Grover Girls Chapter 10-12

CHAPTER 10
         I couldn’t dwell on my strange morning in the library for long, classes were slated to begin that Monday, and I was looking forward to the challenges that awaited me.  I chose my clothes carefully that morning.  Early September in Maine can be quite chilly, but the teachers had a habit of turning the heat on quite high in the buildings.  Wearing a sweater to walk to class is a good idea, but you’d better have a t-shirt on underneath to escape the stifling heat once you entered the classrooms.  I finally settled on a new pair of jeans, a heavy wool button down sweater, and a plain white shirt.  I put on my favorite brown boots and headed out the door with my pink backpack loaded down with books and materials. 
         I had a few butterflies in my stomach, the same as every first day of school since kindergarten!  But this was high school.  Some say these were the most important years of your life.  Sometimes I wonder if that is just a line that teachers and parents came up with to scare us into doing well.  My first class of the morning was Pre-Calculus 11, which, since it was an eleventh grade class, none of my friends would be in with me.  After that, Maya and I had Astronomy together, then Latin with Chloe.  Chloe and I had agreed to meet Maya and Talia for lunch at 11:15, and then I was off to my Voice class.  I was not looking forward to this class, because I knew that several of the kids who had been cast in The Sound of Music would be there.  I was a bit embarrassed by my performance in the auditions.  I also knew that there were a few elitist members of the cast who would feel that I didn’t belong in the Voice class.  Like I would be taking too much time away from Mr. Paul, when he could be working with them on their pieces for the show.  If I survived unscathed in Voice, I had History with Chloe and then Great Books with Talia.  At 3, my academic day would finally be over, and I planned on heading to the library with my yellow packet until dinner.  I was going to attempt to get any first day homework finished, and also start looking through the pamphlets and flyers for the other extra-curricular activities on campus. 
         Before heading to class, I quickly went into the dining hall to grab a blueberry muffin to eat on my way to class.  Against my better judgment, I also made myself a cup of coffee.  My mom always said caffeine will stunt my growth, and at 5’1”, I needed all the help I could get.  Oh well, I reasoned, there will be plenty of time for growing when I don’t need the extra caffeine kick to get me through my first morning of classes.  My body was still on summer hiatus.  It groaned and cracked and put up a huge fight when I attempted to rise from my bed at 6 this morning. 
         Once I began my long trek across campus, I was thankful for the coffee.  It was a cool morning, and the grass crunched under my feet.  Despite the fact that the math building was as far away from my dorm as possible, it didn’t take me long to get there.  I was a full fifteen minutes early and I debated whether to go in and find a seat or stand in the hallway and wait for others to show up.  I did not want to look like a tenth grade dork to the eleventh graders, even though that is exactly what I was.  In the end, I decided to go in so I could get a seat in the front.  To my surprise, I wasn’t the first one there. A quiet boy named Parker Sedgewick was seated in the middle of the room, his nose buried in the textbook.  He didn’t notice me, so I chose a seat at the front, next to the windows and opposite from the door.  Whenever I had the chance, I always chose this seat in class.  Given to fits of boredom, I often find myself daydreaming and looking out the windows in class, only half listening to the teachers.
         I paged through my textbook as I watched the others pour in.  There were a few faces that I recognized and more that I didn’t, but it was a surprisingly small class.  The teacher, Ms. Barbara Innes, was young and had some new ideas.  Her best idea was that students worked best in small groups and immediately had us arrange our desks in groups of four.  She let us choose our own groups and sat quietly at her desk while all twelve of us screeched our desks across the freshly polished floor in a cacophony only a group of teenagers can create.  It took us about ten minutes to finally become settled.  I ended up in a group with Parker Sedgewick, and two boys that I only know from seeing them on campus, Riley Stone and Jack Levy.  The only reason I ended up with them is because they were the only group of three left when I glanced around.  Being a lowly tenth grader in a junior class was not without its challenges. 
         Ms. Innes distributed the class syllabus and we did a few simple math exercises to “wake up our brains” and the first class of the day was over!  I took a deep breath and let it out slowly.  Off to Astronomy.
