into the hot tub.
“I think that’s a dare fail,” Huck declares, nodding at the glasses.
“Is not!” Missy snaps.
“Uh, it so
is,
” Hillary says. She lifts one of the glasses, which appears to have a cigarette butt floating in it. “The dare was to score us drinks that we could, you know,
drink.
And unless someone is willing to down this
right now,
it’s a dare fail.”
“That’s crap!” Demi says through clenched teeth.
“Looks like we get your practice time,” I say, crossing my arms over my chest. I take the glass from Hillary and wave it toward Demi. “Unless you’re willing to bottoms up?”
“No! No way,” Demi says, her cheeks going red. She’s starting to panic. She throws a pleading look at Lenny, like he’s the referee or something, but he just shrugs.
“Russ told the truth, and you confirmed it,” Huck says. “Are you saying he
lied
?”
All heads swing to Demi. But she’s unruffled. She crosses her arms and raises an eyebrow. “Um,
no,
” she says. “I’m saying Russ doesn’t count as part of the band. Y’all still have a turn.”
“Russ is absolutely with the band,” I fire back. Demi can try to win on some half-baked technicality, but I’m not going to let her. “Principal DeLozier sent him on the trip with us. He wouldn’t be here at all if it weren’t for the band.”
I glance over at Russ, shooting him my trademark
Do as I say
drum major look. And even though he hasn’t spent an entire season responding to my commands, he still seems to catch my meaning.
“She’s right,” Russ says. “I mean, I’m definitely not with the Athenas.”
Demi’s nose scrunches up in a tiny flinch, a sure sign that a major tantrum is on its way. But she recovers, and immediately turns a sugary sweet smile in Lenny’s direction.
“What say you, judges’ panel?” she practically purrs.
“I didn’t realize I was judging, but…” Lenny pauses and rubs his forehead. “It seems like they’re right. The band won, fair and square.”
Suddenly my stomach is doing a tango with my heart, because Lenny is standing up for me. Not Demi and her skimpy bikini and syrupy smile.
The celebration is short-lived, though. Russ gasps and points at the pool, where Mr. Curtis is making his way toward the stairs to the hot tub. “Incoming!” he says, and lunges for the drinks. Even though no one even thought to sample them, they’re still incriminating. Russ gathers them, then leaps out of the tub, leaving a wake of water that washes over Lenny, Missy, and Demi. Lenny takes the chance to duck under the water and slick back his sandy hair, but Demi and Missy screech and jump up, as if they’re not already soaking wet.
“Let’s get out of here,” Demi hisses to Missy, cocking her head toward the steps. She shoves Huck’s hat at Hillary, then turns to Lenny. “You coming?”
She grabs his hand and threads her fingers through his, leaving me in awe of her boldness and totally jealous that she can pull it off. Lenny glances down at his dad, then nods, climbing out of the hot tub with Demi. Before he disappears, he turns and gives me a shrug and a half smile that seems to say,
What can you do?
Russ is still frantically trying to solve the drink problem. There’s no trash can on the deck, and if he tried for the one at the bottom of the stairs he’d have to walk right past Mr. Curtis carrying the evidence. He glances around for a solution and settles on the railing behind me, sending the drinks, cups and all, overboard into the ocean. He drops back down into the hot tub, sending a wave of water rushing onto the deck.
“Not bad, dude,” Hillary says, giving a tip of an imaginary hat.
All eyes turn toward Mr. Curtis. But Mr. Curtis is gone, having bypassed the stairs and disappeared into the ship. Bullet officially dodged.
In the commotion, Huck pulled a serious disappearing act and is nowhere to be found. Which I take as my cue, because if Huck is fleeing a situation, then you
“I think that’s a dare fail,” Huck declares, nodding at the glasses.
“Is not!” Missy snaps.
“Uh, it so
is,
” Hillary says. She lifts one of the glasses, which appears to have a cigarette butt floating in it. “The dare was to score us drinks that we could, you know,
drink.
And unless someone is willing to down this
right now,
it’s a dare fail.”
“That’s crap!” Demi says through clenched teeth.
“Looks like we get your practice time,” I say, crossing my arms over my chest. I take the glass from Hillary and wave it toward Demi. “Unless you’re willing to bottoms up?”
“No! No way,” Demi says, her cheeks going red. She’s starting to panic. She throws a pleading look at Lenny, like he’s the referee or something, but he just shrugs.
“Russ told the truth, and you confirmed it,” Huck says. “Are you saying he
lied
?”
All heads swing to Demi. But she’s unruffled. She crosses her arms and raises an eyebrow. “Um,
no,
” she says. “I’m saying Russ doesn’t count as part of the band. Y’all still have a turn.”
“Russ is absolutely with the band,” I fire back. Demi can try to win on some half-baked technicality, but I’m not going to let her. “Principal DeLozier sent him on the trip with us. He wouldn’t be here at all if it weren’t for the band.”
I glance over at Russ, shooting him my trademark
Do as I say
drum major look. And even though he hasn’t spent an entire season responding to my commands, he still seems to catch my meaning.
“She’s right,” Russ says. “I mean, I’m definitely not with the Athenas.”
Demi’s nose scrunches up in a tiny flinch, a sure sign that a major tantrum is on its way. But she recovers, and immediately turns a sugary sweet smile in Lenny’s direction.
“What say you, judges’ panel?” she practically purrs.
“I didn’t realize I was judging, but…” Lenny pauses and rubs his forehead. “It seems like they’re right. The band won, fair and square.”
Suddenly my stomach is doing a tango with my heart, because Lenny is standing up for me. Not Demi and her skimpy bikini and syrupy smile.
The celebration is short-lived, though. Russ gasps and points at the pool, where Mr. Curtis is making his way toward the stairs to the hot tub. “Incoming!” he says, and lunges for the drinks. Even though no one even thought to sample them, they’re still incriminating. Russ gathers them, then leaps out of the tub, leaving a wake of water that washes over Lenny, Missy, and Demi. Lenny takes the chance to duck under the water and slick back his sandy hair, but Demi and Missy screech and jump up, as if they’re not already soaking wet.
“Let’s get out of here,” Demi hisses to Missy, cocking her head toward the steps. She shoves Huck’s hat at Hillary, then turns to Lenny. “You coming?”
She grabs his hand and threads her fingers through his, leaving me in awe of her boldness and totally jealous that she can pull it off. Lenny glances down at his dad, then nods, climbing out of the hot tub with Demi. Before he disappears, he turns and gives me a shrug and a half smile that seems to say,
What can you do?
Russ is still frantically trying to solve the drink problem. There’s no trash can on the deck, and if he tried for the one at the bottom of the stairs he’d have to walk right past Mr. Curtis carrying the evidence. He glances around for a solution and settles on the railing behind me, sending the drinks, cups and all, overboard into the ocean. He drops back down into the hot tub, sending a wave of water rushing onto the deck.
“Not bad, dude,” Hillary says, giving a tip of an imaginary hat.
All eyes turn toward Mr. Curtis. But Mr. Curtis is gone, having bypassed the stairs and disappeared into the ship. Bullet officially dodged.
In the commotion, Huck pulled a serious disappearing act and is nowhere to be found. Which I take as my cue, because if Huck is fleeing a situation, then you
Similar Books
