Halloween Hijinks (A Zoe Donovan Mystery Book 1) by Kathi Daley Page B

didn’t have a costume and Zak had this on hand ,” I replied. “I like your costume. Those shorts are like, wow, but I have to say you make a pretty believable Daisy Duke.”
    “Thank s.”
    Zak, who was sitting to my left , was speaking to Nick Benson, on his other side and wearing a Frankenstein head, a torn white lab coat left over from the forty years he’d practiced medicine in Ashton Falls, and sturdy boots.
    “I’m not sure I like the cheerleaders’ new uniforms,” Ellie said as the ten girls who made up the spirit squad marched onto the stage. “They seem too dark.”
    The old uniforms had been gold with accents of black, while the new uniforms were black with only the school letters in gold. Personally, I like the black, but Ellie is known for her love of all things bright and flashy.
    The gym vibrated with enthusiasm as the girls beg an the routine they must have spent hours perfecting. It was good to be part of such a large body of positive energy after the stress of the past twenty-four hours. There had been some speculation that the game would be canceled with the news of Coach Griswold’s death, but the administration at Bryton Lake Academy had decided it was best to play the game as scheduled with the assistant coach filling in.
    The noise in the gym was overwhelming as fans clapped their hands, stomped their feet, and shouted along with the girls leading the cheers . It was getting hot, so I took off my ape head and set it on the bench beside me.
    “Here comes Levi .” Ellie grabbed my arm in excitement as Levi made his way to the stage to introduce the team. “Doesn’t he look handsome?”
    I turned to look at Ellie , who suddenly seemed like a teenager in love. Levi and Ellie? I’d never stopped to consider the fact that I might be the third wheel in our trio. I always figured if there was going to be a pairing off, it would be Levi and me. Of course, I’d rejected that idea years ago.
    I watched Ellie as she cheered for each member of the team as his name was announced. Her eyes glowed, her cheeks were flushed, and her smile seemed to light up the already bright gym. There was no doubt about it: Ellie was in love and, based on the way her attention was glued to Levi, I couldn’t deny who she was jonesing for. I wasn’t sure how I felt about that. On one hand, I loved both Levi and Ellie and wanted them to be happy, but on the other, a romance between the two would definitely alter the dynamic that had served us well for most of our lives.
    “You know,” Ellie leaned toward me so that I could hear her over the roar in the room, “as much as I don’t like the cheerleaders’ new uniforms , I really love the new jerseys the guys got. Levi looks really good in black, don’t you think?”
    “ Black is a good color for him,” I said.
    I diverted my attention from Ellie’s happy smile t o Levi’s somewhat more forced one as he presented an obviously rehearsed speech. I couldn’t help but wonder if Levi was crushing on Ellie the way she seemed to be crushing on him. Neither had said anything about a change in their relationship status, and I had to believe that if the pair acted on their newfound feelings they would say something. Wouldn’t they?
    “What’s with the frown? ” Zak put his freakishly large arm around my shoulder.
    “Just thinking about the murder,” I lied.
    “Not much we can do about it at this point, so you may as well relax and enjoy the show.”
    “Has Levi said anything to you about having a new girlfriend? ” I found myself asking almost against my will.
    “Girlfriend ? Why, you crushing on him?”
    I rolled my eyes . “Of course not. It’s just…” I hesitated. “Never mind.”
    “I think he was going out with th e new physical education teacher at the high school, but I seem to remember him saying they broke up.”
    “Yeah,” I acknowledged . “That’s been over for a while.”
    One of the cheerleaders fell from the human pyramid and everyone