While wandering around a book store with Michelle, we scoured the racks for new novels to add to the TBR pile (and checked to ensure that Bitten & Smitten and Angel with Attitude were on the shelves). When we reached the magazine section in search of the winter issue of Elevate magazine so that I could show off some of my recent articles, I wondered if Tiger Beat magazine was still being published.

Michelle pulled out a copy and waved it at me. On the cover was a fairly regular looking kid named Zac.

"Hey, isn't that the guy from High School Musical?" she asked.

"Think so," I said as I returned the mag to the rack.

Then we noticed that Zac Efron's face was on a lot of the covers of teen magazines. Actually, it looked like he was on all of them. Cover lines screamed at us:



Find out if Zac likes you!


Are you Zac's dream date?


Zac shares his secrets!


Free Zac poster inside!


"What's with Zac?" I asked aloud and flipped open one of the mags to read a bit about how Zac added 10 whole pounds to his burly 135-pound frame in preparation for his role in Hairspray.

"Maybe it's because most girls weigh more than him," Michelle snickered.

After reading a bit about his feelings about being labelled a heart throb (he doesn't know why girls are crazy about him, aw shucks) I felt the need to get away from all of those photos of Zac smiling at me. Within five feet of the rack, I felt the need to find out even more about him.

"Do you think he likes Diet Coke?" I asked my friend.

"Great. Now you're obsessed," Michelle said. "You're old enough to be his mother! Heck, even his grandmother."

And that's when I realized that it wasn't Zac I was obsessed with, but the reason for this craze for a relatively regular-looking 135-pound kid. Could it be that girls thought they'd have a chance with him? Better with him than with the hunky dudes out there?

Or am I just too old to get it?