all my dislike for Amanda into Todd. You’re a genius. It’s refreshing to see you using your psychology skills for evil as well as for good. It adds character.” I stood up. “Wait here. I’ll be back.”
104 Kristin Walker
I waltzed over to Todd and Amanda. Without releasing her death grip on Todd’s waist, Amanda sneered at me and said, “Hello, Water Girl. Or should I say, Water Bitch?”
I completely ignored her. Instead I addressed Todd, but tipped my head to indicate Amanda. “You know, you really should see a doctor and have that thing removed. It’s getting pretty nasty-looking.”
Todd’s eyes narrowed. His lip curled up and he said,
“And you should get that ugly thing cut off your head, too. Oh, wait, it’s your face.”
Amanda snorted and guffawed. But I noticed Todd subtly remove her arms from his torso and step away from her just an inch. Bingo.
I strolled back to the bleachers, looking forward to bragging to Mar, but she was gone. I reached over and plucked out one of Johnny’s earphones. “Where’d Mar go?” I asked. Johnny rubbed the back of his neck where it was pink from the sun. “She had to run inside for something,” he said. He scrunched up his face. “Uh . . . some kind of brilliant gloss or something? Said she’d be right out.” He pulled out the other earphone and set the MP3 player in his lap. I sat next to him. “Oh God, she forgot her Joico Brilliantine Spray Gloss? How can she possibly survive without it?”
“What is it?”
“This hair product she’s addicted to. Makes her hair shiny or polished or some such garbage. She keeps trying to get me to use it. She paid, like, sixteen dollars for one bottle. I told her I’d rather keep the sixteen bucks and spit on my own hair for free.”
CHAPTER 12 105
“You can spit on your own hair?” Johnny asked. I almost wasn’t sure if he was joking at first. But then he said, “Wow, you’re talented. Maybe you could join a carnival sideshow or something with that.”
I laughed. We didn’t seem to have anything else to say, so Johnny went back to his MP3 player, and I went back to my book. It was hard to focus on reading, though, with all the yelling and clapping coming from the cheery hopefuls bouncing around in the grass. They were kind of mesmerizing, really. I watched for a minute and then spotted Mar weaving her way back through the tryouts. Todd stopped her for a second before she came over.
“Todd wants to see you,” she said.
I slapped my book shut. “What for?”
“I dunno.”
I blew a raspberry, got up, and trudged back to the tryout area. Todd was standing next to this decrepit yellow water cooler the size of a small child. He patted it with his hand.
“Here’s your big jug, Princess.” He stroked his chin. “Unless you brought one with you already. Have you got any big jugs of your own?”
I sighed at his tone. “No.”
“No,” he said, staring directly at my chest, “I see that you don’t.” He laughed at himself. I ignored him in a dignified manner.
“Well, don’t worry,” he went on. “It’s not as big on the inside as it is outside. Here, check it out.”
I should have known better than to do anything Señor Shitslacks said. And any other time, I would have. But I was 106 Kristin Walker
thrown off by the eureka moment I’d just had when I realized that he might actually like me in a twisted, hate-filled way. So I stepped over to the cooler and lifted the lid. Inside was a wriggling mound of wet, green things. Frogs. Dozens of them. Big ones, leaping all over the place. I shrieked and jumped about five feet backward. Todd burst into hysterics. So did Amanda and the rest of the cheerleader wannabes, along with Todd’s bonehead buddy from the cafeteria (who, judging from the mud on his legs was the dickweed frognapper).
Crap, what about Gabe? Had he seen? He wasn’t on the bleachers anymore. Mrs. O’Toole sure hadn’t noticed anything. Maybe Gabe had missed it too. But
104 Kristin Walker
I waltzed over to Todd and Amanda. Without releasing her death grip on Todd’s waist, Amanda sneered at me and said, “Hello, Water Girl. Or should I say, Water Bitch?”
I completely ignored her. Instead I addressed Todd, but tipped my head to indicate Amanda. “You know, you really should see a doctor and have that thing removed. It’s getting pretty nasty-looking.”
Todd’s eyes narrowed. His lip curled up and he said,
“And you should get that ugly thing cut off your head, too. Oh, wait, it’s your face.”
Amanda snorted and guffawed. But I noticed Todd subtly remove her arms from his torso and step away from her just an inch. Bingo.
I strolled back to the bleachers, looking forward to bragging to Mar, but she was gone. I reached over and plucked out one of Johnny’s earphones. “Where’d Mar go?” I asked. Johnny rubbed the back of his neck where it was pink from the sun. “She had to run inside for something,” he said. He scrunched up his face. “Uh . . . some kind of brilliant gloss or something? Said she’d be right out.” He pulled out the other earphone and set the MP3 player in his lap. I sat next to him. “Oh God, she forgot her Joico Brilliantine Spray Gloss? How can she possibly survive without it?”
“What is it?”
“This hair product she’s addicted to. Makes her hair shiny or polished or some such garbage. She keeps trying to get me to use it. She paid, like, sixteen dollars for one bottle. I told her I’d rather keep the sixteen bucks and spit on my own hair for free.”
CHAPTER 12 105
“You can spit on your own hair?” Johnny asked. I almost wasn’t sure if he was joking at first. But then he said, “Wow, you’re talented. Maybe you could join a carnival sideshow or something with that.”
I laughed. We didn’t seem to have anything else to say, so Johnny went back to his MP3 player, and I went back to my book. It was hard to focus on reading, though, with all the yelling and clapping coming from the cheery hopefuls bouncing around in the grass. They were kind of mesmerizing, really. I watched for a minute and then spotted Mar weaving her way back through the tryouts. Todd stopped her for a second before she came over.
“Todd wants to see you,” she said.
I slapped my book shut. “What for?”
“I dunno.”
I blew a raspberry, got up, and trudged back to the tryout area. Todd was standing next to this decrepit yellow water cooler the size of a small child. He patted it with his hand.
“Here’s your big jug, Princess.” He stroked his chin. “Unless you brought one with you already. Have you got any big jugs of your own?”
I sighed at his tone. “No.”
“No,” he said, staring directly at my chest, “I see that you don’t.” He laughed at himself. I ignored him in a dignified manner.
“Well, don’t worry,” he went on. “It’s not as big on the inside as it is outside. Here, check it out.”
I should have known better than to do anything Señor Shitslacks said. And any other time, I would have. But I was 106 Kristin Walker
thrown off by the eureka moment I’d just had when I realized that he might actually like me in a twisted, hate-filled way. So I stepped over to the cooler and lifted the lid. Inside was a wriggling mound of wet, green things. Frogs. Dozens of them. Big ones, leaping all over the place. I shrieked and jumped about five feet backward. Todd burst into hysterics. So did Amanda and the rest of the cheerleader wannabes, along with Todd’s bonehead buddy from the cafeteria (who, judging from the mud on his legs was the dickweed frognapper).
Crap, what about Gabe? Had he seen? He wasn’t on the bleachers anymore. Mrs. O’Toole sure hadn’t noticed anything. Maybe Gabe had missed it too. But
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