         My butterflies were long gone by the time I headed to the science building.  I know Maya would be there waiting for me.  Her first class of the day was another science class, and she had let me know that she would save me a seat.  Imagine my surprise when I entered the class and saw Maya sitting next to an empty seat.  The empty seat was next to PETE RYAN.  I glanced around, frantically looking for two more empty seats, but of course, there were none available.  So far, this semester had not gotten off to a glowing start.  Stoically, I took my seat between Maya and Pete.  Maya mouthed “sorry”, and I gave her my best “I understand” smile.  Pete nodded his head in that cool-guy-says-hello kind of way, and I tried to smile at him also, but it felt more like a smirk.  Ugh…this was not going to be easy.  Maybe this Mr. Bucksworth guy was one of those type A personalities that needed us to sit in alphabetical order.  It was my last hope.
         “Where you are sitting now will be your seat for the rest of the semester.  Also, we will be in lab groups of four.  Starting from this end”, he pointed at Pete’s chair, “these are your lab groups.”  He motioned to the first four seats, and then to the next four and so on.  Double ugh.  My lab group consisted of Pete, Maya, Nicholas Mann, and myself.
         My hopes of getting away from Pete were dashed.  I imagined uncomfortable evenings in the observatory, attempting to study but becoming preoccupied with Pete.  I did not expect an A in Astronomy this year. 
         Somehow, I managed to get through Intro to Astronomy with just a few emotional wounds.  Nothing permanent.  I headed to Latin with my head held high.  I was going to meet Chloe.  Surely, the worst was over.
         Wrong again!  Guess who was outside of the Mr. Guy’s room?  GRAHAM.  Maybe it wasn’t too late to change my mind and take Spanish.  I took a deep breath, bit my lip and walked right by Graham and into the room.  I heard snickering behind me and I knew Graham was having a chuckle with his buddies at my expense.  I was determined to be an adult.  I was adamant about ignoring all of this angst and rising above it.  I knew I was taking the right approach.  As difficult as it was right now, I knew that in time, Graham’s desire to ridicule me would fade.  Like most bullies, he would become bored if I refused to react to his shenanigans. 
         Chloe walked in a short time later, with Owen, and did not hide her surprise as well as I did.  She gaped at Graham and mouthed “What the hell?” to me.  I just shrugged my shoulders, attempting to appear nonchalant.
         Thankfully, Chloe, Owen, and I sat in the back of the room and Graham sat right up in front with his cronies.  The hour passed quickly, probably because I spent the hour thinking up new ways to torture and make life hell for Graham.  Hey, I said I was going to ACT mature about this, I didn’t say anything about my private thoughts.
         Chloe, Owen, and I met Maya and Talia for lunch in the dining hall immediately after Latin.  Sensing a girl gossip fest, Owen made a quick exit after lunch to meet a few of his football friends.  Chloe, Maya, and Talia spent the hour giggling and trading stories about classes and professors.  Thank goodness they were all so chatty.  No one noticed that I had nothing to contribute.  I was so nervous about my upcoming voice class, that I didn’t talk at all.  I wasn’t eating much either.  I kind of pushed my taco salad around on the plate.  I smiled in all of the right places and none of my friends seemed the wiser.  Or so I thought.
         As we were leaving the dining hall, all off in different directions, Chloe squeezed my shoulder and said quietly, “It’s going to be okay, you know.  You’ll get through it.  Be the bigger person.”  She smiled and I had to hug her.  She knew me better than anyone else.  She let me sulk through lunch, because she knew I wasn’t ready to discuss it yet.  But she knew just what to say when it mattered.
         I headed to the CPA with my head held high.  Chloe was right.  I deserved to be in that Voice class, I had passed Beginner Voice just like everyone else and had made it to the Intermediate level fair and square.  It may be awkward, but I have had my share of awkward moments at Northwoods and survived. 
         Surprisingly, I was the first one into the Voice classroom.  Mr. Paul was making copies of some sheet music when I came into the room. 
         “Lexi...” he held his arms open for me to give him a hug.  I obliged.  “I’m sorry about the auditions, but I’m so happy to have you in this class this year.  We’re going to be doing some new things, I think you’ll be happy you’re here.”
    I smiled at Mr. Paul.  He was definitely one of my favorite professors at Northwoods.  I was curious about the “new things” he was talking about. 
         As I was sorting music for Mr. Paul, the other kids slowly filtered in.  As I had guessed earlier, all but one of the other kids were cast members from The Sound of Music.  There was Jill Jones, Lacey (BLECH), Natalie Mines, Tori Nixon, Nick Mann, Eli Brown, Ryan Franklin, and…Graham.  The only one beside me NOT in the show was Mason Sugarman, who had not even auditioned.  Mason lives on the first floor of Grover and has a great voice, but his musical talent was more suited for American Idol, not The Sound of Music.  I stuck close to Jill and Mason, who were very close friends.  Since the class was so small, it was a bit difficult to avoid Lacey, but I was trying my hardest.  After a few warm-ups and chit chat, Mr. Paul made his big announcement.
