face went bright red.
“That’s so cute!” Carmen said, taking Vanessa’s arm. “He’s taking you to the carnival!”
“What carnival is this?” Ashley asked as the girls resumed walking.
“Every year around this time, we have our annual Founding Father’s Carnival and Luau,” Persia exclaimed. “The entire city gets involved. The elementary school kids have been making the decorations for weeks. I should know, I have glitter coming out of my eardrums from helping my sisters.”
“A lot of the clubs at the high school are manning booths or serving food and stuff,” Heather added. “Our cheerleading squad volunteered to serve food and drinks at the luau. All of the money raised is divided up between the elementary, middle, and high schools.”
“That sounds fun,” Monique said, then looked around. “Uh, are we walking in circles, cuz I just bought a t-shirt there…”
“Yep, we’ve circled the entire mall. I guess we’re done here,” Carmen said, digging her keys out of her purse.
“Man, I’ve gotta get home. I’m on sibling duty tonight,” Persia said.
“Can you give me a ride?” Heather asked.
“Sure.”
“That’s cool,” Carmen said. “We’ve have to go pick up the boys at the Surf Shoppe.”
After goodbyes were exchanged, Heather and Persia went their own way, and the other four girls went to find the truck.
“This place is great,” Monique sighed. “I haven’t had the chance to shop like that since…a long time.”
“Thanks for inviting us, Carmen,” Ashley said.
“You guys don’t have to keep thanking me!” Carmen answered her as they got to the car. “I’m glad you’re here and having fun.”
“Yeah? Well I think Vanessa’s having more fun then all of us put together,” Monique said with a sly smile.
Vanessa rolled her eyes and the girls giggled. Carmen started up the car and left the mall, and once again Vanessa gazed out of the window. Her insides were a jumble as she thought about Trey. He was so…Trey. The sounds of the other girls chatting faded away as Vanessa pictured his perfectly wavy brown hair, smiling brown eyes, and the way the corners of his eyes crinkled when he laughed or smiled. With another sigh, Vanessa could almost smell his woodsy cologne. She never thought she would meet a guy like him…or that he would ever be interested in someone like her. But the things the other girls had said fueled the niggling doubts in the back of her mind. Does he really like me? Suddenly, Vanessa was snapped out of her reverie by Carmen’s outraged cry.
“Unbelievable!”
Carmen parked and jumped out of the car. “Oh no,” Ashley said, then jumped out after her. “Carmen! Wait for us!”
Vanessa followed, dreading the scene that was about to commence. Carmen had parked the truck across the street from the Surf Shoppe, a popular hangout near the beach where people could buy surf gear, swimwear, and milkshakes. There were a few scattered tables outside where customers could sit and visit. Zac and Corbin were sitting at one of those tables along with a few other guys that Trey had introduced them to. But they weren’t the only ones hanging out. Tara and Maggie were there…and Tara was practically sitting on Zac’s lap.
“Oh boy,” muttered Vanessa as they reached them.
“Well, is everyone having fun?” Carmen asked, crossing her arms.
Zac gave her a pleading look as Tara gave a simpering smile. “Oh hi Carmen! I guess shopping went well.”
“It did,” Carmen answered. “And how about you? What have you been up to today?”
“Oh nothing, the usual,“ Maggie said, coming to stand next to
Carmen gave a short laugh. “Well, I can certainly see that.” She took one step further, anger radiating off of her in waves, and both Tara and Maggie’s smirks wavered. “Sorry to spoil the fun, but we will be leaving now.” Carmen took Zac’s hand, and with one last icy glare, pulled him away across the street. The rest of them followed her.

To be honest, Vanessa had been afraid to say anything on the ride back to Carmen’s house, and so had everyone else. As soon as they had reached the house, Carmen walked quite calmly up the stairs and into her room.
Zac watched her go, a puzzled look on his face.
“Zac,” Vanessa had said, putting a hand on his arm, “I suggest you go up there and try a little damage control.”
He sighed, then went up after.
