Free Reunited by Hilary Weisman Graham Page B

Michael. Michael, this is Summer.”
    “Hey,” Summer said, sizing him up. She had to hand it to Tiernan, Michael was pretty hot for a biker—skinny but muscular, with broad shoulders and a devilish smile.
    “Hey,” Michael said.
    “Guess where we’re going?” Tiernan didn’t wait for an answer. “Michael knows about a secret swimming hole a couple miles from here. He says it’s the most pristine water you’ve ever swum in.”
    Summer wrinkled her nose.
    “Aw, don’t say no, darlin’,” Michael begged. “It’s a night destined to be spent swimming under the stars.” He pointed to the sky— as if Summer didn’t know where the stars were —his eyes lit up in the moonlight.
    “What about Alice?” Summer asked. “Is she going?”
    “She sure is,” said Phred, ambling up to the Pea Pod, hisarm slung around Alice’s shoulder. “We gotta find some way to cool off from this heat.”
    Toad trailed behind Alice and Phred, shooting Summer a hopeful smile. In your dreams, kid , Summer thought, quickly extinguishing his grin with an icy stare.
    “I think it would be fun for all of us to go for a swim,” Alice said perkily. She and Phred were wearing matching green glow-stick headbands, like halos. “But I don’t think we should leave anyone here by themselves.”
    “I don’t mind,” Summer said. “I was just about to go to sleep anyway.”
    They probably all thought she was a big old stick-in-the-mud, when in reality it was more like, Been there, done that . Summer and her friends back home partied at the Walford quarry zillions of times. She didn’t need to tag along for amateur hour.
    “But you have to come.” Michael frowned at Summer, then Tiernan. “I thought you said this could be our party bus.”
    “Wait a minute.” Alice looked concerned. “You didn’t say anything about taking the Pea Pod.”
    This was the Alice Summer remembered. The girl didn’t let just anyone inside her precious Pea Pod.
    “Well, how else are we gonna get six people to the swimmin’ hole, darlin’?” Michael asked. “On the back of my bike?”
    Summer’s throat loosened. If Alice shut down Michael’s plan, Summer didn’t have to be the bad guy. And Alice would never agree to pile everyone back into the Pea Podafter she’d spent all night complaining about how sick of driving she was.
    “It’s only a couple miles away, right, Michael?” Tiernan asked in that sugary high-pitched voice she used whenever she was trying to get her way. The sad thing was, the girl spent so much time being ornery that people fell all over themselves whenever she showed the tiniest ounce of sweetness.
    “Come on, Alice.” Phred gave her a pitiful-looking pout. “You know we’ll have fun.”
    “Well . . .” Alice was wavering. “If it’s okay with Summer.”
    Now everyone was staring at her, making it impossible to say no without seeming like a total bitch. And even if she did, Tiernan and Alice would probably just overrule her anyway. The dynamic duo had already shut her down once today in the oh-so-democratic vote that had brought them to this hippieville.
    “Dude, you’re either on the bus or off the bus,” Toad chimed in. Of course the two stoners of the group were on their side.
    “Fine,” Summer said, against her better judgment.
    “Alrighty then,” said Tiernan. “Let’s load her up.”
    Summer stood on the grass as they piled into the van—Alice behind the wheel, Michael in the passenger’s seat to navigate, Tiernan on a milk crate in the back, which left Summer stuck sitting between Toad and Phred on the bench seat. Joy.
    By the time pavement turned to dirt, Summer knew she should have stayed in Walford, where there were streetlights onthe roads and cars drove in straight lines instead of twisting and turning in all directions. Her friends had lectured her all afternoon that coming on this trip was a bad idea. But, of course, she’d refused to admit it.
    “Are you sure I shouldn’t have taken a