Getting the Boot (7 page)

Kelly was awakened Saturday morning by a screeching soprano.

“Can you please turn that down?” Kelly yelled to Minnie, pulling the pillow over her head. All she wanted was one more hour of sleep, but the music kept blaring. Kelly sighed and threw her pillow on the floor. There was no going back to sleep now.

She threw open her door and stomped into the common room, where Sheela and Minnie were poring over a thick Italian-history book.

“Do you guys mind?” Kelly said. “It's totally rude to blast music when people are trying to sleep.”

“It's past noon, Kelly,” Sheela said. “And we have a quiz to study for.”

“Isn't that what the library is for?”

Sheela sighed. “You know, you weren't so considerate last night when you woke me up by dropping your shoes on the floor at three A.M.”

“I'll take that over these horrible, ear-piercing shrieks anytime,” Kelly said.

Minnie opened her mouth like she wanted to say something, then shut it. Her lip started its familiar quivering. “Fine. I'll listen in my room.” Once again, Kelly stood in shock as Minnie's door slammed in her face.

“That went well.” Sheela sighed and stood up. “I'm going to get some lunch. Do you want to come?”

 

 

“I don't understand why you're always taking their side.” Despite the scolding she was surely about to get, Kelly was thrilled to finally have Sheela to herself for a little while. Sheela was usually so busy studying with Minnie or Jarvis that seeing her alone was like getting an audience with the pope.

“Siding with them? Please, I feel like I'm being paddled back and forth between the three of you like a Ping-Pong ball. I just don't understand why you go so far out of your way to antagonize them.”

This was too much. “Me! I've been patient as a saint with those two nightmares. What did I do?”

“Well, none of us like that you bring Joe back to the room all the time. He's noisy and he's obnoxious. I can't imagine why you're so smitten with him.”

Kelly shook her head. “You're being unfair—he's just joking around with you guys. And I don't see how sitting in a public area with a friend makes me antagonistic.”

“Okay, then how about the fact that you made Minnie cry again today?”

“That's totally not my fault. She was being a jerk blasting her music. All I did was ask her to turn it down.”

Sheela sighed patiently. “Kelly, I'm sure your intentions were good, but last week you told her that her wardrobe stinks, and today you ripped into her beloved opera. You've been a little harsh, don't you think?”

Kelly shrugged. “Well, it's true, isn't it? What self-respecting seventeen-year-old listens to that crap
and
wears flowered shortie overalls? Besides, it takes absolutely nothing to make that girl cry. She's screwed together way too tight.” Kelly stabbed little dotted lines into her melon slices with the tines of a fork. “Fine, I'm the devil incarnate where Minnie is concerned. But what about Lisa? Are you trying to suggest that the reason she hates me is because I bully her, too?”

“I'm not saying you're a bully at all. I'm just saying that if you want to get along with people who are different from you, you're going to have to be a little more considerate. And a lot more tolerant.”

Kelly didn't know what Sheela was talking about. At home, she was friendly to everyone. Almost everyone. She at least tried to smile at the socially unfortunate students. You don't get to be president of student council two years running by pissing off the people who voted for you.

“I'm sorry, Sheela, but Lisa is the least tolerant person I've met in my whole life. If you don't eat what she eats, think how she thinks, and do exactly what she says, you get a three-hour lecture.”

Sheela laughed. “She is a strong dose. But you have to hand it to her, she's incredibly dedicated to her causes.”

Kelly snorted. “Yeah, all four hundred of them. I heard she's organizing a rally in the Piazza del Popolo tomorrow—something about saving the exploited worker bees of the endangered Martian grasslands.”

Sheela burst out laughing, a belly-busting, mouth-wide-open laugh. It was music to Kelly's ears, and it sounded a whole lot better than opera.

Kelly met Joe down in the lounge for movie night that evening. She neatly avoided Lisa and Minnie, who both glared at her, and settled down on a couch next to Joe. Scoping the room, she noticed that Sheela was sitting with Jarvis, deep in conversation.

“Look at the lovebirds,” Joe cracked. “How sweet.”

“It is, actually,” Kelly said. “He's the perfect kind of guy to get Sheela out of her shell—you know, bookish, and not intimidating.”

Joe smirked. “Translation: The guy's lame.”

“Whatever,” Kelly said. “If she's happy, I'm happy.”

The movie flickered onto the screen. It was hard to concentrate with Joe playing with her hair and whispering in her ear. Kelly looked up and caught Sheela glaring at them. Guiltily, she shushed Joe. Sheela and Joe were both important to Kelly, and she wanted them to get along. But she was starting to think that only a diplomat could make that happen.

