into the sand right beside Adam, who jumped.
“Did you see her vertical leap?” He stood back in amazement. “You should have been playing basketball all these years, not ballet.”
Spencer stared at me. “Were you aiming at me? Because you missed.”
“I call Emily for my team. In perpetuity,” Adam said.
“Purple what?” asked Heather.
“He means forever. For all time,” I explained.
“Adam. I didn’t know you felt that way about Emily,” Heather teased.
“Shut up. It’s a game. I care about winning,” Adam said. “Now get over there and play.”
I found myself wishing that Blake and hisfriends would see us and come out, to prove Spencer wrong. Apparently Heather had the same thought, because she said, “Hold on a second, let’s see if we can get some more players. Come on, Emily—come with me!”
“Great idea,” I said, joining her. We ran up to the steps to their deck and looked around for Blake, Trevor, and the other guys. The place looked deserted. We went down to the pool on the bottom level, and even knocked on the back door.
“Not home. Too bad,” she said.
“It was still a good idea. Except then they’d have to see me play,” I said.
“You wouldn’t have to actually play, just pretend while you made small talk,” Heather said.
“Oh, is that how you do it?” I teased her, and we jumped off the bottom step back onto the beach.
“So? Are they coming?” asked Adam, looking impatient.
“Nope. Not home,” Heather announced.
“Probably out riding dune buggies and Jet Skis and trampling the earth,” Spencer commented.
“Yeah, okay, Al Gore. Or maybe they’re on a walk,” I said.
“I’m just saying—did you see how much trash they left on the deck?” Spencer asked.
“They’re probably separating stuff for recycling,” I said.
“Come on, you don’t really think—”
“Quit stalling, Spence,” Adam interrupted. “Are we here to argue or to play?” He launched the volleyball across the net, and his serve nearly popped Spencer in the face.
“Game on !” Spencer said as he managed to get it back across the net to me.
As I leaped for the ball, I thought, Please don’t let Blake come back right when I do something incredibly stupid. Please!
Before getting into bed that night, I walked out onto the tiny balcony just outside my bedroom. I didn’t see or hear much of anything from Blake’s house, but the moon was amazing. Itwasn’t a full moon, but it was close—maybe a day or two away. I went back inside to get my camera and tried to get some shots of it.
I’d taken a few photos when I heard some guys talking. I looked down below and saw Blake, Trevor, and some other guys heading across the parking lot, in the direction of the main drag.
“There goes your friend,” a voice suddenly said in the darkness.
“Ack!” I let out a little scream—or maybe it was a big scream—as I nearly toppled over the edge of the balcony’s railing.
Blake and Trevor turned around and peered back at the house, trying to see where the dying-animal noise had come from. I stepped into the shadow as much as I could, but also gave a pathetic friendly wave, in case they could see me. Thankfully, they didn’t seem to notice me, and they turned around and kept walking, heading toward town.
Spencer leaned over the balcony that was diagonally downstairs from mine and peered up at me. “Good evening,” he said in a creepy,fake-Dracula voice.
“That was you? Don’t do that.”
“What?”
“Embarrass me like that,” I said. “How did you know I was out here?”
“I heard your door slide open. Light emerged. Et cetera.”
“Well, next time give me some warning or something!” I pleaded.
“Oh, sure. I’ll just yell, ‘Hi, Emily, what are you doing out here, are you looking for the guys next door, because they’re right there!’ Or, you know, something like that.”
If I’d had anything to throw at him, besides my camera and a plastic deck chair,
“Did you see her vertical leap?” He stood back in amazement. “You should have been playing basketball all these years, not ballet.”
Spencer stared at me. “Were you aiming at me? Because you missed.”
“I call Emily for my team. In perpetuity,” Adam said.
“Purple what?” asked Heather.
“He means forever. For all time,” I explained.
“Adam. I didn’t know you felt that way about Emily,” Heather teased.
“Shut up. It’s a game. I care about winning,” Adam said. “Now get over there and play.”
I found myself wishing that Blake and hisfriends would see us and come out, to prove Spencer wrong. Apparently Heather had the same thought, because she said, “Hold on a second, let’s see if we can get some more players. Come on, Emily—come with me!”
“Great idea,” I said, joining her. We ran up to the steps to their deck and looked around for Blake, Trevor, and the other guys. The place looked deserted. We went down to the pool on the bottom level, and even knocked on the back door.
“Not home. Too bad,” she said.
“It was still a good idea. Except then they’d have to see me play,” I said.
“You wouldn’t have to actually play, just pretend while you made small talk,” Heather said.
“Oh, is that how you do it?” I teased her, and we jumped off the bottom step back onto the beach.
“So? Are they coming?” asked Adam, looking impatient.
“Nope. Not home,” Heather announced.
“Probably out riding dune buggies and Jet Skis and trampling the earth,” Spencer commented.
“Yeah, okay, Al Gore. Or maybe they’re on a walk,” I said.
“I’m just saying—did you see how much trash they left on the deck?” Spencer asked.
“They’re probably separating stuff for recycling,” I said.
“Come on, you don’t really think—”
“Quit stalling, Spence,” Adam interrupted. “Are we here to argue or to play?” He launched the volleyball across the net, and his serve nearly popped Spencer in the face.
“Game on !” Spencer said as he managed to get it back across the net to me.
As I leaped for the ball, I thought, Please don’t let Blake come back right when I do something incredibly stupid. Please!
Before getting into bed that night, I walked out onto the tiny balcony just outside my bedroom. I didn’t see or hear much of anything from Blake’s house, but the moon was amazing. Itwasn’t a full moon, but it was close—maybe a day or two away. I went back inside to get my camera and tried to get some shots of it.
I’d taken a few photos when I heard some guys talking. I looked down below and saw Blake, Trevor, and some other guys heading across the parking lot, in the direction of the main drag.
“There goes your friend,” a voice suddenly said in the darkness.
“Ack!” I let out a little scream—or maybe it was a big scream—as I nearly toppled over the edge of the balcony’s railing.
Blake and Trevor turned around and peered back at the house, trying to see where the dying-animal noise had come from. I stepped into the shadow as much as I could, but also gave a pathetic friendly wave, in case they could see me. Thankfully, they didn’t seem to notice me, and they turned around and kept walking, heading toward town.
Spencer leaned over the balcony that was diagonally downstairs from mine and peered up at me. “Good evening,” he said in a creepy,fake-Dracula voice.
“That was you? Don’t do that.”
“What?”
“Embarrass me like that,” I said. “How did you know I was out here?”
“I heard your door slide open. Light emerged. Et cetera.”
“Well, next time give me some warning or something!” I pleaded.
“Oh, sure. I’ll just yell, ‘Hi, Emily, what are you doing out here, are you looking for the guys next door, because they’re right there!’ Or, you know, something like that.”
If I’d had anything to throw at him, besides my camera and a plastic deck chair,
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