Road To Nowhere by Christopher Pike Read Free Book Online Page B

world. Her father’s reaction was curious – he hardly reacted at all, which somehow hurt more than anything. But her mother was not so impartial. The lines started immediately. Was she out of her mind? Did she think she could just drive to the other side of the city twice a week – in the middle of the night for God’s sake – because she wanted to? In the car they had given her? Who did she think she was anyway? Madonna? What songs was she going to sing? When had she ever written songs? How come they hadn’t known about them? Why was she keeping secrets from them? What other things hadn't she told them? Who had put her up to this, anyway? Bill? Of course, it was that Bill. She shouldn’t be seeing so much of that guy anyway. He just wanted her for one thing. All guys did.
    Jesus.
    Yet her mother calmed down when she heard how much money Teresa could make at the Summit. A percentage of the take, you say? . . . How much is that? . . . Hmmm, sounds like they’re taking advantage of you, dear . . . Well, we’ll think about it.
    So they let her do it. But she had to buy all her own clothes from now on, they said, and pay for her own gasoline, which she already did.
    Then there was Rene Le Roe, Teresa's best friend. Teresa hadn’t seen Rene nearly so much since she’d started going with Bill, and now that she was barely seeing Bill she never saw Rene. They were curious best friends, as far as best friends went. They had known each other for ages, and before the advent of boyfriends and stardom Teresa had made it a point to talk to Rene at least every other day. Rene went to another school even though she lived only two miles away. Teresa, in fact, could walk to Rene’s house.
    The depth of their communication, even when they were talking regularly, left something to be desired. What it all boiled down to was that they didn’t have much in common, except that they were both shy. Rene knew nothing about music. Teresa knew nothing about horses – Rene's passion. Rene did poorly in school and never studied, while Teresa, of course, excelled in all subjects and spent a good portion of her waking hours studying. It was as if they were best friends because no one else wanted to be friends with them; and that, too, was odd.
    Rene was a beautiful girl. Her long black hair was shiny and the colour of a winter night sky. Her exquisite face was pale, but not sickly. She looked, rather, like a princess who had waited years alone in a tower room for a prince. Really, that was why Rene had never had a boyfriend. She was picky; she was ready to wait for ever. Perhaps they had only become friends so they could wait together.
    But Teresa had finally broken free of her tower. She was waiting no longer. She called Rene a week before her scheduled debut. Rene knew about Bill, of course. Teresa had described him to Rene at length, but the two had not yet met. Rene greeted Teresa's news of her romance and her job at the Summit with quiet enthusiasm. Teresa never stopped to consider that Rene might be jealous. Certainly, Rene never gave any sign that she was.
    Rene wanted to come to her opening night, and that was fine with Teresa. The more Teresa practised and the more she talked to Mr. Gracione, the greater her confidence grew. She began to see – not out of arrogance but with a recognition of what was genuinely there – that she had talent. That she could write songs that spoke to people and that she had a voice that touched people deeply. Even her own mother – wonders never cease – burst into her room one evening when she was practising. Teresa had been singing softly, but apparently her mom had been standing outside the door eavesdropping. Her mom paid her the highest compliment she was capable of by saying, “I can't believe that was you I was listening to.”
    Her mother and father said they'd come to see her when she was comfortable with her show. Teresa began to notice, as the days went by, a note of pride in their voices