Kelly sat under a shady tree in the school courtyard Sunday morning, making a list in her notebook. She was tired of trying to break into the tight clique of day-schoolers in the cafeteria, and the nerdy program kids bored her. Joe didn't “do” breakfast, and even if he did, Kelly knew it would take a crowbar to get him out of bed before 10 A.M. Recently, she had taken to bringing her yogurt and coffee outside every morning. Goth Girl was sitting on a bench nearby, and glanced up from her book to give Kelly a mock salute.

It didn't matter. In the two and a half weeks she'd been in Italy, this was the first time Kelly was truly excited about something. At dinner the night before, Dr. Wainwright had announced that whoever was interested could join him for a trip to the shore.

“Lido di Ostia is not the prettiest beach in the world, but I love it for two reasons. First, it's only a half hour away on the metro. Second, Ostia Antica was the major seaport of ancient Rome and its base of naval operations during the heyday of the empire. Where else in the world can you find a festive seaside resort sitting cheek by jowl with some pretty spectacular Roman ruins?

“We'll get in a little history and still have plenty of time to soak up some rays. And I promise I won't wear my Speedo.” Dr. Wainwright had guffawed.

Kelly had smiled over at Joe, who gave her a big wink and the “hang loose” sign.

The group was leaving right after breakfast, so Kelly hustled down to her storage bin to grab the new black bikini she'd bought especially for this summer. With her mom's voice echoing in her ears, she grabbed sunscreen and her straw hat. Then she bolted up the five flights to her room to grab a couple of her reading assignments and the fashion magazine Starr had just sent her.

 

 

Lido di Ostia was a bit seedy and run-down, but there were loads of pizzerias, bars, and seafood restaurants scattered along the beach, along with some old-timey hotels that needed a paint job. The group staked out a patch of sand and spread out their towels. Kelly settled back to people-watch. Big Italian grandmas romped in the surf with toddlers beside young couples in skimpy bathing suits. Families laid out elaborate picnic lunches, complete with wine, on their beach blankets. One thing she could say for sure: Italians knew how to eat.

Wonder of wonders, Sheela had actually come on the trip. She had been on the fence all morning, and it took serious coaxing from Kelly to get her on the metro. She was about as scantily dressed as Kelly had seen her in years—normal-length shorts and a properly fitting T-shirt, with a bathing suit peeking out underneath. Sheela had sexy, womanly curves that other girls would have loved to show off. But back home, while Kelly's other friends casually strutted around the locker room in thongs, Sheela cringed if anyone caught even a glimpse of her bra. Kelly was glad to see her loosening up a little.

Best of all, Sheela was sitting with Jarvis again. The two of them were talking up a storm, and the way Sheela was laughing and leaning forward was unmistakable—in her own quiet way, she was flirting! The little devil knew how to have fun, after all. Kelly felt strangely proud of her—she had learned from the master. Maybe Kelly would take her aside and give her a few extra pointers later.

Kelly pulled out her sketch pad and scanned the beach for a subject. Andrea was walking toward her, a pair of to-die-for sandals on her pedicured feet. Kelly wondered where she'd bought them.

“Hey, Kelly,” Andrea said. “I'm glad to see you brought your sketch pad. Does that mean you're working on the assignment that was due Friday?”

Kelly's heart was hammering. How could she have forgotten? Andrea had asked the art-history students to choose a building or person of historical significance to Rome and do a rendering in charcoal. The class was only held Tuesdays and Thursdays, but Andrea wanted the kids to have as much time as possible to work on their drawings. So she'd given them until Friday afternoon to hand them in. Kelly had completely spaced out; she hadn't even decided on a subject, let alone started sketching.

Andrea leaned forward to look at the open page of Kelly's drawing pad. A lone seagull, drawn in pencil, soared across the page.

“That's lovely,” Andrea said, “but not quite the historical subject I was looking for.”

Kelly blushed. “Andrea, I'm so sorry. I completely forgot. May I please have until tomorrow to get it to you?”

Andrea looked at Kelly for a long moment, then sighed. “Tomorrow morning, eight A.M.”

Kelly brightened. “Thank you so much! I'll get started on it right away!”

Andrea nodded. “I've heard you've been late to several classes recently. If you're soaking up all of the wonderful opportunities that Italy has to offer, that's great, but please keep in mind that you're here to learn, too. You have too much talent to let it go to waste.”