Meet Me at the Boardwalk by Erin Haft

murmured. “Miles, Jade…I was just telling Lily-Ann about the Jade Cohen party house.”
    I stepped forward. If everyone else had gone insane, I might as well join the crowd. “Hi, I’m Miles Gordon,” I said in a TV-announcer voice. “I’m not only the fry cook at Sonny’s Clam Shack, I also receive bribes.”
    Lily-Ann laughed. It was a musical laugh, not at all forced. She shook my hand, lingering for a while. Her eyes were deep, deep blue, and her fingers were long—a lot like Megan’s, actually…only they were as tan as Jade’s. Her thin lips curled up in a flirtatious smile. “So you’re the boy I’ve been hearing so much about,” she said.
    I dropped her hand. “What do you mean?” I asked. My voice squeaked.
    “The one who takes bribes?” she said drily. She spoke as if we’d been in on an inside joke for years. “From Sonny’s Clam Shack?”
    “That’s me!” I glanced toward the stand. Donny was just arriving. He, too, was wearing an apron—only his was more stained than Megan’s, and it wasn’t nearly as flattering, seeing as he weighed about five times as much as all of us combined. He hadn’t shaved in a while, either. He gave me the finger.
    Lily-Ann giggled again. “So that’s your boss, huh?”
    “Yeah, but his mood improves as we draw closer to nighttime.”
    “Hey!” Donny shouted. He hiccuped. “Stop showing off your skateboard to the ladies and start frying up some freaking clams!”
    “You have a skateboard?” Lily-Ann asked.
    Reflexively, I clutched the straps of my knapsack. “I…uh…well, yeah. But it’s in here. It’s in my…backpack.” ( Why does saying the word “backpack” out loud make me sound like a six-year-old? Or does it? )
    Lily-Ann smirked. “Did you choose your backpack yourself? I mean, the color scheme? Camouflage is very—”
    “Fox News?” Jade interrupted.
    “Rugged?” Megan suggested.
    “Hey!” Donny shouted once more. “Show off your skate skills or fry up some freaking clams! That’s an executive order!”
    I gave him the finger.
    This practice of giving each other the finger began when Donny visited me in the hospital—as diligently as Megan did, almost every other afternoon. I would wake up in a painkiller haze and see Donny, grinning and giving me the finger. I had no choice but to return the favor. Especially since he told me that the accident/recovery/stupidity was no excuse for missing work.
    “Hey!” Lily-Ann chimed in. “Show off your skate skills.”
    I had to smile. “Well, now you’ve asked for it.”
    Megan and Jade watched me, openmouthed, as I slung my backpack off my shoulder. I heaved out the big, clunky board. I wasn’t sure what I was thinking. And actually that’s really the whole point…I wasn’t thinking, which was nice for the first time in a long while. All I did (at least consciously) was avoid their eyes. I hopped on and gavemyself a little kick start on the wrong foot, to see if Lily-Ann noticed.
    “Dude!” Lily-Ann cried. “That’s a total Mongo!”
    I hopped off and kicked the skateboard up into my hands. “What? You skate?”
    She shook her head and looked down, smiling. Her blonde curls fell in front of her face. “No, but I know people who do, I guess.”
    “Oh, you do?” Jade asked.
    Lily-Ann raised her hands. “Guilty as charged,” she said lightly.
    “You seem to have a lot going on that people don’t know about,” Jade said.
    “I…um…” Lily-Ann shot Megan a pleading look. “I don’t know what to say?”
    Megan retreated into the Megan Clamshell.
    I was at a loss for words, too. I stared at Jade for the umpteenth time.
    “Better to keep your mouth shut and let people think you’re an idiot, than open it and remove all doubt,” Megan stated.
    Lily-Ann started cracking up. “It’s a Mark Twain quote!” she exclaimed.
    Megan grabbed Lily-Ann’s arm and hustled her toward the end of the boardwalk. “I have to show Lily-Ann downtown,” she muttered in a