Page 28 of Hot Shot

We’re soon bouncing around on the trampolines in special lime-green socks, Carrie and Hayden cautious and a little awkward, Beck, Cade and I are daredevils who compete to see who can go higher and how many flips in a row we can do, bouncing from one black square to another. Then we race each other from one end of the park to the other, running over the black squares. I shout as I get going so fast I lose control and trip and crash. I lie there laughing my ass off as Cade and Beck slam into the angled trampoline wall at the same time, bounce off, and fall down too.

We try out the basketball nets, endeavoring to outshoot each other as we jump higher and higher.

“Not that low net!” Beck calls to Cade. “Only the high one, come on, man!”

The girls follow and start jumping at the lower net while the guys compete at the high one.

“Yeah!” I sink a ball.

Cade goes next and somehow misses his footing on the last bounce and crashes down. “Dude!” I cry. “You couldn’t hit water if you fell out of a boat.”

“Roses are red, violets are blue.” Cade bounces back behind Marco. “I have five fingers, the third one’s for you.”

I watch Carrie collapse in laughter.

“Let’s go jump off those blocks,” Beck says, tossing his ball aside.

As we climb up, Hayden sees us and let’s out a screech. “No! Don’t jump off there!”

“It’s fine, babe,” Beck calls to her, then he leaps into the air and flips, landing on his back. He bounces into the air with a grin.

Beck did it, so I have to try. How hard can it be?

Okay, maybe a little hard. I don’t quite get my feet under me and land on my ass, the springy net propelling me up and forward. I land on my face. It only stings a little.

“Oh my God!” Carrie and Hayden both cry at the same time. They bounce over beside me.

“Are you okay?” Carrie asks, a look of genuine concern forming a notch between her eyebrows.

I pick myself up and rub my nose. “It hurts a little, but it’s not too bad.”

Carrie gets a funny look on her face. Then she blurts, “That’s what she said.”

I stare at her, then burst out laughing. Hayden falls to her knees chortling. “Oh my God, Carrie. I can’t believe you said that.”

“Couldn’t resist.” Her blue eyes sparkle as she looks at me. “You’re crazy, Hot Shot.”

“You need to go higher, man,” Beck instructs me with an evil grin. “Tuck your knees up.”

Now Cade is attempting it as well. The three of us keep jumping higher and higher, the girls watching anxiously as they bounce around tamely. It’s kind of cute.

When I nail a flip, I thrust my arms in the air triumphantly. “Booyah!”

I watch Carrie bounce off her fine ass, twist in the air, and land facing the other way. “Nice job, Supermodel.”

She rolls her eyes, then smiles. I can’t help but notice the way her breasts jiggle with every bounce. I swallow.

“I’m not even going to try that,” Hayden says.

“Yeah, probably best that you don’t,” Beck replies.

Hayden’s head whips around and she glares at him. “What are you saying?”

“Uh . . .” Beck’s eyes widen with alarm, clearly recognizing his error. “I’m just saying, I don’t want you to get hurt, sweetheart. You can’t walk down the aisle in a cast.”

She narrows her eyes at him.

I meet Carrie’s eyes and the amusement gleaming there has me fighting a smile. We share two seconds of understanding.

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