Rachel's Valentine Crush (2 page)

“Oh, sure. I mean, no problem,” Brody said. He looked down shyly for half a second—long enough to make Rachel's heart skip a beat. “Anything for my fans, you know?”

Melanie's superwhite teeth gleamed as she laughed a little too hard. “So tell us, Brody, about your new album,” she continued. “
Songs from My Heart.
Sounds intense . . . and romantic. Is it?”

“Well, yeah,” Brody replied. “It means a lot to me because I wrote or cowrote all the songs on it. And that was a really amazing experience, you know—to have this
music in my head, and actually write it down, and then find the right words to go with it. Everything about the songs is true. They really do come from my heart.”

“It sounds like a very personal project,” Melanie said. “A real labor of love.”

“Yes, definitely.”

“So let's talk about love,” Melanie said, switching gears.

Rachel sat up a little straighter on the couch. She had
not
expected this.

“When I first heard the title of your new album, I had to wonder if there was a special someone you had in mind when you came up with it,” Melanie continued. “And I know I'm not alone. When we invited your fans to send us their burning questions for you, they overwhelmingly asked if you're single!”

Brody laughed nervously. His coffee-brown eyes darted to the side for just a moment, as if he were trying to ask someone offscreen for help.

“I'm thinking, specifically, of ‘Secret Crush,' ” Melanie pressed on. “Wow, what a song, Brody. You really knocked it out of the park. So from what you said earlier, am I right to assume that it was written about a particular girl?”

Brody opened his mouth to answer and then closed it again. He coughed lightly and politely covered his mouth with his hand, then proceeded to fidget with the collar of his shirt.

He's totally nervous!
Rachel thought. She had never seen Brody look so uncomfortable . . . yet so totally adorable at the same time.

The pause before Brody spoke seemed like an eternity. Finally, he smiled sheepishly at Melanie. “You guessed right,” he said. “I do have a secret crush.”

Melanie clapped her hands together. “Yes! I knew it!” she cried. “Tell us more, Brody. Who is she?”

But Brody pressed his lips together and shook his head. “I can't,” he said. “If I did, it wouldn't be a secret.”

“Now, Brody, you can't do that to us!” Melanie said playfully. “Your fans want to know!”

Brody looked offscreen again. “I guess I can tell you this . . . ,” he said slowly. “There's a special message to her in ‘Secret Crush.' So hopefully—if she listens to the song, I mean—she'll know that it's about her.”

“How mysterious,” Melanie said. “But surely you can give us a few more clues, Brody. Did you meet her on tour? Is she from your hometown? What are her initials?”

“I, uh—” Brody began.

“At least tell us
which
line of the song has the secret message!” Melanie interrupted him.

Brody was speechless. Once more he cast a desperate glance offscreen. Then, to Rachel's surprise, a man entered the shot and sat next to Brody.

“Melanie, sorry for the interruption,” the man said smoothly. “I'm Greg Pierce, Brody's manager. And while Brody's not going to make any announcements about his secret crush tonight, he does have some big news he can share.”

Greg turned to Brody and gave him an encouraging grin. “Go ahead, Brody—tell them about the decision that we made just this morning.”

Brody relaxed a little and smiled into the camera. “Well, the
Songs from My Heart
tour was supposed to begin in Houston in March,” he said. “But when we thought about it, we decided that the best time to kick off the tour would be on Valentine's Day. So I'm psyched to announce that we've added a new concert to the schedule—and it's going to be in my hometown!”

Rachel clapped her hands over her mouth. She wanted to scream with excitement! Brody's last tour had taken
him around the whole country, but he'd never performed a concert in Archer before.

“And that's not all,” Greg continued, “because at the special Valentine's Day concert, Brody will finally tell the world the true identity of his secret crush!”

There was a moment of stunned silence on the set—and in Rachel's den, too.

“Whoa-whoa-whoa-whoa-whoa,” Taylor said in a low voice. “Did I hear that right?
Brody
is coming
here
on
Valentine's Day
to tell everyone who he
likes
?”

But Rachel didn't respond. She couldn't take her eyes off Brody's face—he looked shocked, and even a little scared.
Was that really part of their plan?
she wondered. Because Brody looked as surprised as she felt.

Before Brody could speak, Melanie turned to face the camera. “Breaking news, brought to you only on
The Scoop,
” she said breathlessly. “Brody Warner will reveal his secret crush at a special Valentine's Day concert!”

A sheepish smile spread across Brody's face. “I'm really excited about playing in my hometown,” he said, obviously trying to direct the subject away from his crush. “We have a great show planned.”

“Tickets go on sale in two hours,” added his manager.

“Exciting times for Brody Warner,” Melanie said. “A new album, a big tour, a surprise announcement, and a secret crush—soon to be revealed to the world! Thanks so much for being here tonight, Brody, and for our fans at home, remember to always turn to
The Scoop
for the latest news about all your favorite stars, including the one and only Brody Warner!”

Rachel still didn't say anything as she reached for the remote. Her mind was spinning as one thought repeated again and again:
Could I be Brody's secret crush? Could I be Brody's secret crush?

No. No way. It was impossible. Sure, Brody had always been nice to her—but that was just his personality. Brody was nice to
everybody
.

But as much as Rachel tried to tell herself that Brody was obviously talking—and singing—about some other girl, a little voice in the back of her head was asking
What if?
Maybe I
am
his secret crush!
she thought giddily.
Maybe it's me!

Rachel's eyes were shining as she turned to Taylor.

“Can you even believe it?” Taylor asked in an excited whisper so that she wouldn't wake up Rachel's dad and brother. “Can you
even
believe it?”