That’s when it started
Corbin, Monique, Ashley, and Vanessa now sat downstairs at the kitchen table, where they could hear Carmen. She wasn’t quite yelling, but she was venting her anger quite loudly…in Spanish.
“Poor Zac,” Vanessa said.
“This is definitely not a happy discussion,” Corbin muttered.
“What were you guys doing with her anyway?” Monique asked.
“Yeah,” Ashley said, and all three girls turned to face Corbin, frowning. “What possessed you to hang out with those girls?”
“Even after what Heather and Persia told us?” Vanessa added.
“We didn’t go to hang out with them!” Corbin exclaimed. “We were just playing football on the beach, and then the other guys wanted to get milkshakes and stuff, so we went to the Shoppe. Tara and Maggie didn’t show up until after Zac called Carmen to tell her where we were.” The girls exchanged doubtful looks. “I swear!” Corbin continued. “Maggie and Tara showed up out of nowhere and pounced…like vultures. They’d only been there for a couple of minutes when you guys showed up, honest.”
Ashley leaned back in her chair and sighed. “This could get very ugly.”
“What’s ugly?”
“Oh, hey Ricky.” Ricky and Corbin did that handshake thing again, then Ricky pulled up a chair to the table. “We had a little run-in with Tara and Maggie earlier.”
Ricky snorted. “That’s never good.” He tilted his head to the side, then smiled as a fresh burst of angry Spanish floated down the stairs. “Man, she’s pissed. What happened now?” The others gave him the Reader’s Digest version, and he shook his head. “I’m not surprised. Tara and Maggie aren’t quite right in the head. I guess all that jealousy has bred stupidity.”
“What do you mean?” Vanessa asked.
“Well, I’m sure you’ve heard the whole story about the ex-boyfriend?” At their nods, he continued. “It’s weird, cuz Tara and Heather used to be best friends.”
“Wait,” Monique said, holding up one hand. “Tara and Heather? Heather hates Tara.”
“Believe it,” Ricky said. “Before we moved here, they were inseparable. Apparently, the two of them ruled the roost, so to speak. But when we moved here at the start of 7th grade, Carmen started joining all of these clubs, like cheerleading and stuff, the same clubs that Heather and Tara were in. They became like the Three Musketeers or something. I preferred calling them The Three Stooges, but that’s just me.” As the others laughed, Ricky got up, went over to the fridge and poured himself a glass of milk. “I guess it all started when Carmen started getting more attention. Tara had always been an attention-grabber, and people were glad to give it to her.” He leaned against the kitchen counter. “But Carmen never actively sought attention…but she sure got it. It’s because of that, and the fact that she’s a really great person, that people flocked to her, and Tara got jealous. And when she got jealous, she became progressively more of an inconsiderate harpy, until Heather didn’t want to hang out with her anymore. No one wanted to hang out with her anymore.”
“Wow,” Corbin said.
“Yeah,” Ricky answered, and then took a large swig of milk. “They had their little rivalry or whatever…it was really one-sided, because Carmen didn’t really do anything, but Tara would always try to find some way to make everything about her. Then Maggie came into the picture, and now that she had someone to share her evil with, Tara seemed to back off for a while.” Ricky finished his milk and put his glass in the sink. “That’s when…it...happened.”
“By ‘it’, I assume you mean the whole boyfriend stealing thing,” Vanessa said.
“Yep. I never really trusted the dude, but what was I supposed to say? All I know is Carmen cried herself to sleep for days afterwards, and I had a really hard time convincing myself not to kill him with my bare hands.”
“How sweet.” They all turned to see Zac and Carmen at the entrance to the kitchen. “I didn’t know you cared,” Carmen continued, patting a hand on Ricky’s arm before taking his seat at the table. Zac posted up next to Ricky.
“You’re not mad that Ricky told us, are you?” Monique asked tentatively.
Carmen sighed. “No, I’m not mad. I’m a little worn out actually.”
“I take it the Spanish Inquisition is over?” Corbin chuckled, then yelped in pain from a firm punch on the arm from Monique.
