Lovesessed

Pamela Diane King


Copyright © 2010 by Pamela Diane King
Published by Pamela Diane King at Smashwords
All rights reserved. Except as permitted under the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976, no part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed or transmitted in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without the prior permission of the author.

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Table of Contents

Epigraph
1. Dreaming
2. Sleepover
3. Friends
4. Concert
5. Chemistry
6. Valentine’s Day
7. Love Struck
8. A Star
9. First Kiss
10. True Love
Connect with the Author


Epigraph

The course of true love never did run smooth. 
~ William Shakespeare, A Midsummer Night’s Dream


*****


1. Dreaming

My heart beat faster as I admired his golden tan. His crystal blue eyes locked onto mine and a thrill took over my whole body. I closed my eyes, ready for his kiss.
“Phoebe, what are you doing?” my best friend Liz demanded, snapping me out of my daze. 
“I’m in love,” I said dreamily, dropping the magazine I was about to kiss. 
“Oh boy, here we go,” she sighed, and started nibbling her whole wheat salad sandwich.
“This is a serious matter Liz, a matter of love and death,” I said loudly.
She looked up from her sandwich. “Um, don’t you mean life and death?”
“Love, life - same thing,” I said quickly, grabbing her free hand with both of mine.
She jumped. “Phoebe, you know how I feel about sudden movements.” 
I smiled at her knowing I had scared her again with my wild surges of energy. “Chase, my future husband, is the most gorgeous, sweetest guy in the whole world. Just the sound of his voice makes my heart want to burst. It’s like we’ve known each other our whole lives. I feel such a strong connection with him, like I can see his soul. In fact, I think he is my soulmate.”
Liz stifled a laugh, and extracted her hand from mine. “Your soulmate, I don’t believe in that.” She adjusted her frameless glasses. “I read a newspaper article that gave scientific evidence proving that we can have many so-called soulmates.” 
“Liz, please don’t ruin my fantasy with scientific talk. This is not about data or research. This is about dreams. I’m allowed to dream aren’t I?” I shook my head at her “I Love Chemistry” T-shirt that came free with her favorite magazine of the same name.
“Yes, of course you are.” 
“You’re the only person I can talk to about this stuff,” I said in my baby voice, trying to make her feel guilty.
“I’ll listen as much as you want me to,” Liz reassured. 
I smiled, satisfied that I had her full attention for as long as I wanted to ramble on. “Sometimes, I lie on my bed and think about Chase for hours. I picture his dazzling smile that makes my heart flutter. He has the best teeth I’ve ever seen, so white and straight, he could be in toothpaste commercials. I also imagine us going on dates together where we hold hands, make sandcastles on the beach, and have picnics by the lake.”
“It sounds like a Disney movie montage. You know what I think about Disney movies.”
“They’re too perky?” 
“That’s putting it lightly. But Phoebe, how can you be in love with someone you’ve never met?” Liz asked rationally.
“It’s like we met in another life,” I said mysteriously, gazing out the window at the clear blue sky above the distant sea. I frowned. I missed being able to swim in the ocean, because the water was too cold in February.
Liz rolled her eyes. “So now you believe in reincarnation?”
“No, but love shows you a whole new world.”
“Please don’t start singing that song from Aladdin,” she joked. 
“Don’t tempt me.” I shook my finger at her, and we both smiled. “But it’s true what they say Liz. The sky looks bluer and the grass looks greener when you’re in love.” 
She rolled her eyes. “But Phoebes, boy bands are like cabs, a new one comes along every minute.” She gestured to invisible cabs driving through the cafeteria.
I scowled at her. “They aren’t a ‘boy band.’ They don’t dance around like ‘N Sync, they play their own instruments, and write their own songs. There is a difference.” I folded my arms across my chest defensively. 
“But they are boys, who are in a band.” 
“Why do you always have to be so logical?”
“It’s a gift.” She beamed and took a sip of her carrot juice.
“Chase and his brothers, Nick and Jamie, are super talented, especially to have achieved what they have as teenagers. Carson has had five number one hits, and they won Best New Artist at this year’s Teen Choice Awards. They are the most popular teen band around, and girls go crazy for them like they’re The Beatles. You know that I own all of their CDs, well both of them, and I asked my mom to buy me their concert DVD for my 14th birthday yesterday. I’ve already watched it three times.”
“What about homework?” 
I rolled my eyes. “You sound like my mom. There are more important things in life than homework.”
“Tell your mom that.”
“What she doesn’t know won’t hurt her.” That had always been my motto to get away with things with my mom. “My favorite video is for their song called ‘Summer of Love.’ Have you seen it?”
“No, but I’ve heard the song. It’s so corny.”
“It’s not corny, it’s romantic. The video takes place on a secluded beach at sunset, with the three brothers walking in the water and singing. They’re all wearing white, and Chase looks like an angel. I like to pause on shots of him. Several of their videos are in slow motion to create a more romantic feeling, and it works.”
She did her best impression of my mom. “Phoebe Parker, if you spent as much time on your schoolwork as you do worrying about Chase, then you would be in College.” 
“But Mom, Chase is so much more interesting than school,” I whined. We both giggled. “Speaking of Aladdin, I want a genie who could grant me a wish. I would wish to magically appear in a video with Chase, or that he would magically appear in my bedroom.”
Liz coughed on her carrot juice. “Your mom would freak out if Chase or any guy was in your room.” 
I nodded. “My mom is so uptight.” 
“Well, I think my Mom would freak out too.”
I opened Teen Idol Magazine and flipped through the pages until I found the page with pictures of Carson filming a music video. “Look at this,” I said, holding up the magazine. “They’re filming a music video and look at these skanky looking girls. I don’t like the scenes in their videos where they have the ‘love interests,’” I pouted.
“Are those the girls in bikinis prancing, I mean dancing, around in their videos?”
“Yes, they’re girls the brothers have to act like they’re in love with. They’re always beautiful models who are bad actors. I can tell that Chase is uncomfortable when he has to act those scenes. He too devoted to his artistic vision to have time for than flirting with every girl who throws herself at him.” I pushed the macaroni and cheese around my plate.
“Sure he is,” Liz mumbled under her breath. “Aren’t you going to eat today?” She eyed my full plate critically.
“Love is all the food I need.”
She put her face in her hands. “Phoebe, you can’t survive on love alone.” Her expression softened. “But when people are in that infatuation phase, they often can’t eat and can’t sleep.”
“Love is a delicious torture. There’s just one tiny problem with being in love with a teen idol,” I said.
“I think I can guess what that is.”
“A million other girls feel the same way as me.”
“I was waiting for you to realize that.”
“But they just have crushes on Chase. I know that my love is real.”
“That explains it,” she said sarcastically.
“Not that I blame them. I mean, what girl wouldn’t have a crush on him? He has everything a girl could possibly want. He has the most stunning sea blue eyes that I love to gaze into. He looks like a surfer with his golden tanned skin and sandy blond hair. The back and sides of his hair are shorter, and the slightly longer front flicks up with just a hint of gel or mouse. He’s not too tall, but not too short, about 5 feet 8, and still growing. He has a beautiful face, and is often called a ‘pretty boy’ in magazines.”
Liz grinned. “He does look rather feminine. He must spend hours on his hair,” she said, examining the pictures of Chase.
“But it pays off. You can’t deny that,” I pointed out. 
“Well, if you like guys who look like girls,” she said, winking at me.
“Hey, I resent that. Chase is a metrosexual,” I said, shoving the magazine cover in her face, as though I was his defense attorney.
Liz raised her right eyebrow. “I’m scared to ask, but what is that?” 
“A metrosexual is a guy who puts enormous effort into his appearance. They shower at least twice a day, only wear the best clothes, and make sure that their hair always looks great. Like Zac Efron. Have you seen his hair? A normal guy can’t do that with his hair.”
“I bet Zac Efron spends more time on his hair than a girl,” she said chuckling.
“Laugh all you want, but I’d rather a guy put in too much effort with his hygiene and appearance, than no effort at all. Take most of the guys here.” We glanced around at the tables in the cafeteria, mostly grouped by male and female. “It looks like they just fell out of bed in the morning, and came to school wearing the T-shirts they’d slept in, and covered their greasy hair with caps.” I gestured with my fork to a group of guys who were having a burping contest to prove my point. 
“I think you’re right,” Liz said grimacing, and wrinkled her nose like she could smell them.
“Chase is like no other guy. He’s so sensitive. You can hear it in his voice when he sings. He’s in touch with his feelings.”
“Carson’s songs sound like the poetry of any other hormonal teenage boy to me. How old is Chase?”
“Chase is the middle brother. He’s 15, a year older than us. I like that he’s a year older because guys our age are so immature. Apparently, girls are two years more mature than guys their age.”
“Is that physically or emotionally?”
“I don’t know, I think both. Look at Ben, he’s our age and he’s immature. Well emotionally at least. Physically he’s about as tall as Chase.” 
“Ben is not immature. He likes to make people laugh. Besides, he is our best friend so you shouldn’t call him immature.”
“He always acts silly. I prefer people to laugh with me, rather than at me.”
“He wants to be an actor,” Liz pointed out. “Where is he anyway?”
“He’s painting sets for the Theater Club. But you have to agree that he is the class clown.” 
“I guess you could say that,” Liz admitted hesitantly.
Ben was like the brother I never had. He had always been the most important guy in my life, until Chase came along. “I know that Ben is a sweet guy. He’s always so helpful, offering to carry my books to class, and holding doors open for me. I like that he’s a gentleman. But Chase is the best guy ever, much better than any guy at our school, or any school.”
“There goes the bell for the end of lunch.” Liz quickly gathered her things. She was never late for anything.
Chase’s blue eyes watched me as I picked up my books. “Somehow you will be mine,” I whispered to his picture, and hurried to catch up with Liz.
#
“I hate P.E. with a passion,” I moaned.
“Join the club,” Liz mumbled.
“I think we’re physically challenged.” 
“Hey, I resent that,” Liz protested nudging me.
“But whatever ball sport we play, we always drop the ball, if we even catch it.”
“I can’t deny that,” Liz admitted, sitting down on the stand beside me.
Our coach, Miss Jackson, was making us play basketball. We always had too many players, because the guys and girls played together. Liz and I were among those who had volunteered to sit on the stands and cheer for the players. I had never got the hang of dribbling and running at the same time, so I always chose to sit out rather than embarrass and/or hurt myself. “I like watching Ben play, even though he’s no Michael Jordan. I mean, he’s not bad at sports, but he’s not the best.” 
“Yeah, he’s more into the Arts.”
Ben kept looking over at us every five seconds, and we waved at him and gave him the thumbs up, like he was an LA Lakers player.
 “Liz, I know that I’m not the only one with feelings for Chase. But I know that if he knew me, just got to meet me even once, he would fall in love with me.”
“It’s possible,” she said, not taking her eyes off the game.
“Take that band Hanson for example.”
“Who’s that?” she asked.
“They were the Carson of the Nineties. Hanson also consisted of three teenage brothers. Every single one of them met their wives at their concerts. The girls were fans in the crowd! So there’s hope for me.”
“Wow, I didn’t think that really happened.” Liz said surprised. “Maybe I’ve been too cynical.”
“I’m glad you’ve seen the light,” I said satisfied. “I’ve dreamed about how it would happen. In the dream I went to a Carson concert. I made my way through the crowd of girls going nuts, slowly moving towards him as if there was a magnetic attraction between us. It only took about a minute but felt like hours, because everything happened in slow motion, just like in his music videos. I walked through the haze of smoke until I was at the front of the crowd by the stage. Chase looked down and focused right on me. He couldn’t take his eyes off me. He smiled at me, and my heart raced. He sang the rest of the song to me. Then, just as he reached his hand out to invite me onstage, and dedicate a song to me – I woke up.”
“I only dream about normal, boring stuff, like going to school. Once, I dreamed that I had to write an exam on a country that doesn’t exist, and I hadn’t studied.”
I laughed. “That’s typical of you to dream about school.”
“It was such a horrible dream. It was more like a nightmare. I was drenched in sweat when I woke up. Gross.”
“The nightmare of the girl who didn’t study,” I said, putting on my deep announcer voice.
Liz pushed me gently. “Speaking of sweat, I’m sweating like a pig, and I’m not even playing.”
 “It’s these polyester outfits.” I pulled a face at the shapeless blue and yellow P.E. outfits. “It’s been nice weather for February.”
“That’s California for you, we sweat even in February.”
“Don’t you think it’s cool that we live in Orange County? The show I watched religiously called The O.C., made this place famous.”
“Never heard of it,” Liz said casually.
“Are you sure you’re not a 40-year-old trapped in a 14-year-old body?” I joked.
“Huh?” Liz shot me a confused look.
“You know, like those movies where teenagers switch bodies with their parents. Are you in there Mrs. Fraser?” I whispered. 
We both laughed. 
“Look, Ben just scored a point,” Liz said, punching the air. 
We shouted his name and clapped loudly. He glanced at us, and turned a bright shade of red. 
“Anyway, can we get back to Chase please?” I pleaded.
“Does it matter what I say?” she asked playfully. 
“Not really,” I joked. “I can’t wait to see him perform live, in person. If he could just meet me in person, then he’d realize that we’re meant to be together. When I listen to him sing, I feel like he wrote those words for me, and is singing to me. Even though he has never met me, I feel like he knows I’m out there, and he’s waiting for me. I believe that my dreams will come true, because the Law of Attraction says that what you think about and desire becomes reality. You create your own reality.”
Liz sat up straight. “Now, that I do believe. It has been scientifically proven the energy we put out, we attract. The world is made up of energy, and our thoughts are just energy. Our thoughts control our reality.”
“My thoughts are all about Chase, so I should be attracting him to me as we speak,” I said gleefully.
“Oh no, look!” Liz exclaimed.
I jumped. “What?” I gasped, following her gaze to the basketball court.
Ben was lying on the ground in the middle of the court, surrounded by a crowd. “Ben!” I shouted automatically.
We both ran over to where he lay, and knelt beside him. I panicked when I saw his eyes closed.
“Ben, are you okay?” I could hear the alarm in my voice. I wiped his wet hair off his forehead. “Ben, if you can hear me wiggle your toes.”
He opened his brown eyes and looked right in my mine. “I’m fine,” he whispered like he couldn’t breathe. I helped him sit up slowly. “I’m not in a coma.”
“I’m so happy you’re alive!” I gushed, throwing my arms around his neck.
“Hey, relax. You can’t get rid of me that easily.” He smiled weakly. 
“Sorry,” I said, releasing my vice grip around his neck, and giving him some room to breathe.
“Time to change everyone,” Miss Jackson shouted. “Ben, let’s get you to the nurse.”
“I’ll take him,” I offered quickly. Ben looked at me. I made him put his arm around my shoulders.
“Thanks,” he said as he limped to the nurse, whose office was luckily close by.
“No problem. You’re always the one helping me. Let me help you for a change. You’re my best friend Benji.”
“You’re the only person I’ll let call me that,” he laughed weakly.


