He's With Me (14 page)

“Exactly,” Lexie said. “So instead you got a chlubby T-shirt-and-shorts

girlfriend.”

“You mean adorable girlfriend,” he said with a grin, and pushed off.

Lexie’s heart ached as she watched him sail down the block.
Why does he

have to be so cute? Why can’t this be real? When is it going to end?

And...what’s going to happen to me when this is over?

Chapter 13

Friday morning arrived.

“Are you ready?” Jake said as Lexie walked down the steps of the porch.

“Ready?” she asked.

“For the pool volleyball finals!” he said. “We’re going to win! Rarrr!” He did a cute

goofy victory dance, crashed into his bike, and tipped over onto the lawn. She

giggled.

“It’s like I always say,” Jake said from the grass. “Coordination, grace, the

ability to stay upright...all totally unnecessary in the pool.”

“I think our team would have a better chance of winning if I
didn’t
play,”

Lexie said.

“No way,” he said, scrambling to his feet. “You have to play. You’re

essential. You’re the heart and soul of the team! Besides, we need five players or

Cynthia will disqualify us. You know her; she’s a stickler for rules.” He grinned and

she smacked his shoulder.

“Oh, it’s nice to be so vital,” Lexie said.

As he pedaled down the driveway, she checked her shoulder bag again. Her

black bathing suit, a book to read, sunscreen a change of clothes were all there.

Why did she have the weird feeling that something was missing?

She must be imagining things. She waved to Colin, who was standing in his

window, and took off after Jake.

During tennis, she left her bag, as usual, with the other bags over by the

benches under the shelter. She could see it from the courts, but she didn’t pay

much attention to it, since she was focusing on trying to hit the ball.

It wasn’t until the girls went into the changing room at the pool that Lexie

opened her bag again.

A sick, nervous feeling shot through her stomach.

Her bathing suit was missing!

She shoved the rest of her things aside, feeling around at the bottom of the

bag. Then she sat down on the bench and dumped it out, putting everything back

in piece by piece.

It was definitely, definitely gone.

Her breathing seemed to have sped up and she felt on the verge if panic.

Without the bathing suit, she couldn’t play, which meant letting down Jake and

the team. Sure, it was only a dumb volleyball game, but she would still feel awful

about it. And Cynthia was going to be mad. Lexie wondered if you could get

detention at summer camp.

“Oh,
dear
,” Bree said, and Lexie turned to find her leaning against the

nearest mirror. “What on earth’s the matter? You look so pale, Lexie, dear.”

Sally popped her head out of a stall a few doors down, as if the tone of

Bree’s voice had aroused her suspicions.

“My bathing suit,” Lexie said. “It’s gone, but I’m so sure I packed it this

morning...” A horrible suspicion hit her. She looked up at Bree, whose fake

concerned expression couldn’t hide the smirk in her cold blue eyes. “Did – did y –”

“And it’s your only one, isn’t it?” Bree said sweetly. “That is
so
sad. What

are
you going to do? Your poor boyfriend is so excited about winning this

tournament. Oh,
dear
.”

“Bree!” Sally said, stomping over. “What did you do?”

“I didn’t do anything,” Bree said, batting her eyelashes. “Poor Lexie has lost

her bathing suit. And I’m still not speaking to you. Oh, I have a
great
idea, Lexie.”

“’Great’ meaning ‘humiliating’, I’m sure,” Sally said, her arms crossed.

“Why don’t we check the lost and found?” Bree said, ignoring Sally. She

pranced over to a large cardboard box in the corner. “Maybe your bathing suit is

here... or
maybe
there’s
another
one you can wear!” With a flourish, she yanked a bathing suit out of the box and brandished it at Lexie.

It was the most hideous thing Lexie had ever seen. It was a mustard yellow

with giant bright pink flowers all over it. There were ruffles at the sleeves, ruffles around the waist, ruffles at the thigh. And it was obviously about three sizes too

big for Lexie.

“Perfect!” Bree exclaimed. “I mean, considering you don’t have anything

else. I guess you either wear this, or you ruin everything for your boyfriend.

