Caitlin

  “That doesn’t seem fair.”

  “Well, the thing is, there are usually people waiting to play so you don’t want to slow down the movement over the course,” I explained.

  She looked behind her. “There’s no one waiting for the course. If you want to go ahead, go ahead. You don’t have to wait on us.”

  No way was I going on by myself.

  “Caitlin’s right, Jasmine. We don’t want to slow the game down and it’s always more fun if you have some competition, so five strokes.” He wrote the number down on the card and handed it to her so he could putt his ball in — even though he should have gone second.

  It took him two strokes.

  “Not bad,” I said.

  “Do you play a lot?” he asked.

  “Oh, yeah, my dad is really into miniature golf. On family vacations, we always hit at least one golf course.” I lined up my shot —

  “You’re not aiming it at the hole,” Jasmine said.

  “Because I’m going to hit it off the wall first,” I told her. The location of the hole, the obstacle of a short wall with two holes on either end presented a challenge. But I persevered. Two shots later, I was again standing there watching the Jasmine Show.

  I turned my attention to Michael. He was so patient with her. I liked that about him. That he took care of his brothers, helped his dad, and didn’t seem to mind that Jasmine had to be shown what to do at every hole. Or was he pretending, too? Liking the attention she gave him.

  Maybe I should just go ahead, I thought, because it was painful to watch her performance.

  I realized it was a performance when we finally got to the sixteenth hole. It was a complicated setup with a narrow bridge going over a small river of rushing water and then through a little windmill tunnel where the fan was inside the tunnel so if I didn’t time it just right, it knocked the ball back out. Five strokes and I couldn’t get the shot I needed to drop the ball in the hole. Same thing for Michael. We both laughed at the toughness of it. Had a bonding moment, because we both realized it was a really challenging hole.

  Then Jasmine went. Two shots. Over the bridge. Through the tunnel. The ball landed in the hole.

  She squealed and threw her arms around Michael, hugging him. I couldn’t help but think the whole game had been an act, waiting for the one minute when she could hug him.

  What made it really bad was that I wanted to hug him — and shove her into the river.

  When we finished our eighteen holes, we headed for the pizza shop.

  “You’re really good,” Michael said to me.

  “Thanks.”

  “My brothers and I play a lot,” he said.

  “I could tell you were a pro.”

  “Not really,” he said, grinning. “No one pays me to play.”

  When we got to the pizza shop, our other group was already there. Three chairs were at the end of the table, and Michael ended up sitting between Jasmine and me. It was awkward. I didn’t want to play her game. So I just ate my pizza and talked to the others. I was glad when the pizza was gone and we decided it was time to go home.

  I didn’t think Michael was interested in Jasmine, but I wasn’t completely sure he was interested in me either. How could a girl be sure what a guy was thinking?

  On Sunday night the park closed an hour early. I know an hour doesn’t seem like much, but it really is. It gave us time to catch a movie or hang out at a pizza joint before we were too wiped out to do anything. It was an hour of energy that we didn’t have during the week.

  Thank goodness, we’d had no more committee meetings and no more surprise meetings. I thought if Whitney said one more time “Oh, didn’t I tell you?” that I was going to kick her out of our circle of friends.

  As I walked into the locker room, I was thinking of catching a movie, maybe even seeing if Whitney wanted to go with me. I’d probably have to invite Sean so I’d have a ride to the movie. Or maybe I could get my mom to take me. I really hated being without wheels.

  Robyn had wanted to work here this summer so she could save up to get a car when she turned sixteen. I’d wanted shoes. But I was starting to think that I wanted a car. But I hated to give up shoes.

  I was debating the pros and cons of each with myself as I punched in the number for my locker.

  “Surprise! Party tonight!” Whitney exclaimed.

  I spun around. “What? For who?”

  She laughed. “For us. Anyone and everyone.”

  She handed me a card. “Address is on that. Get there as soon as you can.”