         “The powers that be have decided that it is high time that Northwoods have a traveling voice group.  A small group of the best singers at Northwoods to sing out in the community as well as for school functions and also to compete in citywide and statewide competitions.  It will require quite a bit of rehearsal time outside of class, but I know a few of you will be willing to put in the extra effort.  I will be holding an audition here on Thursday night at 6 for those who are interested.  The auditions are only open to upper cluster students.  Before your audition, I will need to see your class schedule to figure out when to schedule rehearsals, and I will also need the name and extension of your adviser.  Only students with a GPA of 3.0 or higher will be allowed to participate.  Also, I am only accepting twelve students into the group.  The competition will be fierce, but don’t let that detract you from auditioning.  I really want the best of the best.”
         WOW!  That would be perfect for me, I thought.  Now that I didn’t have to worry about the musical, I had loads of time after classes.  Plus, this group would be filled with kids who were serious about music.  Not like the musical, where a handful of the kids (Lacey included) were involved because you were kind of a “star” on campus.  I spent the rest of the voice class dreaming of the audition and feeling excited because I REALLY wanted to be a part of it.
         With Voice behind me, the rest of the afternoon flew by.  Now that I had a goal in mind, I found it very easy to focus on my last two classes.  I excitedly told Chloe and Talia about the choir when I saw them in classes.  They agreed that the traveling chorus would be the perfect extra-curricular activity for me.  The best part about my last two classes?  No more Graham or Lacey sightings!  Phew!


CHAPTER 11
           Mr. Paul mentioned that the choir would be singing popular songs as well as traditional choral arrangements, so that for the audition, we should prepare two completely different pieces and be prepared to sing a capella.
         I had spent all of my spare time since Tuesday in the empty practice rooms at the CPA, preparing my two pieces.  I chose an old Billy Joel song called “For The Longest Time” for my popular selection, and my traditional choice was a Christmas song, “O Holy Night”, which is one of my favorites.  I had been practicing so much; I started worrying that I was overdoing it.  But that was just my overactive imagination at work again.
         I was surprised at the sheer number of students auditioning for Mr. Paul’s group.  I was unaware that so many students were interested in chorus.  Maybe it was the added bonus that the special choir would be traveling off campus often.  Of course, lots of the kids auditioning were from TSOM, but there were lots there that I didn’t recognize.  I knew the 3.0 GPA comment would not deter many. Since Northwoods is academically challenging and requires a difficult entrance exam to get in, a 3.0 GPA is quite run of the mill out here. 
         Mr. Paul gathered all of us onto the stage and had us warm up all together, and then announced that our auditions would be individual and he would be calling us back into one of the private practice rooms one at a time.  Nerve-wracking for some, but actually easier for me.  He also announced that he would be choosing the choir TONIGHT, so there would be no waiting around with butterflies.  He also announced that Corinne Carson would be his assistant director, and would be helping him with auditions. 
         The auditions went quickly.  Corinne and Mr. Paul were nothing if not efficient.  Before long, I was being called back to sing.  My audition went well, and Mr. Paul and Corinne both offered encouraging words and smiles when I left the room.  Since I was near the end of the audition list, I didn’t have to wait long for the list to be posted.  I took out my History book and skimmed through the pages while listening to my iPod.  A short time later, I felt a presence behind me.  I removed my headphones and turned around to see Mason Sugarman behind me. 
         He smiled.  I smiled back.  “How do you think you did?”  he asked.
         “Hopefully, well.  You?”  I asked.
         He didn’t answer.  Just shrugged.  “You know you’re way better than that Lacey chick.  You blow her away in Voice class.  I can tell you’re intimidated by her, but I can’t figure out why.  I do not know what happened at The Sound of Music auditions, but you should have had her part.  Really.”  I blushed.
         “Thanks, Mason.  That means a lot coming from you.”
         He looked like he wanted to say something else, but we saw Mr. Paul appear from offstage.  Butterflies danced in my stomach for the first time that night.  Mason motioned that we should move closer to the stage. 
         “Thank you all for coming.  Corinne and I had a tough job tonight!”  I was having déjà vu from The Sound of Music audition!  “After reviewing our notes, we have decided that our Northwoods Traveling Chorus will be as follows…Corinne?”
