Starlet's Web (The Starlet Series, #1) (33 page)

In the History final, I expected to write short essays about why events became significant and influential. Instead, we had to draw our own Western Civilization timeline, with dates. That was the entire final. I was so frustrated because I was able to memorize stuff like a timeline in a flash. If I had only studied the Western Civ timeline for even fifteen minutes, I would have aced the final. It also infuriated me because I was half-Native American, from a culture close to extinction from the subtle tyranny of U.S. policymakers.

Wiped out, I drove from school to Alan's house. I met Manuel, Mitch, Beth and Alan at Alan's backyard pool. Several girls who I recognized as cheerleaders were swimming in the pool with Sam and some guys. I waved at them. They were all drunk, laughing and clowning around.

“Hi Manuel!” I squealed when I saw him. “Hey Mitch, Beth, Alan.”

Manuel bolted out of his chair towards me, smiling. He lifted me off the ground into a bear hug. We kissed each other passionately. My entire body tingled. I fainted.

I came to, but was dizzy. It took me a minute to regain my footing. That was quite a kiss. I realized that Manuel's drinking impaired the control he forced upon himself. He still desperately wanted me. So we actually felt the same way. Good.

“Are you okay?” Manuel studied my face.

I looked into Manuel's eyes, telling him how I felt without words, “I'm really good. I very much liked that kiss.”

Alan was watching us. “Wow, man. I never thought I'd see that in Marie's face. She totally wants to screw you. Damn. You squeezed her so hard she fainted. Who'd think Marie would go for S&M?”

“Shut up, Alan,” Beth ordered in her slight Polish-English accent. “You think you're entitled to talk like you're tweeting about some slutty star. Show some respect.”

Alan ignored her. “Dude, you have to give me pointers. You've seen the hottest girls in the school naked. If I could be half as powerful as you, I'd have every hot girl in Santa Monica. Damn. Kate's the hottest cheerleader. Beth is the hottest girl in school. Marie's the hottest girl in the world.”

Mitch complained to Beth, “When did Manny see you naked?”

She shrugged. “It's not sexual. We swim in the ocean together. We don't ride home from the beach in our soaking wetsuits. Alan is just trying to piss off you and Marie.”

I already knew that they saw each other naked. They held a towel up for each other so they could change. I didn't care. I eyed Alan. He knew so he must have seen them. I asked, “How did you know, Alan?”

He answered, “Duh, Kate told me. It pissed her off.”

I asked, “So did you spy on them or something, see them change?”

He glared at Manuel, “I didn't want to see Manny naked, just Beth.”

This time Alan was too inappropriate. He felt our contempt. Beth spoke slowly, “You are such an asshole, Alan. I'm so done with you!”

Alan backpedaled, “Sorry, I'm too drunk. I didn't mean anything by it. Don't be pissed, Mitch. She loves you. Forget I said anything.”

Beth shook her head, “No, Alan, I've had enough. I don't give a damn anymore, trying to get along with you for the peace of the group. I freakin' hate you!”

Alan whined, “No, you don't. I'm sorry. I'm just drunk and stupid. Please like me. I love you so much. And besides, I have your graduation present here. Please let me give it to you. You guys are my best friends. I'm sorry I'm an ass. You know I don't mean it.”

Beth and Mitch stayed seated. Beth didn't comment.

Alan asked apologetically, “Marie, do you want me to make you your one drink? Cosmo?”

“No, Alan. I won't be drinking tonight. I don't want to lose control with Manuel in front of anyone.” I laughed but I was absolutely serious and had affirmed my feelings.

Alan changed the subject, “Hey, did you guys read on today's school page that over fifty girls from our class admitted that they are getting their tits done after graduation?”

Beth responded. “Weak. There's no way I'd change my body to be sexy for a man. Not a chance.”

Alan said, “Beth, you don't need to. You're hot. You've got good tits already and you have a great, cut body. I can see your abs through your swimsuit and your ass is perfect. You're ‘ripped perfect.' And look at Marie's body. ‘Smooth perfect.'”

Mitch glared at Alan and then smiled at Beth, “You're perfect just the way you are.”

I ignored Alan. Manuel held my hand as we walked toward the table, but his arm was stiff. Beth said something to Manuel in German. He answered her in German and kissed my cheek.

Manuel spoke slowly to Alan, “Don't talk about Marie and Beth disrespectfully. Got it?”

“Fine, asshole.” Alan explained, “I'm not saying anything they don't know already. Everyone voted on my Facebook page. Beth was voted nicest ass, second best tits, and best athlete and Marie best tits. Sorry, Marie, you didn't make the nice ass list but got hottest actress. That bitch I took to prom got hottest future centerfold.”

Manuel addressed Alan, “Another comment from you about our girls and the four of us are out of here.”

Alan glared at Manuel and asked Mitch, “So are you guys going to do that triathlon on Saturday before graduation?”

Manuel answered, “I'm not. I want to be with Marie.”

Beth responded. “Oh, okay, then we don't need your mom's car, Mitch. We can take yours.”

“Or yours, Beth,” Alan interrupted.

We all scowled at Alan. Beth didn't own a car.

He took out an envelope out of his backpack and handed it to Beth. “Happy graduation. I bought you a car, a Subaru Outback, so you can put your bikes on top and take your dog with you. It's parked in front. I put your name on the title and threw on a bike rack.”

Beth's jaw dropped. She slowly opened the envelope. She put the keys in her hand and read the title. She seemed conflicted. I didn't understand her reaction.

Beth spoke slowly, “Alan, this is too much. I can't accept it. What are you going to beg me for in return? I won't let you see my body, ever…never, ever.”

