Close Out by Todd Strasser Page B

away!”
    Kai went back across the lawn to the workshop, let himself inside, and flicked on the lights. He turned on the radio and got to work buffing a board. Propped in the corner of the room was a nine-footer—shaped, but not yet glassed.It was a “spec” board. One Teddy worked on in her spare time in the hope of selling.
    Kai had an idea. What if he took the round
T-L
logo he’d done for T-licious and turned it into a
TL
logo that stood for Theodora Lombard. He could copy the style of the
TL
Teddy always placed on the stringer of each board. Maybe, if she actually saw what her own brand of custom board would look like, it might inspire her to start her own business. Kai glanced out the window toward the house. It would take a while to draw the logo. There was no way of telling if, or when, Teddy might decide to get to work that day.
    Then again, maybe it didn’t matter.
    Teddy had an airbrush, some spray cans of acrylic lacquer, brushes, tape, pencils, and enough acrylic paints for Kai to do what he needed to do. It was basically the same circular design with
T
and
L
in the center. Instead of “Team T-licious” in fancy script forming the perimeter, it would now say “Theodora Lombard Custom Boards.”
    Kai wanted it to be perfect, and it took almost the entire day just to get the outline and lettering right. He was about to start coloring when the workshop door openedand Teddy stepped in. Her eyes focused on the spec board and she scowled. She stepped closer. Kai instinctively moved back, not just to give her room, but in case she decided to grab the power planer and bash him in the skull with it.
    â€œWhat do you think you’re doing?” she asked, still staring at the board.
    â€œI thought maybe if you saw what it would look like …” Kai’s words trailed off as he realized how stupid that must have sounded.
    â€œWhat it would look like?” Teddy repeated. “There is no
it
for it to look like. There’s no Theodora Lombard custom surfboard company, except in
your
imagination. All you’ve done is ruin a perfectly good board. And that means you now owe me for two boards, not just one.”
    Kai picked up a sheet of sandpaper. “I can sand it off.”
    â€œNo, you can’t,” Teddy said. “Not today. I’ve seen enough of you for one day.”

Sixteen
    D inner on Pete’s Hubba Hubba terrace had become a regular event. Not everyone showed up every night—and sometimes Kai and his friends still had pizza at Spazzy’s—but if you were going anywhere else, Pete’s was the place. Lucas and his brahs had their regular table; Kai and his friends had theirs. Everett was still the only one among them who felt comfortable at both.
    The rest of the crowd was mostly vacationers. Pete’s specialized in catering to teenage tourist kids who didn’t want to be seen eating lunch or dinner with their parents. These kids were easy to spot—their skin was either pale because they’d just started vacation,or bright red from too much sun too fast. It was only in contrast to them that Kai realized how darkly tan he and his friends had become since May.
    Pete’s was set up like a school cafeteria. You stood on line and got a tray. Only, instead of picking the food from inside a glass counter, you placed an order, then slid the tray down the rail and picked up drinks. By the time you got to the other end where the cashier was, your chili cheesesteak or slice of pizza or whatever was ready to be picked up.
    When Kai got on line he noticed that Shauna was ahead of him. He was about to say hello (and see if he could jump the line to join her) when he realized that she was standing next to Derek, and that they were talking. Not only talking, but smiling as well. Kai decided to keep his place in line and not bother them.
    A few moments later he picked up his Hubba juice and chili cheeseburger and headed out to the