Kieran Scott - Hes So Not Worth It

Also by Kieran Scott

Shes So Dead to Us

An imprint of Simon & Schuster Childrens Publishing Division

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www.SimonandSchuster.com

This book is a work of fiction. Any references to historical events, real people, or real locales are used fictitiously. Other names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the authors imagination, and any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

Copyright 2011 by Kieran Viola

All rights reserved, including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form.

is a trademark of Simon & Schuster, Inc.

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Book design by Krista Vossen

The text for this book is set in Andrade.

Manufactured in the United States of America

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Scott, Kieran, 1974

Hes so not worth it / Kieran Scott. 1st ed.

p. cm.

Sequel to: Shes so dead to us.

Summary: Told in two voices, Allie and Jake continue to be bombarded by family issues and pressures from the Cresties and their poorer counterparts as they spend a summer dealing with the fallout of their breakup.

ISBN 978-1-4169-9953-9 (hardcover)

[1. Interpersonal relationsFiction. 2. Social classesFiction. 3. Dating (Social customs)Fiction. 4. Family lifeNew JerseyFiction. 5. New JerseyFiction.]

I. Title. II. Title: He is so not worth it.

PZ7.S42643Hes 2011

[Fic]dc22

2010046494

ISBN 978-1-4169-9958-4 (eBook)

For Matt and Brady

Daily Field Journal of Annie Johnston Saturday, June 26

Position: Golf cart parked across the circle from the entrance of the Orchard Hill Country Club/Shannen Moores birthday extravaganza.

Cover: If anyone asks, I lost a diamond earring while out on the links today and Im checking all the carts before busting out the metal detector on the back nine.

Observations:

10:05 p.m.: Subject Chloe Appleby exits the front door in tears. Uniform: pink dress, high heels, party hair. The two lazing valets hop to attention. One reaches out to her for a ticket, which she doesnt have. Subject Hammond Ross drove her, of course. Subject Chloe starts back inside, thinks better of it, takes a step toward the parking lot, turns a heel, and almost goes down. One of the valets gamely grabs her arm and keeps her from hitting her butt. (Assessment: Subjects Chloe and Hammond had a fight. A big one.)

10:06 p.m.: Subject Hammond Ross comes barreling through the door in a panic. Uniform: Hugo Boss pinstripe suit, pink tie. Dutifully matching the girlfriend, of course. He sees the valet holding on to Subject Chloe and tears her away. She shoves him and shouts, but I cant make it out from this distance. (Note: I briefly consider firing up the golf cart and gunning it across the sea of marigolds at the center of the circle to get within hearing distance, but fear that might attract a bit too much attention.)

10:07 p.m.: Subject Chloe slaps Subject Hammond across the face so hard I can see the fingerprint-shaped marks from here. (Note: Keep the camera phone on at all times, idiot!)

10:08 p.m.: Subjects Mr. and Mrs. Appleby finally appear from inside. Subject Mr. Appleby has a few stern words for Subject Hammond, who skulks back inside. The valet has the Applebys car for them in approximately seven and a half seconds. The Applebys peel out. (Query: What the hell did Hammond do in there?)

10:09 p.m.: Ally Ryan walks out with her mother and Subject Gray Nathanson. None of them are speaking. Ally looks like she just ate a bug. She keeps swallowing over and over again like shes trying to keep it down. The valet gets Subject Dr. Nathansons car in approximately eight and a half seconds, and theyre gone as well. (Query: WTF is going on and what does Ally have to do with it?)

10:10 p.m.: I try Allys cell phone. It goes straight to voice mail.

10:15 p.m.: Subject Jake Graydon jogs out and looks both ways, then talks to the valets and runs a hand over his hair. He tugs out his cell phone and dials, holds it to his ear for a split second, then curses. He tries again. Same result. (Assessment: Hes trying to call the same person Im trying to call.)

10:20 p.m.: Subject Jake gives up and hands the valet his ticket. The valet gets his car in approximately two minutes. (Note: Response time is clearly slower for the children of the members than for the members themselves.) Subject Jakes taillights hesitate at the end of the long drive. And hesitate. And hesitate. Finally he turns right, headed for the crest. Headed away from Ally. (Assessment: I missed something huge. Note: Next year, get an invite to Shannen Moores birthday party.)

I had imagined my reunion with my father so many times over the past two years, I had every last detail down. I knew how many breaths of surprise Id take upon seeing him. How long my strides would be as I raced across the distance that separated us and into his arms. I knew that hed pick me up and twirl me around exactly three times before setting me down again, pushing my hair back from my face, and saying, I missed you, bud.

In my mind, it had always looked like some sappy Disney movie. Him with a big, toothy grin. Me with my feet kicked up, my skirt flying. The sun was always shining and the birds were serenading us with a happy tune. It was the kind of scene that would bring tears to moviegoers eyes everywhere.

Except I didnt actually wear a lot of skirts. And the sun had gone down hours ago. Plus, the only sound outside the car was the annoying beeping of a truck backing up. Also, it had never occurred to me that when we all saw each other again, no one would feel like smiling. In fact, the moment I spotted my dad on the front steps of the condo my mother and I shared in the Orchard View Condominium community, all I could imagine doing was shoving him as hard as I could.

Oh my God, my mother said from the front passenger seat. Outside the window, my dad slowly rose to his feet. He was wearing pressed khakis and a crisp, white button down with varied stripes. His salt-and-pepper hair was cropped short on the sides and pushed back from his face on top. His shoes gleamed, and he wore the silver and gold Rolex my mothers father had given him on the day of their wedding. Since leaving Orchard Hill in shame and destitution two years ago, my mom had sold most of her good jewelry to help pay the bills. Apparently that plan had never occurred to my dad. Im not really seeing this, my mother said. Tell me Im not seeing this.