*****


2. Sleepover

On the weekend, Liz came over to my house for a sleepover. Apart from Chase, sleepovers were my main thrill in life. Liz and I always had movie marathons. I liked to watch musicals and chick flicks, while she chose dramas. She usually let me watch what I wanted, but she drew the line at Disney movies. I always made her watch my Carson concert DVDs and music videos. I knew that she secretly liked watching their concerts, because she had a crush Chase’s younger brother, Nick, who was our age. But she wasn’t in love, like me.
“Liz, I had another dream about Chase last night. I think it’s a sign.”
“What do you mean by a sign?” she asked casually while unpacking her toiletries in my connecting bathroom.
“That what I desire is getting closer.” I pointed to my pictures.
“Tell me about your dream,” she said, sitting on the other side of the bed.
I lay down. It felt like Liz was my Psychologist and I was having a therapy session. We just needed one of those couches. “Like the other dream, I went to one of Chase’s concerts. I looked stunning, so I knew that he would notice me. He saw me in the crowd and immediately focused on me. I could tell that he was majorly checking me out. I felt like butterflies were fluttering in my stomach. He put his hand out to me, but instead of waking up at that point like I did the last time, the dream carried on. So then, he pulled me up on stage and the spotlight shone on us while he sang our song ‘Love Struck.’ You know it’s that love song that I’ve always thought was our song because he sings: ‘Lost in your green eyes, whatever it takes I’ll do/’Cos I knew I loved you, the first time I saw you.’ He sang the whole song to me. He held my hand and only looked at me as he sang, like he really was ‘Love Struck.’ It felt so real. I could feel the emotions, like it was happening, and I felt like I was floating on a cloud. Now that I know how it feels for him to want me too, I want him even more. He looked so hot in my dream. Why can’t I just live in my dream?”
“Um Hmm…” Liz nodded, and tapped her finger against her cheek. She had been listening attentively without interrupting. “So, what do you think the dream means?”
“Aren’t you supposed to tell me that?”
“No, dreams have personal interpretations. It mainly depends on how you feel in the dream, what emotions you experience.”
“Well Dr. Freud, I think that my dream is a sign that I’ll meet Chase soon, and possibly a sign that we’re soulmates.”
“You could be right. Life is full of surprises,” she said philosophically.
“You’re usually more realistic and pessimistic. What happened?” I asked suspiciously, narrowing my eyes.
“I just have a feeling that maybe the Law of Attraction works. Or perhaps our prayers get answered.”
“I always feel better talking to you. I know that you won’t judge me, even though you are the voice of reason. It helps to get stuff off my chest.”
“I’m glad you feel better talking about it. Was that your phone or mine?” Liz said reaching for her cell phone in her handbag.
“Mine,” I said looking at my phone on my dressing table. “It’s a text from Ben.”
“Hmm…” Liz tapped her chin like she was analyzing the deeper meaning.
“What?”
“Nothing…” she said innocently.
“He just said that he hopes I’m having a good time at the sleepover, and that he was thinking of me.”
“Hmm hmmm…” 
“You can stop with the Freud act Liz, the therapy session is over.”
“Did he end the text with ‘L-U-V,’ or ‘L-O-V-E,’ or what?”
“Huh?”
“Well if he used the first one, then it means friendly love, but if he used ‘L-O-V-E,’ then that means, well … love.”
“He ended it with ‘L-O-V-E.’”
“Hmm hmmm…interesting,” she said nodding.
I sighed, and hid under my duvet. “You’re taking this whole Freud thing too far.”
Earlier in the day, Liz had come with me to buy the new edition of Teen Idol magazine. I always got it on the day it came out. I’d stuck a poster of Chase on the space that I could find on my wall above my bookcase. 
“Phoebe, every time I come to your house, there’s a new poster added to your collection,” Liz said, examining my Chase wallpaper. Liz’s room was the opposite of mine. 
“Well, at least I don’t only have framed pictures of flowers and plants on my walls. I have never understood how people can enjoy looking at giant close-ups of plants every day.”
“Hey, I resent that.” She hit me with a pillow. 
I brushed my hair out of my face. “Well, I prefer looking at faces, especially one in particular.” I looked at the pictures of Chase covering my bedroom walls. “My mom says that she can’t even remember the color of my bedroom walls anymore, but we both know they’ve been light pink since I was a baby. But I think it’s artistic.”
Liz laughed.
“I stuck this poster of his face on the wall next to my bed, so he can sleep next to me at night,” I said, caressing Chase’s face. “When I’m falling asleep, I feel better knowing that he’s there. I also like that his face is the first thing I see when I wake up in the mornings.”
Liz raised an eyebrow. “You need a real boyfriend, because I’m starting to worry about you. You’re obsessed!” she shrieked.
I held a hand to my chest in mock indignation. “Don’t be silly. I’m not obsessed, I’m lovesessed.”
Liz coughed as she swallowed a huge gulp of orange juice. “Excuse me, but what is that?”
“Lovesessed is a new word I made up. It’s a combination of being obsessed and lovesessed. It’s like saying that pink is the new black. Well, lovesessed is the new obsessed. It’s better and more romantic than saying you’re obsessed. That’s just stalkerish.”
“Of course,” she giggled.
 I glanced at Chase’s different poses on my walls. “Besides, the Chase collage serves a purpose. Remember what the Law of Attraction says?”
“That we are all connected by energy?” Liz offered.
“You’re very Zen today. Anyway, it says that to attract something to you, they say that you should create a vision board with the pictures of what you want to attract, and stick it where you will see it often. So, I have a vision wall, instead of a vision board. My theory is that a whole wall, or four walls, should be even more powerful than a vision board. But that’s not the reason I put the pictures up, I just like to look at him.”
She rolled her eyes.
“Look at these pictures of Chase posing with fans. I hate seeing pictures of Chase with other girls. When I do, I feel like ripping them up,” I said, poking the magazine with my index finger.
“Phoebe, that’s a six-year-old girl, how can you be jealous?”
“Not that picture specifically, but all the others. I wish that I could take a photo with him, and then I could frame it and put it on my bedside table. That would be even better than the poster on my wall next to my bed. Once, I cut Chase’s face out of a magazine picture and pasted it over Ben’s face on a photo of us. I showed Ben, and I was surprised by how upset he got. I mean, it was only a picture.”
Liz looked at me straight in the eyes. “Phoebe, you must have hurt Ben. Chase isn’t the only sensitive guy in the world,” she said directly.
I shrugged. “He got over it.”
“Don’t be so sure,” she said under her breath. 
I brushed her off. “There’s an article with a picture of him and Alicia Spark at the Teen Choice Awards.”
“Who’s Alicia Spark?”
“Excuse me. Did you just say that you don’t know who the pop princess is? Have you been living under a rock or in a cave for the past few months?” I asked in mock horror. “I think even Eskimos living in igloos know who she is.”
“You’re so dramatic. It’s just that I find pop culture dull,” she said, continuing to read her favorite magazine, I Love Chemistry that she had also bought that day. “There are real problems to worry about in the world, such as global warming.”
“I do worry about global warming, I’m environmentally conscious. I always recycle.”
“Well, that’s a start I guess. So who is this superstar?”
“Alicia Spark is a blonde teen pop star who thinks she’s all that. I’ve never liked her because she dresses like a stripper, even though she’s only 15. In interviews all she talks about is clothes and her looks,” I explained critically.
“She sounds like Amber.” Amber was the most popular girl in our grade, the most beautiful, and the ultimate “mean girl.” She also had a major crush on Chase.
“Exactly, that’s another reason I don’t like her,” I said dryly. “The article says that ‘sources’ have revealed that Chase and Alicia are dating. Apparently, they were spotted having romantic lunches together, and ‘frolicking’ on a beach in Malibu. I know that’s not true, and I think that I should write to them and tell them the word ‘frolicking’ is so 1950s. No one believes gossip like that, and who are these so-called ‘sources’ anyway?”
“You always believe what these magazines say,” she corrected. “Remember that time you believed that Chase was going solo because his brothers were becoming monks.”
“Well, not this time,” I said defiantly. “They must have just made it up to sell magazines. Chase is such a sensitive soul. I know that he would never date someone as vain and superficial as Alicia.”
“They do look good together though,” she said, admiring the picture.
“Traitor,” I joked, snatching the magazine back. “There’s also an interview with Chase, but I already know all about him. I even know all about his brothers and his parents.”
“Why do you need to know about his parents?”
“So when he takes me home to meet them, I can make a good impression, of course.”
“I should have known,” she said sarcastically.
“Chase and I suit each other perfectly. We have so much in common. His favorite food is pepperoni pizza, and I love pizza. His favorite color is green, just like my eyes. He lives in Los Angeles, California, and I live in Orange County, California. He loves animals, and who doesn’t love animals? He has two dogs and a horse, and I have two dogs and a goldfish. His favorite musician is Michael Jackson, may he rest in peace.” 
“Wow, did you do a background check or something?” she asked with a smile in her voice.
“No, I just like to learn as much as possible about my future husband, the love of my life, my soulmate,” I said exaggerating. Then we both burst out laughing. I liked making people laugh, but I only liked it when they laughed at my jokes or at something funny I said, not at me.
Liz and I were listening to the top 100 hits on the radio and reading our magazines, when there was an announcement on the radio. 
“OMG!” I screamed, jumping around the room.
“What did I miss?” Liz said with a dazed look. She had been lost in her Chemistry magazine, so she had missed the earth-shattering news.
“Carson is doing a concert this Saturday in Orange County! Liz, this is fate. I think that my dreams were premonitions, and I must be psychic.”
“I think that your dreams are more like wishful thinking.” 
“Back to your old rational self I see. Well either way, my dreams are coming true! Tickets are selling fast, so I’m going to go ask my parents if they can get me an extra birthday present. They know how much this means to me. They can’t deny me my greatest wish. I’ll be back in a minute.” 
I found them watching TV. “Mom, Dad, you know how much I love you.” They exchanged a knowing look.
“What is this about?” my dad asked with a hint of a smile, clearly seeing through my act. I explained to them about how much the concert meant to me, and about how I would cry myself to sleep every night if they said no.
“Life is so cruel!” I moaned, collapsing on my bed. “They said, and I quote: ‘something as expensive as a concert ticket needs to be earned over a period of months.’ Months! I don’t have months, I have days! Do they even have hearts? This is my future happiness we’re talking about. Does that mean nothing?”
“Maybe they’ll change their minds,” Liz offered optimistically.
“Trust me. I’ve known them for 15 years. Once they’ve said no, it means no,” I said burying my face in my pillow. 
She rubbed my arm. “Let’s watch Dirty Dancing. I know how much you love it. I’ll make some popcorn.”
“Thanks Liz.” I looked at Chase on the cover of the magazine, and then put it under my pillow. But he was still all I saw.


