cheerleaders will be there."
Fortunately, a slumber party sounded sufficiently juvenile to satisfy my father and he said I could go.
Twenty minutes later, Sam honked her horn and I grabbed my stuff and headed out.
"What's in the grocery bag?" she asked.
"I thought we could make s'mores," I said. "Unless you think that's lame?"
"It's perfect," Sam assured me. "Jordan wants to build a bonfire at the beach after dinner."
Sam picked up Rachel and Alyssa at their houses and then we headed to the party.
Jordan's house was in the expensive part of town and had a killer ocean view. Her dad owned a chain of very successful flower shops.
I'd been to her house a couple of times, a modern-looking dwelling clinging to the side of a cliff. Jordan ran out to meet us as we pulled up.
"Everyone else is already here," she said. "C'mon, we've been waiting for you guys, to start the movie. Just leave your stuff in the hallway for now."
She led us to a theater room with heavy red velvet drapes, rows of huge leather seats, and a projector screen. There was even an antique ticket booth in one corner. If I closed my eyes just a little, I could swear I was in a real movie theater.
There were a couple of girls there who I didn't know that well. They were probably replacements for last year's graduating seniors. I'd become friends with some of the girls during my brief stint on the squad—which had been strictly to solve a mystery, of course. Someone from the team was missing.
"Where's Penny?" I asked.
Jordan avoided my eyes. "She couldn't make it," she said.
Penny? Miss an opportunity to hang with the elite crowd? I didn't think so. Besides, she was a cheerleader, even though she was an alternate. There was no way they wouldn't invite her.
I looked at Sam. " Why couldn't she make it?"
"It's no big deal," she replied.
"She didn't come because of me?" Penny was madder than I thought.
"Not exactly," Jordan said. "She's been saying a few things lately, and I told her that if she couldn't keep it civil, she wasn't welcome."
Sam jumped up. "Let's start the movie," she said. She turned out the lights, a clear signal that she didn't want me to ask any more questions.
After the movie, we put on our jackets and went out onto the back deck. The water looked cold and dark. Jordan passed out flashlights.
"Don't forget the s'mores," Sam said. I went back to the front hall and grabbed the grocery bag. We cut through the backyard and down a set of wooden stairs to the beach.
Jordan's parents were sitting in front of a roaring bonfire, holding hands. There were several beach chairs and a couple of blankets nearby.
When they saw us, they stood and stretched. "Time for us to head to bed," Mr. Kelley said.
"You don't have to leave," Jordan said. "Daisy's making s'mores."
Her dad gave her braid an affectionate tug. "As much as I love s'mores, we'll leave you girls to it. But not too late, okay? And make sure you put the fire out before you go to bed."
"You mean if they go to bed," Mrs. Kelley said wryly.
Jordan nodded and we all watched as they walked back to the house, holding hands.
Alyssa sighed. "Your parents are so romantic."
"I know," Jordan said. "Gross, isn't it?"
We all laughed, because we could tell she was proud of them.
I unpacked the ingredients. "Should I make regular s'mores or ones with white chocolate?" I asked.
"Both," they chorused.
So I did. Sam helped me pass out the snacks and we sat down to enjoy the fire, the company, and the sound of the waves crashing ashore.
"So, Daisy," Rachel said, her mouth full of chocolate. "What exactly did you do to Penny to make her so mad?"
"Nothing," I said. "Well, I accidentally spilled something on her, but I didn't think that was that big of a deal."
"Except you did it in front of Tyler," Alyssa said.
"So?" I was completely lost.
"So Penny has a mad crush on him," she explained.
"That's what this is all about?" I said. "Unbelievable."
"She'll get over it," Samantha said
Fortunately, a slumber party sounded sufficiently juvenile to satisfy my father and he said I could go.
Twenty minutes later, Sam honked her horn and I grabbed my stuff and headed out.
"What's in the grocery bag?" she asked.
"I thought we could make s'mores," I said. "Unless you think that's lame?"
"It's perfect," Sam assured me. "Jordan wants to build a bonfire at the beach after dinner."
Sam picked up Rachel and Alyssa at their houses and then we headed to the party.
Jordan's house was in the expensive part of town and had a killer ocean view. Her dad owned a chain of very successful flower shops.
I'd been to her house a couple of times, a modern-looking dwelling clinging to the side of a cliff. Jordan ran out to meet us as we pulled up.
"Everyone else is already here," she said. "C'mon, we've been waiting for you guys, to start the movie. Just leave your stuff in the hallway for now."
She led us to a theater room with heavy red velvet drapes, rows of huge leather seats, and a projector screen. There was even an antique ticket booth in one corner. If I closed my eyes just a little, I could swear I was in a real movie theater.
There were a couple of girls there who I didn't know that well. They were probably replacements for last year's graduating seniors. I'd become friends with some of the girls during my brief stint on the squad—which had been strictly to solve a mystery, of course. Someone from the team was missing.
"Where's Penny?" I asked.
Jordan avoided my eyes. "She couldn't make it," she said.
Penny? Miss an opportunity to hang with the elite crowd? I didn't think so. Besides, she was a cheerleader, even though she was an alternate. There was no way they wouldn't invite her.
I looked at Sam. " Why couldn't she make it?"
"It's no big deal," she replied.
"She didn't come because of me?" Penny was madder than I thought.
"Not exactly," Jordan said. "She's been saying a few things lately, and I told her that if she couldn't keep it civil, she wasn't welcome."
Sam jumped up. "Let's start the movie," she said. She turned out the lights, a clear signal that she didn't want me to ask any more questions.
After the movie, we put on our jackets and went out onto the back deck. The water looked cold and dark. Jordan passed out flashlights.
"Don't forget the s'mores," Sam said. I went back to the front hall and grabbed the grocery bag. We cut through the backyard and down a set of wooden stairs to the beach.
Jordan's parents were sitting in front of a roaring bonfire, holding hands. There were several beach chairs and a couple of blankets nearby.
When they saw us, they stood and stretched. "Time for us to head to bed," Mr. Kelley said.
"You don't have to leave," Jordan said. "Daisy's making s'mores."
Her dad gave her braid an affectionate tug. "As much as I love s'mores, we'll leave you girls to it. But not too late, okay? And make sure you put the fire out before you go to bed."
"You mean if they go to bed," Mrs. Kelley said wryly.
Jordan nodded and we all watched as they walked back to the house, holding hands.
Alyssa sighed. "Your parents are so romantic."
"I know," Jordan said. "Gross, isn't it?"
We all laughed, because we could tell she was proud of them.
I unpacked the ingredients. "Should I make regular s'mores or ones with white chocolate?" I asked.
"Both," they chorused.
So I did. Sam helped me pass out the snacks and we sat down to enjoy the fire, the company, and the sound of the waves crashing ashore.
"So, Daisy," Rachel said, her mouth full of chocolate. "What exactly did you do to Penny to make her so mad?"
"Nothing," I said. "Well, I accidentally spilled something on her, but I didn't think that was that big of a deal."
"Except you did it in front of Tyler," Alyssa said.
"So?" I was completely lost.
"So Penny has a mad crush on him," she explained.
"That's what this is all about?" I said. "Unbelievable."
"She'll get over it," Samantha said
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