  “No, seriously, who is it for?” I asked.

  “The surprise is that I’m having a party, not that it’s for anyone.”

  She was handing out cards to anyone who walked by. Not exactly an exclusive guest list.

  “Why didn’t you say something before?” I asked.

  “Because I wanted it to be a surprise,” she said.

  Robyn walked up and Whitney handed her a card. “Surprise! It’s a party tonight.”

  “You’re crazy,” Robyn said.

  “Just like to party.”

  I liked to party, too, but if she was just passing the invitations out now, the chances were that she wasn’t going to ask —

  “Who all are you inviting?” I asked.

  “People I know.”

  She knew Michael. Would she invite him or was she inviting only Paradise Falls employees? But did she know him well enough to ask him? If she did, did I want to see him again? I hadn’t seen him since we’d played miniature golf. So if he was bringing his brothers here, they weren’t hanging around Tsunami. So maybe he wasn’t bringing his brothers — or maybe he was hanging around Screaming Falls with Jasmine.

  I’d actually taken a walk over there during my break that afternoon. I was pretty pathetic. Robyn was right. It wasn’t fair not to trust Michael, just because I couldn’t trust Tanner.

  Still, I couldn’t bring myself to trust Whitney completely either. So I didn’t ask her if she’d invited Michael.

  * * *

  Lights Fantastic had a Web site. A Web site with a phone number. Maybe it was for an office. On a Sunday night, no one would be there. On the other hand, maybe it went directly to Michael’s dad and I could give him the information about the party and tell him to tell Michael.

  On the other other hand, it wasn’t my party so it would be rude to invite someone.

  I was in my bedroom, staring at the Web site, wondering if my friendship with Whitney had gotten to the point where she wouldn’t be upset if I invited someone who I wanted to be there. If it was Robyn’s party, no problem. I could ask anyone I wanted. But Whitney’s? I just wasn’t as solid with our friendship.

  Plus, I had no idea what Whitney had in mind for her party. It might be boring. Maybe I wouldn’t want Michael to be there.

  Maybe I wouldn’t go.

  I had gotten dressed as though I was going to go. I was wearing a short blue skirt and a red spaghetti-strap top. Little gemstones ran along the straps and the scooped neck. I’d sprayed some glitter in my hair. I loved the sparkles, especially during party time. I was actually excited about a party.

  So why was I thinking about not going?

  Because I was pretty sure that Whitney invited Jake and she’d probably hang out with him. Even if she didn’t, I figured he’d be giving her some attention. So Whitney would either be flirting with or avoiding Jake. Robyn would be hanging out with Sean.

  And that would leave me alone. Which would be okay if I didn’t have an interest in Michael.

  A knock sounded on my door. “You ready?” Sean asked.

  I opened the door. “I don’t know if I’m going.”

  “Why not?”

  I shrugged.

  “Come on. Whitney’s excited about the party. She has a surprise planned.”

  “What surprise?”

  “Something she’s been working on.”

  “Why do you care if she’s happy?”

  “Why don’t you car
e if she is?”

  “That doesn’t even make sense.”

  “Let’s go, Caitlin.”

  “I don’t —”

  “Michael’s going to be there.”

  “How do you know that?”

  “I just know. So come on.”

  “It’s Whitney, right? You have some sort of secret friendship with her —”

  “Sometimes I can’t believe you’re my sister. I’m going to the party.”

  As though he thought he’d told me all I needed to know to want to go, he spun on his heel and headed for the stairs. Or maybe he’d given up on me and figured if I was going to go that I’d follow.

  He was right. I followed.

  * * *

  “So there’s really nothing out here,” I said. “Are you sure you know where you’re going?”

  We were driving along what horror stories referred to as a lonely country road. It was almost dark —

  “According to MapQuest,” Sean said.

  “Oh, there!” Robyn said from the front seat. “There are some houses.”

  “No,” I muttered. “I don’t think those are houses. They’re palaces.”