*****


3. Friends

Liz pulled me aside at school on Monday morning. “Phoebes, remember that we are in school, so don’t scream. I have something that will make you feel better.”
“I can’t possibly imagine what is going to make me feel better about my life being over,” I said flatly.
She pulled out two concert tickets from her pocket.
“What are those?” I asked, gazing at them like they were golden tickets to Willy Wonka’s chocolate factory.
“What do you think, silly?” She beamed at me. 
“I’m going to see Chase in real life! Liz, thank you so much,” I shrieked, grabbing the tickets. I knew what the tickets were for, but I examined them just to be sure.
“Thank my parents. The tickets are courtesy of them.” 
“Your parents obviously love you, unlike mine. But that doesn’t matter because you’re taking me, your best friend. The concert is this Saturday night, the day I have been dreaming of for a year. But now I don’t know what to wear.”
“I’m sure you’ll be able to find something. You have a ton of cool clothes.”
“But nothing that says, ‘wow, I’m so beautiful that I stand out in a crowd of fanatical girls.’”
Liz laughed her high-pitched laugh.
I carried on babbling with excitement. “In my dreams, I always look out-of-this-world gorgeous, but of course everything seems better in dreams. I don’t know if I should wear my skinny jeans and an emerald green top tank top, or a short purple dress. I have to look gorgeous so Chase notices me. But what if he doesn’t? Just the thought of that makes my heart ache. No, he will. It is fate.” 
Liz just shook her head and smiled.
#
I felt like a walking zombie during the week leading up to the concert. It was like the lights were on, but no one was home. I couldn’t eat, sleep, or even think. 
In English, my teacher Mr. Shaw, asked me to give a synonym for the word “crazy” and I couldn’t even think of one. Not “zany, nutty, mad, insane” – nothing came to mind! I think that I’d gone all of those things. The concert and seeing Chase was all that I’d been able to think about. See what love had done to me. 
Even in all my excitement, I felt terrible about Ben. It had been his birthday on Wednesday, and I had forgotten because I was so preoccupied. He looked hurt that I didn’t wish him happy birthday during the whole first period. I only realized that it was his birthday when we saw Liz with a birthday card in the hallway between the first and second period. I wish that she had reminded me, she knows that I’m terrible with dates. I never forget a face, but don’t ask me to remember a date. 
You think that I would have remembered, since our birthdays are only a few days apart. Ben and I even had a joint 10th birthday party at my house, because our birthdays are so close together. For my birthday present that year, he gave me a framed photo of the two of us that my parents took in my backyard. That was the photo that I had stuck the picture of Chase’s face on. That memory made me feel ten times worse. 
 “Hey pretty girl,” Ben said, putting his arm around my shoulders as I walked out of school on Friday.
I jumped, not expecting to see him. “Hey Benji, how’s your day going?”
“Better now that I’ve seen you.” He grinned, and I noticed that his teeth were bright white and straight like Chase’s teeth. I wondered why I had never noticed that before. “Are you going to come watch my play this Saturday night?”
I immediately felt a rush of guilt. “Ben, I’m so sorry, but I can’t. The concert is that night,” I said weakly, avoiding his disappointed eyes. I knew that it was his play that Saturday, but I was hoping that he wouldn’t mention it because wild horses or a meteorite, couldn’t have kept me away from the concert.
“That’s okay, don’t worry about it. You can catch the next one.” His brown eyes reminded me of a lost puppy, just like when I had forgotten his birthday. Poor Ben, he never wanted me to feel bad about anything, so he tried to hide his feelings, but I knew that he was upset. 
Ben was such a good friend, even though I was such a bad friend. We’d been friends since kindergarten. He used to live on the same street as me, and he came over to my house all the time. He even let me put makeup on him, and had tea parties with me. I felt bad about forgetting his birthday and missing his play. I had to make it up to him. 
“Phoebes…” Now he was the one avoiding my eyes.
“Yeah,” I said, brushing a strand of dark brown hair out of his eyes.
“I was wondering if you want to do something now. Unless you’re busy…” The words came out in a rush.
“Yes, of course.” This was the perfect way to make it up to him.
“Really, you’re sure?” His whole face lit up.
“Yeah, do you want to grab a milkshake?”
“What are we waiting for? Let’s go!” he shouted energetically, and grabbed my hand as he took off running. 
We went to a restaurant down the road from school. Ben led me to a booth by the window.
“So how was your birthday, Ben?” I asked softly, remembering that I had forgotten it.
“It was good, except that it was on a school day.”
“I wanted to tell you again that I’m so sorry for forgetting. I don’t know what’s wrong with me lately.”
“Don’t worry about it, Phoebes,” he said sincerely.
“I got you a belated birthday present. I didn’t see you today because you were rehearsing your play during lunch, and we didn’t get to talk during class, so I was going to give it to you on Monday.”
His eyes lit up. “You didn’t have to do that.”
“I wanted to.” I opened my bag, and gave him the little gold gift bag.
He slowly took out the miniature Oscar statue that I had bought at a souvenir store. It was plastic, but looked like a real gold-plated Academy Award. I had it personalized with the words “Best Actor,” and his full name, “Benjamin Walker.”
“You’ll have to replace it with a real Oscar one day. I’m sure you will be fabulous in your play. I wish that I could be there.” It was true, I wanted to be there so badly, but I had been dreaming about seeing Chase in person for years, so nothing was going to keep me away from the concert.
He was quiet for a few seconds while he looked at it, and ran his fingers over it. Then, his eyes met mine, and he smiled the sweetest smile that I have ever seen. It made my heart smile.
“Thank you, it means so much to me.”
“You’re welcome Benji.” I smiled back. We just sat there grinning at each other like idiots, until a server came over to our table. Ben ordered a lime milkshake for himself, and a strawberry one for me.
“You remembered,” I said, touched by his thoughtfulness.
“Of course, I remember everything about you.” He suddenly looked serious. “You’re important to me.” He held my hand on the table. The interaction between us suddenly felt different from ever before.
His intense gaze made me feel like butterflies were fluttering in my stomach, so I looked out the window, and detached my hand and patted his. “That’s just because you’ve known me since birth,” I joked.
“We do know each other well.”
“We’re pretty much family, like brother and sister.”
“That’s not what I meant. Phoebe, there’s something I’ve wanted to tell you for a while, but I didn’t know how you would react…” he stopped when the server approached our table. We drank our milkshakes in silence for about a minute.
There was an unusual tension between us, but I didn’t know why.
“This is delicious, and look there’s even a strawberry.” I picked up the strawberry that stuck to the top of the glass, and ate it.
“Phoebe, can I ask you a question?” he said seriously.
“You can ask me anything.”
He stirred the remaining milkshake around with his straw. “I’m just going to come out with it…Why are you so hung up on this Chase guy?”
I stopped drinking. I wasn’t expecting him to ask me a question like that. “I wouldn’t use those words, but you know how I feel about Chase,” I said defensively.
“But why?” he suddenly seemed annoyed. “You don’t even know the guy, and there is zero chance of anything happening between you two.”
I could feel my ears burning, and I knew that they were turning red. The blood always rushed to my ears when I was nervous…or livid. “Benjamin Walker, you have no right to say any of this to me.” I stood up.
“I’m sorry, please don’t go.” His eyes were vulnerable.
“It’s getting late, I should be going anyway.” I picked up my book bag and stood up
He stood up quickly and came around to me. He enveloped me in his arms and hugged me tightly. He seemed much bigger and stronger than I had ever remembered. I breathed in his cinnamon and mint cologne. He didn’t fall into the category of the other unwashed guys at our school. A chill ran up my spine because I had never felt so close to him. We hugged often, but it was always a friendly, casual hug. This time it felt different. 
“I’m sorry,” he whispered, and his breath was warm against my neck. “I think that you deserve better.”
I peeled myself away from him. “I know that you’re just looking out for me. But Chase is my first love, and this Saturday is my chance to make my dreams come true.”
I walked towards the door, and when I paused to wave good-bye, he was looking at me like I had slapped him.


*****


4. Concert

The day that I had been waiting, wishing, and hoping for had finally arrived. I had been a nervous wreck the whole day. I couldn’t even sit still to watch my favorite show, American Idol. I knew that I was going to see a real American Idol that night. After Idol, I switched to MTV like usual, and Carson’s video “Summer of Love” was on. I quickly changed the channel because seeing Chase made me even more nervous.
What happened with Ben the day before was still bothering me. I didn’t know what to think about it. He had been acting different lately, especially at the restaurant. I assumed that he just didn’t want to lose our friendship. But, he was my best friend, and always would be. I wished the concert and his play weren’t on the same night, because I would have loved to have seen him act. Ben was more the artistic type, than the sporty type. I obviously gravitated more to arty guys. My best friend and the guy that I was in love with were both artistic, except that Ben was an actor and Chase was a singer. 
As I was getting ready for the concert, I had a sick feeling in my stomach, and I couldn’t stop shaking. I felt like I was the one about to perform at the concert. It was the same nervous feeling I got when I had to give a speech in class. 
A few months ago in History, I had to give a speech on World War II, and I got so nervous. When I was standing in front of the class, it seemed like the walls were closing in on me, I couldn’t catch my breath, and I felt dizzy like my head was about to fall off my shoulders. The next thing I knew, I was lying on the floor. Poor Ben, his was the first face I saw. He helped me sit up, and got me some water. For the rest of the day, he kept quizzing me about how I felt. 
I silently prayed that I wouldn’t faint when I saw Chase. That would be unbelievably embarrassing, humiliating, and mortifying. In addition, it would totally ruin my plan. Unless, he jumped off the stage and gave me mouth-to-mouth resuscitation … hmm that could work. 
For the concert, I chose the jeans and green tank top outfit because green is Chase’s favorite color. That would guarantee that I stood out in the crowd, and thus become one of those fans who met her husband at his concert. 
It was a little chilly, but I knew that it would be hot and sweaty in the concert because of all the people in a closed space. 
I brushed and then straightened my shoulder-length, wavy, light brown hair with a hot iron. My mom always said that I should leave it wavy, but I liked to straighten it, because then it looked longer. My hair was blonde when I was younger, but it went darker until it was light brown. I had added a few blonde highlights the last time I went to the hairdresser. They looked natural, like I’d been to the beach a lot and the sun had highlighted my hair. It’s a pity that I never have a tan to show for my love of the beach in summertime. My pale skin refused to go golden unless I used tons of sunscreen, and lay in the sun for a few minutes at a time. Even when I managed to get a tan, it usually disappeared after a few weeks. I was glad I at least had some golden highlights in my hair to make me feel slightly more like a California girl. Highlights are important if you live in California because everywhere you look there are blonde, beautiful girls. 
I put on a lot more makeup than I usually wore. When I got ready for school in the mornings, I just put on mascara, a blusher and lip gloss. But I went all-out for the concert with smoky eyes, and a pinky/red lipstick. It took me ages to get the liquid eyeliner straight. After the first attempt, I looked like a raccoon so I had to wash my face. 
My older 16-year-old sister, Rachel always gave me her beauty magazines after she finished reading them, so that’s where I got my makeup and fashion tips from. I liked how the smoky makeup enhanced my dark green eyes, just like the magazine said it would. I borrowed Rachel’s hoop earrings to complete the outfit. 
Our mom named us after the characters in her favorite sitcom of all-time, Friends. It started in 1994, the year Rachel was born. My dad even bought her the box set with all 10 seasons. I loved watching the program Charmed because one of the characters was named Phoebe. 
“Looking good,” Rachel said when she popped her head through my half open door. “I like your hair, it looks pretty.” She gently ran her fingers through my hair.
“Thanks, but I wish that I had your long silky hair,” I said, admiring her long blonde hair that looked like honey pouring down her back. “It’s so straight and soft, unlike my wavy hair that needs daily hot ironing.” 
“Do you remember when you were eight, you begged Mom to buy you a long blonde wig?” she said, smiling at the memory.
I twirled a lock of her golden mane around my finger. “Yes, because I desperately wanted hair like yours. I think that she felt bad for me because she bought it, and I wore it for about two weeks straight. Eventually, she took it away because I refused to take it off and wash my hair.”
 “It really did stink, and it was full of dust and lint. I think that you had a family of ants living in it. It was a health hazard.”
We both laughed and couldn’t stop, like when something that isn’t that funny seems hilarious.
“My stomach hurts,” I said.
“My eyes are watering,” she said, wiping her eyes with a tissue.
 “Rach, it’s ironic about our names. I look more like the character Rachel from Friends because we both have medium length light brown hair, and we’re average height. While you look more like the character Phoebe, because you both have long blonde hair and you’re tall and slim.” 
“It is funny how that happened,” she said, looking through my jewelry box.
I’d always been jealous of Rachel because she was so gorgeous, and looked like a model in everything she wore. She could seriously wear a potato sack and look like a model. She was also sweet, as well as beautiful. If she wasn’t my sister, I’d hate her.
“Rach, do you think I could ever be popular like you?”
She squeezed my hand. “You have great friends, and you are a great person. It doesn’t matter what people at school think.”
“That’s easy for you to say. You’re gorgeous and popular. People at school didn’t even know that we were sisters until they saw that we had the same last name. They even asked if we had different fathers. How rude,” I pouted, folding my arms across my chest.
“Many sisters look different. We just got different genes.”
“You got the good genes,” I moaned. “But they do have a point, I’ve always wondered if I was adopted because I’m so different from every member of the family.” 
“Phoebes, there’s something that I have to tell you. Now that you have already figured it out…” she said apprehensively.
“What is it?” I caught my breath.
“You were adopted.” Her face was deadly serious.
I gasped and clapped my hand to my mouth.
She burst out laughing. “You’re so gullible.”
 I pushed her, and she fell off the bed. We both collapsed in fits of giggles.
If I had a famous boyfriend, then I would also be popular like Rachel. Everyone at school would want to be friends with me. I had Liz and Ben, but we’re like middle-of-the-road, not popular, and not unpopular. At least Liz was smart. I just had my winning personality. 
#
The wait for Liz’s parents to pick me up was torture. I didn’t know what to do with myself. When I’m nervous, it’s like I have ants in my pants because I can’t sit still. I paced around my room for a while, and even organized my underwear drawer by color, just to keep busy. I felt like Chase was watching me from all of my pictures on the wall, like he knew that we had a date with destiny.  
I put on a denim jacket for the drive there. I had planned to leave it in Liz’s parent’s car because I didn’t want to hide my green top, and I was sure to get boiling hot inside the venue.
When Liz saw me she raised her eyebrows and said, “Hey, you look different.” 
“I was going for fashionable, great, or stunning, not different,” I joked. 
“Sorry, you do look great. I’m just not used to seeing you so … dressed up.”
I felt a bit overdressed compared with her bootleg jeans and white button-up top. She always dressed conservatively, so I hadn’t expected her to go all Rock Chick for the concert. Her shoulder length dead straight black hair was in her usual tight bun, and she had her staple lip gloss on. 
“Are you nervous?” she asked.
“Yes, I’ve never been more nervous. I couldn’t even eat dinner because I have that sick feeling in my stomach.”
“It’ll pass as soon as the concert starts,” she reassured.
We arrived at the concert venue, and there were thousands of girls waiting. “Oh great, about half of the girls here are wearing green, so there goes my plan to stand out.” 
“Look at that girl over there with the word “CARSON” tattooed on her arm.” Liz pointed to a girl who was about 18-years-old. She several tattoos and piercings, and on her arm was a Carson tattoo. 
I rolled my eyes. “Some people are fanatical. I hope it was a stick on.” 
“Doubt it, judging by her obvious love of the tattoo parlor,” Liz said dryly.
“What’s she going to do when she’s 30 and she doesn’t like Carson anymore?”
“She can always get something inked over the ‘O’ and the ‘N’ and then it will say ‘CARS.’”
“Good idea,” I giggled.
Two of the girls in the row behind us had sleeping bags with them. We asked them why they had them, and they said that it was because they had camped out all-night in front of the venue to get last minute tickets. Maybe there were some girls out there with the same feelings about one of the band members as me. 
Everyone was talking and laughing loudly, so Liz and I had to shout to hear each other.
“This is so exciting,” Lisa said, rubbing my arm.
“Yes, but I feel like I might throw up.” My stomach was doing somersaults.
“Well if you do, please aim away from,” she said laughing. I didn’t know how she could joke, when I was more nervous than I’d ever been in my life. It felt worse than any speech I’d ever given. 
All I could see was a sea of Carson banners and posters. “I should have made a banner, or brought one of my posters.”
“No, that’s a bit desperate. You want to look cool, not fanatical.”
“You’re right,” I nodded.
 The atmosphere was electric. We were lucky because our tickets were for the fourth row from the front, so we were close to the stage. Again, Liz had the best parents. The concert started. The lights dimmed and there were deafening screams. 
“Here we go,” Liz squealed. I hadn’t expected her to get so worked up, she was usually so calm. I guess teen idols make even serious girls go gaga. 
I couldn’t remember a time when I had ever been so excited, nervous, and happy at the same time. It felt like a roller coaster ride of emotions. 
When the lights came back on, Carson was ready on stage standing by their instruments. The first song they played was “Say You’re Mine,” an up-tempo pop and rock song. Chase was right at the front of the stage playing his keyboard and singing. He was so close that I could see his face clearly. He looked even better in real life. He smiled a lot and his teeth sparkle, like a cartoon character, but in a good way. He looked gorgeous. 
I couldn’t believe that he was there in front of me, and that it wasn’t a dream. It’s funny how when dream or imagine how you will feel when you experience something, it’s never the same when you actually do experience it. I’d thought about how I would feel thousands of times, but I could never predict the way I actually felt. When I saw him in the flesh, it felt a million times better, more real, more exciting than how I had imagined it. But it also didn’t feel real, because I couldn’t believe that it was happening. 
Liz screamed like the other girls, but I was frozen, I couldn’t move for a few seconds. 
“Are you okay? You look like you’ve just seen a ghost,” she shouted.
I just nodded, because I couldn’t speak. After the first song, the nervousness melted away and I started to relax and enjoy the concert, especially because the music sounded so good live. I knew every word to every song, and I sang along like the rest of the girls. I’d listened to the songs so much that my mom even knows all the words. I looked over when I saw a girl faint, and others were crying. It seemed like I wasn’t the only one who was in love with one of the band members.
After they had played all their hits, Nick (the drummer, and Liz’s favorite) announced that they were going to play their last song for the night. Then it happened. 
Chase started singing our song “Love Struck,” the one that was in my dream. It was like déjà vu, because it was just like in my dreams. Time stood still. Everything happened in slow motion, and I felt like a love interest in one of their music videos. The smoke from the smoke machine created a hazy atmosphere. 
Chase looked in my direction, and I literally stopped breathing. He looked right in my eyes and smiled at me. At least I thought that he smiled at me. I couldn’t be sure because when he looked away, I looked around me and about five other girls wearing green were blushing and giggling because they also thought that he had smiled at them. Unlike in my dream, he didn’t reach out to pull me up on stage and dedicate a song to me. Real life sucks.


