Confessions of a Teen Nanny 03 - Juicy Secrets (12 page)

As dull as Mimi's presentation was, it was the key to

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the success of the plan to expose Cameron and Graydon as the nasty little monsters they were. It gave Mimi and Adrienne access to the audiovisual equipment.And Emma's techno-savvy made sure their DVD would work.

Mimi stopped the program running the slides on an image of the Warner Foundation logo."Now, it's my honor to introduce our next speakers, the co-chairs of the Young Lions Committee for Development, Cameron and Graydon Warner."

Everyone applauded, and Cameron and Graydon swept to the stage.When the girls met for an air-kiss at the podium, they were so far apart, Adrienne couldn't believe they had bothered.

"Thank you all so much," Cameron said, flanked by Graydon at the podium."And let's all give Mimi a round of applause." Cameron beamed at the crowd, straight into the flashing cameras. Graydon stood beside her looking smug. "Now, I won't take long," Cameron said. "I know after Mimi's speech the last thing you want is to sit through a boring presentation. But don't worry--ours is cool!"

Graydon leaned into the microphone. Cameron looked slightly peeved, but he spoke, anyway. "We want to thank the library for allowing us to use this event to make this very exciting announcement. Our family's foundation has decided to create a new organization with a brand-new grant: The Little Lions, a remedial reading class for children."

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The audience applauded obediently.

"Anyway"--Cameron crowded Graydon away from the microphone--"we have a video presentation to explain more about our project. So please start the DVD." Cameron turned to face the large screen.

Sappy music began to play, and the faces of adorable children staring at books filled the screen. Cameron's voice was heard.

"Children?" she screeched. "I don't give a flying crap whether or not the urchins can read! Maids don't need to read, do they?"

"I know," Graydon said. "What a waste of time. You looked great in that picture, though, reading to those poor kids.You looked almost like you cared."

Cameron snickered. "I cared about how my hair looked."

A shocked gasp filled the room. Cameron frowned and stared up at the screen. "That's not what it's supposed to say."

The volume on the sound track went up even higher. "That trick you played on Mimi was brilliant," Graydon's voice continued.

"It was so easy to switch her essay with the one I wrote," Cameron said. "And those gossip writers are such bottom-feeders that they couldn't wait to snap up the humiliating news."

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Adrienne noticed the Page Six reporter pause mid- scribble, an infuriated expression on her face. Then the woman wrote twice as quickly.

Onstage, Graydon and Cameron tried to grasp what was happening. "Someone changed the audio!" Graydon exclaimed.

"But how did they--who would--" Cameron sputtered.

Cameron flushed a deep scarlet and raced from the stage, covering her face with her hands as photographers snapped pictures in a frenzy.

"Turn that off !" Graydon shouted from the podium. "And whoever did this is fired!"

Adrienne grinned, enjoying every minute of the humiliation.

"I said turn that damn thing off !" Graydon yelled.

The audio track went silent. In fact, the entire room went silent.Then everyone began talking at once.

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mission accomplished

L iz watched Cameron and Graydon flee past her table. "Gee, looks like they're in a big hurry," she said to Parker. "Isn't it rude for the hosts to leave before the guests?"

"Well, you know Cam and Gray," Parker said. "They've always lived by their own rules."

"Hopefully now they won't be able to get away with so much." Liz shivered. "I can't even imagine being so mean."

Parker nodded. "This was low even for him."

Everyone around them was talking about the scan- dalous revelations about the children of one of the most prominent families in New York.The buzz was practically deafening.

"At least now everyone will be gossiping about some- one else for a while," Parker said. "This should knock my family off the gossip pages for at least a day or two."

"That should be a relief," Liz said.

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"Yeah . . ." Parker's voice trailed off as he looked around the room.Then his blue eyes focused on Liz. "Liz, I--I owe you an apology."

"You do?"

"I've been giving you a really hard time. And you never, ever deserved it."