“I'm sorry, am I dreaming?” Rachel asked. “Did that really just happen?”

“It did!” Taylor exclaimed. “It so did! Rach, do you know what this
means
? Brody's crushing on a girl from our school! It might be—it might be you!”

“No, it's not me,” Rachel said automatically. “And just because the concert is going to be here doesn't mean she lives here. They could bring her in for the concert.”

Taylor shook her head emphatically. “Then why would they move the concert to Archer? They could just keep it in Houston.”

“That's a good point,” Rachel replied.

“Ugh,
why
did I spend all my birthday money already?” asked Taylor. “I really want to go to the concert, but I just know the tickets are going to be insanely expensive.”

“Probably,” Rachel said. But for her, it wouldn't matter how much the tickets cost. She couldn't imagine that her dad would ever give her permission to attend an actual pop concert. He hadn't even let Rachel go to the pool party Brody had thrown during his one visit to Archer last August. “Maybe the concert will be on TV or something. We could have a sleepover!”

“That would be cool,” Taylor replied. “Definitely better
than last year's Valentine's Day. That was the
worst
, just sitting in class all day wishing that somebody would send me a candy-gram. I can't believe it's a whole year later and I'm still totally invisible to every single boy at school.”

“You don't know that,” Rachel argued. “Maybe somebody likes you and he's too shy to say it. Besides, there isn't anybody you like right now . . . is there?”

“Not really,” Taylor admitted. “But it would still be nice to know that somebody likes
me
. You're so lucky, Rachel—I mean, what if you really
are
Brody's crush?”

“That's doubtful,” Rachel replied. “But I still can't wait to hear ‘Secret Crush.' I'm totally staying up till midnight to download it!”

“Me too,” Taylor agreed as she reached for her coat. “I want to hear the secret message that Brody has for you!”

“Whatever,” Rachel said, but she couldn't stop smiling. “I wish you didn't have to go. I wish we were having a sleepover tonight so that we could listen to the album together.”

“I know!” Taylor said. “Stupid Monday night release. Who thought
that
was a good idea?”

Rachel and Taylor were extra quiet as they walked down the hallway. At the front door Rachel whispered,
“Thanks for coming over. And thanks for the cookies!”

“If you figure out the secret message, text me
immediately
,” Taylor whispered back. “I don't even care if it's three o'clock in the morning. I want to know.”

“You got it,” Rachel giggled as Taylor walked outside. Rachel watched through the window while Taylor trudged home in the swirling snow. Once again she was grateful that her best friend lived next door—and even more grateful that her best friend was someone like Taylor.

The freezing air seeped in through the windowpane, making Rachel shiver. As soon as Taylor walked into her own house, Rachel went to the kitchen to make a cup of hot chocolate. In just a few hours, she would be listening to Brody's new album and maybe—
maybe
—finding out if he liked her, too.

And Rachel could hardly wait!

JUST BEFORE TEN O'CLOCK RACHEL
heard the sound of Grandma Nellie's car pulling into the driveway. A few moments later there was a soft tap at Rachel's door.

“Come in,” she said quietly.

“Hi, peach pie,” Grandma Nellie said from the doorway, using the nickname she'd had for Rachel since she was a baby. “I saw your light on. What are you doing up?”

Rachel glanced down shyly. “Brody's new album comes out at midnight, so I wanted to stay up to download it,” she explained.

Grandma Nellie smiled knowingly. Rachel had never explained her feelings for Brody, but somehow Grandma Nellie seemed to know all about them. But Grandma Nellie always followed Rachel's lead—she never made a big deal about it or teased Rachel about her crush.

“How was your scrapbooking club?” Rachel asked, changing the subject.

Grandma Nellie's eyes lit up. “Oh, we had the best time,” she said. “And I finished two new pages! I'd show them to you right now but the glue is still wet. I barely got them home without wrecking them.”

“Can I see them in the morning?” Rachel asked.

“Absolutely,” Grandma Nellie said, nodding. She sat at the foot of Rachel's bed. “How did Robbie do tonight?”

“He was great,” Rachel said, stifling a yawn. “No trouble. He even ate the broccoli.”

“Impressive!” Grandma Nellie said. “Of course, he'd do anything for the world's best big sister.”

Rachel's father appeared in the doorway, looking sleepy. “What's this? A slumber party?” he asked.

“Oh, I'm sorry, Carl,” Grandma Nellie said. “Did we wake you?”

“I heard voices . . . ,” Mr. Wilson began. Then he turned to Rachel. “It's past your bedtime, young lady. Why are you awake?”

“I was—there's this thing I need to do—to download,” Rachel began. “An album. But it isn't available until midnight, so I thought I'd stay up.”

Mr. Wilson shook his head. “Midnight? On a school night? No way,” he replied. “Time to shut down that computer, kiddo. Lights out in five minutes.”

He didn't sound mad, but his voice was firm. Rachel knew that she didn't have a choice. “Okay, Dad,” she said. “Sorry if we woke you up.”

“That's okay.” Mr. Wilson crossed the room and gave Rachel a kiss on the forehead. “Good night, sweetie. Come on, Mom, let's let Rachel get some sleep. It's a school night, after all.”

“Night, Dad. Night, Grandma Nellie,” Rachel said as she watched them leave. In the doorway, Grandma Nellie paused for a moment to mouth
Sorry!
to Rachel. Rachel smiled and blew her a kiss. It wasn't Grandma Nellie's fault that Dad had woken up . . . or that he was so strict.

After she shut down her computer, Rachel made sure to set her alarm for five a.m. She wasn't going to disobey her father and stay up late to download Brody's song . . . but he hadn't said anything about waking up early!