“I tend to get overwhelmingly bilingual when I’m angry,” Carmen said sheepishly. “I inherited it from my Mom.”
“So…everything’s cool now…right?” Vanessa asked hopefully, glancing at Zac.
Carmen sighed. “It’s fine. I should’ve known this would happen…that she would…but I didn’t want to believe that…I mean, people can change, right?” She didn’t wait for the others’ agreement before going on. “I figured that since I’ve been away for a while, she would…I don’t know, mellow out a bit.”
Zac came up behind Carmen and laid his hands on her shoulders. “Man…that girl gives me the heebie-jeebies. I thought she was going rape me right there in broad daylight.”
Hysterical laughter greeted Carmen’s parents as they came home.
“Well, it’s nice to see you kids having fun,” Carmen’s mom Marisa said as she put her briefcase down and took off her suit jacket. “What’s so funny?”
All of the “kids” looked at each other, and then burst out laughing once again.
“I wouldn’t go there if I were you,” Dad said, chuckling as he loosened his tie and headed off to his study.
“Okay,” Marisa said loudly, grabbing an apron from a nail embedded in the kitchen wall, “Who wants to help make dinner?”
“I’ll help Mom,” Carmen answered her, and still giggling, went over to the sink to wash her hands.
“Yeah, us too,” the other girls agreed.
“Good, that way it’ll be done much sooner,” Mom said with a smile.
Ricky rubbed his hands together. “Well then, if you need us, Zac, Corbin and I will be in the den, where I will destroy them both in Grand Theft Auto.”
“Whatever, dude!” Zac exclaimed, and they were about to leave the kitchen.
“Stay close boys,” Mom said. “We have an unwritten law around here: Whosoever doth not help with dinner shall do the dishes at meals end.”
“Aw, man!”

Thursday
“How am I supposed to relax…with all of this heinous noise?”
Maggie lowered her sunglasses to the bridge of her nose and turned her head, looking over at the group causing the noise. The HSM kids had finally been recognized, and were in the middle of giving an impromptu dance lesson to a group of kids further down the beach. They were all dancing, or something like it, to “We’re All in This Together”. “I guess they had to do some kind of charity work this week. Personally, I’d rather they just signed autographs or something.”
“They’re really starting to annoy me,” Tara grumbled, spraying tan oil over her arms.
Maggie snorted. “By they, you mean Zac and Carmen, right?”
“God, they’re constantly all over each other,” Tara said. “It makes me sick.”
“No luck, huh?” Maggie said with a smile. “That’s strange. You’ve done it before…I think your abilities are starting to slip.”
Tara glared at her. “What about you? Any luck with Trey lately?”
Maggie pursed her lips, flipped her sunglasses down back over her eyes and shrugged. “Yes…some.”
Tara smirked. “Yeah, right.”
“What am I supposed to do?” Maggie huffed. “He’s not even here until tomorrow! Besides, I can barely draw him away from Girl Scout Barbie over there.” She sighed and shrugged. “Apparently, he’s turned in his Player card.”
Tara gave Maggie a sly look. “Or has he?”
Maggie pushed her sunglasses back up to her forehead and raised an eyebrow. “What are you thinking?”
“I, for one, can’t imagine that Trey could go from player to pansy overnight. Maybe we should remind him of all that he’s missing. Remind him that monotony is just plain boring.”
By now, both girls had big, calculating smiles. “What do you have in mind?” Maggie asked.
“Okay, here’s what we’ll do…”

Friday
“Yo, Vanessa!”
Carmen went over and pressed the talk button on the intercom. “Yes?”
“Hey, tell Vanessa that Trey’s here,” Ricky’s voice said.
Vanessa’s stomach jumped up into her throat, then back down again. She rushed to Carmen’s full length mirror and gave herself one last look. “Are you sure I look okay? This isn’t too…informal?”
“You’re going to a carnival, not a country club,” Monique said coming up beside her. “You look fine. Cute, even.”
“Thanks. I always like to look ‘cute’ on dates,” Vanessa said sarcastically.