Hmmmm.” She touched one of her long, manicured fingernails to her chin and

pretended to look thoughtful, which on Bree looked more like she was trying to

pick a new nail color.

“Bree, give her back her bathing suit,” Sally snapped. “Give it back right

now.”

“I don’t have it,” Bree said. “I suppose you could search all over

Summerlodge for it.... It must be around here somewhere, right?” She smiled, and

Lexie felt cold all over.

What was she going to do? She’d never get Bree to give her the suit, and it

must be somewhere hard to find. But she did
not
want to wear the yellow

flowered monstrosity. If she had any chance of Jake ever wanting to really date

her, his seeing her in that would definitely kill it.

Sally looked as worried as Lexie felt. A whistle blew out by the pool.

“Lexie, I have to go out there,” Sally said. Her team was up first, playing

another team for third place. “You have a little while before your team has to

play. You’ll think of something, don’t worry.” Sally started toward the door, then

turned and hurried ack. She dug into her bag, pulled out her cell phone, and

pressed it into Lexie’s hand. “In case you need it,” she whispered. “And I’ve

changed my mind. Bree is crazy
and
evil.” She gave Lexie a quick hug and ran out to the pool.

Bree dropped the yellow bathing suit on the bench next to Lexie. “See you

out there,” she said smugly, and strolled after Sally, winding her lavender towel

around her waist as she went.

Lexie stared down at the phone in her hand.

There was one other option....

She touched the yellow bathing suit and pulled back her hand with a

shudder. Had Bree planted it in the lost and found box? Was it just her luck that

there really was something so hideous in there? Did that mean someone else had

worn it before? It gave her the heebie0jeebies just thinking about wearing it.

She switched on the phone and dialed home.

She was hoping Colin would answer, but instead it was her mom’s cheery

voice that said, “Hello, hello, Willis residence!”

“Hi, Mom,” Lexie said, wincing. “Um – is Colin there?”

“No, he’s not, sweetie,” Mrs. Willis said. “Is everything okay? Aren’t you

supposed to be in some activity class right now?”

“Yeah,” Lexie said slowly. Where the heck was Colin again, in the middle of

the day? If only he were there, she wouldn’t have to let her mom know what

she’d done with the red bikini. But she had no choice.

With a sigh, Lexie said, “Mom, can you do me a favor?”

“Sure, honey. What is it?”

“I, um,” Lexie said, “I forgot my bathing suit.”

“And you have the pool volleyball finals today, don’t you?” her mom said.

Lexie could never predict what her mother would remember and what would just

fly out of her brain the minute it went in.

“That’s right,” Lexie said. “So I need the red bikini. Could you bring it to

me?”

“Absolutely,” her mom said. She sounded so pleased to be able to help.

Lexie felt extra guilty about what was going to happen next. “Where is it?”

“In my room,” Lexie said. She could hear her mom’s footstep going up the

stairs, and the creak of her hinges as Mrs. Willis went into her room.

“Is it in the closet?” Mrs. Willis asked.

“Um. No,” Lexie said. “It’s... under the bed.”

There was a pause. Lexie heard rummaging noises, and then another pause.

Finally her mother said. “Lexie, it still has the tags on.”

Lexie could picture her mother standing in her bedroom, holding the red

bikini with a crestfallen look on her face.

“I know, Mom,” Lexie said. “I’m sorry.”

“You haven’t worn it?”

“I’ve been wearing the black one,” Lexie said, “but I really want to wear

that one today.”

“Oh, Lexie,” her mom said. “You don’t have to wear it if you don’t like it.”

“I do!” Lexie said. “I mean, I need it. As soon as possible. Please, Mom?”

“I’ll be right there,” her mom said.

Lexie hung up the phone with a sigh of relief. She dreaded the thought of

wearing the bikini, but it couldn’t be as embarrassing as the mustard-yellow

ruffles.

Out by the pool, Bree was lounging on the bleachers next to Riley, She

raised her eyebrows at Lexie and made ruffling motions with her hands next to

her shoulders.

