Just One of the Boys

Closing my eyes, I prayed to god that he was not talking about us.

“Which ones?” Rian asked, their voices hushed.

“The ones behind you. Don’t look, you moron!” he snapped, the wind carrying over his hushed whisper.

“Can you believe those idiots?” Claudia whispered, leaning in towards me. “Holly? Are you okay? You look a little pale…”

“Claudia, I need to talk to you,” I hissed, eyes wide. “It’s really important, and if I don’t tell you-”

“Excuse me, ladies, but I was wondering if you would like to join me and my friends,” Jack smirked, standing over us.

“Nope, we were just leaving,” Claudia informed them smoothly, picking up Coby’s leash and standing up. “Sorry.”

“Oh? Maybe we could accompany you to your destination.” Jack took Claudia’s hand and bowed over it, kissing her hand. Grimacing, Claudia yanked her hand from his grasp and wiped it on her jeans.

“No thank you,” she winced, turning away from him. “C’mon Holly, let’s go.” Mutely I stood and followed her down the street, away from the boys. Claudia ducked into an alleyway out of view of the Starbucks and dragged me in with her.

“Spill,” she commanded, her pale arms crossed over her chest.

“Okay, so you know how we were joking back at Faregrove’s?” I whispered, eyes wide. “Well, I did it.”

“You did what?” she asked, confused.

“You know! That night in the dorms when we were talking and we almost got caught by Mrs. Dupree?” I prompted, waving my arms in the air. She thought back on it before her eyes widened in shock.

“You didn’t,” she shouted, horrified. “Oh my god, Holly!”

“Shh!” I hissed, motioning for her to keep her voice down. “Those boys out there? They’re my roommates and friends. They think my name’s Henry.”

“Holly! Do you have any idea what could happen if you got found out?” Claudia lectured. “Think about what could happen to your mother-”

“Please, when’s the last time my other ever cared?” I sneered. “Last time I checked, she was too busy signing autographs to notice I was even alive.”

“I know it sucks when your mother’s famous, but did you think this through?” She pinched the bridge of her nose.

“Claudia, it’s me, Holly. Of course I did,” I laughed. Claudia merely glared at me, her face a mirror image to the old dean of Fareglove’s.

“I don’t like this, Holly,” she thought. “Think of what could happen if the press found out about it!”

“You know what? I don’t care!” I exploded. “When has Mom ever cared for me? Ever since dad died she’s dumped me with a nanny and didn’t give a crap about me!”

“Holly, you know that’s not true.” Claudia placed a hand on m shoulder, her eyes filled with sympathy. “You know she does care about you, you’re her only daughter.”

“Like that matters to her,” I muttered, tears welling in my eyes. “All she ever did was toss herself into movie after movie, never caring if I lost both my father and my mother!” Claudia pulled me into a hug, Coby twisted around our legs.

“Holly, I wish I could tell you that I know how you feel, but I don’t. But I do know that if someone were to find out, things could go terribly wrong for both you and your mother,” she whispered.

“It’s too late for me to go back on it,” I sniffled. “I’ve wired the cost to my credit card, and I’ve already gone to class. There’s nothing I can do. Can you just…Please Claudia, I need my best friend to support my crack pot ideas.”

“Alright, I guess so. But if we get in trouble, I had no clue,” she glared, pulling away so as to stab my shoulder with her finger.

“Deal,” I laughed, wiping away my tears.

“Now c’mon, let’s go walk around the lake,” Claudia sighed, tossing her arm around my shoulders, Coby’s leash wrapped around her hand.