The Islanders by Katherine Applegate Page B

when she’d lived the reality that would later become her nightmares.

ELEVEN
    CHRISTOPHER WAITED UNTIL THEY WERE all on board the homeward-bound ferry before he pulled Lucas aside on a pretext.
    â€œOkay, what’s the deal?” Christopher demanded.
    â€œWhat do you mean?” Lucas stared at him blankly.
    â€œI mean the way Aisha and Zoey have been treating me all night,” Christopher said, glancing across the darkened deck to see that Aisha and Zoey were still well out of range.
    Lucas shrugged. “Zoey’s been ragging me since yesterday about this dumb nomination thing. That’s probably what you’re picking up on. Has nothing to do with you, man.”
    â€œNo, that’s not it. I’ve been going for lip and getting cheek all night from Aisha. She’s pissed and I don’t know why.”
    â€œYou could ask her,” Lucas pointed out.
    â€œI don’t think so,” Christopher said. He hunched his shoulders. “Zoey tell you where she went this afternoon?”
    â€œI think she did,” Lucas said, scrunching his forehead pensively. “I mean, I guess she did, but I don’t—”
    â€œDid she go to the mall?”
    â€œActually, yeah. At least in last period she said she and Eesh and maybe Nina were going to head out to the mall. I remember now because she wanted to know if I wanted to go with them.”
    â€œDamn,” Christopher said, slamming his hand back against the rail and instantly regretting it when a jolt of pain shot up his arm.
    â€œLike I’d want to go shopping,” Lucas said, laughing at the thought. “I think she was just being polite. I don’t think she really wanted me along. Unless maybe it would give her more time to make snide remarks about—” He fell silent, looking sideways at Christopher. “What’s the matter?”
    â€œI have a bad feeling Aisha saw something she wasn’t supposed to see,” Christopher said in a low voice.
    Lucas leaned closer. “Yeah? What?”
    Christopher hesitated. Was Lucas the kind of guy who told his girlfriend everything? Lots of guys were that way, and whatever he told Zoey would go straight back to Aisha. Then he grinned wryly. Hell, Lucas had done time. He probably knew how to keep a secret. “There was this babe—”
    â€œUh-oh,” Lucas commented, glancing over his shoulder guiltily.
    Christopher couldn’t help but grin. “Blond hair down toher ass,” he said. “I mean, major babe. Major, major stuff.”
    â€œOh. You think Aisha caught you looking?”
    â€œI was looking, all right.”
    Lucas shook his head. “Girls never understand that we have to look. We have to. It doesn’t mean we’re going to do anything about it. And the thing is, girls look, too; they’re just quicker. They’re subtle; just a glance and boom—they’ve memorized everything down to whether the guy has clean fingernails. Guys, it takes longer. We have to give it a good five- or six-second look.”
    â€œSee, you’re right about that,” Christopher said, nodding his agreement.
    â€œAnd then the girl gives the guy a hard time even though she’s just doing the same exact thing, only faster.”
    â€œWell, this girl definitely took more than a five-or six-second look,” Christopher said.
    Lucas grinned wolfishly. “Uh-huh.”
    â€œI got her phone number.”
    The grin on Lucas’s face evaporated. “You did what?”
    â€œI got her phone number. I told her I’d call her sometime.”
    â€œThat’s going a long way past looking,” Lucas said.
    Was it just Christopher’s imagination or was Lucas looking disapproving? More likely jealous. “She was into it; what was I supposed to do? Just walk on past and go buy my socks?”
    Lucas made a don’t-ask-me face.
    â€œGive me a break,” Christopher said. “Are you telling