*****


5. Chemistry

I was in pain. It was the pain of wanting someone so unattainable. If Chase was not famous, but was just an ordinary guy at my school, sitting at the desk next to me in English, or in the cafeteria, we would be together right now. Well, at least we would have a chance. There was no one more out of a “real” person’s league, than a celebrity. Translation – there was no one more out of my league, than Chase.
I looked at my timetable as I arrived at school Monday after the weekend of the concert, and saw that Chemistry was after lunch. I groaned knowing that I hadn’t done my homework. I couldn’t do it on Saturday because I was too nervous about the concert. On Sunday I couldn’t stop thinking about the concert, so there was no way I could concentrate on Chemistry. I was hoping that Liz would help me do the answers quickly at lunch. She excelled at Chemistry, well at anything to do with using your brain.
“So, how did it feel to see Nick in the flesh?” I asked Liz in the cafeteria at lunch.
“The concert was really cool, but I’m over Nick because I saw him wink at a dozen girls in the audience.”
“So you admit that you do have a crush on him,” I said wickedly.
“I did,” she corrected.
“Maybe he had to do that, you know, to keep his fans happy. You know how drummers are,” I said.
“Not really.”
“They’re the bad boys of the band.”
“Thought that was the lead singer,” she said laughing.
I nudged her with my elbow. “In a way, I wish that I could be so fickle and just abandon Chase. But my feelings are too deep. You don’t just get over your first love with a snap of your fingers.”
“Hey, I’m not fickle. I wasn’t in love with Nick or anything. I just thought that he was kind of cute.” 
“I’ve felt sad all day about what happened, or should I say, what didn’t happen,” I said miserably.
“What happened?” Ben asked, genuinely concerned.
“The concert was unbelievable, and I’m grateful that I got to go, but I’m disappointed that it didn’t live up to my dreams. I believed that if Chase had just seen me, then he would have done something to make sure that we at least got to talk. I thought the only reason we weren’t already dating was because we hadn’t made contact yet. Maybe he didn’t see me at the concert. There were several other girls wearing green, so I probably blended in, like I was camouflaged. My plan was to stand out so he would notice me, but instead I faded into the background like an iguana on a leaf. I was like a soldier in combat gear, hidden among the trees. I wish that I could have shot him with a bullet of love.”
They raised their eyebrows at each other.
“Ok, that was corny. I think I’ll burn that green top.”
Liz squeezed my hand.
“Well if that loser pretty boy didn’t notice you, then he must be blind,” Ben said. 
“You’re sweet for trying to cheer me up, but I still think that it was because I was camouflaged.” 
They laughed, and it was infectious.
“Liz, speaking of camouflage, something did cheer me up today. It was the most entertaining Biology lesson ever.”
Ben nudged me and looked excited.
“I always miss the fun, everyone in my class in so serious,” she complained.
“Well, you wanted to be in the brainiac Biology class.” I teased.
She pulled a tongue at me.
“We had to dissect frogs, and I didn’t think that I could do it because they were still alive! Miss Duffy said that they wouldn’t feel anything, but it was like something out of a horror movie! Even if they had been dead, I don’t think that I could have psychically made myself do it. I freak out if I even get a paper cut. I’m also a big animal rights activist.” She rolled her eyes. “Well, activist is maybe too strong a word, let’s say supporter. The point is I love animals, even frogs. Ben, my brave and loyal lab partner, said that he would do all the cutting, so I felt a tad better. Get it – tad pole.” Liz and Ben both rolled their eyes simultaneously. “So here’s the good part,” I said, getting into my story.
Ben interrupted. “Let me tell her the rest, don’t hog the great story. Also, when you get excited you speak too fast, it’s like listening to a horse racing announcer,” he said playfully pulling a tongue at me. I pushed him. He continued the story. “I was just about to cut into the poor little frog, when Nathan grabbed his frog and let it hop out the window. He then started opening all the windows and doors and shouted for us to stop what we were doing and ‘let the frogs hop free.’ He actually said that. So everyone put their scalpels down and let their frogs escape out the windows.”
“Okay, my turn,” I said, putting my hand over Ben’s mouth, and launching into my share of the story. “It was just like that scene in the Steven Spielberg movie E.T, when E.T makes Elliot release all the frogs. I felt much better after we saved two dozen frogs. But we got detention after school, and Nathan got detention for the whole week, but he said that it was worth it. PETA would love that kid. He always seemed a little odd. In the fourth grade he always stuck pencils in his ears.” 
We burst out laughing.
“Can you take your hand off my mouth now?” Ben said with a muffled voice.
“Excuse me, what was that?” I joked, and removed my hand that was sweaty from his warm breath.
“What Nathan did for the frogs was so heroic.”
“Ooh, does someone have a crush?” I teased. “Liz and Nathan sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G, first comes love…”
“Phoebe you had better stop, before I stick pencils in your ears.” 
 “Liz, pretty please with a cherry on top of an ice-cream sundae, will you help me with the Chemistry homework that I was too upset to do after the concert.”
“But you won’t learn anything if you don’t do your own homework, and I won’t be able to help you in the exam,” she said gently yet firmly.
I knew that she was right, but I didn’t want another detention. I gave her my most innocent look, “Okay, this is the last time. I know that I should have planned my time better, but I had more important things on my mind. Anyway, Chemistry is pointless. I mean, who cares about mixing a bunch of colored liquids together?”
“You should actually,” Liz said. I gave her a skeptical look.
She looked around to make sure that no one could hear us. Ben had already left because he had another Theater Crew meeting. “I was in the library at school researching for my Chemistry project, when I came across a book about love potions.” I leaned in closer, and held my breath. “I can mix a love potion in the Chemistry lab to make someone fall in love with you.” She whispered in my ear, “By someone, I mean Chase.”
“A love potion,” I breathed. My eyes opened widened, and I think that my mouth dropped open. 
“Love boils down to chemistry anyway, because what makes people fall in love is a cocktail of chemicals and hormones.”
“I know that teenagers are hormonal.”
“That’s when it’s starts. When you’re attracted to someone the chemical Phenylethylamine or PEA, also called the ‘love molecule’ is released in the body. Chocolate is known to have high levels of this chemical, that’s why people become addicted to or even fall in love with chocolate. This chemical speeds up the connections in the nervous system making you excited or hyperactive. It also triggers the secretion of Dopamine, which gives a feeling of elation and euphoria. It is the Norepinepherine that is released in the body that makes a person feel extremely high. Together, the three chemicals produce the ‘in love’ feeling. It is, as they say, chemistry,” she explained like she was giving a Chemistry lecture.
I stared at her in shock for what seemed like minutes.
“I can make a love potion that stimulates these chemicals in Chase. Cupid’s arrows are supposedly dipped in love potion, so that’s why when he strikes two people they fall in love. So, call me Cupid.” She smiled triumphantly.
I felt like I had just been struck by an arrow dipped in energy, and started babbling a mile a minute. “I love Chemistry! Now I know why you adore it so much. You are a genius! You should be cloned! In fact, you could probably clone yourself because you’re such a genius! I guess that’s why they say that when it comes to love, chemistry is important. This is brilliant! Then Chase will be my boyfriend, and then we will get engaged, and then married. I know that our children will be adorable, just like him. I want one boy and one girl. It would be better if the boy was older, because I always wanted an older brother so I could date his friends…”
Liz put her hands on my shoulders. “Phoebe, calm down.”
#
It was fate. We had just started reading A Midsummer Night’s Dream by Shakespeare in English. I’d already read it before because I loved Shakespeare. I could actually understand most of it, unlike the others in my class who needed a constant translator. English had always been my favorite subject. It was the one subject that I excelled at, probably because they say that you are good at something you enjoy. In the play A Midsummer Night’s Dream, the mischievous Puck produces a magical juice from a flower called “love-in-idleness.” When applied to a person's eyelids while sleeping, makes them fall in love with the first living thing they see when they wake up. Puck uses the love potion on Titania, queen of the fairies, who falls in love with Bottom, even though his head has turned into a donkey’s head. It’s a comedy of errors as everyone falls in love with the wrong people. 
I was meeting Liz after school to make the love potion. Well, she’d make it, and I’d watch. I didn’t know if it would work, but it couldn’t hurt, right?
#
In the Chemistry lab, Liz looked professional with her goggles and white coat as she explained the details to me. “The book from the library says the potion is called ‘Cupid’s Love Potion.’”
I rolled my eyes. “That is so corny!” I exclaimed.
“It’s called that because it has to be drunk on Valentine’s Day, which is perfect because it falls this week,” Liz said mixing a concoction of colored liquids. 
“Liz, it’s weird. Lately, I keep recreating movie scenes, like in Biology with the frog scene from ET. Now this feels like we’re in that movie Love Potion No. 9.”
“I’ve never seen it,” she said busy with a measuring cup. 
“It’s about a nerdy science guy…” I stopped as she gave me an offended look. “I mean an extremely intelligent science guy, who produces a love potion that affects a person’s vocal cords and makes anyone of the opposite sex fall in love with them while they speak.”
“Well, there are different types of love potions. Like in that movie, they used a potion to make people fall in love with the drinker. Our potion is to make the drinker fall in love with someone. Speaking of which, we don’t want Chase to fall in love with just anyone, like the first person he sees. So we need something of yours that contains your DNA.”
“That could be funny though,” I said continuing. “Like when Titania falls in love with a guy who has a donkey’s head. Love is blind they say.”
“That’s true. Smell is one of the key elements of attraction. Often, when a person is drawn to someone who doesn’t fit their normal dating profile, it could be a subconscious scent drawing her to him or vice versa. The chemical reaction that occurs referred to as ‘chemistry,’ often makes a person fall in love with someone who is completely wrong for them. This ‘clicking’ draws someone to a person who is opposite to them, or who fulfills a need from their childhood. You know the saying ‘opposites attract.’”
“Like when people run off and elope with guys their parents wouldn’t approve of.”
“Yes, the chemicals I told you about that are produced when you are attracted to someone, Phenylethylamine, Dopamine, and Norepinepherine, are like natural drugs, making your heart race, your palms sweat, and your knees weak. When people are infatuated, social obligations, other relationships, and even sense and sensibility, all fly out the window. ‘Crazy in love’ isn’t just a song.”
“I love that Beyoncé song.” I started dancing around and singing the song. 
“Phoebes, can you turn the page please? My hands are full,” she said holding a test tube in each hand.
“Sure,” I said turning the page. “I didn’t know all of this. I’ve learnt a lot today. Liz, if the chemicals make people fall in love, then what happens when they aren’t passionately in love anymore, but are comfortable, and want to build a future together?”
“We become tolerant of the chemicals, and it’s a good thing. I mean, that passionate love where people stay up talking all night, and have extreme amounts of energy, cannot be sustained. Relationships end if the people are desperate to feel that infatuation feeling again, or move into a new, deeper phase of love.” 
“The honeymoon is over,” I giggled.
“Most people believe that you can’t have love without chemistry, and so when they feel that chemistry, they assume that it must be love.”
I leaned on the table with my head in my hands. “But if it’s all based on physical stuff, then what about personality, compatibility, and values? Those are the things that last when the honeymoon phase is over.”
“Those things usually only become important after the infatuation phase. That’s why they say that you shouldn’t discount a person just because you don’t feel a burning attraction for them, because that fades after a while, and what you are left with is more important. The things that you need to sustain a relationship over years, or a lifetime.”
“All of this new information is making me doubt everything I thought I knew about love.”
“I know!” she exclaimed, looking like she should have a light bulb above her head. “We’ll use a lock of your hair, because that contains DNA. Hand me those scissors over there.”
I touched my hair defensively. “Chase won’t want me if I’m bald,” I said dramatically. I had a thing about cutting my hair. Once, I went for a trim and the hairdresser must have been out to get me, because she cut my hair into a bob. I’d been trying to grow my hair long like Rachel’s for years, but it grows so slowly, and psycho hairdressers don’t help.
“Don’t be silly, we just need an inch from a piece of your hair. You don’t want Chase to fall in love with Amber do you?” 
“I’ll get the scissors,” I said quickly. Liz cut off only an inch as promised, and it dissolved in the liquid straight away. “But how are we going to get Chase to drink the love potion? It’s not like he goes to our school, and we can slip it in his coke at lunch. But that would be handy.” I grinned.
“Good question,” she said. “But I’ve already thought of that part. We’ll inject the potion into a box of chocolates and send it to Chase as a Valentine’s gift,” she said, pulling out a red, heart-shaped box of chocolates from her backpack and beaming about her “genius” idea.
“You have to be kidding,” I said in shock. “What celebrity even opens gifts and mail from fans, let alone eats the gifts?”
“The love potion will attract Chase to the chocolates. He will be drawn to open the gift. He will smell the sweet, deliciousness of the love potion and will be unable to resist trying just one chocolate. What is sweeter than a box of love potion chocolates on Valentine’s Day?”
“Okay, James Bond, what about this one. How will he know how to find me?” This should stump her I thought triumphantly.
Liz was ready for anything I threw at her just like a real spy. “Well, just like when you send any package, we’ll include your name and return address. After he’s consumed the love potion, he’ll be instantly drawn to you, and will come find you. A man in love, will climb mountains, and swim oceans to be with the woman he loves.”
I chewed on my lip while contemplating Liz’s crazy plan. “But still, I seriously doubt that anyone would be dumb enough to eat a random box of chocolates. If it were me, I would be too scared the chocolates were laced with arsenic from an obsessed fan,” I said shuddering. 
Liz raised her eyebrows. 
“I know what you’re thinking Liz. But we’ve been over this,” I said indignantly. I’m not obsessed, I’m lovesessed. I don’t want to hurt him, I want to love him. How could love hurt?”


