to do with your dad. Maybe you should give people more of a chance.”
“Why do you keep saying that?” Diana said with sudden anger. “Maybe people should give
me
more of a chance.”
“I’m sorry. I only meant—” I started to say.
“Maybe my dad should give me more of a chance!” Diana snapped. “Not everything is my fault!”
“Well, you’re going to see him in two days. I hope it’s great.”
Diana heaved a deep sigh. She propped one pillow against the wall and stretched out her skinny legs along the other side of my bed. “He said he has a surprise for me. Wonder what it is!”
“Yeah?” I raised my eyebrows and smiled in my most excited way, but then looked down at the bedspread and played with a loose string.
“Anyway, guess what?” she said, lowering her voice. “I found an injured young stallion when I went out for a run. I’m going to sneak out tonight and go look for him.”
I let my mouth fall open. “We’re already grounded! You’re going to get in a ton of trouble, Diana!”
“Not if you don’t tell on me.” She cut her eyes over at me.
“Diana, after all that happened last summer, I can’t believe you would even think I’d tell!” I glared into her stubborn eyes. Last summer when she’d sneaked out, I’d even gone with her. But now we were already in trouble. I didn’t want to do that again.
“Because you just told on us! You told that we fell off the ATV!”
“But Cody’s mom came over—and if I hadn’t told, we would have been in even more trouble!”
At that very moment Lynn knocked on the door of my room before poking her head in. “Hey! What’s going on up here?”
“Nothing,” Diana and I both said.
Had she heard our conversation?
“I
love
seeing the two of you having girl talk,” Lynn said, leaning against the doorjamb, with gentle eyes and a smile. So maybe she hadn’t heard anything. Or maybe she just wasn’t letting on.
13
D IANA
I woke up in the dark, and the sound of the waves surrounded me. I had no idea what time it was. I put on my running shoes, shorts, and a sweatshirt. Inch by inch, so quietly it did not make a sound, I pushed open the sliding door of my room and stepped out onto the porch. The moon, almost full, shone like a round, white shell high overhead, with ghostly clouds trailing in front of it like veils. A throbbing chorus rose from the night insects in the sea grass. Carefulto avoid splinters, I climbed over the wooden railing and shimmied down the corner column until I could stand on the railing of the first floor porch just below. I lowered myself down to the porch itself, ran under the house, and then got my bike. I listened to the quiet
click-click
of the wheels as I rolled it down the long walkway to the water, shining like fractured silver in the moonlight.
The moon made it seem almost as bright as day.
And there, sitting on the beach, was a dark figure with a bent head. I gasped and stared for a minute, until I got closer and saw that the person was wearing a sleeveless hoodie.
What was he doing down here?
I tried to sneak by without talking to him, but the clicking of my bike wheels made him turn his head. “Hey, Diana.”
I walked my bike over and asked him the question. “What are you doing down here?”
He shrugged and stood up, knocking sand from his shorts. His eyes glinted in the darkness. “I couldn’t sleep, so I came out to see if there was any bioluminescence out here. There are creatures called noctilucae that sometimes glow blue.”
“Noctilucae?” I scanned the ocean but didn’t see any glow of blue. I hadn’t liked Cody at all at first.I had thought he was arrogant, talking about how I wouldn’t understand the concept of bioluminescence. But I’d liked him trying to chase down those guys on the ATVs. And Stephanie had told me I needed to give people second chances. Maybe she was right.
“Have you seen anything?”
He shook his head and pointed at my bike. “Where are you
“Why do you keep saying that?” Diana said with sudden anger. “Maybe people should give
me
more of a chance.”
“I’m sorry. I only meant—” I started to say.
“Maybe my dad should give me more of a chance!” Diana snapped. “Not everything is my fault!”
“Well, you’re going to see him in two days. I hope it’s great.”
Diana heaved a deep sigh. She propped one pillow against the wall and stretched out her skinny legs along the other side of my bed. “He said he has a surprise for me. Wonder what it is!”
“Yeah?” I raised my eyebrows and smiled in my most excited way, but then looked down at the bedspread and played with a loose string.
“Anyway, guess what?” she said, lowering her voice. “I found an injured young stallion when I went out for a run. I’m going to sneak out tonight and go look for him.”
I let my mouth fall open. “We’re already grounded! You’re going to get in a ton of trouble, Diana!”
“Not if you don’t tell on me.” She cut her eyes over at me.
“Diana, after all that happened last summer, I can’t believe you would even think I’d tell!” I glared into her stubborn eyes. Last summer when she’d sneaked out, I’d even gone with her. But now we were already in trouble. I didn’t want to do that again.
“Because you just told on us! You told that we fell off the ATV!”
“But Cody’s mom came over—and if I hadn’t told, we would have been in even more trouble!”
At that very moment Lynn knocked on the door of my room before poking her head in. “Hey! What’s going on up here?”
“Nothing,” Diana and I both said.
Had she heard our conversation?
“I
love
seeing the two of you having girl talk,” Lynn said, leaning against the doorjamb, with gentle eyes and a smile. So maybe she hadn’t heard anything. Or maybe she just wasn’t letting on.
13
D IANA
I woke up in the dark, and the sound of the waves surrounded me. I had no idea what time it was. I put on my running shoes, shorts, and a sweatshirt. Inch by inch, so quietly it did not make a sound, I pushed open the sliding door of my room and stepped out onto the porch. The moon, almost full, shone like a round, white shell high overhead, with ghostly clouds trailing in front of it like veils. A throbbing chorus rose from the night insects in the sea grass. Carefulto avoid splinters, I climbed over the wooden railing and shimmied down the corner column until I could stand on the railing of the first floor porch just below. I lowered myself down to the porch itself, ran under the house, and then got my bike. I listened to the quiet
click-click
of the wheels as I rolled it down the long walkway to the water, shining like fractured silver in the moonlight.
The moon made it seem almost as bright as day.
And there, sitting on the beach, was a dark figure with a bent head. I gasped and stared for a minute, until I got closer and saw that the person was wearing a sleeveless hoodie.
What was he doing down here?
I tried to sneak by without talking to him, but the clicking of my bike wheels made him turn his head. “Hey, Diana.”
I walked my bike over and asked him the question. “What are you doing down here?”
He shrugged and stood up, knocking sand from his shorts. His eyes glinted in the darkness. “I couldn’t sleep, so I came out to see if there was any bioluminescence out here. There are creatures called noctilucae that sometimes glow blue.”
“Noctilucae?” I scanned the ocean but didn’t see any glow of blue. I hadn’t liked Cody at all at first.I had thought he was arrogant, talking about how I wouldn’t understand the concept of bioluminescence. But I’d liked him trying to chase down those guys on the ATVs. And Stephanie had told me I needed to give people second chances. Maybe she was right.
“Have you seen anything?”
He shook his head and pointed at my bike. “Where are you
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