Ashley slung an arm around Vanessa’s shoulders. “You’re nervous, aren’t you?”
Vanessa covered her face with her hands and moaned, and the other girls gathered around her in a group hug. When the hug was over, Vanessa picked up her purse from Carmen’s bed, squared her shoulders, and went downstairs.

“So, what do you think?”
Vanessa smiled at a group of kids running past with bundles of balloons in their hands. “It’s so cool. There’s real rides and everything!”
“What’d you expect?” Trey asked.
“I dunno…all the carnivals we had in my hometown consisted of a Ferris Wheel, a Tilt-O-Whirl, and a couple of hot dog stands.”
Trey rubbed his hands together. “Speaking of hot dogs, you want one?”
“Sure.”
After they had gotten their hotdogs, the two walked down the main thoroughfare of the carnival. “So, how was the visit to your grandparents?” Vanessa asked before taking a bite.
“It was good,” Trey answered after swallowing his first bite. “I like hanging out with my Grandpa. He has all of these old stories about romancing all of these British women while he was stationed in England during World War II. He says he was a real rake before he met my Grandma.
Maybe you inherited it from him. “That’s cool.”
“Yeah, plus we did some fishing and stuff. But I’m glad to be back. I missed you.”
Vanessa was so surprised by his statement that she stopped walking. “What?”
Trey tossed his hot dog wrapper in a nearby trash can and turned to face her. “I know we’ve only known each other for a few days…not even a week, but…it’s hard to explain.”
“Try,” Vanessa pushed.
Trey was silent for a few moments, and then took her hand. “Come on.”
Vanessa threw away her own empty hot dog wrapper and followed him away from the crowd. Trey walked her over to a picnic table, and while she sat down, he stood in front her. He’s even really, really cute when he’s nervous, Vanessa thought to herself while waiting for him to speak.
Eventually, he sat next to her and took a deep breath. “You’ve probably heard about me.”
Vanessa cocked an eyebrow. “Yeah…”
“I mean…you’ve probably heard that…I don’t’ have the best track record when it comes to girls.” Vanessa nodded solemnly and he continued. “I admit that’s true.”
“Oh.” Vanessa couldn’t help but feel disappointed. She’d really hoped that Trey wasn’t as bad as Persia had said.
“The truth is…I really like you.” Trey said the last part in a rush, as if just barely being able to say the words. “I know you’ve only been here for a little while, and you’re leaving in a couple of days but…”
He stopped again, looking very frustrated, but Vanessa didn’t need him to finish that sentence. She reached out and took his hand, threading her fingers through his and smiled. “Sometimes, talking is overrated.”
He tightened his fingers around hers and gave her a heart-stopping grin. He gazed into her eyes for a moment, then stood up, drawing her up along with him. “Come on, let’s go ride the Tilt-O-Whirl, since you seem to be so fond of them.” Vanessa laughed aloud and followed him back into the carnival crowd.

Night had fallen, and now Carmen, Ricky, Heather, Persia, Trey, and the HSM kids were all gathered at the Luau. Everyone was having a great time, and Carmen and Ricky were only mildly embarrassed at the sight of their parents dancing.
“Hey, at least your parents have rhythm,” Zac said. “Mine have a hard time walking in a straight line.”
“Zac!” Carmen exclaimed, hitting him on the arm. “That’s a horrible thing to say!”
“It’s true!” he insisted, laughing.
Ashley rolled her eyes, and then her amused half-smile suddenly disappeared. “Uh oh.”
Tara and Maggie had just swaggered in, immediately garnering attention with their skimpy bathing suit tops. Tara saw their group, and finger waved at Carmen, smiling smugly. Carmen’s eyes narrowed and Ricky put a hand on her arm.
“Don’t even think about it,” he warned.
Then, the two girls gave each other secret looks, and split up. “Those two are up to something,” Ricky said. “And I for one have no intention of being a part of it.”
Carmen’s ears perked up as the DJ changed songs. “Oh my God, I love this song!” She grabbed Zac’s hand, and since the song was a popular hit, the others followed them out onto the dance floor, and they promptly forgot about whatever Tara and Maggie had up their sleeves.