*****


6. Valentine’s Day

The next day, the day before Valentine’s Day, I noticed the whole school had gone crazy. Red balloons and streamers covered the halls. People had been giving each other heart shaped invitations to the Valentine’s Day dance. 
“Liz, there’s a pink heart in my locker. I wonder who it’s from.”
“Phoebe, sometimes I wonder where you’re from, Mars perhaps?”
“No, men are from Mars and women are from Venus,” I corrected, referring to the famous relationship book.
“How could I forget,” she slapped her forehead.
“It’s from Ben,” I said, reading the note.
“Duh!” she said sarcastically.
“It’s an invitation to the dance. It says:

Dear Phoebe,

Roses are red
Violets are blue
I’d love to go to the dance
With you,

Love Ben”

“That’s so sweet, and he used ‘L-O-V-E,’” Liz said, reading over my shoulder.
“Well he’s no poet, but it’s the thought that counts. I think that he was just trying to cheer me up over the whole Chase thing.”
“Maybe he really wants to go with you.”
“We’re going as a group, remember, the three musketeers.”
“Well, I’m actually going with Nathan.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?” I demanded.
“I’m telling you now. But we can all go as a group if you’d rather do that.”
“Yes please, a group is definitely better.” 
#
Every year, the Valentine’s king and queen were chosen at the dance. I knew that Amber would be nominated for queen, and probably win. She would take Chase to the dance in a heartbeat if she could, but Eugene Sherman would take her in a heartbeat if he could. However, that would never happen in a million years. Well, maybe in his dreams. Eugene Sherman was a sweet, yet dorky guy who would probably be decent looking if he actually had something resembling a hairstyle, and didn’t wear his pants so high. Poor Eugene, he’s had a massive crush on Amber since the third grade. However, she can’t stand him, and avoids him like the plague. She said that she wouldn’t touch him, if he was the last man on earth. But if he were the last man on earth, she couldn’t be so picky, because the survival of our species would be up to her. I heard that Eugene had snuck a heart invitation in Amber’s locker, and she tore it up in front of him. The poor boy must have been heartbroken. What an ice queen.
Amber overheard me talking to Liz about him once, and then walked up to me, and told me in front of everyone that I was crazy to think that someone like him would ever look twice at me. She said that I was pathetic and sad. When she said such hurtful things to my face, I felt the tears burning my eyes as they welled up to reveal my pain. I quickly ran into the ladies room so she wouldn’t see me cry. Liz followed me and said that Amber was a sad person who had to make other people feel bad to make herself look and feel better.
 Amber was a plastic girl who was beautiful on the outside, but her beauty was superficial, because she was ugly on the inside. She probably looked like a troll on the inside. I wish that I could turn her inside out. Her name suited her because she had long, thick auburn hair. She was curvy and had full lips that made the guys in our school stare at her constantly. She wore tons of makeup to school, so she looked older than the other girls in our grade. 
I was in the bathroom a few weeks ago, and Amber and her friends came in talking, so I stayed in the cubicle and listened. I heard her telling them that she wears a size 34C bra. I only wear a 34A, but my mom says that maybe I’m a “late bloomer.” Whatever that means, I hope she’s right. 
“Hey Phoebes, happy Valentine’s Day, I like how you’re getting into the spirit of the day,” Liz said gesturing to my red tank top when I met her in the hallway.
“I thought I’d try. But I don’t think that it’s going to be a happy day, because I don’t have a Valentine.” 
“What about Ben?”
“He doesn’t count because we’re just friends.”
“I don’t think that he thinks of you as a friend anymore.”
“You mean he doesn’t want to be friends with me anymore?”
“Phoebe, no, I don’t mean that. I mean, I think that he likes you as more than a friend.”
“I’m like his sister. We used to run under the sprinklers naked together when we were six, how could he suddenly like me ‘like that?’”
“It is, as they say, chemistry,” she said with a flourish of her hand.
“Don’t start.” I rolled my eyes. “Speaking of chemistry, like I said, I seriously doubt that Chase would eat the chocolates containing the love potion, and even if he did, I don’t think that it would work. Love potions are just a bunch of nonsense.”
“Don’t be so negative, aren’t you a big believer in the Law of Attraction?”
“Well, yes. It’s just that love potions seem like a bunch of hocus-pocus.” 
“Don’t be so sure,” she said, pointing to my locker. 
I followed Liz’s gaze to what I was sure was the wrong locker, and gasped.
I wanted to rub my eyes because I couldn’t believe what I saw. There were about a dozen red heart-shaped balloons taped to my locker. I opened it to get my books and inside, there was a gold charm bracelet with little heart charms, and a Valentine’s card.
“There’s a card, what does it say?” Liz asked curiously. 
“It’s signed ‘love your secret admirer.’ Ben must have lost it, or he’s playing a practical joke on me. The bracelet has to be a fake,” I said, holding it up to the light.
“Hmm, it looks pretty real,” Liz said examining it. “Are you thinking what I’m thinking?”
“No, it can’t be,” I said in disbelief. I felt a hard knot in my stomach. I got my books and headed to History. When I got in the classroom, there was a single red rose on my desk. I saw Ben sitting at the desk next to mine and I playfully punched him. 
“Hey what was that for?” He rubbed his arm.
“Ha-ha very funny. You can drop the act now secret admirer.”
“Who’s the rose from?” he asked, ignoring me.
“You mean…it’s not from you…and the stuff in my locker…” I stuttered.
“Phoebe what are you talking about?” he asked confused.
“Nothing, it’s just girl stuff.”
“Hey, that’s not fair,” he pouted. It hit me like a ton of bricks. Ben wasn’t my “secret admirer.” That meant it must have been Amber playing a cruel joke on me. It had to be a simple explanation like that, it couldn’t possibly all be from Chase. Could it?
#
When I walked into the cafeteria at lunch, something seemed odd. It was just a feeling, but something was off. I made my way to our usual table. Liz and Ben were already sitting there. Liz looked amused, while Ben looked confused, stunned and upset all at the same time. 
On the table, there was a massive bouquet of red roses. There must have been about two dozen. The card was predictably signed, “Love your secret admirer.” My mouth dropped open again. I needed to stop doing that, or else I’d catch flies as my mom said.
“Now do you believe me?” Liz asked satisfied. Liz was scientific as you may have noticed, so she took great delight in compiling evidence to support her case the love potion did, in fact, work. 
I just shrugged. I honestly didn’t think the roses were from Chase. But, I had racked my brains trying to think of a possible explanation, and I still couldn’t come up with one.
“Believe you about what?” Ben asked. 
“It’s nothing, don’t worry,” Liz said. “It’s just girl stuff.” That’s the excuse we always used when we didn’t want to tell Ben something, and he couldn’t argue. We would never tell Ben about the love potion, because guys just wouldn’t understand. 
I sat down on the bench on the other side of the table. I could hardly see them over the huge bouquet. It couldn’t possibly be that Chase had actually eaten the love potion laced chocolates, and that it had actually worked. 
Suddenly Liz stopped chewing, and sat straight up. “Phoebe, don’t freak out. Chase has just walked into the cafeteria.”


