damage my board, Lena..."
"I won't! I'll be really careful. I swear."
He drove her home, blasting Pone on his stereo. He stopped in front of Lena's house and parked. "Bye," he said.
"Um, so when can I have it?" she asked.
"Gee, why don't I rush home and bring it back right now? If it's convenient for
you?
"
"That would be awesome," she said, giving him a big smile.
His eyes bugged out, then he threw up his hands. "Fine. Whatever. I'll get it now, and your two weeks starts this minute."
Lena got out of the car, looking back at Henry. She put her hands together in a gesture of appreciation.
Henry smiled at her. "See you in a few minutes," he said.
Max squealed the tires as he pulled away.
Fifteen minutes later he roared up in front of the house again, his surfboard strapped to the roof of his car. He flung himself out of the Mustang and began unlatching his board from the rack.
Lena hurried out, glancing at the neighbors' houses.
"Not cool," he was muttering. "Extortion is not cool."
Once the surfboard was stowed safely in the garden shed, behind empty planters and bags of organic fertilizer, covered by a blue tarp, Lena breathed easier. When her mom came home with Cole, she was so deeply involved in her homework that she had almost put the surfboard out of her mind. Almost.
CHAPTER 18
The next Friday at lunchtime, Lena sat with Pem and Kai. She was adding a fresh coat of white nail polish to her nails, while Pem and Kai played chess.
"Kai, you hamster, that's the third game you've opened that way. Can't you play something besides the Queen's Gambit?" Pem shook her head, setting in motion the
I Dream of Jeannie-like
ponytail sprouting from the top of her head.
"Just play, Pemberley."
Lena watched but did not comment. Her conversations with Pem had been strained ever since the incident in Max's car.
"Are you going surfing today?" asked Pem, glancing over at her.
"No. Ani's not coming home this weekend. She has midterms, and she wanted to stay on campus to study. Besides, we're finished with the lessons."
"You are?"
"Yes."
"When did you finish?"
"Last Friday."
"How come you didn't call?"
Lena shrugged. "I figured you were busy."
There was a fraught silence.
Lena blew on her nails, hoping she'd stung Pem just a little with her remark.
Maybe she had, because Pem asked, "So, um, today ... do you want to hang out at my house?"
"What about...?"
"Max is working."
"Oh." Lena tried to ignore the implication that she was Pem's second choice. "Sure. That would be fun."
"Um, hi. I'm right here," said Kai, waving his hand around. "Official boyfriend and everything?"
"What?" said Pem.
"What if
I
want to hang out with Lena? You know...
alone?
"
A silence as awkward as an armload of beach balls rolled around their table.
Lena glared at Kai. He lifted his palms, as if to say,
What?
Pem glanced at each of them, then stared down at the chessboard. "Oh. I didn't think about that."
"Pem!" said Lena. "I do want to come over. I didn't have plans with Kai. He's just beingâ"
"Boyfriendly?" said Kai. "Come on, Lena. I'm glad my sister taught you to surf, but we haven't been alone in ages. What with rehearsals, I neverâ"
"It's cool," said Pem. "We'll do it another day."
"No, it is
not
cool," said Lena, a flush rising on her face. "Kai, this is totally embarrassing."
A shade of blotchy red crept up Kai's neck. "Oh, really? How is it embarrassing that I want to spend time with my girlfriend? You didn't even ask me before you said yes to Pem."
Lena's eyes widened. "
Ask
you! You think I should have to
ask
you before I make plans?"
"No," said Kai. "I just meantâ"
"Stop it," said Pem. She stood up. "I knew this would happen. You guys said nothing would change, that the three of us would still be best friends, even though you were
together.
But I knew it would never work." She walked away.
Kai gathered up the chess pieces while Lena struggled to keep her temper. She felt like knocking the chessboard
"I won't! I'll be really careful. I swear."
He drove her home, blasting Pone on his stereo. He stopped in front of Lena's house and parked. "Bye," he said.
"Um, so when can I have it?" she asked.
"Gee, why don't I rush home and bring it back right now? If it's convenient for
you?
"
"That would be awesome," she said, giving him a big smile.
His eyes bugged out, then he threw up his hands. "Fine. Whatever. I'll get it now, and your two weeks starts this minute."
Lena got out of the car, looking back at Henry. She put her hands together in a gesture of appreciation.
Henry smiled at her. "See you in a few minutes," he said.
Max squealed the tires as he pulled away.
Fifteen minutes later he roared up in front of the house again, his surfboard strapped to the roof of his car. He flung himself out of the Mustang and began unlatching his board from the rack.
Lena hurried out, glancing at the neighbors' houses.
"Not cool," he was muttering. "Extortion is not cool."
Once the surfboard was stowed safely in the garden shed, behind empty planters and bags of organic fertilizer, covered by a blue tarp, Lena breathed easier. When her mom came home with Cole, she was so deeply involved in her homework that she had almost put the surfboard out of her mind. Almost.
CHAPTER 18
The next Friday at lunchtime, Lena sat with Pem and Kai. She was adding a fresh coat of white nail polish to her nails, while Pem and Kai played chess.
"Kai, you hamster, that's the third game you've opened that way. Can't you play something besides the Queen's Gambit?" Pem shook her head, setting in motion the
I Dream of Jeannie-like
ponytail sprouting from the top of her head.
"Just play, Pemberley."
Lena watched but did not comment. Her conversations with Pem had been strained ever since the incident in Max's car.
"Are you going surfing today?" asked Pem, glancing over at her.
"No. Ani's not coming home this weekend. She has midterms, and she wanted to stay on campus to study. Besides, we're finished with the lessons."
"You are?"
"Yes."
"When did you finish?"
"Last Friday."
"How come you didn't call?"
Lena shrugged. "I figured you were busy."
There was a fraught silence.
Lena blew on her nails, hoping she'd stung Pem just a little with her remark.
Maybe she had, because Pem asked, "So, um, today ... do you want to hang out at my house?"
"What about...?"
"Max is working."
"Oh." Lena tried to ignore the implication that she was Pem's second choice. "Sure. That would be fun."
"Um, hi. I'm right here," said Kai, waving his hand around. "Official boyfriend and everything?"
"What?" said Pem.
"What if
I
want to hang out with Lena? You know...
alone?
"
A silence as awkward as an armload of beach balls rolled around their table.
Lena glared at Kai. He lifted his palms, as if to say,
What?
Pem glanced at each of them, then stared down at the chessboard. "Oh. I didn't think about that."
"Pem!" said Lena. "I do want to come over. I didn't have plans with Kai. He's just beingâ"
"Boyfriendly?" said Kai. "Come on, Lena. I'm glad my sister taught you to surf, but we haven't been alone in ages. What with rehearsals, I neverâ"
"It's cool," said Pem. "We'll do it another day."
"No, it is
not
cool," said Lena, a flush rising on her face. "Kai, this is totally embarrassing."
A shade of blotchy red crept up Kai's neck. "Oh, really? How is it embarrassing that I want to spend time with my girlfriend? You didn't even ask me before you said yes to Pem."
Lena's eyes widened. "
Ask
you! You think I should have to
ask
you before I make plans?"
"No," said Kai. "I just meantâ"
"Stop it," said Pem. She stood up. "I knew this would happen. You guys said nothing would change, that the three of us would still be best friends, even though you were
together.
But I knew it would never work." She walked away.
Kai gathered up the chess pieces while Lena struggled to keep her temper. She felt like knocking the chessboard
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