         Corinne stepped center stage and smiled.  “Sopranos:  Jill Jones and Constance Builford.”  We all clapped and cheered.  It was going to be a long night, my butterflies argued, if we were going to clap and cheer for all of the new chorus members! 
         “Soprano II:  Valerie Puchala and Grace Newnan!”  more clapping and cheering.
         “Altos”, my breath was caught in my throat.  This was my part.  “Natalie Mines and Morgan Knott”.  My breath let out.  I felt like a deflated balloon.  I had practiced so hard and tried my best.  I felt ready to cry.  All around me, people were clapping and cheering.  I hung my head.  I started to gather my things.  No sense sticking around for the rest.  Ugh, I felt sick. 
         Suddenly, I felt Mason clap me on the shoulder.  “Congratulations!  I told you we’d do it!” he was saying.  I was momentarily confused.  My face must have shown this.
         “Tenors!  We’re the tenors for the new chorus!  You and me!”  Tenors?  Mr. Paul made me a tenor???  Whatever!  I was in the chorus!  I had made it!  My hard work had paid off! 
         “Basses:  Nathan Princeton and Colton Kelly!”  Corrinne continued.
         “Baritones: Chip Underwood and Jake Finn!”  Corinne finished with a flourish. 
         “Congratulations to all of you.  I would like to see my new chorus up here onstage, I have a few notes for you and some sheet music for you to study.  Thank you all for coming, and I will see you in your voice classes!”  Mr. Paul added. 
         Mason and I hurried to the stage, eager with excitement.  Mr. Paul stopped me before I got there. 
         “I know you usually sing as an alto, but I think we’ve had it wrong all this time.  I heard something in your voice tonight, you’re definitely a female tenor.  You and Mason are going to sound fabulous together.  I’m so happy to have you in my group.”  I was so happy, I hugged Mr. Paul right there!
         The twelve of us gathered onstage, and I noticed that most of the kids were NOT members of The Sound of Music cast.  I wondered if Mr. Paul did that on purpose, figuring that those in the cast would need more time to focus on the show.  Then I changed my mind about that because those who were in the cast, Jill Jones, Nathan Princeton, Chip Underwood, and Natalie Mines were either leads or understudies.  Both required lots of time and practice.  It must have just been chance that most of us were not members of The Sound of Music.           
         “Our first rehearsal will be Saturday morning at 10, right here.  Our first trip will be to the all-state holiday festival in early December, so we will need to learn this Christmas music by then.  We will also be performing on Homecoming weekend, and here is the music for those performances.  Please start studying it as soon as you can. And all of you now have passes to use the practice rooms whenever you please.  All of you will also be given lockers at the CPA to store whatever you need.  Our traveling costumes will consist of tuxedos for the boys and these for the girls.”  He motioned to Corinne, who held up a hideous royal blue thing that look like a bridesmaid’s dress.  It wouldn’t be flattering on the most beautiful of bodies.  Ugh…I guess that was the price we’d have to pay to be in the group.  None of the girls said a word, but we all exchanged glances.  I guess we were all too excited to complain about the outfits. 
         “I’ll need your sizes on Saturday, so I can order the outfits next week.  Congratulations to all of you again.  The auditions were tough, and you are all definitely the crème de la crème of Northwoods singers.  Please don’t tell the others I said that!”  We all laughed.  “See you Saturday morning!” 
         Jill, Mason, and I walked back to the dorms in an excited huddle.  We chatted noisily about the upcoming trip and the auditions, all happy and relieved to be finished with the audition process.  It had been a stressful week.  Mason said goodnight to us at the front door to Grover and headed in the direction of the ninth grade dorm, Browne.  I wondered if he had a sibling there or something. 
         I was really glad that Jill was a part of the new chorus.  She and I have always been friendly, but now we would have a chance to become closer.  I was also happy about getting to know Mason better.  The very best thing about the new chorus?  Lacey and Graham were not a part of it!

CHAPTER 12
         The rest of the week was a breeze, probably because I was in such a great mood.  Friday afternoon after classes, I received a phone call from Mr. Paul.  There were two reasons for his call.  First, he wanted to let me know that he had decided to call the new chorus the Northwoods Chorale.  Secondly, he delivered the best news I had heard all semester.
         “Because this new chorus is going to require so much practice time, the faculty has decided that students in the Chorale will be excused from the Northwoods Job Program,” he said.