*****


7. Love Struck

Excitement exploded all around me, but I was frozen. I grabbed the edge of the table so hard that my knuckles turned white. Uncontrollably I sucked in my breath until I realized that I was about to faint. My heart was racing so fast that I thought it was going to jump out of my chest. Was it possible for a teenager to have a heart attack? My brain seemed to have stopped working because it couldn’t tell dreams from reality. But I knew one thing for sure - dreams did come true. It was the moment I had waited for all my life.
Chase glided into the cafeteria like he was walking onto a concert stage. Immediately all the girls started screaming and going hysterical, but their high-pitched screams were on mute. It was his concert all over again. They ran over to him like a herd of stampeding buffalo. Elvis had entered the building. He grabbed the microphone the teachers used for announcements and shouted, “Phoebe Parker. I need Phoebe Parker.”
I was sure that I was dreaming. It was one of those dreams, when you know that you’re dreaming. “Liz, I need you to pinch me. This must be one of my fantasy dreams about Chase, because this cannot be happening.” She was too stunned to move and her eyes were wide with shock.
Ben almost choked on his sandwich. I was about five seconds away from passing out, like that time in History. I froze in shock, so I couldn’t speak or move. I just sat there hiding behind the roses. If I didn’t see him, then he wasn’t there. 
Chase immediately spotted the bouquet and ran over to our table. I had my head down pretending to study. “Phoebe Parker, I love you,” he proclaimed. 
Ben really started chocking on his Pepsi, and Liz had to hit him on the back. He coughed a lot.
“I never thought that heaven would be so close to me,” he said, gazing at me like I had switched bodies with Alicia Spark.
I was sure that I was hallucinating. I had finally lost it because stuff like this just didn’t happen to girls like me. 
“If water were beauty, you’d be the ocean.”
It was surreal, like something out of a movie. I tried to pinch myself, but I didn’t wake up. The shocking truth was staring me in the face – the love potion had worked. Chase was my “secret admirer.” I didn’t want to even hope that it could be him who had left the trail of gifts. I couldn’t believe the love potion had caused him to fall in love with me. 
Silence fell over the cafeteria as Chase started singing “Love Struck.” My breath caught in my chest when I realized that he was singing to me. It was so crazy, that is was actually funny.
I glanced at Amber, who looked like she had just thrown up in her mouth. 
Romantically Chase held my hand as he sang. The crowd of girls circled our table, and swayed to his melodic singing. His A cappella version of our song made me feel like I was floating on a cloud. After the last notes of the love song had drifted away, he went down on his knee. Everyone gasped like he was about to propose to me. As if that would happen, I’m only 14.
“Phoebe, will you do me the honor of allowing me to escort you to the dance tonight? It would make my day, no my year, if you said yes,” he said, amid ‘oohs’ and ‘aahs.’ 
“Yes,” I eventually squeaked. Everyone except Amber and Ben applauded. Then the bell rang for the end of lunch. 
“Phoebe, I want to spend the rest of the day with you. Now that I our hearts have found each other, they are one.” He began every sentence with my name. I looked over at Ben, and he looked like he wanted to punch Chase.
“Okay,” I whispered. I realized that I had been speaking in one word sentences, but I was in severe shock, so even uttering one word was an achievement. 
Chivalrously Chase picked up my books. He paused when he saw his pictures covering them.
“I ran out of paper to cover my books, so I used Teen Idol magazine…” I lied.
He beamed his toothpaste commercial smile at me. “I’m so honored that you even know who I am.”
“Everybody knows who you are,” I whispered.
“But you’re the only one who matters,” he proclaimed.
Ben clenched his jaw.
“Shall we?” he said, holding his arm out in that old-fashioned way.
“Uh … yes.” I grabbed hold of his arm before I fainted.
Chase was a guest in the rest of my classes, and he even carried my books covered in his pictures. The teachers were more than happy to allow him in their classes. In fact, they gushed over him like they were teenagers, and even asked him to sign autographs for their children. 
Two scary bodyguards straight out of Men in Black stuck to Chase like glue. They were dressed in black suits with black sunglasses, and they had earpieces. They staked out my classrooms, by standing on either side of the doors in the hallway. It was weird because Chase and I were never alone. “Isn’t it difficult to have any privacy with bodyguards following you all day?” I leaned over and whispered.
“It is, but I have to have bodyguards everywhere I go, for protection.”
 “With all of those screaming girls, I can understand why. When I was at your concert, it was like being at a Beatles concert.”
He looked stunned. “You’ve been to one of our concerts?”
“Yes, the one last Saturday.”
“I wish I had known. I can’t believe that you were so close, and I didn’t even know,” he said dramatically.
“It’s okay, don’t worry about it. It was an awesome concert. I was one of the many girls wearing green, so I think that I was camouflaged.”
He laughed loudly, and the whole class turned to look, but the teacher just smiled.
“Maybe we should keep it down a bit,” I whispered.
“Sorry, I’m just not used to being in school with all the rules,” he said in a stage whisper.
We didn’t talk much until the end of class, because I knew that everyone was eavesdropping. But he stared at me the whole time, like I was a model or a movie star. After a while, I started to feel like a caged animal at the zoo. 
Luckily I had dressed well that day, because I usually looked terrible when I saw a hot guy. That always happened, it was Murphy’s Law. One morning, before I had had a shower, I decided to quickly run to the shop in my oldest pair of sweatpants with holes. Of course, just my luck, I literally ran into a group of hot surfers. I apologized for knocking into them, and they were nice about it. They whispered to each other as I walked away, they probably said how hideous I looked.
It still hadn't sunk in that Chase Carson was at my school, with me. He seemed head over heels in love with me. He constantly gazed into my eyes, and stood, sat, and walked very close to me.
“You have the most mesmerizing eyes I’ve ever seen,” he said, as though he had read my mind. He looked at me like he was hypnotized.
“Thank you,” I blushed.
“They sparkle like green emeralds, floating in a sea of jewels. You know, green eyes are my favorite.”
“I know,” I said automatically.
He looked at me quickly.
“I mean, you talk about a girl with green eyes in your song ‘Love Struck,’” I stammered.
“Yes, I think that I must have written that song for you. I knew you were out there, and now I’ve found you.” He took my hand and kissed it like in the movies.
I giggled. “So, which school do you go to?” I asked, as we walked out of class. Everyone waited for us to get up and go first, even though we had been sitting in the back.
“I don’t go to school,” he replied straight-faced.
“You’re so lucky! I wish that I didn’t have to go to school.” 
He laughed. “I’m home-schooled, I mean, we have tutors who come with us on the road. Sometimes I miss going to a regular school.”
“I think that everyone at my school would sell their parents to trade places with you.” I noticed that “everyone” was stepping aside so we could walk without getting bumped. I couldn’t help but notice all the eyes watching us.
 “I’m missing school life, like sports, extracurricular activities, and friends. I love my life. Don’t get me wrong, I’m very lucky. But sometimes, I miss just being a normal teenager.” He looked at the floor. “That’s one reason I’m so looking forward to the dance, because I’ve never been to a school dance.”
“You’ve never been to a school dance?” I realized how shocked I sounded.
He shook his head. It was unexpected to see him look so sad. 
“I thought that you would be so happy because of your fame. I thought that your life was perfect in every way. Celebrities seem so different, but I guess deep down, they’re just normal people.” 
“We are pretty normal, well almost,” he joked.
“It had never occurred to me there might be any downside at all to fame, but I guess not being able to leave you house without getting mobbed would suck.”
“That is the worst part for me. Our fans are the best, and we owe them everything, but I’ve lost my normal life.”
“Normal is boring. Your life must be so wonderful,” I said dreamily.
“It is, but there is a downside. It’s difficult to even go out to eat at a restaurant. If I want to go to the movies, I have to sneak in after the commercials when it’s dark, and then leave before the lights come up.”
“Wow, I had no idea,” I said genuinely surprised.
“Once, my brothers and I got chased down the street by a crowd of screaming fans. We had to hide in an alley until they ran past. It was pretty scary, because some fans take it a bit too far. They grab your clothes and hair, anything they can, just to get a piece of you. They don’t even know us, but they fall in love with what they see on TV or in magazines. They don’t love us as people. They love the image or idea of us.”
A feeling of stupidity washed over me for being one of those crazy fans, who fell in love with someone that she didn’t know from a bar of soap. But I really had felt like I was in love. Maybe it was just a crush. When he finally fell in love with me, I didn’t feel in love with him. I mean, he was still totally gorgeous and sweet, but he felt like was a stranger, because he was a stranger. Knowing his favorite color or what pets he had didn’t mean I knew the real him. We didn’t have years of history together, like Ben and I.
 I felt like the most popular girl in school. I always wondered how it felt to be envied, or even noticed by everyone. Everyone smiled at me, and wanted to talk to me. I even heard a few girls saying that they wished they were me. It felt so good to be noticed for a change, and to feel special. Being a celebrity, Chase must have felt so special all the time. I’d always wanted to be famous, but I didn’t have a talent. I’d always wanted to be a model, but 5 feet 2 is way too short. I even stopped drinking coffee when I heard that caffeine stunted your growth. I’d probably still grow a lot more, but not enough to be a model. I knew that was the closest I’d probably get to being a celebrity, and it felt intoxicating yet stifling at the same time. I resolved to enjoy my 15 minutes of fame while it lasted. I finally knew how it felt to be Rachel or Amber.
I didn’t get to talk to Ben or Liz much for the rest of the day. But Liz had a grin stuck on her face as she gave me a few thumbs up signs. I think that she was happier about her Chemistry experiment working, than about Chase being in love with me. On the other hand, Ben looked like his cat had just died. Amber kept giving me deaths stares whenever I looked at her, but I just smiled.
 #
When I got home from school, my mom was in the kitchen. “A package was delivered for you about an hour ago. It looks expensive,” she said, clearly itching to know what it was and who it was from. “Is it from the sweet young man who phoned this morning?”
“Someone phoned for me?” I swallowed as all the pieces fit together in my mind.
“He phoned just after you left for school, asked which school you went to.”
“Yes, it’s the same guy,” I said rushing to my bedroom before she could quiz me anymore. I undid the pink bow and lifted the lid off the white box. It was a gorgeous evening gown and gold strappy sandals for me to wear to the dance. The gown was emerald green, how ironic. I felt relieved that Chases had sent it to me, because I had planned to wear my purple cotton halter dress that sat just above my knees. There was also a bottle of expensive French perfume called “Étoile.” I assumed that it meant “Star,” because there were little shining stars all over the bottle.
#
I spent the rest of the afternoon pampering myself and making sure that all the little details were taken care of for the dance. I had a shower and used a face scrub, put a conditioning treatment on my hair, brushed my teeth with whitening toothpaste, plucked my eyebrows, and painted my fingernails and toenails with red nail polish, so I looked extra glamorous. 
Just when I had finished blow-drying my hair Rachel knocked on the door.
“Come in,” I said smiling.
“Phoebes, I was wondering something…”
I had been expecting the inevitable questions about why a famous teen idol was my date for the dance. “Yes?” I asked innocently.
“Aren’t you going to tell me what’s going on?”
“I don’t know what you mean.” If in doubt, feign ignorance.
“What I mean is why is the lead singer of Carson taking you to the dance?” She said picking up my hot iron that had I’d been heating up. She rolled a section of my hair around the hot iron.
I knew there was no use hiding it. She wouldn’t give up. She would interrogate me until she broke me. So I gave in, and told her everything. She almost burned me with the hot iron when I told her about the love potion. I wasn’t sure if it was accidental, or deliberate as a punishment. I hoped accidental.
“I know that as a responsible big sister I should tell you that what you did was wrong. But, I think it’s cool.”
“You do?” I asked surprised. I wasn’t expecting that.
“Yes. I think you should show Amber and everybody else just how special you are.”
“Promise you won’t tell Mom.”
“I promise. I just told her that a wealthy guy from school is taking you to the dance. So that explained the gifts that were delivered.”
“You’re the best sister ever,” I said, touching the perfect curls she had created in my hair. “I wish you could come tonight.”
“I had my Valentine’s Dance when I was a freshman. At least I have prom to look forward to.”
“You’ll definitely be prom queen.”
“We’ll see. Bye Phoebes, I’m going to the movies with some friends.”
“Have fun Rach.”
“Have the time of your life.” She winked and closed my bedroom door.
I took a deep breath to calm my nerves, and looked at myself in the mirror. I looked taller and thinner, and my features more striking. 
I put on the gold charm bracelet that I now knew was real, and the matching gold strappy sandals. My makeup was “old Hollywood” as the beauty magazine called it. I used black liquid eyeliner on my eyelids that I finally managed to get straight, mascara that was supposed to lengthen my lashes, a hint of blusher on the apples of my cheeks, and red lipstick for a “kissable” pout. I loved pictures of old Hollywood stars from the forties, like Marilyn Monroe and Ava Gardener. They always looked so glamorous with their matching red nails and lips. That was the look I was going for, and I think that I achieved it. I never knew that I could look glamorous like them. I felt like I was going to a red carpet event like the Oscars or the Grammys.
Liz was going to the dance with Nathan, the “Frog Boy.” I liked to invent names for people, based on the first thing that popped into my head when I thought of them. Like if you see a guy who wears baggy pants, you’ll call him “Baggy Pants Guy.” With Nathan, it’s rescuing the Biology frogs that I always think of. I’m not the only one who associated frogs with him. He’d become famous at our school for that. Liz really was an animal rights activist, and after she heard about how Nathan saved the frogs, she started to like him. I felt bad because Ben asked me, and I didn’t give him an answer, and the next moment I was going with Chase. But I was sure that Ben would understand. That’s what friends are for. 
I jumped when I heard a knock on the door. My heart stopped for a second. I looked out my window, and there was a limousine in the driveway. I hadn’t expected a limo, but I should have known that teen idols always travel in limos. I knew that everyone at Two Oceans High was going to go crazy when I arrived in a limo with Chase Carson. 