Vanessa smiled as she watched the others dancing. She had left them to get herself a cup of punch. She picked up a plastic red cup and filled it up with bright pink lemonade.
“Having fun?”
Vanessa turned to see Maggie filling her own cup with punch. “Yeah…I guess so,” she said warily.
Maggie chuckled. “I can see that you are. You and Trey are awfully…cute…together. It’s amazing really, how much he’s changed.” She took a sip of her punch and sighed. “I just hope it lasts.’
Vanessa narrowed her eyes. “What are you saying?”
Maggie lifted one shoulder in a lopsided shrug. “It’s just that Trey has tried so many times to…mend his ways, so to speak.”
“How…many?” Vanessa asked tentatively.
“Well, there was this girl from Madison High last term…”
“Wait a minute!” Vanessa exclaimed, interrupting her. “Whatever happens between Trey and I is none of your business. He told me everything.”
Vanessa turned to walk away when Maggie’s mocking voice stopped her. “Let me guess…he whisked you away to some secluded spot and poured out his heart and soul, saying he wanted to be with you even though you’re leaving in a few days…or something like that.” Maggie smirked secretly, and then arranged her face in a small frown of concern before Vanessa turned around.
Vanessa’s heart pounded. “I…I…”
Maggie took a step closer to her. “I’ve been watching you HSM kids, and it seems like you’ve been having a really great time here. I’d just hate to see your entire Spring Break spoiled because of Trey.”
Vanessa turned and fled, suddenly feeling an urgent need to find Trey. She left the hut where the dancing was, and wandered around on the beach, weaving through small groups of people socializing gaily. Eventually, she found Trey talking to a group of his friends and a few girls, including Tara.
“Whatever happened to that chick from Madison High?” one guy said.
Trey shook his head. “Her name is Drea. She called me the other day…”
“Man, she’s still sniffing around?” the same guy crowed. “You sure know how to keep ‘em coming back for more.”
“You pig!” one of the girls said, slapping him on the arm.
Tara spoke up. “So, you and that HSM chick seem to be getting along pretty well. How’s the outlook on scoring that one?”
“Who said anything about scoring?” Trey asked. “We’re just hanging out, no big deal.”
“Yeah, right,” the first boy snorted. “I’ve seen the way you two are “hanging out”. You’ve got plans, big plans. I can tell.”
“There is no plan,” Trey insisted.
“Wow,” Tara said. “I never thought I’d see the day when Trey turned into one of those sad relationship rejects. I guess you just don’t have it in you anymore.”
“Yeah,” a different guy said with a deep sigh, clapping a hand on Trey’s shoulder. “Trey the Player is no more.”
Trey shrugged the boy’s hand off of his shoulder. “What are you talking about? It’s not even that serious.’ Vanessa felt her heart turn to ice as she moved closer to hear what Trey said. He shrugged. “It’s not like she’s gonna be around forever. I’ll just have a little fun with her, and then she’ll leave. Maybe then I’ll give Drea a call.”
Vanessa couldn’t stop her sudden intake of breath, and when Trey whirled around and saw her, his eyes widened and he dropped his cup of punch. “Vanessa…”
Vanessa didn’t give him a chance to say anymore. She slapped him hard across the face.
While the others looked on in shock, Vanessa turned and began to walk away.
“Vanessa! Vanessa, wait!” Trey called after her.
Vanessa ignored him, and ran. She ran past the Luau Hut and up the beach. It wasn’t until she reached the parking lot that she collapsed on a bench and let the tears flow unchecked down her face.



Saturday morning
“Vanessa?”
Vanessa turned her head and looked over at the bedroom door from her perch on the window-seat. She wiped the last traces of tears from her cheeks and sighed. “Come in.”
Carmen poked her head in. “Are you okay?”
When Vanessa sighed yet again and moved to the bed, Ashley and Monique followed Carmen into the room. All four girls were still in their pajamas, and they all arranged themselves on the bed. No one spoke for a few moments, the other three girls watching Vanessa to try and gauge her feelings.