Liz shrugged casually, but she flushed a bit, knowing that Parker was really making an effort; that he understood a little of what it had been like for her. "You were going through something really intense," she said. She gazed down at her lap, not wanting him to see the emotions flickering across her face.

He raised her chin up. "Yeah, that's true. And all you ever did was try to help. I see that now."

Liz took in a deep breath. For some reason his nice words were threatening to make her cry.

"Like tonight," he said, leaning back in the chair and surveying the room. "I so did not want to come. But now that I'm here, I'm glad you forced me."

"Yeah?" Liz asked, looking up at him.

"Not everyone here is treating me like dirt," Parker said. "Maybe there are some people in this town who are able to see past all this glitter and drama and actually behave like friends."

"You see!" Liz said. "Welcome to the real world, Parker."

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Parker grinned. "I only said maybe. I haven't actually decided if my theory is true or not."

Liz shook her head, laughing."Well, at least it's a start!"

"You know," Mimi said, coming up from behind Adrienne, "I really owe you for this one."

Adrienne smiled and turned to face Mimi."I'd say we both contributed to tonight's success. After all, I had my own reasons to want to out Graydon and Cameron as the evil duo. Maybe now they'll stop."

"Let's hope so," Mimi said."Cameron has been trying to make me look bad for years. She's so jealous that I'm a princess, because it's something she can never be. She'll do just about anything to make me look dreadful. It's weari- some."

"If you're a princess, does that mean your father is a king?" Adrienne asked.

Mimi smiled patiently."No," she replied."It just means that once, very long ago, our family ruled a very small part of a piece of land that became part of Austria."

"When?" Adrienne asked. "Like, in the eighteenth century?" She was studying that period in her history class.

"No," Mimi said, "like, in the ninth."

Adrienne smiled. "Seems like a long time to hold up a reputation."

"Believe me, it is."

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"Speaking of reputations, I'm going to go salvage mine," Adrienne said. "I'm going to find Graydon."

"Good luck," Mimi said. She moved through the crowd, head high. Adrienne was glad to see the swarm of guests who hadn't been very welcoming at the beginning of the evening stopping to talk to her.

Now if I were a pair of humiliated, spoiled brats, where would I be? Adrienne wondered. Trying to get to my limo!

Adrienne scurried down the hall to the doors. She spotted Cameron and Graydon huddled by a column.They looked as if they were trying to become invisible. Luckily for them, everyone was still upstairs, gossiping about what had just happened.

Adrienne smiled and walked up to them.

"Leaving so soon?" she asked.

Graydon looked at her, pained. Cameron stared past her as if she weren't there.

"I think you two owe a lot of people apologies," Adrienne said.

"We'll never apologize to you," Cameron snapped.

"I wouldn't expect you to," Adrienne said. "The way you treated Parker--that was really shameful. I hope you two learn a lesson from how you both get treated in the next few weeks."

"If I ever figure out how you did this," Cameron said, "I will get even with you."

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"How, Cam?"Adrienne asked."Will you ruin my rep- utation?"

"You don't even have a reputation," Cameron said. "You're already nothing in this town."

"I'm really sick of your threats," Adrienne said. "And guess what? After tonight, my reputation trumps yours any day!"

Cameron shot Adrienne a withering stare, but then crumpled. She leaned against the pillar and shut her eyes, as if she believed that if she couldn't see anyone, no one could see her.

"Oh, and Graydon?" Adrienne said. "Just so you're clear? I was onto your little bet all along. I was just playing with you to see how far you would take it."

"Sure you were, nanny," Graydon scoffed.

"I guess you'll never know for sure, will you?" Adrienne taunted. "And you know what--I wonder what would happen to your success as a ladies' man if it got around that you couldn't even make time with the high- school nanny."

"Shut up," Graydon snapped.

"Oooh, clever," Adrienne said.

Cameron's eyes popped open. "You are so fired."

"I don't think so,"Adrienne said."How happy do you think Christine is going to be when she hears how you two trashed the family? After all her hard work to try to

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make the Warners respectable? She is definitely not going to fire me on your say-so."

"I said shut up!" Graydon shouted.

