Model Menace 2 by Carolyn Keene

all right, dude,” he soothed. “You’ve been through worse before. You’ll get through this.”
    Vic looked at his friend and blinked, tears forming at the corners of his eyes. “Thanks, man,” he said, turning back to us. “Did you guys know that this guy is seriously the best friend, the best best man, a guy could ever have!”
    Jamal was shaking his head. “Come on, dude. Let’s get to bed.”
    “No, no, no,” Vic insisted. “I couldn’t sleep right now anyway. Do you girls have any idea how this guy has stuck by me? Jamal is my rock. He’s been my friend through thick and thin, even after I lost him that job…”
    “What?” The word came out of my mouth before I could think, before I could realize how impolite it sounded. And sure enough, Jamal was looking incredibly uncomfortable.
    “Come on, man,” he was saying. “No need to bring up ancient history.”
    But Vic shook his head. “Don’t be modest, dude,” he insisted. “These girls should know how awesome you are. Me—I can be a screwup sometimes! Which is why I’m the luckiest guy in the world —” Vic’s voice broke again, and he paused, pulling himself together. “I’m the luckiest guy in the world to be marrying a girl like Syd.” He looked at Jamal. “This guy could tell you all of my screw-uppiest moments! But he’s still here. Still supporting me.” He suddenly reached up and pulled Jamal into a headlock, which Jamal unhappily seemed to accept. After a quick application of noogies, he was set free.
    “Jamal should have dumped me years ago,” Vic went on, “when I lost him that banking job.”
    Jamal sighed and closed his eyes. “Seriously, dude, let’s get to bed. You’re exhausted and talking gibberish.”
    But Vic just turned to us cheerfully. “I thought it would be really fun,” he went on, “to have the Knicks cheerleaders go into his office and do a cheer for his birthday—in the middle of a meeting.” He laughed, shaking his head. “I knew one of them from high school, see. And I knew Jamal was a big fan. But then…”
    Jamal was frowning, clearly not very happy about the memory. “Dude,” he said, “no worries, okay?”
    “His company wasn’t that amused,” Vic went on, his face clouding over. “Banking is pretty conservative, I guess. I should have known that. And the upshot was that I got my buddy fired.” Vic swallowed, clearly holding back tears.
    Jamal sighed, looking away. “It’s cool, man, no big deal.”
    “It was a big deal,” Vic insisted, turning to us girls with runny eyes. “He lost his job, his salary, his stock options, everything. He’d just moved into this awesome apartment, but when he lost his job he couldn’t afford the rent. He had to move back in with his parents.”
    Jamal just sighed, looking at the floor.
    “That’s when he decided to enlist in the Marines,” Vic went on. “I still feel so terrible about all of that, man. I’ll never forgive myself. It amazes me every day that you forgave me—I mean, it’s not the first time I did something stupid to you!”
    Jamal looked up, no trace of amusement or warmth in his eyes. “Let’s get to bed,” he said yet again, firmly.
    Vic looked at his friend, and seemed to realize he had crossed a line. “Okay,” he said, very quietly. “All right. Thanks, man. I’m sorry.”
    Jamal glanced at us and nodded, some pleasantness returning to his expression. “Girls,” he said. “Get some sleep. See you tomorrow.”
    “See you tomorrow,” we echoed, as the two men shuffled to the elevator and got in. The doors closed behind them, and the three of us were finally alone in the lobby.
    “Did you hear that?” George asked, an expression of disbelief on her face.
    “Yeah,” I agreed, shaking my head. “It sounds like Vic really did a number on Jamal’s life. And Jamal seems happy in the military now, but who could blame him for holding a grudge?”
    “Do you think he does?” Bess asked, looking concerned. “Do