My Secret Boyfriend by Lurlene McDaniel Page B

boy in the photograph.
    She hurried out of the kitchen, wishing she could attract a guy like Ryan Elliot. But she was just the same old Jordan Starling. And she’d never have a boyfriend like Ryan!

Two

    “W hy don’t we meet at the Polar Palace tomorrow after school?” Laurie’s voice bubbled over the phone Jordan was holding in her parent’s bedroom. “We can compare notes on our summers, and you can meet Wade.”
    “Sounds fine to me,” Jordan lied. Actually, Polar Palace was the last place Jordan wanted to go. The Polar Palace was a popular ice cream shop where all the kids hung out. And she was sure to hear all about everyone’s wonderful summers if she went.
    After Jordan hung up, she headed to her room and thumbed through her closet, trying to decide what to wear for the second day of classes. The sound of running feet interrupted her. Jamey, her brother, skidded to a halt and stretched his arms across the door frame. “Now don’t be scared,” Jamey warned, smiling mischievously. “But I can’t find Stallone.”
    “Ugh! That snake gives me the creeps. You’d better find him
fast
!”
    “Sh-sh! Do you want to get Mom all upset? He’ll turn up. I’ve already looked all over my room, so I thought I’d check in here next. He could have crawled anyplace, you know.”
    Nervously Jordan scanned her room’s teal blue carpeting. “You find that slimy thing right now, or I’ll scream. I’m not going to have that creepy snake under my bed like last time.”
    “He’s not slimy,” Jamey said defensively. “He’s probably looking for a cool place to curl up. It’s hot outside. Besides, Stallone’s eaten all his mice and he’s probably hungry.”
    Jordan shuddered. “That’s disgusting. Don’t you care about the poor little mice?”
    “Hey, that’s how nature is,” Jamey said with a grin. “The strong eat the weak.”
    “Well, you better find him
now
,” Jordan said, not amused.
    “Don’t get all bent out of shape. Stallone won’t bite, you know—even though he might mistake
you
for a rat!”
    Jordan shook her fist, and Jamey skittered from the room. She slammed the door and flopped onto her bed. Tomorrow at the Palace she’d have to tell everybody
something
about her dull, boring summer. Laurie had a boyfriend. Jennifer had a boyfriend. But for her, nothing had happened over the summer.

    ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦

    The next afternoon Jordan plastered a smile on her face and bounced into the Polar Palace. The smells of vanilla, chocolate, and strawberry made her stomach growl.
    “Hey, Jordan . . . over here!” Laurie was waving at Jordan over the crowded booths. Jordan threaded her way to where Laurie sat with Wade.
He’s still skinny
, Jordan thought. She flopped into the bright yellow cushioned booth and grinned pleasantly.
    Laurie said, “Do you know Wade?”
    “Sixth grade, right?”
    Wade blushed furiously and nodded.
    “Before I forget,” Laurie continued. “I want to sign up for the same activity as you. What’s it going to be this year?”
    “I heard Mrs. Rose is looking for an editor for the newspaper. I’m going after the job.”
    “So’s Jennifer,” Laurie said through a long drag on her soda straw. Then Laurie leaned forward and warned, “Speaking of Jennifer, here she comes.”
    Jordan braced herself for Jennifer’s arrival at their table. The summer had improved Jennifer. Her wheat-colored hair was a swish of tangled curls. Her green eyes gleamed brightly and her skin was tan. Her outfit reminded Jordan of something out of the newest edition of
Teen Fashion
magazine.
    “Well, hello, Jordan,” Jennifer said sweetly. “How have you been? Where did you keep yourself all summer?”
    Jordan smiled back. “I spent the month of August in the Rockies,” she said.
    “I wondered where your tan was. I spent two weeks down in Corpus Christi on the beach. The sun must not shine much in the mountains, huh?”
    Jordan gritted her teeth. “Mountain air does wonders for the