  They were huge and set back off the main road with long winding driveways. Wrought-iron fences surrounded most of them, although some had brick walls so I couldn’t see inside.

  “Did you even know we had places like this around here?” I asked.

  “Maybe we are in the wrong place,” Robyn said.

  “Street name is right,” Sean said. “And there’s the matching house number.”

  The wrought-iron gates were open. Brick posts were on either side of them and the house number was carved in black marble on one of them. A winding, circular driveway led to the house. Dozens of cars were already parked along the driveway and near the five-car — five-car! — garage. A basketball court was beside that.

  “Okay,” I said as Sean shifted the car into park. “It’s official. She’s rich. More than rich.”

  “This is amazing,” Robyn said as we got out of the car.

  “Who is she?” I looked at Sean. “Did you know about all this? Is that the reason you always try to make sure she’s happy?”

  “I know some things, but not this.”

  “Why don’t you tell us some of those things?”

  “Can’t.” He reached out and took Robyn’s hand. “Come on. I can’t wait to see the inside.”

  We walked up the grand, sweeping steps. It reminded me of a movie star’s house or something. Sean rang the doorbell. I told myself it was just a house. No reason to be nervous.

  The door opened. Whitney, smiling brightly, ushered us in.

  “Where’s the butler?” I asked.

  She laughed. “No butler. That’s so old school.” She gestured to the woman beside her. “This is Aunt Sophie. She looks after things when Dad is out of town. He’s in Europe right now.”

  Like Whitney, her aunt just looked rich. She was wearing silk lounging pants and lots of diamonds. Her hair was a blond color that was almost white. Not like my grandmother’s. Not gray. Not silver, but a really white blond.

  “We’re starting out in the media room,” Whitney said. “You guys are the last to arrive. What took you so long?”

  “Caitlin,” Sean said, and I wanted to hit him. Whitney didn’t need to know that I hadn’t wanted to come. “She couldn’t decide what to wear,” he finished, then winked at me.

  That was a much better excuse. My brother was turning out to be better than I’d ever thought he’d be.

  As we walked through the foyer, I was amazed by what I could see of the house. It was all marble and gold, and it was so big. Whitney was leading us to some wide, curving stairs. Yapping echoed in the hallway and a little white ball of fur bounded into the foyer. Whitney reached down and picked him up.

  “This is Westie,” she said.

  “What’s his name?” I asked, reaching out to pet him. He licked my hand.

  “Westie.”

  “I thought that was his breed.”

  “It is, but it’s his name, too.”

  Not very imaginative, but then I guess it worked.

  Holding him close, she led us up the stairs and then down a short hallway into the media room. There were three rows of recliners, stairs leading to a balcony, stars twinkling on the ceiling, and a huge, huge screen on the front wall.

  “Get comfortable. Pillows are on the floor. Mr. Romeo is going to give us a preview of the show he’s working up for us.”

  So this was a team meeting with guests? Was Jasmine around?

  Whitney headed for the stairs. I guess Mr. Romeo was operating things from the balcony. At the back of where we were standing was a waist-high wall and behind that a beverage and food bar. Little tubs of popcorn were lined up. I grabbed a couple and handed them to Robyn and Sean. They moved down to the front of the room. It was dark in here, like a movie theater. I didn’t think they’d do any kissing, but I didn’t want to take a chance of being close to them if they did.

  The room was suddenly plunged into complete darkness. Someone shrieked. Others laughed.

  Then images began appearing on the big screen. It was a video of a light show. Music blasted from speakers. It looked as though it was at a fair or something, like it was outside. I grabbed a tub of popcorn for myself and eased behind the short wall and rested my arms on it, still managing to eat some popcorn. If we had a room like this in our house, I didn’t think I’d ever go to a movie theater. I loved this room.

  “Pretty boring, right?” a voice whispered near my ear.

  Michael. I peered over at him. “What? Oh, no. Really.”

