Holly's Heart Collection Two (32 page)

I couldn’t work my way into the nitty-gritty without some sort of compliment.

Also, thanks for sharing your thoughts with me Saturday. It meant a lot.

I have a great idea. Let’s get together sometime and discuss things further. Maybe over coffee or tea?

I chose coffee because that’s what adults usually say when they want an excuse to tie up a restaurant booth for at least an hour. And tea? That’s what Mom drinks when her nerves are frayed. The peppermint variety. For sure my own nerves would be a little on edge if Mr. Barnett agreed.

In keeping with my original plan, I decided not to sign my name, but wrote:
Most sincerely, You-know-who.

Ecstatic about my plan, I folded the stationery and slid it into a matching envelope. I didn’t lick it. Not yet. It was only Saturday night and Monday seemed far away. Who knows? I might want to read the note again—so I hid it in Marty Leigh’s latest mystery novel, replacing the bookmark.

Sunday, the next day, was both strange and sweet. Danny
and
Jared expected me to sit with them in Sunday school. And on the chair right between them, no less. Paula and Kayla snickered into their Bibles, while Stan shot Andie a knowing look.

It was a good thing Andrew Barnett was nowhere in sight. He’d think I was just another silly eighth grader, trying to juggle more than one guy friend at a time. I was poised first on one edge of my chair, and then the other, trying to keep my arms from touching either Danny or Jared, depending on how close either one leaned at any given moment. Most girls would have been flattered having two cute guys vying for their attention, but not me. My sights were set higher now.

Monday came at last and, lucky for me, Paula was working as a student-aide in the office before school. I was in a big hurry, as usual. Motioning her over, I whispered my intentions. “Can you put this in Mr. Barnett’s box for me?”

Her eyes brightened. “What’s this about?”

“I’ll tell you at lunch.”

She took the envelope, and I turned around. Holding my breath, I waited outside the office. When I was sure she’d had time to sneak off to the faculty mail area, I peeked my head around the doorway. She grinned at me. It was the only sign I needed.

Feeling mighty smug, as well as eager for his response, I sailed off toward my locker.

Jared was waiting.

“You’re not going to sing to me today, are you?” I teased.

“How about we practice our duet, you know the one—‘Something Good’?” He leaned against the locker door.

“Oh no, you don’t,” I said, pushing him away. That song was supposed to end with a long kiss. At least, that’s how it was in the movie. We still didn’t know what Mr. Barnett wanted us to do there. And I wasn’t about to ask.

“You’re not worried about that scene, are you?” he asked, a silly frown on his face.

“I, uh, guess not.”

He pushed his hands into his jeans pockets. “Funny, isn’t it?”

There was an awkward silence.

“What’s funny?” I said.

“There just aren’t enough girls like you to go around, Holly-Heart.” There was a sober ring to his voice.

I broke the spell. “Don’t be weird.” I found my books for science and closed my locker.

“I mean it.” He fell in step with me as I headed to first period. “Danny thinks so, too.”

Oh great,
I thought. Now they were conferring with each other about me.

“C’mon, Holly. Don’t be mad. I mean, what’s a guy to do? We can’t ignore you.”

“You could try.” I waved him on as I opened the door to Mr. Ross’s class, thinking only of the note I’d written to Mr. Barnett. And his response to it. What would it be?

After school, we met for play practice. Today we were going to work through the speaking parts onstage. Excited and very nervous, I hurried into the auditorium.

Danny and his stage crew sat on the edge of the stage, waiting for instructions from Miss Hess and Mr. Barnett. I sat between Paula and Andie, hoping to escape Jared’s attention, but he squeezed in next to me, making Andie slide over.

Mr. Barnett passed out a rehearsal schedule. I glanced over it, wondering how I’d ever survive the next few weeks. While he gave instructions for blocking, I wondered if he’d checked his mailbox yet, or read my note. If he had, he wasn’t letting on. Not by a secret smile or even a look. Maybe that meant he hadn’t had a chance to check.

“Okay, let’s start with act one, skip to scenes two and three,” he said, cupping his hand over his mouth to amplify his voice. “Everyone pretend we’re in the Nonnberg Abbey, back in the thirties, in Salzburg, Austria.”

Andie, Kayla, Joy, and Shauna took their places in the imaginary abbey, pretending to be solemn and nunlike. Andie’s face was so solemn it was actually funny as she took her place behind the Reverend Mother’s desk.

My throat felt dry as I took my place onstage. In the scene, Maria had just come in from singing and frolicking in the hills of Austria when the Mother Abbess calls her into her office for a chat.