Finally, Ashley covered one of Vanessa’s hands with one of her own. “Nessa…I truly don’t even know what to say.”
“You don’t know what to say?” Carmen asked. “He was supposed to be my friend,” she muttered angrily. “I can’t believe he did this to you.”
“You know what, guys?” Vanessa said, “It’s not even that big of a deal.”
“Are you serious?” Monique asked incredulously.
“Yeah,” Vanessa answered with a little smile.
“But Vanessa…”
“You know, I’m getting kinda hungry,” Vanessa said, jumping up off of the bed. “Did I smell pancakes earlier?” She stepped into a pair of fuzzy pink flip-flops and disappeared out the door.
The other girls sat there after she had gone, a little surprised at her flippancy.
“She can’t really be okay with all of this…can she?” Ashley asked.
Monique shrugged, and Carmen sighed. “Maybe it’s a good thing that we’re leaving today. This entire week has been so Laguna Beach.”

Later that day, the group of friends were all packed up and loading their luggage back into the rental truck.
“Thanks for having us over, Mr. and Mrs. de Marco,” Corbin said as he and Zac tossed the last bag into the trunk.
“We’re very glad you kids could visit,” Mr. de Marco said drawing Carmen in for a hug. “We hope you had a good time.”
“Everything was great,” Ashley said with a smile, and then bit her lip. “Well…”
Vanessa smiled. “We all had a great time.”
After Carmen hugged her parents one last time, she tossed Zac the keys and they all climbed into the truck.
“Bye!” Carmen waved through the front window as Zac started the truck and drove around the far side of the circular drive …right before the loud sound of squealing tires brought him to an abrupt halt.
Carmen looked out of the window to see Trey jump out of his vintage Mustang. “No freakin’ way,” muttered angrily and started to get out of the truck, but Vanessa lay a hand on her shoulder from her seat behind Carmen.
“I”ll handle it,” she murmured, and stepped out of the truck.
“Vanessa!” Trey exclaimed when he saw her, and rushed over. The two of them met in the middle of the driveway.
“What are you doing here, Trey?” she asked, her hands in her jeans pockets.
“I thought you might’ve left already,” Trey gasped, as if he had run instead of driven over. “I just wanted to…to…”
“Apologize?” Vanessa prompted him.
“Yeah. Look Vanessa, I’m really sorry about what happened last night. I know it’s no excuse, but the guys and Tara kept ragging on me about you, and me and you, and I just wanted them to get off my back!” He sighed and shoved his hands into his pockets. “I’m really sorry about what I said, and I’m sorry that I hurt you.”
Vanessa gazed at him in silence for a moment, then sighed. “I’m sorry too.”
“For what?” Trey asked.
“Well, not really for anything…I’m just sorry this had to happen,” she answered him. “But in a way, I’m kinda glad it did.”
“What do you mean?” Trey asked with a frown.
Vanessa started to speak, and then hesitated. She walked past Trey and perched on the hood of his car. “I guess…I needed this to happen. No, let me finish,” she said when Trey would have interrupted. “Ever since HSM, I felt like my life was getting away from me. Don’t get me wrong, it’s been great, but sometimes I feel like…I’m not really experiencing anything. All the fame is cool and all but…” She shrugged. “This is so stereotypical, but it’s kinda lonely.”
“What about all your friends? The other stars…Ashley, Carmen?”
“They’re amazing! I’ve been telling myself over and over that I’m crazy for feeling this way, but it all keeps coming back. I looked at this week as a sort of new beginning, you know? I mean, it was kind of silly to think no one would know me here, but it was still nice to dream of an entire week of being Vanessa, not Gabriella. And then…”
Trey sighed, and sat next to her on the hood. “Then I came along, ruining your perfect Spring Break.”
“Trey, despite all that’s happened, you didn’t ruin it.” Vanessa pushed one lock of dark hair behind her ear. “It sucks that it happened, but…I’m glad I got to know the good side of you first, the really sweet side. When I was with you, it was that much easier to push Gabriella to the background and just be me…with the much appreciated accessory of you.”
