our date as well, which would be awkward if I took her to a movie or something.
Lola turned toward Dylan. “He’s funny,” she said. “Who knew?”
From the bored look on her face as she filed her nails, Dylan didn’t agree. “Any idea when we might get back to me ?” she asked without looking up.
Lola and Hannah looked at each other and rolled their eyes.
“In a minute,” I replied. “I promise.”
“Anyway, after that comes midlevel popularity,” Lola said, pointing to a table a little closer to where we were sitting. “That would be Lisa Eaton and Shannon Hall and those girls.” I turned the camera to get a shot of Lisa and Shannon huddled together, flipping through the pages of a fashion magazine. Unlike Ashley and Britney, who wore guilty looks, as if they were just waiting to be found out and kicked off The Ramp, Lisa and Shannon were laid-back to the point where I wondered if they were about to start snoring.
“And then there’s us.” Hannah smiled. “High-level popularity. Obvious by the fact that we have the prime table smack in the middle of The Ramp.” She smoothed her red bob, looking even more like Molly Ringwald in The Breakfast Club than she usually did. “It’s okay if you want to come in for a close-up, you know.”
“Um, hi, everyone? Excuse me,” said Dylan. “This isn’t in the memo, but I’d like to add, ‘The only close-ups will be of me.’ ”
“But every time I’ve asked you a question so far, you’ve put your hand in front of your face and said, ‘No comment, ’” I said.
“That’s just because unlike some people,” she said with a glance at Lola and Hannah, “it takes me a little longer to trust people. However, now that I see that you know what you’re doing, I’m ready to talk. Wait—hold on one second.” She flipped her hair upside down and scrubbed at the sides of her head before flipping it back up. “Okay— now I’m ready.”
I turned the camera toward her. I had to admit, the camera did love her, especially her blue eyes. And it made the little bump in her nose less pronounced. “So Dylan Schoenfield,” I said in my best documentarian voice, which Ari said made me sound like the CNN announcer, “as last year’s junior prom queen, as well as past Spring Fling princess, and homecoming queen, you’re obviously one of, if not the most, popular girl at Castle Heights.”
She sat up a little straighter and smiled into the camera like a TV anchorwoman.
“And yet, as we all know from People magazine and Entertainment Tonight, ” I continued, “even the beautiful and popular people are still human. So can you tell us a little bit about the pitfalls of popularity? You know, the downside of it?”
Dylan twisted a piece of hair around her finger as she thought about it. “Well, for good or for bad, when you’re popular, you just can’t escape the limelight,” she said. “Take Angelina Jolie, for instance. Her mom dies and she loses a few pounds because she’s overcome with grief and people say she’s anorexic. And then she goes on one of her trips to Asia to get another kid and eats too much rice and people say she’s getting fat. I mean, the poor woman just cannot win, you know?”
“So you’re saying that when you’re popular there’s this pressure to be thin?” I asked.
“Well, yeah, but that’s a whole other issue. What I mean is that when you’re popular, you have to be super nice to everyone all the time. Even when you have PMS. Because if you’re not, then before you know it, it’s all over school.” Suddenly her face scrunched up like she had eaten tuna fish that had been left out in the sun. “Omigod— what is Susan Adelson wearing ?” As we all turned to look, I saw Susan walking across the cafeteria in jeans and a red sweater.
“Jeans and a red sweater?” I said.
“Uh, yeah, and open-toe Birkenstocks,” she replied. “Rule number 731: unless you were brought up in, I don’t know, Iowa or somewhere
Lola turned toward Dylan. “He’s funny,” she said. “Who knew?”
From the bored look on her face as she filed her nails, Dylan didn’t agree. “Any idea when we might get back to me ?” she asked without looking up.
Lola and Hannah looked at each other and rolled their eyes.
“In a minute,” I replied. “I promise.”
“Anyway, after that comes midlevel popularity,” Lola said, pointing to a table a little closer to where we were sitting. “That would be Lisa Eaton and Shannon Hall and those girls.” I turned the camera to get a shot of Lisa and Shannon huddled together, flipping through the pages of a fashion magazine. Unlike Ashley and Britney, who wore guilty looks, as if they were just waiting to be found out and kicked off The Ramp, Lisa and Shannon were laid-back to the point where I wondered if they were about to start snoring.
“And then there’s us.” Hannah smiled. “High-level popularity. Obvious by the fact that we have the prime table smack in the middle of The Ramp.” She smoothed her red bob, looking even more like Molly Ringwald in The Breakfast Club than she usually did. “It’s okay if you want to come in for a close-up, you know.”
“Um, hi, everyone? Excuse me,” said Dylan. “This isn’t in the memo, but I’d like to add, ‘The only close-ups will be of me.’ ”
“But every time I’ve asked you a question so far, you’ve put your hand in front of your face and said, ‘No comment, ’” I said.
“That’s just because unlike some people,” she said with a glance at Lola and Hannah, “it takes me a little longer to trust people. However, now that I see that you know what you’re doing, I’m ready to talk. Wait—hold on one second.” She flipped her hair upside down and scrubbed at the sides of her head before flipping it back up. “Okay— now I’m ready.”
I turned the camera toward her. I had to admit, the camera did love her, especially her blue eyes. And it made the little bump in her nose less pronounced. “So Dylan Schoenfield,” I said in my best documentarian voice, which Ari said made me sound like the CNN announcer, “as last year’s junior prom queen, as well as past Spring Fling princess, and homecoming queen, you’re obviously one of, if not the most, popular girl at Castle Heights.”
She sat up a little straighter and smiled into the camera like a TV anchorwoman.
“And yet, as we all know from People magazine and Entertainment Tonight, ” I continued, “even the beautiful and popular people are still human. So can you tell us a little bit about the pitfalls of popularity? You know, the downside of it?”
Dylan twisted a piece of hair around her finger as she thought about it. “Well, for good or for bad, when you’re popular, you just can’t escape the limelight,” she said. “Take Angelina Jolie, for instance. Her mom dies and she loses a few pounds because she’s overcome with grief and people say she’s anorexic. And then she goes on one of her trips to Asia to get another kid and eats too much rice and people say she’s getting fat. I mean, the poor woman just cannot win, you know?”
“So you’re saying that when you’re popular there’s this pressure to be thin?” I asked.
“Well, yeah, but that’s a whole other issue. What I mean is that when you’re popular, you have to be super nice to everyone all the time. Even when you have PMS. Because if you’re not, then before you know it, it’s all over school.” Suddenly her face scrunched up like she had eaten tuna fish that had been left out in the sun. “Omigod— what is Susan Adelson wearing ?” As we all turned to look, I saw Susan walking across the cafeteria in jeans and a red sweater.
“Jeans and a red sweater?” I said.
“Uh, yeah, and open-toe Birkenstocks,” she replied. “Rule number 731: unless you were brought up in, I don’t know, Iowa or somewhere
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