Odd Girl In (21 page)

“Darn it,” I muttered.

“I told you!” said Nick.

“Let me try again!” I ran to the start and jumped onto the first beam. My brothers stood quietly behind me, as if any sound might knock me off balance. With just a few wobbly steps, I reached the edge of the final beam and jumped with both feet onto the springboard.

It had more bounce to it than I expected, and launched me high enough for my upper body to connect with the
platform. I clung to it for dear life and pulled myself up. Once I was back on my feet, I grabbed one of the stars from the tree.

“Nothing to it!” I called to Nick and Parker.

And with those words, I jinxed my brothers.

Parker went next but kept falling off about halfway through.

“Try
not
running,” said Nick.

“If Alex can do it, I can do it!” he panted.

After his fourth failed attempt, Parker
walked
the beams and turned to the obstacle course judge. “The note says I just have to get across the beams and onto the platform. It doesn't say how, right?”

“Correct,” said the judge.

Parker stepped onto solid ground and, without so much as a glance at the springboard, shimmied up one of the trees beside the platform. He grabbed his own star from the tree branch and avoided my disapproving gaze.

“I prefer to blaze my own trail,” he said with a haughty sniff.

Nick struggled to make it to the end of the beams. He was waving his arms madly and tipping back and forth. If we hadn't been under a time crunch, I would have laughed. Nick reached the last beam with eight minutes left. All he had to do now was get up to the platform.

Nick jumped onto the springboard with both feet, but since he weighed a significant amount more than me, it sank and only propelled him a foot or so into the air.

“That's no good,” said Parker. “Go up one of the trees.”

Nick just stared at him. “That's like asking a rhino to climb a ladder. It's not gonna happen.”

“Run across the beams and
jump
onto the springboard,” I suggested, and Nick directed his incredulous gaze at me. “No, okay, bad idea.”

“How can you be so athletic and unable to do
this
?” Parker asked his twin.

“Oh, I'm
sorry
.” Nick's words dripped with sarcasm. “You want me to leap tall buildings in a single bound?”

“Not tall buildings. A six-foot wall!” cried Parker. “Evel Knievel could do it with his eyes closed.”

“Evel Knievel had a motorcycle!” Nick shot back. “And a—” He stopped short, his eyes wide with revelation, and spun to face the course judge. “Can I move the beams after everyone's across?”

The course judge smiled. “Yes, you can.”

Before he'd even picked up the first beam, Parker and I knew exactly what Nick had in mind.

He was going to build a ramp.

“Brilliant!” cried Parker.

“Woohoo!” I cheered.

Nick moved like lightning to angle all four beams side by side, against the platform.

“Time?” he asked Parker.

“Five minutes.”

Nick rubbed his hands together and backed up. “Ladies and gentlemen, prepare for takeoff.”

He sprinted toward his makeshift ramp, running up the beams. But with nothing to hold them together, the pieces of wood started to shake. Just as Nick reached the top, one of the beams under his right foot separated from the others. Nick's right side lurched downward as he started to fall, the entire inside of his leg scraping the next beam over.

He screamed in pain and scrabbled against the remaining beams to reach the top.

“Help him!” Parker leapt forward and took hold of one of Nick's arms. I dug my fingers into the other and we pulled with all our might.

Nick flopped onto the platform and rolled onto one side, clutching his leg.

“Nick!” I dropped down next to him, but he turned away.

“I'm good,” he said through clenched teeth. But when he pulled his hands off his leg, I could see an ugly, red abrasion that went from his thigh to his calf. “Time?” he croaked.

“We've got three minutes,” said Parker. He licked his lips
and swallowed. “But we can take it slow, Nick. We don't have to win.”

It was a big sacrifice for Parker to make, and my throat tightened as I nodded in agreement. “We can cross the finish line whenever you want.”

Nick smiled at both of us. “Thanks, guys. But if we don't win, how can I afford my crutches?”

Parker and I laughed, and Nick reached up to grab his star. Then the three of us dangled our legs over the edge of the platform and dropped to the ground. When we emerged from the forest, it was to a cheering crowd … and a time of thirty-five minutes and fourteen seconds. After the first round, we were in the lead.

Chapter 17

O
f course, the competition wasn't over
yet, but everyone knew it was between our team and Chloe's.

“You're doing great!” said Dad, hugging the three of us and being extra careful with Nick. While he and my brothers went to have an EMT check Nick's leg, I wandered over to Emily. She was chewing on a fingernail and staring into space, a frown causing her forehead to wrinkle.

“What do you think?” I asked, holding my arms open. “Not too bad for an Energetic Evins.”

Emily pulled herself back to the present and nodded.

“Come on,” I nudged her. “You can't break your vow
of silence for a congratulations? Are you upset because we might beat Trevor?”

Emily turned her face toward the sun before meeting my eyes. “Alexis, I got a phone call about ten minutes ago. From your mom.”

My heart pounded as fast as it had in the obstacle course. “What? She … she called back? Did you talk to her?”

Emily shook her head. “I thought about it, but let it go to voice mail.” She held out her cell phone. “Do you want to hear it?”

I flinched as if she were offering me a writhing snake. The message I'd left Mom had been less than friendly. I doubted she had any kind words for me.

“The message isn't
that
bad,” said Emily.

I raised my eyebrow, and she sighed. “Yes, I listened to it, okay? I only have so much self-control.”

Without waiting for me to answer, Emily punched in the password for her voice mail and handed the phone to me. I hesitated before putting it to my ear.