Lexie scooted up to Cynthia, who was watching the volleyball with the

intensity of a bird of prey.

“I forgot my bathing suit,” Lexie said. “My mom’s bringing it. Can I go meet

her?”

Cynthia barked, “Yes! Hurry, but don’t run! And don’t do it again!” without

taking her eyes off the game.

Lexie ran down the path to the parking lot, ignoring Cynthia’s instructions.

She had been standing there for only a minute when her mother pulled in. Lexie

nearly threw herself through the driver’s-side window, she was so pleased to see

her.

“Thanks you, Mom!” she cried. “You saved me, you really did.”

“Are you sure you want this?” Mrs. Willis said, holding the bikini out of

arm’s reach. “We shouldn’t cut off the tags if you just want to return it.”

“I do want it,” Lexie said, leaning in the window. “I do, I promise. Please,

please, please.”

“All right,” her mom said, cutting off the tags with a pair of scissors. “But,

Lexie, you should always tell me if I get you something you don’t like.”

“Impossible,” Lexie said, grabbing the bikini and kissing her mom on the

cheek. “Thank you! Bye!” She ran back across the parking lot and all the way back

to the swimming pool, although she remembered to slow down as she passed

Cynthia.

Had that been a surprised look on Bree’s face as she went by? Lexie hoped

so. She couldn’t wait for Bree to realize that her evil plan had been foiled. Unless,

of course, the bikini looked as terrible as Lexie was afraid it would.

She jumped into a stall and undressed quickly, carefully putting her bead

necklace in the zipper pocket of her bag. The top of the bikini was a halter top,

but luckily not the kind you had to tie in the back. Lexie was always afraid those

would come undone – or, with her luck, Bree would probably untie it while her

back was turned. But this just slid over her neck, and the back was a hook that

even Bree couldn’t undo without Lexie catching her.

The bottom was simple and fit her perfectly, with a cute decorative know

tied at either hip. And the whole thing was a solid wine red, which, if Lexie had

had
to pick a bikini, was what she would have picked.

The whistle blew out by the pool. The first game must be over. Panic hit

Lexie again. Now she had to walk out there like this! She glanced down at her

stomach and wondered what kind of girl-hating designer had come up with the

idea of bikinis in the first place.

Still better than the mustard-yellow ruffles
, she reminded herself.

The whistle blew again. Taking a deep breath, Lexie slipped on her flip-flops

and ran out of the stall, grabbing a towel on her way to the pool. She had time

only to glance in the mirror as she went by, but she prayed that nobody would

even notice her new bathing suit.

No such luck. As she dropped her towel on the bleachers, Lexie could feel

Bree glaring at her, as if blunt icicles were jabbing into the back of her neck. She

was kicking off her flip-flops when Riley popped up beside her.

“
Dude
,” he said. “You are so
smoking
. I
love
it. Why didn’t you wear this suit every day?”

“Um,” Lexie stammered, “I –”

“Oh, awesome,” Sally said, coming up behind her and giving her a giant wet

hug. “This is exactly the comeuppance Bree deserves. For you to turn around and

look so
amazing
. Holy cow.”

“It’s nothing,” Lexie mumbled.

“Oh, yeah?” Sally said. “Your boyfriend doesn’t seem to think it’s nothing.”

She pointed across the pool at Jake, who was staring at Lexie with an unreadable

expression on his face. It made Lexie nervous. He looked like he’d never seen her

before in his life.

“All right, come on, people!” Cynthia yelled. “Enough chitchat! Into the

pool!”

She didn’t have to say it twice. Lexie couldn’t wait to get underwater and

out of sight.

“I see your sinister plan, you know,” Riley said, leaning over the ladder as

she scrambled down it. “You’re trying to distract me with your hotness so your

team will win.” He wagged a reprimanding finger at her.

She didn’t know what to say to that. Why did he keep flirting with her? He

knew about Jake. And it sure seemed like Bree would be interested in dating him,

if he’d just turn his charm on her.

Luckily, she didn’t have to answer, because Riley slouched off to the other

side of the net without waiting for a response. Lexie slid into the water and swam