  I could see his grin, even in the semidarkness. He took my hand and led me out of the room, into the hallway.

  He still spoke low. “You know, I like my dad but if you ask him to make you a sandwich, he’s going to tell you how they planted the seeds to grow the wheat to make the bread.”

  “Is that what he’s doing in there?”

  “Yeah, he’s trying to explain everything that goes into creating a show. But who cares? It’s like a magician’s trick. Just show the audience the magic. Don’t show them how it’s done.”

  “Do you know how it’s done?” I asked.

  “Yeah, I know how it’s done. I mix the music.”

  I looked back toward the room we’d just come out of. “Is he going to show us what y’all have planned for the Fourth?”

  “Only a little bit. Why ruin the surprise? Want to see something neat?”

  Okay, we really seemed to be jumping around here. Part of me wanted to see the preview of the light show, part of me agreed with Michael and wanted to wait for the real deal. Most of me wanted to hang out with him.

  “I can’t imagine anything neater than what I’ve already seen of this house,” I told him.

  “Did you see her dad’s vintage Mustang?”

  I shook my head.

  Grinning, he took my hand again and led me down a hallway.

  “Is it okay for us to go this way?” I asked.

  “No wonder you’re a lifeguard. You worry about the rules too much.”

  “I do not.”

  He looked over at me. Well, okay, I guess I did. Some of the other lifeguards were still calling me the whistle-blower. I blew my whistle more than anyone else. Maybe the bad kids just hung out in my section of the pool.

  “That was fun the other night, playing miniature golf,” he said.

  “You didn’t really get to play much. You were an instructor.”

  “Jasmine took it all so seriously.”

  Did he really think she was trying to learn the game? I thought she just wanted to be near him.

  Michael turned down another hallway. One side of it was all glass. And on a platform, like the kind in auto shops, was a car. Below it was another garage.

  “Wow! That is out of control. Who displays their car like a trophy?” I asked.

  “It is a trophy.” Michael moved closer to the glass. “I
t’s awesome.”

  Had to be a guy thing, because I was standing there thinking that a two-story shoe closet would be the way to go. Why waste all that space on a car?

  “What do you know about Whitney?” I asked.

  “Nothing really. She’s nice.”

  He took my hand again. “Stairs leading outside are over here.”

  “Should we go outside?”

  “Sure, that’s where the party is going to be. According to Whitney.”

  We went down the back stairs. Michael opened a door and walked out onto a patio. The pool was huge, with a waterfall and a fire pit in the center of it. It was almost too much.

  “I didn’t bring a bathing suit,” I muttered.

  “I’d think you’d get enough water at the park.”

  “Is that what happened to you?” I asked. “You had enough with the water? I haven’t seen you there lately.”

  “The twins came down with strep so I’ve had to play doctor. Boring. Try keeping those two occupied.”

  I was sorry to hear about his brothers, but also glad to know that I hadn’t done anything to keep him away. I was such a mess. I liked him a lot more than I wanted to — - and I was afraid to let him know how much. I wanted him to make all the first moves. I wanted him to say he liked me. I wanted him to leave me with no doubts.

  I knew it was unfair. I knew in relationships there had to be give and take. I saw that with my parents. And okay. Even with Robyn and Sean.

  “Is your house anything like this?” I asked.

  “Yeah, I live next door.”

  My mouth dropped open. “Really?”

  He laughed. “No. No way. This is … - well, it’s almost too much, you know?”

  Yeah, I did. And it made me see Whitney in a different light. I wondered if she was working at the water park because she wanted to be normal, like everyone else, because living like this wasn’t the way that most of us lived.

  Suddenly I heard voices and laughter. People were coming out onto the patio.

  “Guess Dad’s finished with show-and-tell,” Michael said.

  He sounded relieved. I didn’t get it. It was as though he didn’t want us to have a preview of the upcoming light show. I wondered if he’d done more than the music, if maybe he’d created the show and was self-conscious about it.