“… it's Mother. How are you.” Mom's voice had the same no-nonsense tone as always. “I was surprised to hear from you, and a little taken aback by the harshness of your words.” She paused. “Although I admit your anger may
not be
entirely
unfounded. Please return my call so we can address our predicament.”

Then she hung up.

I kept the phone to my ear, listening to make sure there weren't any other voice mails. There weren't.

“Well?” prompted Emily.

“She's the same old scientist,” I said, handing Emily her phone. “And I'm just a problem to solve.”

My words sounded more bitter than I expected, and I wondered if my brothers' loathing for Mom had started to influence me.

“What are you going to do?” asked Emily.

Several conflicting answers fought to reach my lips, but the only sound that came out was a frustrated grunt.

“I don't know,” I shook my head. “I'll have to think about it.”

Emily nodded, and I noticed that this time she didn't try to influence me. I could have hugged her.

“Well, my stepmom needs me to set up the third film so I should go,” said Emily. She smiled at me. “Good luck in the next round.”

“Thanks.” I smiled back.

I scanned the crowd for my brothers, but unfortunately, Chloe found me first.

“It looks like we're pretty evenly matched,” she said.

“Yep!” I couldn't resist a smug grin. “How's that for a little friendly competition?”

Chloe's face darkened. “I don't like it.”

I sighed. “Of course you don't. I guess you'll just have to try harder at fire-making.”

“Maybe,” she said in a soft, creepy voice. “But that's not a guarantee, is it?”

I narrowed my eyes in suspicion. “What do you mean?”

Chloe held up her cell phone, pressed a few buttons, and a second later I heard my voice coming from the speaker.

“… Emily's such a drama queen that she doesn't see it that way. It's always about her and how things affect
her.
”

A chill went up my spine as I recalled the conversation. I'd had it with my brothers after Emily had gotten mad at me over Trevor.

Chloe leaned close. “That's Emily you're talking about, isn't it?”

The recording continued as I went down my laundry list of Emily's flaws, and I felt my cheeks getting warmer and warmer. Chloe stopped the recording and put her phone away.

“You know what would be so sad?” She pouted her lower lip. “If Emily found out what her dearest friend thought of her.”

I shook my head. “I was just mad….”

“You know what would be sadder?” continued Chloe. “If Emily knew that the same friend had to be paid just to hang out with her.”

Chloe meant, of course, the twenty bucks she'd given me at the slumber party. I stared at her, feeling the fury build inside me. I'd always known the girl was evil, but up until now, I'd never known the true extent of it.

“What do you want?” I asked, my voice shaking with anger.

“I want you to throw the fire-making challenge,” said Chloe.

“What?!” I cried.

“I'm
this
close to winning Trevor over,” she said, holding her thumb and forefinger an inch apart. “If we take this competition, that's a thousand dollars he and I will have to spend together.”

“With
Shelly
,” I said.

Chloe rolled her eyes. “I could give that fool a stack of Champs change and she'd leave happy.”

“Well, forget it,” I said, turning to walk away.

“You're Emily's only true friend,” Chloe said to my back. “Can you really hurt her like this?”

I stopped and stared at the ground. Emily had cared about me so much that she'd tracked down my mom. As far as I knew, she'd never said a harsh thing against me,
and she'd certainly never paid anyone to hang out with me.

I
was
her only true friend. And she was one of mine. But she wouldn't be for long if she knew the truth.

I could hear Chloe breathing in my ear.

“You don't even have to do much,” she said. “Just play dumb, and if your brothers get the fire going too soon, maybe kick a little dirt on it. That's all. And if you don't get a fire going
period
, you won't even have to feel guilty.”

I stared straight ahead. “And you won't say anything to Emily?”

“Never, ever, ever,” she promised.

When I didn't respond right away, she gave me one last thing to think about.

“Your brothers will forgive you if you don't win,” she said. “Do you think Emily will forgive you if you do?”

A harsh tweeting sound filled the air, and we glanced over to where Ms. Success was rounding everyone up. Without another word to Chloe, I hurried over to join my family.

“Ladies and gentlemen!” bellowed Ms. Success. “We've had a wonderful first round of competition, with Teams Seven and Four in the lead.”

Nick, Parker, and Dad cheered, but all I could muster was a weak clap.

“But it's our next round that will determine the champions of the Champs Championship!”

“Try saying
that
ten times fast,” Parker whispered to me.

I forced a smile.

“We've got a designated fire area, so as I call the teams, you'll follow me to the site and get … fired up!” She punched the air with her fist, and the crowd cheered. “Team One, bring the heat!”

“I hope we don't have to watch that movie again while we wait,” Nick said in a low voice as the crowd dispersed.

“Nope. Looks like they're loading up a different film reel,” said Parker.

I smiled as convincingly as I could. “Let's go see what's playing.”

“There's not a sequel to
My Fair Lady
, is there?” asked Nick, following me.

“No,” I said.

“Good.”

As it turned out, the only thing worse than Ms. Success faking a British accent was Ms. Success faking multiple British accents. And that was what she did for the next film, her one-woman version of
Peter Pan
.

Thankfully, the fire-making took people a lot less time than the obstacle course did, and after only two hours, my brothers and I were up.

Ms. Success led us to a forest clearing marked by a charred spot on the ground. She gestured to a stack of firewood.
“All you have to do is keep a flame going long enough to break this string,” she said, pointing to a piece of twine tied between two posts a foot above the charred spot.