"Who knows? This could even get you cut out of the family fortune all together." Adrienne doubted this was true, but she was on such a role, she couldn't bear to stop.

At those words, Cameron and Graydon both looked stricken. Cameron's already pale complexion went ashen, and Graydon's mouth hung open.

Graydon's cell beeped, indicating that his driver had arrived at the library. Graydon snapped open his phone. "Side entrance," he ordered. "Now!"

"Ta-ta!" Adrienne called, as Graydon and Cameron raced down the hall.

She pulled her cell out of her tiny evening purse. "Emma," she said when the little girl answered, "you did great. Mission accomplished!"

Liz stepped into the ladies' room. She and Parker had found a quiet corner and kissed all of her lipstick off. She wanted to freshen her makeup in case any of the photog- raphers snapped her.

She stood at the sink and applied the deep rose lipstick when Adrienne burst into the room.

"We did it!" Adrienne squealed. She threw her arms around Liz, and together they jumped up and down.

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They pulled apart and grinned at each other.

"Congratulations!" Liz said. "You really pulled it off. And those two really had it coming. "

"Amazing."Adrienne burst into giddy peals of laughter. "You know, I felt a little guilty at first about embarrassing them that way. But when I realized how many people they were hurting--"

"Total no-brainer," Liz said firmly. "It was the right thing to do."

"I need to get Emma a big present," Adrienne said. "But what do you give the girl who has everything? Literally!"

"You know, Parker's dad knows lots of TV people," Liz said. "Maybe Parker can set up a visit to the CSI-New York set."

Adrienne's eyes widened. "Brilliant! That is the best." She gave Liz another hug, then stepped back. "So how is Parker?"

Liz smiled a slow, satisfied smile.

"I know that look,"Adrienne said."Your plan worked. He's actually handling real life!"

Liz nodded."I think he's really beginning to get it. At least he's willing to give it a shot."

"That is so great!"

Liz looked at her friend in the mirror. "How are you really? I mean, I know you're totally psyched over what just

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happened, but you were so into--"

Adrienne cut her off. "Don't even say his name."

"So . . . are you okay?"

Liz watched Adrienne swallow hard. "I'm still getting used to it,"Adrienne admitted."But it's not like I'm moon- ing over him--wishing we could get back together. You know what? Red-hot anger takes away a lot of the heartache."

"That's good," Liz said.

"And I really am glad that things are working out with Parker," Adrienne said.

Liz shrugged. "For now. He's pretty unpredictable. In another week, I could be as single as you are now!"

"You know, Liz," Adrienne said, as the two friends walked arm and arm back into the library, "I've been thinking . . ."

"About what?" Liz asked.

Adrienne sighed. "Well, since the whole Graydon thing blew up, I've realized that I'm happy with my friends, with my family--at least most of the time--and with school.What makes me really unhappy is being around the Warners. So . . ."

"So what?" Liz asked, her eyes widening.

"So, I'm going to quit working for the Warners."

"No!" Liz said.

"Yes."Adrienne said firmly."I'd rather work at a Dairy

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Queen than go into that snake trap again."

"What about Emma?"

"Emma will be fine without me. She's smarter than all the adults in her life," Adrienne said.

"You know that the COW will just offer you more money, and you'll cave," Liz teased.

"No way. Not this time," Adrienne said."I'm a whole lot better person than they are. I'm worth too much to sell myself for so little."

"You know," Liz said, "you're awfully smart."

"I know." Adrienne grinned. "So are you except for this babysitting hang-up you have. If it weren't for that, we could go into business together."

"Design shoes," Liz said.

"Hand-paint furniture," Adrienne responded.

"Mix lip glosses," Liz countered.

"We could do anything, together." Adrienne smiled. "Come on, Liz, you know you're too good for them."

"I wish I could," Liz said,"but I just like Heather and David way too much to leave . . . just yet."

"Soon. Soon," Adrienne predicted.

"Who knows?" Liz said. "But now I'm going to race you to the dance floor.The DJ is really hot tonight!"

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