When Trey raised an eyebrow, she smiled and laughed. He chuckled. “Hey, I have no problem being categorized as man-candy…just as long as it’s yours.”
As Vanessa’s smile slowly disappeared, Trey took her hand. “Vanessa, I know that I really, really screwed up…but I think we’d be good together. Just give me another chance.”
Vanessa looked away from him, and then down to their joined hands. “Trey, this week has been…good. I did everything I wanted to do. I relaxed, I swam in the ocean, I shopped…and I’m not afraid anymore.”
“Afraid of what?”
“All the time I was complaining to myself about not experiencing anything, I hadn’t realized that I was the one holding myself back. I was afraid to let myself take chances, be bold, make mistakes…and maybe…get hurt. Which I did, and now I have no idea why I wanted to experience it in the first place.” She squeezed Trey’s hand when he sighed. “Trey, I can’t say that it’s all okay, but I’m glad that I met you.”
“Does that mean…” Trey said hopefully.
“Trey, I really don’t think this is supposed to happen for us.”
He gave a one-shouldered shrug and a half-smile. “Yeah…I guess you’re right. I mean, you’re jet-setting all over the world, and I’m stuck here in Sun City, USA.”
He raised his eyes to hers, and they both gazed at each other, smiling. Vanessa’s eyes roved over his face, as if memorizing it. “I gotta go,” she finally murmured. At his nod, she stood up and took a few steps towards the truck before turning around. “Maybe you should give that girl from Madison High a call. If she’s willing to overlook your obvious relationship issues, she just might be the one to help you get over them.”
“Thanks, I’ll uh…give it some thought,” Trey said with a smile.
Vanessa smiled back. “See ya around.”
“Yeah…see ya.”
Vanessa turned and got back into the truck. After fastening her seatbelt, she looked up and caught the concerned looks on her friends’ faces.
“Everything okay?” Zac asked, craning his neck to look at her from the front seat.
“Yeah,” Vanessa answered. “Everything’s fine. Let’s go.”


Epilogue
“Have you seen Vanessa?” Carmen asked loudly. Ashley said something in reply, but Carmen couldn’t hear her from across the low table in front of her, and over the loud music and crowd noise.
“What?!?” Carmen said louder. Ashley pointed to a spot beyond Carmen’s head. Carmen turned to see Vanessa and Monique talking a couple of guys not far away. Carmen turned back around, shaking her head and smiling. She said something, but Ashley couldn’t hear her. Carmen tried again, louder, but still no luck. Ashley dug her cell phone out of her purse and held it up. Carmen nodded and retrieved her own cell phone.
‘I can’t get ovr how much Nessa changed’ Carmen texted to Ashley.
Ashley smiled and texted her back. ‘It’s like she’s a diff person now, but in a good way’
‘I’m just glad that all the business w/Trey turned out ok’
‘How is he anyway? Do u talk 2 him?’
‘Barely. Ever since he and Drea hooked up, he’s busy a lot’
‘That’s good I guess. He’s a cool guy’
‘Yeah. Nessa’s better for the whole thing, tho’
‘Yeah just look at her’
Both girls looked over to see Vanessa and Monique laughing and dancing with the guys they’d just been talking to. When the song ended, the two girls made their way back to the table where Carmen and Ashley were. Monique collapsed into an empty chair and took the bottle of water Ashley held out to her. “Thanks.”
“This is so awesome!” Vanessa exclaimed loudly to Carmen, who was sitting right next to her. “Did you see that guy I was dancing with?”
Carmen smiled and leaned closer to her. “I’m glad you’re having fun!”
“Always!!” Vanessa replied with a saucy grin. Then she looked up and grinned as her previous dance partner came over to ask her to dance again. She took his hand, and before going back to the dance floor, she turned to Carmen. “Hey, no fear, right?”
“No fear,” Carmen answered, and smiled she watched Vanessa have the time of her life