         It took all I had not to scream into the phone and turn cartwheels into the hallway.  No library with Lacey!  Things were definitely looking up for me! 
         Saturday morning found Jill, Natalie Mines, and I slowly meandering through campus to the CPA for practice.  It was our first practice of the semester and we all chatted happily about the packet of music that had been presented to us at the audition. 
         When we arrived, we were happy to see the rest of the chorale already gathered, waiting for Mr. Paul.  I guess we meandered a bit more slowly than we should have!  The atmosphere was so relaxed, I was happy to be surrounded by this group of students.  I knew we would all get along well together.  The other kids were lounging on the chairs and discussing the music, wondering when we would be assigned to lockers, wondering where Mr. Paul was. 
         We did not have to wonder long.  Mr. Paul and Corinne appeared with a box of padlocks and a list of locker numbers.  My locker was between Nathan Princeton and Colton Kelly.  Once that was finished, it was time to get down to business.
         We rehearsed for a little over two hours.  Mr. Paul was great, taking suggestions from us and asking our opinion or certain arrangements.  It was unlike any chorus that I had ever been a part of.           
         It was decided that we needed a leader, since we would be singing a capella.  Mr. Paul would not be onstage with us when we sang.  We elected Nathan Princeton as our leader.  He would be keeping us on track while onstage and would be playing the pitch pipe before each piece.  Nathan was an easy choice as leader because not only was he the oldest member of the chorale, but he was also the tallest and therefore would be standing in the middle when we stood “in formation”, a semicircle. Since I was the shortest person in the Chorale, I would be standing on the far end.  On the other end was Jill.  After two hours of practice, my voice was definitely hoarse.  I wondered how I was going to handle this much intense singing all semester. 
         I made my way back to the dorm by myself.  Jill and Natalie were headed to TSOM practice.  I was almost glad that I had not made it into the show.  My grades would definitely slip if my entire weekend was taken up by practice, practice, and more practice.  I was walking back to the dorm with my head down, thinking over the last two hours.  I did not notice Graham and Lacey coming towards me, on their way to TSOM rehearsal. 
         “Oh look, G!  It’s ALEXIS!  What a nice surprise!” Lacey sneered at me.  I swallowed hard. 
         “Graham, Lacey.  I was just on my way back to the dorm, if you’ll excuse me.”  I tried to push past them.
         Lacey would not let me through.  “How was your rehearsal for your little chorus?”
         “Great.  We’re working on some things for the upcoming all state Holiday Festival and Homecoming.”  I decided not to give her the satisfaction of seeing my angry.  But on the inside, I was seething.
         “I just don’t know how you did it, Alexis.  How did you bribe Michael Paul into letting you into that chorus, anyway?  I thought you had to have perfect pitch.  Although, he did make you a tenor.  You and that fag, Mason Sugarman.  He’s not that good either.  He must have decided that the tenors would be backup singers.”  She giggled at her own joke. 
         That was the last straw.  In just two sentences, she had managed to insult me and Mason, who she didn’t even know that well. I threw my books down on the cold sidewalk and approached Lacey until I was standing about a half inch from her face, daring her to back up.
         “Lacey,” I began, “I have HAD it with you this semester.  You have done nothing but make my life miserable this semester, and we have only been back at school for two weeks.  You stared going out with Pete, probably just to tick me off.  And now you’re with Graham.  What a damn coincidence it is that you seem to be going out with all of my leftovers.  I know you’re with Graham just to get my goat…”
         “Hey!” Graham tried to interrupt.  I silenced him with one crazy look.
         “When are you going to figure out that I don’t give a damn about you and what you do with your life?  Why are you always trying to piss me off?  Can’t you tell it’s not working?  I don’t care one iota who you go out with or that you seem to spend all of your time dreaming up new insults for me?  Why do you keep taunting me?”  I asked.
Lacey looked taken aback.  I stared at her, not expecting an answer.  I do not know what I expected.  Even Graham was staring at Lacey.  I do not think he knew what to make of the situation either.
         “I…I…” Lacey stammered.  “I’m sorry.  I just…do you really not know why I dislike you so much?”  Lacey stared at me.
         “I really don’t.  But I’d love to hear it.”  I answered.  Who was I kidding?  Did I REALLY want to know?
         “Sixth grade dorms.  My roommate was Devin Mines.  She was my best friend.  Amanda and Devin and I were inseparable.  She told me last year that you told Dr. Phillips that she tried to cheat on the upper cluster entrance exam.  She was kicked out because of you!  She was one of my best friends!”  Lacey was near tears.
