Page 7 of Surfside Sisters

She still had a powerful crush on Sebastian. Worse, as she grew older, her infatuation grew into an obsession. When she was at Isabelle’s house, she locked the bathroom door and picked up his toothbrush. It was like a holy icon.Sebastianhad touched it. Sometimes she saw his boxer shorts in the bathroom laundry basket. Seeing something so intimate made her heart pound.

It helped keep her steady and sane that they had to concentrate on their homework in order to make good grades—and Keely especially needed good grades so she could eventually get scholarships for college.

The homework was hard, the social stuff was harder. Just walking from class to class was like taking some kind of bizarre test. More kids, more teachers, more staff crowded the halls. Everyone was so much older.

“I feel like a gazelle caught in a stampede of elephants,” Keely told Isabelle.

“I know, right? The seniors are so big.”

“Hi, Isabelle!” A junior, Diane, one of the cheerleaders, all glossy and cool, came right up to Isabelle. “How do you like it here so far?”

“It’s great, I guess.” Isabelle flashed an SOS at Keely.

Another cheerleader, Daisy, with such perfect makeup Keely couldn’t help staring, elbowed her way between Isabelle and Keely. “Hey, Isabelle, listen, if you ever need help with your homework or anything…”

“Plus we could give you the scoop on which teachers are cool.” It was another junior, Kyra.

Isabelle faked a smile. “Um, well…”

Diane pounced. “You could come to our houses, or we’d be glad to come to yours.”

So that’s their strategy, Keely realized. They were fawning over Isabelle so they could get access to Sebastian. She wanted to share her thoughts with Isabelle, but by now Keely had been nudged too far away even to see Isabelle.

What would Isabelle do? Keely knew these unctuous juniors with their long, silky hair were powerful. She would understand if Isabelle joined them. She’d be miserable, but she would understand.

“Thanks,” Isabelle said. “But I do my homework with Keely. We’ve got a perfect system set up.”

“Oooh.” The juniors made disappointed little chirping noises.

“Plus, I help them,” Sebastian said.

The hair on Keely’s arms stood up. She hadn’t heard him coming.

Before she could turn to speak to him, Sebastian put his arm around Keely’s waist and pulled her close to him.

“I help you learn a lot of things, don’t I, Keys?” Sebastian’s eyes danced with mischief as he looked down at her.

Keely was breathless. Sebastian had gotten so tall. His shoulders were so broad. The heat of his body ran all up and down her torso.

She was surprised she didn’t melt into a puddle right there and then.

The three cheerleaders did about-faces, flipping their short pleated skirts.

“Oh, Sebastian,hi!”

“Hi,” Sebastian said.

He leaned down, put his mouth next to Keely’s ear, and whispered, “Just go with this, right?”

Keely nodded.

Diane, the leader of the pack, cooed at Isabelle. “If you ever think you’d like to try out for cheerleader next year, we’d love to teach you the basics. And you, too, Keely.”

“Thanks,” Isabelle said. She was turning burgundy, and Keely knew Isabelle was holding her breath to keep from laughing.

Sebastian said, “Keely won’t have any free time.”

He bent down, getting his face right in front of Keely’s, and kissed her sweetly, but firmly, on her mouth.

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