anything.
“What’s your problem?” asked Taylor.
“Look, Taylor, I don’t know why you’ve set your sights on me, but it’s getting old, okay?”
“I don’t have my sights set on anyone. ” Taylor let out a long puff of smoke. “Least of all you, Desiree. ”
“The name is DJ.”
“Whatever.”
“Fine.” DJ turned to go into the house. There was no point in trying to connect with this infuriating girl. It seemed perfectly clear that Taylor had a chip the size of a Hummer on her shoulder. Probably because her celebrity mommy had dumped her here. But then what made Taylor’s case any more special than DJ’s? At least Taylor’s parents were both still alive.
Just as DJ’s hand reached the handle of the front door, Taylor called out, “Don’t forget.”
DJ looked back at her. “Forget what ?”
“Our little tennis match. You promised to clean my clock, DJ. Or did you forget?”
“Don’t worry. I didn’t forget.”
“But maybe you want to chicken out?”
“I am not a chicken.”
“So you’re still up for it then?”
“Of course.”
“I invited Eliza and Kriti to come with us. They think it’ll be a kick. We thought we’d go around ten. Eliza will drive us.”
“Grandmother is letting her use the Mercedes?” Now this really burned since her grandmother had barely let DJ use her car.
“Eliza has her own car.”
“Where?”
“Here. It was delivered after dinner, right after you sneaked off.” Taylor nodded toward the side of the house. “It’s parked in back. Nice set of wheels too.”
For some reason this aggravated DJ even more. Whether it was that Taylor was in the loop and DJ wasn’t—or the fact that Eliza had her own car—but something about this whole thing just irked her. Even so, she forced a smile as she made a cheerful little wave. “See you in the morning, Taylor.”
7
“THaT Was OuT!” cried DJ as she shook her racket at Taylor.
“No way,” said Taylor as she prepared to serve again. “It was totally in, Desiree.”
“The name’s DJ,” she yelled. “And that serve was out!”
“Get ready,” said Taylor. “I’m serving again.”
“You’re cheating!” yelled DJ.
Taylor paused with her racket still poised and ready to serve. She looked over to the sidelines where Eliza and Kriti were sitting, sipping their Starbucks. “What do you girls say?”
“Yeah,” called DJ. “It was out, wasn’t it?”
“Sorry, but Taylor’s right,” called Eliza, as if she thought she’d just been appointed line judge. “It was in.”
Kriti nodded and held up a thumb. “In!”
“Out!” demanded DJ. She glared at Eliza and Kriti now. It was clear what was happening here; the fashion girls were aligning themselves against her. She wondered why she’d even agreed to this stupid tennis match in the first place. What was the point if Taylor already had everyone in her pocket?
DJ had assumed she had this game in the bag when Taylor came down to breakfast looking like Tennis Barbie. She felt certain that anyone who primped to play tennis couldn’t possibly be any good. But now as she was losing, she realized she’d probably been wrong about a lot of things.
It didn’t help matters when Conner and another guy showed up to witness DJ’s humiliating loss. DJ attempted to ignore them, trying to pretend they weren’t there as they lurked on the opposite side from Eliza and Kriti, but she could hear Conner’s attempt to coach and encourage her from the sidelines. Not that it helped. Nothing could help her game today. And she was fully aware of the fact that she was beating herself as much as Taylor was winning this stupid match. Of course, that only made her madder.
Taylor was an average player. Okay, maybe even better than average. But DJ had totally psyched herself out right from the start when she’d allowed her anger and embarrassment to get the best of her over some close shots that she felt Taylor called unfairly. After that she was too
“What’s your problem?” asked Taylor.
“Look, Taylor, I don’t know why you’ve set your sights on me, but it’s getting old, okay?”
“I don’t have my sights set on anyone. ” Taylor let out a long puff of smoke. “Least of all you, Desiree. ”
“The name is DJ.”
“Whatever.”
“Fine.” DJ turned to go into the house. There was no point in trying to connect with this infuriating girl. It seemed perfectly clear that Taylor had a chip the size of a Hummer on her shoulder. Probably because her celebrity mommy had dumped her here. But then what made Taylor’s case any more special than DJ’s? At least Taylor’s parents were both still alive.
Just as DJ’s hand reached the handle of the front door, Taylor called out, “Don’t forget.”
DJ looked back at her. “Forget what ?”
“Our little tennis match. You promised to clean my clock, DJ. Or did you forget?”
“Don’t worry. I didn’t forget.”
“But maybe you want to chicken out?”
“I am not a chicken.”
“So you’re still up for it then?”
“Of course.”
“I invited Eliza and Kriti to come with us. They think it’ll be a kick. We thought we’d go around ten. Eliza will drive us.”
“Grandmother is letting her use the Mercedes?” Now this really burned since her grandmother had barely let DJ use her car.
“Eliza has her own car.”
“Where?”
“Here. It was delivered after dinner, right after you sneaked off.” Taylor nodded toward the side of the house. “It’s parked in back. Nice set of wheels too.”
For some reason this aggravated DJ even more. Whether it was that Taylor was in the loop and DJ wasn’t—or the fact that Eliza had her own car—but something about this whole thing just irked her. Even so, she forced a smile as she made a cheerful little wave. “See you in the morning, Taylor.”
7
“THaT Was OuT!” cried DJ as she shook her racket at Taylor.
“No way,” said Taylor as she prepared to serve again. “It was totally in, Desiree.”
“The name’s DJ,” she yelled. “And that serve was out!”
“Get ready,” said Taylor. “I’m serving again.”
“You’re cheating!” yelled DJ.
Taylor paused with her racket still poised and ready to serve. She looked over to the sidelines where Eliza and Kriti were sitting, sipping their Starbucks. “What do you girls say?”
“Yeah,” called DJ. “It was out, wasn’t it?”
“Sorry, but Taylor’s right,” called Eliza, as if she thought she’d just been appointed line judge. “It was in.”
Kriti nodded and held up a thumb. “In!”
“Out!” demanded DJ. She glared at Eliza and Kriti now. It was clear what was happening here; the fashion girls were aligning themselves against her. She wondered why she’d even agreed to this stupid tennis match in the first place. What was the point if Taylor already had everyone in her pocket?
DJ had assumed she had this game in the bag when Taylor came down to breakfast looking like Tennis Barbie. She felt certain that anyone who primped to play tennis couldn’t possibly be any good. But now as she was losing, she realized she’d probably been wrong about a lot of things.
It didn’t help matters when Conner and another guy showed up to witness DJ’s humiliating loss. DJ attempted to ignore them, trying to pretend they weren’t there as they lurked on the opposite side from Eliza and Kriti, but she could hear Conner’s attempt to coach and encourage her from the sidelines. Not that it helped. Nothing could help her game today. And she was fully aware of the fact that she was beating herself as much as Taylor was winning this stupid match. Of course, that only made her madder.
Taylor was an average player. Okay, maybe even better than average. But DJ had totally psyched herself out right from the start when she’d allowed her anger and embarrassment to get the best of her over some close shots that she felt Taylor called unfairly. After that she was too
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