Page 28 of Caught in a Bad Fauxmance
But I’m not here to become friends with Julian Seo-Cooke.
We sit in silence for a few more seconds, the breeze coming through the open window cooling the sweat on the back of my neck. Julian looks over at my cabin, nudging his head toward it like he’s granting me permission to run. I don’t need it, but I take it, reaching for the door and bolting.
The car idles on that dark patch of road until I make it to my doorstep, driving away once I pull out my keys. Just to be safe, I pat myself down before I head in. No bugs (listening or living) slipped into my pockets, or notes taped to me. Tonight was weird, but I actually managed to make it through unscathed, and maybe even earned some of Julian’s trust. A weapon worth its weight in gold.
Maybe we’ll be able to pull this off after all.
CHAPTER EIGHT
Maya puts her megaphone to work the second it arrives.
The morning after the cocktail party from hell, a shrill siren jolts me awake. A quick look around confirms the apocalypse hasn’t come early—it’s just Maya. After the megaphone’s blaring doesn’t do the trick, she resorts to banging on every bedroom door, summoning us in a colorful mix of Spanglish expletives.
Everyone shuffles into the living room, where she’s waiting for us in her usual training gear.
“Good morning, team!”
“Why?” is all I can manage to say.
She rolls her eyes before shepherding us into the kitchen. “We need to go sign up for the games ASAP.”
Dear God. I know the games are high stakes this year, but not enough to make us be first in line for sign-ups. Registering early doesn’t give us an advantage. Sure, we’ll finallyknow what events we’re up against, but that’s a moot point considering we’ve already started training.
Dad and Isabel don’t put up a fight, blearily walking to the coffee maker. Maya pulls me aside while they’re distracted, elbowing me in the ribs once she has me alone. “You’re supposed to agree with me, dingus. We need to get in and out before the Seo-Cookes show up.” She flicks my forehead. “Unless you want to play Future Mr. Seo-Cooke in front of Dad.”
The warning wakes me up faster than five cups of coffee. Nothing like the fear of pretending to date your archenemy in front of your dad to get you going. “Right.”
Panic in place, I help Maya hustle everyone out of the kitchen as fast as we can. It’s easy enough to convince Andy to face the morning after promising him homemade breakfast in exchange for the trek.
We’re not sure what to expect from sign-ups, but none of us could’ve anticipated that a small crowd would be gathered around the bulletin board in front of the visitors center.
“Where did all these people come from?” Maya scans the crowd, shaking her head in disbelief.
I can’t place any of the faces, though they do look more like the crowd I’ve come to expect at Lake Andreas. Swim trunks and halter dresses paired with oversized sunglasses and vicious sunburns. They don’t take the time to chat and mingle either like the locals from my memories. They bustle in and out of the visitors center, grabbing flyers and downing coffees from Dixon’s.
“I thought Old Bob said they were having trouble getting people to sign up for the games this year,” I say, scanning the crowd for any sign of the Seo-Cookes.
Andy clears his throat to collect our attention, then holds up a flyer he grabbed off the ground. “Isn’t this that new water park?”
Smack at the top of the Winter Games flyer is a very new addition. A massive Allegheny Park logo beneath the wordsProudly Sponsored By.
Old Bob appears out of nowhere, leaning heavily on his eagle head cane after snatching the flyer out of Andy’s hand. “The Alleghenys havegraciouslyoffered to host this year’s Winter Games at the park. And donated a family pack of season memberships as the grand prize,” he says through gritted teeth as he balls up the flyer and tosses it into the trash. “Thought they’d ‘give back to the community’ by helping us generate some buzz.”
It’s bad enough Allegheny Park has sucked up Old Bob’s usual business. Now they’re taking his magnum opus: the games.
“We’ll actually get to go inside the park? For free?!” Andy asks, practically bouncing on his toes.
If looks could kill, Old Bob would’ve murdered Andy in cold blood. Thankfully, he huffs off to return to his place behind the sign-up table instead, leaving Andy to audibly gulp in relief.
“That explains the crowd,” Maya whispers to me once Old Bob is out of earshot.
At least the admission fees go to a good cause. Lake Andreas could use a face-lift. Still, more contestants mean more competition. Though I can’t imagine anyone here knows what they’re getting into stepping onto a Seo-Cooke/Báez battlefield.
“Dev, go check out the schedule,” Maya orders, pushingme toward the bulletin board. “I’ll fill out the form. Then we’re out of here.” She loops her arm through Andy’s, bringing him with her to the table.
Another scan of the crowd confirms that the Seo-Cookes aren’t around—yet. If we’re quick, we can make it out of here in the next five minutes. I make my way to the front of the crowd, noting the list of events. There’s nothing out of the ordinary. Pie eating, two memorization challenges, a tug-of-war, along with a handful of other events, all leading up to a game of capture the flag in the event of a tie. Not so off base from what Maya predicted, though she’d been hoping for a three-legged race instead of a 5K. That might be a problem, considering my inability to run more than five feet without feeling like my lungs are going to collapse. But it’s too early in the game to be a pessimist. I snap a picture of the schedule to be safe.
The crowd has emptied out, making it easier to spot the rest of my group. Maya and Andy are almost to the front of the sign-up line, Dad and Isabel are making small talk with the Khans—who are in town after all—and Liam is handing out Allegheny Park coupons.
