Page 11 of Pretty When She Breaks
Right now, we weren’t the boring, fancy Fairchild heirs in our big, fancy casino. We were just sneaky street rats, and street rats were fast.
We had to be, or we’d get into big trouble.
Like, hand-choppy trouble.
I’d got to borrow Jule's pants today, and running in them was easy-peasy. Even if they were a bit long and I’d had to roll them up.
I almost dropped a pastry but held on tight as I slid around the corner and through the big red doors to our secret hideout. I mean, it was really just an empty theatre, but we’d made it ours.
Jule whooped as he jumped down the aisles like a monkey, making me laugh again. We raced onto the stage and behind the curtain, flopping down.
We were giggling so hard we couldn’t breathe. When fancyevents were happening in the banquet halls, there was always the best food.
That meant street rats: Go!
“We made it!” I said. “No hand-choppy today.”
“You only got three snacks?” Jule looked at my pastries and shook his head with a smile. “You’re hopeless. You’re gonna starve.”
“Hey.” I stuck out my tongue. “You got bigger arms. And you’re faster, so no fair.”
“Well,” he sighed. “I guess I’ll share. But only because I need you as my emergency snack in case I get hungry later.”
I laughed as I poked him in the stomach and then shrieked as he started tickling me back.
Finally, he let me go, and I bit into one of my snacks. “This is so yummy,” I said with my mouth full. Crumbs went everywhere. Oops.
Jule wagged his finger at me. “My, my, how impolite, little lady.”
“I’m not a lady, I’m a street rat!” I pointed at my pants while I wriggled my legs.
Being a street rat was the best.
It meant I didn't have to sit up straight or use fancy napkins or wear an itchy dress. I could be as loud and silly as I wanted. I’d even made Jule come roll in the garden dirt with me so we’d look like real street rats.
After we ate, we raced to the lobby downstairs.
Street rats were also really good at climbing, and Jule said there was a secret passage behind the fighting pits we could climb up. We were looking for a new hideout, and he said it was perfect.
But when we got to the lobby, Jule stopped so fast I bumped into him.
“Hey!” I said, but then I saw why he stopped.
Our father was standing by the front desk.
Oh no.
“But he’s supposed to be away for another day,” I whispered, tugging Jule’s sleeve. “He’s gonna be so mad.”
“Quick,” Jule said, pushing me back. “He hasn’t seen us yet?—”
But it was too late.
Father saw us.
“Julius? Laurel?” he said, his face going angry like a storm cloud. He marched toward us.
I felt my lip wobble, and my eyes got all wet.
