please have until tomorrow to get it to you?â
Andrea looked at Kelly for a long moment, then sighed. âTomorrow morning, eight A.M.â
Kelly brightened. âThank you so much! Iâll get started on it right away!â
Andrea nodded. âIâve heard youâve been late to several classes recently. If youâre soaking up all of the wonderful opportunities that Italy has to offer, thatâs great, but please keep in mind that youâre here to learn, too. You have too much talent to let it go to waste.â
âIâll try harder, Andrea,â Kelly said, flipping to a fresh page to begin her drawing assignment. âI promise.â
Kelly watched Andrea head down the beach. Then she turned back to her sketch pad, thinking. She had some serious work to do, and not a whole lot of time.
Later on, they were going to visit the ruins of Lido di Ostiaâs forum. Sheâd definitely be able to start a drawing then, and snap some digital photos as well. She could put the finishing touches on it after dinner. Sheâd stay up as late as she needed to.
âWhat up, Brandt?â The voice was right in her ear, and it scared her silly.
She gave Joe a playful poke in the ribs. âWhere did you sneak up from?â
âRod and I are chillinâ farther down the beach. This place blows, man. Thereâs not a wave to be caught.â Joe put his arm around Kellyâs shoulders. âIf you werenât here in that bikini, the trip would be a total waste.â
Kelly finally had a chance to check out the tattoo on his armâit was a band of bright blue waves, with foamy whitecaps on top. She noticed that Joeâs blue-green eyes looked a little glassy.
âAre you high?â
He laughed. âMaybe a little bit. Rod and I hooked up with a guy in Ostiense last night and scored some decent weed. We just fired one up. You want some? Thereâs a delightfully private alley just across the highway.â
âNot for me, thanks. Anyway, Iâm happy to watch the seagulls. God, have you ever seen such a bunch of stiffs in your life? I canât believe Dr. W got them out of the library for a whole afternoon. I bet kids in Malibu arenât allowed to be this pasty.â
Joe didnât seem to be listening to her. He looked around furtively. âWanna see something?â He took her hand and slid a warm piece of metal into her palm.
âThrilling. A key.â
âNot just any key, babe. This is the front-door key to the PIR. With this miraculous item in my possession, curfew means nothing to me.â
âWhere did you get this?â
âIâm tricky that way. Letâs just say Iâm real good at getting what I want.â He gazed at her meaningfully. âAfter dinner tonight, Iâm going to take you dancing. How about it?â
Kellyâs heart leaped, but then she hesitated. âI really shouldnât. I have to finish an assignment for Andreaâs class. Itâs already late.â
Joe snorted. âItâs not due today, is it?â
âWell, no, butââ
âSo finish it tomorrow morning.â He smiled at her. âYou know youâre dying to check out the club scene here.â
What could Kelly say? What Joe Leahy wanted, Joe Leahy got.
âIâll be there,â she said.
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Joe took her to Testaccio, the neighborhood right next to Aventino. It was a pretty grim-looking area, kind of industrial and blah. âSome of the hottest clubs in the city are here,â Joe told her. âRod and I scouted out a whole bunch of âem.â
Dr. Wainwright had already taken them to Testaccio for an ancient-history class. Back in ancient times, it was the city dump. Later on, it became the part of town where all the cityâs slaughterhouses were located. Kelly was relieved to know they were long gone.
One of the highlights of the neighborhood was a pyramid where some big-shot
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