         I backed up.  “Whoa.  I don’t know where you got your information, but I certainly did not say anything to Dr. Phillips about Devin.”  I tried to defend myself.
         “Well who did then?  Devin and I had big plans for this year!  And now she’s back in New Jersey at PUBLIC SCHOOL!  PUBLIC SCHOOL, Lexi!  She belongs here!  And you ruined it for her!  I made a pact with her that I would make your life a living hell this year.  And I will definitely make good on my promise to my friend.”  Lacey gave me one good long stare and then stormed off towards the CPA.  Graham followed behind her like a little puppy dog. 
         I stood, cemented to the sidewalk.  Whoa.  I wracked my brain, trying to think of any conversations I had with Dr. Phillips last year that would count as me ratting on Devin.  Coming up with nothing, I decided there were only two people that could clear this up.  Devin’s sisters Ashley and Natalie.  Since I knew Natalie was at TSOM rehearsal, I headed to the first floor of Grover to find Ashley. 
         Luckily, I did not have to search long.  I found her studying in the common room.
         “Ashley, what really happened to Devin?”  I barged in on her.
         “Lexi?  What’s up?” Ashley looked concerned.
         “Lacey just ACCOSTED me out on the sidewalk and accused me of getting Devin kicked out of Northwoods.  What’s the real story?”  I demanded.
         Ashley looked sheepish for a minute.  I saw a hint of guilt flash in her eyes.  What the heck was going on?  She seemed reluctant to tell me.  There must have been a crazy look in my eyes that convinced her that if she did not tell me, I would do something desperate.
         “The real story?  Well, this is going to difficult.  You have to promise me you’ll keep this quiet.  Devin would be very embarrassed if this got out.  Please?”  I was intrigued.  I nodded, agreeing to keep it quiet.
         Ashley took a deep breath.  “My parents decided to keep Devin at home this year.  Last year right before finals she was caught having sex with Luke Daniels in the basement of the eleventh grade dorm, Farley.  Could you imagine if that got out?  Luke Daniels, the most popular guy at Northwoods.  Luke Daniels, who was dating LACEY, Devin’s best friend at the time.  My parents spent a lot of time at the school, making sure that the story didn’t get out.  They did a pretty good job, too.  The only ones who know about it are Natalie and me.  And Luke.  But I know he won’t say anything.  He’s a bit embarrassed about it, too. Devin told Lacey that she had been kicked out because of you.  The rest of the school thinks she didn’t pass the entrance exam.  It was easier for her to make up a story than to admit to Lacey that she had slept with her boyfriend.  My parents decided to keep her out.  Decided she could use some good old parental supervision.  She passed the entrance exam.  With flying colors, actually.  She could have come back this year, but my parents would not let her.  They were really pissed when the school called and told them what happened.  It’s not like Devin had never been in trouble before, this was kind of the last straw.”
         I stared at Ashley, openmouthed.  “Am I supposed to spend the rest of my years at Northwoods letting Lacey Blume abuse me?  How can I keep quiet?  She thinks it was ME, who got Devin kicked out, damn it!”  I shrieked.
         “I’ll think of something, Lexi.  Lacey and I are okay friends.  I will make this okay, I swear.  Please do not tell Natalie that I told you, she‘d kill me.  Please.  Please.”  She was pleading with me.
         “You need to make this right, Ashley.  I’ll trust you, but you have to fix it.”
         I turned and headed up to my floor.  I was still shell-shocked from my run-in with Lacey.  The news about Devin was not that surprising.  She had a reputation for being pretty loose, and I knew firsthand that she was.  Boys climbing the trellis outside of our window had awakened me many a night last year.  I was not naïve.
         I never remembered Luke Daniels sneaking up to our room.  Maybe it was just a one-time thing.  After I started thinking about it, I almost started feeling badly for Lacey.  Emphasis on almost.  Imagine finding out that your best friend slept with your boyfriend.  I tried to imagine how I would have felt if I found Chloe and Pete together last year.  It was near impossible to think about.  Chloe would never do something that deceitful. 
         I was forgetting one very important detail.  Lacey had no idea.  I wonder what would happen if she did find out?  I could never be the one to tell her, of course.  I had sworn to Ashley that I would not say anything.  Who would have thought that Devin would be causing so many problems…and she was not even a Northwoods student anymore!