*****


8. A Star

“Phoebe, you are so beautiful that you give the sun a reason to shine.” Chase gazed at me, and despite his cheesy line, for the first time in my life, I felt beautiful.
“Thank you,” I smiled shyly. “You look great too.” I avoided his eyes. That was an understatement because he looked more than great, he looked like a superstar. He was wearing designer dark denim jeans with a long sleeve green collared shirt that matched my dress. His shirt was out with the first few buttons open, like celebrities do. He topped it off with an expensive looking chocolate brown leather jacket, and matching brown shoes. He also had sunglasses on, which he took off when he saw me. He could easily have been going to the Teen Choice awards, instead of a silly high school Valentine’s dance. I knew that I was so lucky to have him as my date, but there was something missing. I couldn’t put my finger on it.
Chase opened the shiny black limo door for me, even though the driver had gotten out. His bodyguards were following us in a black SUV. Thank goodness they weren’t riding with us, because they scared me to death. You didn’t want to mess with them. 
I had never seen the inside of a limo before, and it was better than I had imagined. There were rows of soft white leather seats, and a fluffy white carpet. There was a plasma TV with huge speakers, and even a mirror ball hanging from the ceiling. 
“Would you like a glass of nonalcoholic champagne?” He held up a bottle.
“Yes please.” My mouth always got dry like sandpaper when I’m nervous.
He popped the cork, and the champagne didn’t soak us like I had expected.
Chase was sitting close to me, and it made me feel like I couldn’t breathe. My dress suddenly felt too tight.
It was unreal to be sitting with Chase Carson in his limo. If you had told me a week ago that this would have happened, I would have laughed hysterically. Everything was so perfect, even the warm February weather was just right.
“You smell delicious,” he said, sniffing me like a dog.
I leaned slightly away from him. “It’s the perfume you gave me. Thank you for the gifts, it was sweet of you.”
“It was my pleasure. It’s the least I can do for such a beautiful girl. If beauty were time, you'd be eternity.”
I smiled, and looked out the window. 
“If a thousand painters worked for a thousand years, they could not create a work of art as beautiful as you.”
“You’re going to give me a big head,” I said, patting his hand.
“It’s strange, I feel so nervous around you. My heart is racing, my palms are sweating, and my knees are weak.”
It realized that it must have been the love potion causing him to feel the symptoms of infatuation. That’s what Liz said happens to a person’s body when those three chemicals release. Except that with Chase, the infatuation was artificial.
“I haven’t been able to eat all day, or even sit still, so I practiced my dance moves in my home studio all afternoon.”
“You have your own studio?” I asked, shocked by his celebrity lifestyle.
“Yes, and my own Movie Theater, tennis court, and bowling alley.”
“Wow, you must live in a mansion.”
“Money can’t buy love.” He opened the window and pointed to the stars. “If a star fell from the sky every time I thought of you, then tonight the sky would be empty…”
“Okay, we’re here,” I interrupted loudly, clapping my hands. His constant gushing was getting a bit annoying, especially because I knew that it wasn’t really him talking, it was the love potion. Everything was happening so fast, I felt like I couldn’t keep up. I had been too shocked to feel happy. I always thought that I knew how I would feel if Chase loved me, but I didn’t feel like that. Maybe it was because of the love potion. I felt bad that he was only doing everything because of the love potion. But at the same time, it felt good to have so much attention from him, and to be so popular. I felt like a star, just like the perfume.
He put his sunglasses back on even though it was dark outside, and held my hand as we exited the limo. My senses were overwhelmed with lights flashing and people screaming. There was a red carpet like they have at awards show. Everyone was standing behind ropes on either side of the red carpet, like they were eager fans waiting to catch a glimpse of their favorite celebrity.
Chase’s toothpaste commercial smile dazzled the crowd, and he waved at his adoring fans like a seasoned celebrity. He held my hand tightly, and led me over to a group of girls who were holding magazines and pens for him to autograph. He posed for photos with them and signed their magazines. People weren’t just screaming for Chase, they were calling my name too. A few of the jocks at my school called me over to have photos taken with them. Someone even called out, “You’re a star!” Amber stood in the crowd giving me a death stare. I smiled at her like I was Alicia Spark.
#
The school gym was transformed into a Valentine’s dream. Heart-shaped red and white balloons covered the ceiling. White table clothes with red candles and red rose petals adorned the tables. There was an arch by the door decorated with red and pink roses where everyone had their photos taken as they entered. 
As we walked in, Chase and I posed for our picture like we were a Hollywood couple. It’s funny how celebrity couples always become like one person. Whenever there is a new couple, the tabloids and paparazzi combine the two celebrity’s names to make one name. The new celebrity creatures have a life of their own. Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie got named “Brangelina,” and Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart “Robsten.” Speaking of Robert Pattinson, people are Robsessed with him. Get it? Hmm I wonder what Chase and I would be called. “Choebe” just doesn’t have a ring to it. But “Ben” and “Phoebe” would be “Bebe” like the clothing store. Now that sounds cool.
After having our picture taken, we received voting ballots with the nominees for the Valentine’s king and queen. 
“I’m nominated?” I asked baffled.
“Of course, you are the most beautiful girl in your school,” he said like it was a fact. He kissed me on the cheek, and put his arm around my waist.
It was like I was in an alternate universe. I never in my wildest dreams thought that my wildest dreams would come true. Chase Carson was in love with me, and wanted to be my boyfriend, and now I was popular too!
Liz came up to us flustered. “Phoebe, I’ve been trying to get to you since you arrived, but I got pushed away by the crowd of girls outside.” 
“Wow Liz, you look fantastic!” She was wearing a little black dress with black stilettos, and she looked sophisticated. She was actually wearing makeup, and her hair was down for once in her life. I was surprised by how lovely she looked, because she never usually liked to draw attention to herself.
Nathan and Ben were with Liz. Nathan was holding her hand, and smiling. Ben looked stiff and uncomfortable. I couldn’t believe how grown-up he looked. He seemed taller and more well-built than usual. I had never noticed how handsome he was. He was wearing a black suit with a white collared shirt, and a black tie. His mop of dark brown hair was gelled into a sleek style. His brown eyes were warm. He looked like a model. I was stunned by how sophisticated he looked.
“So, how does it feel to be nominated for queen?” Liz asked excitedly.
“Weird, unexpected, and shocking,” I summed up.
There was an awkward silence as we looked around at the room and at each other, until Amber came over with her sidekicks Kimberley and Britney. Amber looked exceptionally skanky, with her bright red strapless dress that was two sizes too small.
“Chase, you look super hot.” She was practically drooling. The girl had no shame.
“Thanks,” he said politely, holding me tighter.
“Would you do me a huge favor, and sign my Teen Idol magazine, pretty please,” she purred.
Oh please! Could she be any more obvious?
“Of course, anything for my fans,” Chase said good-naturedly, signing the cover of the magazine that was his picture.
“Thank you, so much. I hope that I can make it up to you later with a dance,” she flirted.
“I’m sorry, but Phoebe has booked all of my dances. Thanks anyway.”
Her face literally dropped. She turned and walked away in a huff, her sidekicks trailed after her.
Liz raised her eyebrow at me and smiled.
“Wow, look at that,” I said, pointing to the massive gold Cupid statue on the stage.
Chase took my hand. “Cupid called. He says to tell you that he needs my heart back.”
Everyone laughed, except Ben.
“Would you like some punch?” Chase asked me.
“Yes, please.”
“I’ll miss you.” He kissed my cheek.
Ben looked away. He seemed irritated, and it bothered me.
“They put a lot of effort into the dance this year,” Nathan remarked. 
“So, have you saved anymore frogs lately?” I joked.
“Not today, but maybe next week.” Everyone laughed, except for Ben, who was quietly staring at me.
Chase returned with a glass of red punch for me.
The DJ turned the music down and tapped his microphone. “Hey everyone, I’m sure you know that we have a celebrity here tonight.” 
Everyone cheered, and Chase grinned.
“He has a surprise for a lucky lady,” the DJ said.
My chest tightened. 
Chase squeezed my hand, and hurried to the stage. He took the microphone. “I’d like to sing a special song that I wrote for a special girl, the most beautiful girl in the whole world. She makes the birds sing, and the flowers bloom.”
Liz smiled at me, and rubbed my arm. I gulped, and looked at the floor.
Chase sat at the keyboard on the stage. The lights dimmed, apart from a spotlight on him that shone on his golden hair. There was no denying he was gorgeous, but I didn’t think that was enough anymore. He began singing a whimsical, acoustic song that he wrote for me. Chase Carson had actually written a song about me! This was exactly what I had always wanted. It was called, “My Valentine.” His eyes locked onto mine through the entire song. 
As he sang the last note, you couldn’t hear a pin drop. Everyone paused for a moment, and then the crowd erupted in applause.
“Thanks everyone. Let’s party!” Chase yelled excitedly. He made his way back to our group, struggling though the crowd of girls gushing about his song.
“That was beautiful. Thank you so much,” I said.
Chase draped his arm around my shoulders. “Words aren’t enough to express all the feelings I have inside for you. I wish that I could do more to show you how much I love you.”
I didn’t know what to say, so I said nothing. The music got louder as the party started.
“I love this song,” I said, hearing a classic Eighties pop song.
“Shall we?” Chase put out his hand, and beamed his toothpaste commercial smile at me.
“Yes, I’d love to,” I said taking his hand.
I was enjoying the beat of the song, and I felt like I could finally put my anxiety aside and enjoy myself. But then I looked over at Ben sitting at a table alone. Liz and Nathan were also dancing. My heart sank seeing him all by himself, looking so sad.
“You are such a great dancer, you have natural rhythm,” Chase gushed.
“Thanks,” I said modestly.
“I’m serious. You could be a pop star.”
“Speaking of pop stars, why is Alicia Spark here?” I stopped dancing, and pointed to the pop princess who had just arrived with her bodyguards, amid screams and flashing cameras.