Things went well with that scene. Andie behaved herself, trying to act holier than anyone onstage. It was a kick. She actually folded her hands and walked around looking rather stuffy.

When it came time for me to meet Captain von Trapp in the great hall at the von Trapp villa, I kept spotting a nose and a pair of eyes peeking through the curtains in front of me. Very distracting. I motioned to the person, whoever it was, to close the curtain. “Go away,” I whispered while Jared said his lines. It was in the middle of the captain’s dialogue, where he instructs me how to call his seven children with a whistle.

Suddenly Mr. Barnett came up onstage. “Holly?”

“Yes?” I answered, glancing at his shirt pocket, wondering if my note had been tucked away for safekeeping.

“Are you practicing lines while Jared is speaking?”

“Oh no. It’s that.” I pointed to the gap in the curtains. Quickly, they sprang shut.

“Carry on,” Mr. Barnett instructed. And we did.

Later, during the romantic scene between Maria and Captain von Trapp, the nose and eyes appeared through the curtains again. This time, a wisp of auburn hair showed, as well. The hair gave him away. It was Danny, spying on scenes where Jared’s and my character were supposed to be romantically involved.

After practice, I located Danny backstage. “Have fun snooping today?”

He ignored me, shuffling around with props and things.

“You really could be watching from the audience,” I suggested. “Why’d you take this stage manager job, anyway, if you’re just going to gawk?”

He shook his head innocently, but I was sure I knew the answer. Finally he left, and I was searching for my script when I overheard Miss Hess and Mr. Barnett talking together.

“You could’ve signed your name,” he was saying to her.

“I’m not sure what you’re talking about,” Miss Hess answered coyly.

I held my breath as I eavesdropped backstage.

His smile gave way to a grin. “Oh, you can deny it, but I’m telling you it was a nice surprise.”

I peeked through the curtain as he continued. “I think we ought to discuss things further over coffee, or is tea better for you?”

I nearly choked. Andrew was totally mixed up. He thought Miss Hess had written the anonymous note—
my
note. It was all I could do to keep from leaping through the curtains and setting the record straight.

As Mr. Barnett planned their rendezvous for tomorrow after school at the Soda Straw, Miss Hess smiled back at him, obviously delighted. There she stood, just outside the orchestra pit, letting him think whatever he wanted. Letting my note do the job she’d probably hoped to do all along!

I gripped the folds of the curtain. End of act two, scene two. So much for my crazy little scheme. The curtain had come crashing down around me, without any applause.

STRAIGHT-A TEACHER

Chapter 12

I waited, watching as they left the auditorium together. The custodian came in to turn out the lights before I could muster the strength to come out and face the empty chairs. People or no people, there would be a grand musical here, and I was Maria, the star of the show. Mr. Barnett had thought I was the best choice for the lead. He’d said I was the perfect Maria.

Was that all I was? Just a talented drama student? With a heavy heart, I trudged down the steps and walked the long aisle to the back doors, replaying the conversation in his car.

What was all his talk about age differences? Was he actually referring to Miss Hess?

Andie and Paula waited for me at the bus stop. Running to meet them, I nearly tripped, but I caught myself.

“Watch out,” Paula called.

“I’m okay,” I said. And I was—on the outside. Inside I was a wreck.

The bus arrived and its door screeched open.

“Good practice today,” Andie said, jostling for a seat in the back of the bus. She and I sat together. Paula sat in front of us, saving a place for her twin, who was running down the street, frantically flagging the driver.

Andie giggled. “Look at Kayla go.”

“You should see her jog around the courthouse,” I said. “You too, Paula. You guys are fast.” It almost made me wish I’d gone out for track instead of the musical.

“You look terrible, Holly,” Andie offered.

“Thanks, I needed that.”

Paula turned around just as an exhausted Kayla slumped into the seat next to her. “Holly, you okay?”

I sighed. “The note I sent Mr. Barnett backfired,” I said, feeling more foolish than ever. “Guess I should’ve signed my name.”

“Are you crazy?” Andie said. “No way!”

“What happened?” Paula asked.

I told them the conversation I’d witnessed between Miss Hess and Mr. Barnett.

“You’re kidding.” Kayla turned around, suddenly coming to life. “Miss Hess likes Mr. Barnett?”

“Sure seems like it,” I said. “Now what should I do?” I felt like crying.

“You could always write another note,” Paula suggested. “Just tell him you wrote the first one and sign your name this time.”

“No, no!” Andie was emphatic. “Holly can’t be stupid about this. There’s a better way.”

“If he really does like me, like he said on Saturday, then what’s to lose?” I said. “Why couldn’t I write him another letter?”