Alan grinned. “No strings attached this time, no threats to get your mom fired, nothing but appreciation for you. Please take the car so you can stop getting naked with Manny all the time and go run with your dog on those trails north of Malibu instead of running with him.” Alan's eyes narrowed at Manuel. Manuel's anger filled the air.

I interrupted, “Oh, Beth, I forgot to ask if you decided on your scholarship. Manuel told me you got four great scholarships but were still trying to get out of L.A.”

Her face fell, “Yeah. I didn't get the scholarships to either Stanford or Berkeley. I would have if I won State but I didn't swim my best time. They both have girls who swim faster than me. One was injured at Stanford so I really wanted the spot but she's three seconds faster in the 800 Free, which is a lot. Of course they are one of the top programs in the nation. UCLA is about twentieth, but the scholarship was awesome. I get to be an academic there, too. The program would set me up for a great medical school. The other scholarships were from schools in the top ten, but would be just swimming. I don't want that. Swimming is a means to an end. I want the academics.”

I agreed. “Maybe you'll fall in love with UCLA.”

“Marie, not likely. I hate living in L.A. There's no place to run, bike, swim. The ocean is polluted, freezing, full of critters and jellies. Every path is crowded. It's not safe. I can't have Manny protecting me for the rest of my life. After we did the awesome Boulder tri series, I did the Malibu triathlon in September last year. Five thousand people on Zuma Beach. Thank God Mitch was my gear guy or we would have missed the start because there was absolutely nowhere to park. Ya know, you run fast, too. I hate running on pavement, stopping at the traffic lights all the time. I hate running around some track. It would be so cool to run with my dog off leash. Ya know the Stanford Hill; it's heaven and right there! And biking here sucks. Okay, you've got the PCH at dawn. That's it. Within an hour from Berkeley you've got wine country. From Stanford? You've got Los Altos or Atherton and Woodside. It's heaven.”

Alan interrupted, “Now you have a car. You can drive to open spaces. Will you take your gift, Beth, please?”

Beth sighed. “Thanks, Alan. I love it. You've got the power again so be happy. You rich kids get so very happy when you're in control.”

“You poor baby,” Alan sneered. “It's my little thank you for putting up with me being an ass.”

“You guys seem mad at each other. Are you guys kidding?” I asked.

Beth answered, “No. Alan can have anything he wants but love and power, just like you. Every guy at this table loves you Marie, but it's never been enough for you. You need to own Manny, don't ya?”

Manuel bellowed, “Alright! Enough you guys!”

Mitch whispered something to Beth and they excused themselves. Alan and Manuel glared at each other and then Alan got up to get himself another beer.

I asked, “What's going on with you and Alan and Beth?”

“You. Beth and I've been arguing about everything. She doesn't like that I act like a puppy around you. And Franz angered her when he told her she was a product. Alan's mad that I got my girl. He's liked you for a very long time but not as long as I've loved you.” Manuel leaned forward in his chair and held my hand. “I'm still in shock that you love me. Ya know that I'm yours forever.”

“And I'm yours forever, too. It's not puppy love.”

 

I wanted to get the discussion with Kate off my chest. Manuel and I found a large chaise on the other side of Alan's pool and cuddled together. I wanted to get right to the point. His closeness made me tingle again.

“Kate talked with me yesterday about her side of the break-up. She asked me to promise that I don't tell anyone, but she knows that I'll tell you. If I tell you, will you try to keep it between the two of you?”

“Do you think less of me now that she talked to you? What did she tell you bad about me?”

“No, Manuel, no. I don't think any less of you. I do think less of her, though. But she knew that I would, that you would, that we would think less of her, too.”

Manuel moved me over so that we were facing each other. He demanded, “Lia, what…did…she say?”

“It wasn't like that. She told me what she did. How she hurt you. That she's sorry. She knew you were in love with me, and it made her crazy.”

Once I brought myself into this, it changed how I had imagined how I would tell Manuel that the pregnancy was a ruse. Now that we were having the conversation, I didn't want Manuel to explain himself to me. What he did in his relationship with my former best friend was not my business. I felt awkward.

Manuel remembered, “I've always been in love with you. She knew that. I tried to deny it when she confronted me. She saw us in the stands at the homecoming game together. She said she saw me close my eyes and smell your hair. That's why I got the tattoo. She wanted me to prove to her that I was in love with her, not you.”

His shoulders slouched. He closed his eyes for a moment before he continued. “I loved her, so it was easy to repress my feelings for you until she brought it up. The problem was that after she forced me to explain my feelings for you, I knew it was absolutely true that I was in love with you. I couldn't ignore how I burned for you when I thought of you. I felt weak, dishonest.”

“You don't need to explain yourself, Manuel. I know you're a good man. This is none of my business.”

“No, Lia. You should know, so you don't think I'm the prick that I'm sure she told you I am.”

“I know you're not…” I started.

He put his hand up and continued. “When she changed her mind about doing it, I was hoping that releasing the tension I felt would make me love her more and reduce my feelings for you. It didn't work. I couldn't get that memory of you getting out of your red bikini out of my mind. I wanted to be with you, not her. Then it hit me that I loved you each time I saw your picture, and I started seeing your picture everywhere. It started to be painful to know I was in love with you.”

He paused and kissed my forehead. “I know this sounds strange, but I'm so grateful that Kate made me realize how much I loved you. It's so much easier with you. She always had to be seen at parties in her millions of new clothes and shoes, crap like that. She hated my apartment and me reading books and stuff. She had so many rules and never told the truth like you do. Life just wouldn't have been complete if I didn't get the chance to be your boyfriend.”

“Thanks,” I said. “I feel the same way. I even told her that after she told me the rest.”

He worried, “There's more?”

“Yes. Kate said she deliberately put magazines and tabloids in front of you that had pictures of me in them so that she could gauge your reactions. She said that she was absolutely sure you were in love with me by your response.”