*****


9. First Kiss

Alicia Spark looked even better in real life than she did on TV and in magazines. She was wearing a hot pink skintight mini dress, with platform shoes, and her long bleached blonde hair surrounded her like a mermaid. 
“Wow, it’s like we’re at the Grammy awards. Who else is going to show up, P. Diddy?” I joked.
He just smiled, and then leaned in slowly to kiss me. I didn’t know if I wanted him to kiss me, but I closed my eyes.
“What do you think you’re doing Chase Carson?” Alicia Spark demanded. I opened my eyes and she was standing with her hands on her hips, looking dangerous. Her pair of bodyguards stood behind her, looking even more dangerous.
“Alicia, don’t cause a scene. I was going to tell you. I’m breaking up with you because I’m in love with Phoebe.” He put his arm around my waist like I was his property.
I gulped. She looked me up and down, and I didn’t feel like a star anymore under her scrutiny. I felt like an ordinary 14-year-old girl in her goddess presence.
I thought that she was going to slap one of us, but her eyes filled with tears, and she turned and ran to the ladies’ room.
“I’m glad she took it well,” he said, hugging me.
I pulled away stunned. “How can you be so casual? Can you please explain what just happened?”
“Alicia and I have been dating for six months, but my manager makes me keep it a secret so my fans will still love me. You know, to keep the illusion that I’m single, so my fans can dream about being with me.”
“Alicia is your girlfriend?”
“Ex-girlfriend,” he corrected. “She can never compare to you. You make her look like a Plain Jane.” He was referring to the most gorgeous girl in the world as a “Plain Jane.” His zombie love had started to freak me out.
“Chase, please excuse me for a second, I’ll be right back.”
“I’ll miss you,” he said in a baby voice.
I frantically searched for Liz, but I couldn’t find her. I eventually spotted her by the refreshments table with Nathan and Ben. Nathan was feeding her chips. How sweet.
“Liz, I need you,” I said, grabbing her hand, and nearly dragging her away.
“What is your problem?” she asked, pulling up the straps of her dress that had come down by my roughing up.
I pulled her into the hallway where our lockers were. It felt weird to be there at night.
“I have a big problem. Remember how we were looking at Teen Idol magazine, and there was that picture of Chase and Alicia Spark. It said they had been ‘frolicking’ on the beach, but I didn’t think that it was true…”
“Yes, I remember,” she interrupted, putting up her hand. “Skip to the problem part.”
“Well, Alicia Spark is here at the dance, and she is upset that her boyfriend of six months has just dumped her for an ordinary schoolgirl.”
Liz’s eyes widened. “Wow, this night just keeps getting crazier and crazier. It’s like there’s something in the punch.”
“Hmm, a love potion perhaps…So what should I do?” I asked helplessly.
“Where is she now?”
“She ran to the ladies’ room.”
“Maybe you should go talk to her, and see how she’s feeling.”
I would rather have gone into the ladies’ room and dunked my head in the toilet. But I knew that I had to see if she was okay. Her two bodyguards stood on either side of the ladies’ room door. There was a long line of girls, but the bodyguards, or rather the bouncers, wouldn’t let anyone in.
“Hello, I really need to go in.” They shook their heads. Alicia had barricaded herself in there, and the girls were getting desperate. “I’m Chase Carson’s date,” I tried.
They stepped aside.
Alicia was in a stall with the door locked. I could hear her crying loudly, and blowing her nose.
“Um, Alicia, it’s Phoebe, Chase’s date.”
“What do you want? You’ve already stolen the love of my life. Do you know that he gave me a promise ring?” she said emotionally.
“I wanted to say that I’m very sorry about what happened. I didn’t know that you two were together.”
“That’s because of his manager. We can’t be seen in public together because then his fans will get upset. He has to uphold an aura of mystery, so every teen girl can carry on dreaming that they have a chance with him. Why can’t they just enjoy his music?”
I felt ashamed because I had been one of those teen girls living in a dream world. “I suppose it’s because he’s a ‘teen idol,’” I offered weakly.
She opened the door and came out. Her mascara had run all over her cheeks. She was more upset, than angry. “Do you know what it’s like not to even be able to go to the movies with your boyfriend? I couldn’t even take him as my date to the Teen Choice Awards. I had to pretend that I hardly knew him, when really, I love him so much.” She burst into tears again. 
“I didn’t know that you were so sensitive. Your songs always talk about playing the field and things like that.”
“That’s the music business. My record label has created an image for me, of the sexy, flirtatious pop star. But it’s all an illusion. I’m really a romantic.”
I moved towards her and hugged her, while she blew her nose. Underneath all her expensive clothes, makeup and hair extensions, she was just a vulnerable teen girl like the rest of us.
After she had fixed her makeup, I convinced her to come out of hiding and exit the ladies room, at least so the line of girls wouldn’t break the door down.
#
As soon as we came out, I spotted Liz, Ben, and Nathan’s table. I held Alicia’s hand and led her there. 
“Everyone, I’d like you to meet Alicia.”
“Alicia, this is Liz, Nathan, and Ben.” Nathan looked like a deer in the headlights.
“Hi, everyone, I hope that you don’t mind if I sit down for a minute, I need to catch my breath and regroup.”
“Of course we don’t mind,” Liz and Nathan said in unison. 
They even talking alike, which meant that they really were a couple. 
Chase was occupied signing autographs on the stage. Some girls were even asking him to sign body parts, like their arms and legs. When he saw me, his face lit up, and he ran over.
“Ben, dance with me,” I blurted, to avoid Chase and his zombiness. I grabbed Ben’s hand and pulled him to his feet.
I thought that he would protest the way Liz had when I dragged to the hallway, but he didn’t. He came with me freely.
As we found a spot as far away from Chase as possible, a slow song filled the room. It was Murphy’s Law. I wanted to walk off again because I hadn’t expected a slow song. Just as I started to turn around, Ben reached out, and put my arms around his neck. His arms encircled my waist. He smelt so good, so fresh. I put my head on his shoulder, and a content, safe feeling washed over me. I suddenly felt drawn to him, like he was a magnet.
“Phoebe, look at me…” He gently lifted my chin, so our eyes met. His tender brown eyes pierced right into my soul. “You look beautiful tonight. I wanted to tell you the moment I saw.” 
It sounded so much better coming from Ben than Chase. It was sincere and genuine. He looked so sophisticated, so gorgeous. Why had I never noticed how strong, yet gentle his face was? It was a good thing that he was holding me tightly, because my knees felt so weak, like I could collapse at any minute. Ben had always been my support, my anchor, my rock. I knew that if I ever needed anything, he would always be there. That knowledge made me feel safe.
We swayed to the sweet music. He gently brushed a strand of hair off my neck. My heart beat seemed so loud, I was sure that he could hear it. It felt like we were the only two people in the room.
“Aren’t you going to say anything?” he whispered in my ear, and shivers ran up my whole body, like a cold wind had caressed me.
“You look so handsome…” I said nervously.
“Thanks,” he blushed, and his smile melted my heart. “So, what’s happening with Chase?” He asked softly, nodding in the direction our table. Chase was glaring at us with his arms folded. Alicia looked like she was trying to win a food eating contest at a state fair.
“We’ve driven a pop princess to binge eat,” I said, shaking my head.
He laughed lightly. I was grateful that he hadn’t asked me why Chase Carson had suddenly become my stalker. He knew that some things were better left unsaid. But others weren’t. “I know that you love him and now he loves you too. So I guess I missed my chance…” He looked away.
“Ben…” I couldn’t finish because his lips were on mine. He kissed me and we floated up on a cloud. My head swirled, and I felt high. My whole body turned to jelly in his arms.
“I’m in love with you,” he whispered when he pulled away. “I’ve always loved you, but for a long time, I’ve been in love with you.”
I opened my mouth to speak, but Chase marched over when he saw Ben kiss me.
“Get off her!” he shoved Ben.
I quickly stood between them before Chase threw a punch.
“Let’s just all calm down. Chase, I think that you should take Alicia outside and have a talk with her. She looks like she could do with some fresh air,” I said, pointing to her devouring yet another plate of snacks.
“Fine, I won’t be long,” he said through gritted teeth. He shot Ben an aggressive look.
“I need to go to the ladies’ room,” I said to Ben, and quickly ran over to where Liz and Nathan were slow dancing.
“Liz, may I please borrow your lipstick in the ladies room?” I gestured with my head.
“Sure, let’s go, but don’t drag me this time. I’ll be right back,” she said to Nathan.
When safely inside the ladies’ room, I checked under the stall doors to make sure that we were alone.
“It’s amazing, isn’t it?” she asked cheerfully.
“In a disastrous way…”
Her smile disappeared. “What do you mean? This is what you wanted. Not many people get their wish granted.”
“Chase is crazy in love with me,” I cried in frustration.
“That’s what you wished for.” She put her hand on her heart. “I, Cupid, granted your wish.”
I shook my head and my perfect curls bounced around. “But now that my wish has come true, I don’t know if it’s what I really want. I don’t feel anything for the real life Chase. In fact, his cheesy pick-up lines are getting on my nerves.”
She laughed.
I crossed my arms across my chest. “It’s not funny. He’s a stalker.”
She laughed uncontrollably. “I’m sorry, it’s just so ironic. He’s lovesessed with you.”
I rolled my eyes. “No, he’s not lovesessed, he’s obsessed, and it’s creepy.”
She wiped away tears from laughing and adjusted her glasses. “But isn’t this what you wanted?”
My heart sank. “It is what I wanted, well, I mean, what I thought I wanted, but now I don’t know what I want.” I leaned against the wall for support. “I’m a home wrecker, and now I’ve turned the most famous pop princess in the world into a binge eater. If she carries on like this, she’ll have to retire, and she’s only 15,” I said hopelessly.
“Don’t be so dramatic, Phoebes. So, I take it you don’t love Chase anymore?”
I hesitated. “I don’t think that I ever really loved him. I think that it was infatuation, as you explained to me. Maybe it was the chemicals or the chemistry screwing with my mind. Now the chemicals have screwed with Chase’s mind, and he’s a love zombie.”
She laughed, and held my hand. “He seems really into you, and maybe it’s meant to be.”
“I don’t think so, Liz. If it was meant to be, then it should have happened without the help of a love potion.”
“You’re probably right, Phoebes. But maybe you should milk it for all it’s worth.”
“Huh? Are you calling Chase a cow?”
“No, silly, I mean that you should enjoy your newfound popularity, dare I say, fame.”
“I wish that I could. I always thought that Chase loving me and being popular would make me happy. I thought that I knew how I would feel. But I don’t feel like that. It doesn’t feel like I thought it would, because I know that it’s not real. I want someone to fall in love with me. I want them to do it because they love me for me, not because they have been forced to by our Chemistry experiment.”
“You mean the way Ben loves you…” she concluded.
I nodded because I couldn’t speak as the words caught in my throat, and the tears wet my face.


*****


10. True Love

“I can fix this,” Liz said firmly.
I perked up, and dabbed my eyes with a tissue. “Please be right.”
“After I saw how nuts Chase acted at school, I mixed an antidote for the love potion, just in case something like this happened at the dance.” She opened her black clutch purse and pulled out a plastic vile the size of a thumb. “All we have to do is get Chase to drink this, and he will be back to his old self.”
“Liz you are the most brilliant 14-year-old who ever lived!” I shrieked.
“Nah, I just look good for a 40-year-old,” she joked.
“I never thought I’d say this, but I all I want, is for Chase not to love me. So if he drinks the antidote, he won’t be lovesessed with me anymore?”
“Correct, he will remember everything that happened, but he will no longer be infatuated with you. I say ‘infatuated,’ because it’s obvious that he wasn’t really ‘in love’ with you.”
“You’re preaching to the choir. I know that it’s not real love, it’s artificial. I don’t want creepy, stalker, zombie love.”
“Not cool,” she said, shaking her head.
“Ben kissed me by the way,” I said blushing.
“Wow, really, your first kiss! I’m glad it was with Ben, and not Chase.”
“You know what, me too. I see Ben with new eyes tonight. I actually think that he looks better than Chase. I can’t believe I never realized how cute Ben was.”
“Earth to Phoebe…Come in Phoebe,” she said as though she was on Star Trek. 
“I just hope we can fix this whole love potion fiasco. I feel really bad about the mess it’s caused.”
“Go get Chase a glass of punch, and slip the antidote in the punch. Then make sure he drinks it.”
“Okay, that sounds easy enough.” I held the anti-love potion tightly in my hand. “This had better work.”
I rushed to the refreshment table and poured a glass of punch. Making sure that no one was looking, I opened the vile of anti-love potion, and poured it in the punch. As soon as I had finished, Chase came up behind me. I jumped. “Oh hi, I was just getting you some punch.” I handed it to him.
“That’s my job,” he said, winking. “But thanks, I’m really thirsty.” He downed the whole glass of punch.
I kept one hand with my fingers crossed behind my back.
“Did I tell you that you are the most beautiful girl in the whole world?”
“Uh, yes, several times…” I wondered why the anti-love potion wasn’t working. Maybe Liz hadn’t made it right? 
“Your eyes are like the ocean, and baby, I'm lost at sea.” 
“Um…thanks,” I stammered. 
“I must be in heaven because I see an angel…” He froze, and looked around like he had just woken up from sleep walking. He paused for a few seconds and shook his head. “I’m sorry, but I don’t know what was wrong with me today, or why I was acting like that. I don’t even know you.”
It had worked! The anti-love potion had worked! I thought happily.
“I have to go…” Chase said quickly and ran over to Alicia, who was filling up yet another plate of snacks. He picked her up and swung her around. They started making out like teenagers, which was to be expected, because that’s what they were. Then they left hand in hand, followed by their bodyguards. A perfect celebrity couple named “Chalicia.” Maybe the tabloids would steal my name for them, if they ever found out that they’re a couple.
Liz came over with Nathan. “Guessing it worked?”
“Yes, it worked perfectly.” I smiled.
Mr. Shaw tapped the microphone too loudly, causing it to make a high-pitched screeching noise. Everyone groaned at the sound. “Attention students, it’s time to announce the Valentine’s king and queen. Please come closer to the stage.”
I suddenly felt a stab of anxiety. Chase wasn’t in love with me anymore, but I was reaping the after effects – popularity.
“Our nominees are: Amber West, Britney Davis, Kimberley Morgan, and Phoebe Parker.” Everyone chanted my name like I was superstar. 
The lights dimmed, and suddenly Ben was by side. We smiled at each other. Calmness washed over me.
“The king and queen of the Valentine’s dance are…”
There was a collective inhale.
“Phoebe Parke and Chase Carson,” he shouted excitedly. The spotlight fell on me. Everyone cheered.
Ben held my hand tightly, yet it was also the gentlest touch I had ever felt. We made our way through the crowd to the stage.
Suddenly a sparkly tiara was on my head. Through the bright lights, I saw Amber and her sidekicks glaring at me. Liz beamed with pride and gave me the thumbs up. Ben stood by my side as I took the microphone.
Public speaking was my biggest fear. I felt wobbly on my feet, and just when the world started spinning, Ben put his arm around my waist. “Hi everyone,” I squeaked.
I cleared my throat, and spoke louder. “Chase had to leave because he had a rehearsal,” I lied, but it was the first thing that came to mind. “Besides, doesn’t our king have to go to our school?” I joked. Everyone laughed and I felt a surge of motivation to continue my speech even though I felt like a deer in the headlights. “Well there is someone who does go to our school, and who is 100% deserving of being the Valentine’s king. He is the kindest, most loving person I know. Valentine’s Day is all about love. Thank you for choosing me to be your Valentine’s queen, and I’d like to choose Ben Walker to be my Valentine’s king.”
The crowd cheered loudly. Ben’s smile was dazzling. He looked like a teen idol. He was my teen idol.
Ben was given a sash that said “Valentine’s king.” He had never looked so handsome.
“Please will everyone clear the dance floor for our king and queen,” Mr. Shaw announced.
“Would you like to dance?” 
“More than anything,” I smiled, and took his hand.
The sweet smell of love lingered in the air. It was just like those movies I’d watched, with the happy endings. Now I had my own movie ending, and it was perfect. I sighed contentedly, and put my arms around Ben’s neck. I could have danced with him all night. Then, he kissed me. I felt weightless, like I was floating on a cloud. I looked around at all the couples who had started dancing. Liz and Nathan were locked in an embrace, and they made such a cute couple. Cupid must have struck Amber with a love potion dipped arrow. She was slow dancing with Eugene Sherman, who was smiling like he had just won the lottery. Chase and Alicia were probably slow dancing at some celebrity party. Those two were definitely made for each other. I had had a taste of the celebrity life, and it showed me that real life was so much better.
I rested my head against Ben’s warm chest and breathed in his beautiful energy. It felt as though a white light from heaven enveloped us. I had never felt happier. It felt so real, so right. Sometimes it’s not about the journey, it’s about the destination. I realized that what I had been searching for all along had been right in front of me. I had wanted someone to love me for me, and I had gotten my wish. Love worked in mysterious ways. Instead of a love potion making Chase fall in love with me, I had fallen in love with Ben. My true love had found me. I was no longer lovesessed with Chase, but I was still lovesessed with love, real love, the love that filled my heart with happiness. Love was everywhere, and I was officially lovesessed.

*****

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