Luckily, Connor interrupted the silence.
“So, I just found out I’m going to a concert,” he said.
“Right now?” Malia asked. Maybe she could go, too.
“No, in three weeks,” he said. “Veronica’s coming to the Arts Centre.”
Malia gasped. Veronica (simply “Veronica,” no last name necessary) was the biggest superstar imaginable. In the past year, she and her blue hair had skyrocketed to fame unlike anything ever witnessed before. Even Bree had virtually abandoned her love for Taylor Swift when faced with the glory of Veronica.
“Oh! Yeah, me too,” said Malia. The lie escaped before she could realize what was happening.
Truth be told, Malia had never really caught Veronica fever. She thought Veronica was just okay, with her endless rotating wardrobe and her larger-than-life concerts. But Malia vowed then and there that no matter what it took, she would be at that show. It was the event of a lifetime – not because of Veronica, but because of Connor.
“Yeah, Charlotte’s dad got a box for the concert, and everyone is going,” said Connor. “Aidan, Bobby, Violet, Mo . . .”
“And me!” said Malia, with perhaps a bit too much force. “So I’ll definitely see you there.”
“Yeah. Sounds great,” said Connor, sweeping his floppy hair away from his perfectly sun-kissed forehead.
“I can’t wait! I mean, to see Veronica. I mean, of course.” Malia started walking backwards, away from the fence. “Enjoy the rest of your day!” As she tried to scurry away before any more words could escape her mouth, she stumbled over a tiny shrub. She quickly popped back up and retreated in a manner that she hoped looked very calm but feared looked rather rushed and awkward. Malia returned to the sidewalk where her friends were waiting and hoped she wasn’t blushing too hard.
They walked in silence for another block, until they were sure it was safe.
“Oh my god,” Malia stage-whispered. She thought she might hyperventilate.
“Are you okay?” Dot asked.
“You guys. There is a Veronica concert in two weeks, and Connor is going,” Malia practically exploded.
Bree stopped in her tracks. “VERONICA?”
“Clearly, we have to go,” Malia concluded.
“Veronica?” Bree repeated. “Is coming. Here?” She clutched her chest, like she had just been told something very profound.
“Yes, she’s giving a huge concert at the Arts Centre,” Dot said matter-of-factly. “It was announced weeks ago.”
“THE Veronica. In Playa del Mar.” Bree was still trying to make sense of this.
“I think she’s incredibly overhyped.” Dot sighed. “I mean, I appreciate how she tries to stand for female empowerment, but her songs are very formulaic.”
“But you listen to her,” said Malia, shooting Dot a look. She knew for a fact that it was true.
“I like to stay up-to-date on popular culture,” Dot argued. “I am not, technically, a fan.”
“I CAN’T BELIEVE VERONICA IS COMING HERE!” Bree exclaimed.
“Yes, and everyone will be there,” Malia added. “Including us.”
“We have to go! How much are tickets? How do we buy them? Can we do this now?” Bree spoke, rapid-fire.
“The concert will probably have a decent concession stand,” Dot conceded.
“And it will give me so much to talk about with Connor,” Malia said wistfully. “Something to really connect over.”
“How close do you think we can get? WHAT IF I COULD HUG HER OR EVEN JUST TOUCH HER HAND?” Bree continued to talk at a heightened volume.
“That’s exactly how I feel about Connor,” Malia said.
“Malia.” Bree stopped in her tracks, and grabbed Malia by the shoulders. “We are talking about VERONICA. Like, an actual angel that is coming to our town to grace us with her presence. This is so much bigger than Connor.”
“I’ll never understand what you see in him,” said Dot. “He seems very . . . one-dimensional.”
“He doesn’t even have any pets,” Bree added.
Malia just sighed. Ordinarily, her friends were always on the same page, but when it came to matters of the heart, Malia was used to being on her own. Love was so far beyond reason. It was meant to be experienced, not understood.
First, though, she would have to experience this concert. Malia didn’t care what it took. She would babysit every day – heck, she would babysit every hour – until that concert rolled around. She was going to be there, and it was going to be amazing.
Bree Robinson could barely remember a time when she had felt this happy, although she supposed she felt pretty happy a lot of the time. Still, the most wonderful thing was about to happen – something even more wonderful than Veronica coming to Playa del Mar. Bree had been granted permission to adopt her very own cat.
Her mom had okayed it, on the condition that it couldn’t interfere with Bree’s ability to help out around the house. But how hard could a cat really be? You just had to feed it and love it and hug it and occasionally change its litter while holding your nose with one hand. A cat wasn’t like a child, which actually required attention and sometimes even bribery. After babysitting, Bree figured, having a cat should be a breeze.
No longer would she have to feel insulted when Chocolate Pudding, the family cat, ignored her displays of affection. Her own cat would never do such a thing. Her own cat would love her and snuggle with her and be her very best friend. Her own cat might even wear a hoodie. With sparkles! Bree couldn’t wait.
All day long, she could barely concentrate on school. This was her biggest life dream come true. (Well, technically her biggest life dream was the one where she discovers Veronica is her long-lost sister, and Veronica lets Bree borrow all her shoes and clothes and joins forces to help open a cat ranch, where hundreds of cats could roam and play in total happiness, forever. But this slightly more realistic dream – adopting a cat of her very own – was pretty high up there.)
But now the moment was finally here. Bree was on her way to meet her future cat.
Bree, Malia and Dot raced through the mall, with Bree leading the way, and Bree’s mom trailing somewhere behind them.
“Are you sure it’s a good idea to get a cat right now?” Malia asked. “I’ve booked us for four new gigs this week alone to help raise money for the concert.”
“It’s fine,” Bree said. “I can totally
