Free Some Kind of Wonderful by J. Minter Page A

necklace was slightly longer than a choker and was actually kind
     of great.
    "You made this?" I said, still a little out of it from my intense dream.
    Meredith grinned and nodded. "I found the abalone shells in the scavenger hunt. And I met some of the absolute greatest people.
     I can't wait to introduce you tonight. Everyone's going to this bonfire. Anyway, when I came home, I just knew the shells
     would look great with my new beads. Check out how great Judith's looks."
    Judith stepped forward and modeled the necklace she was wearing. It did look really cool. But I was still stuck on what Meredith
     had said about the scavenger hunt. Exactly which absolute greatest people had she met?
    "I don't know if it's the necklace that suits you so well," Meredith said to Judith, "or if you just look so much better without
     that trig book weighing you down."
    "Ha-ha, shut up," Judith said. "Let's put Flan's necklace on her."
    I stood up and let the girls fasten the necklace. When I looked at it in the mirror, all I could think of was how grateful
     I was to be awake, and that it was my own reflection I saw before me—not Kennedy Pearson's.

Chapter 9
    OUT OF THE SHELL AND INTO THE FIRE
    A n hour later, we were ready to party. Judith was wearing a jean skirt and a bright orange graphic T-shirt that said MEET ME
     IN RIO. Mer had on a long red sarong that she'd wrapped herself in like an origami doll. And I was wearing a short cream-colored
     tunic dress with a purple hibiscus flower in my hair. All three of us were sporting Meredith's new necklaces, and there were
     no sensible shoes or boat-neck tops or mismatched patterns to be found.
    We made our way toward the circle of tiki torches that outlined the bonfire below. I could hear the buzz of the party competing
     with the sound of the waves washing up on the shore. The sun was setting, and a few stars were already popping out. I was
     definitely in the mood for some fun, but I was still a little bit nervous about whom we'd find when we got there.
    "Oh my God," Meredith breathed as we got close enough to see what people were wearing. "Everyone's so glamorous. From a purely
     artistic perspective, this is amazing."
    She was right. It was definitely a posh-looking crew. The poncho girls had shed their cover-ups and were making do in Pucci
     bikini tops and designer cutoffs. A group of kids were trying to have a hula hoop contest, but they kept tripping over their
     feet and collapsing on top of each other in fits of laughter.
    "They're not even doing it right," Judith huffed, flipping her blond hair over her shoulders. She still sounded stressed,
     and I knew I needed to figure out a way to get her to relax and have some fun. But I was feeling pretty preoccupied myself,
     scanning the party for Kennedy's dark, wavy hair.
    "Um, I think it's because they've had a little bit of the island punch, Judith," I said distractedly.
    Judith crossed her arms over her chest, looking slightly put out.
    Meredith waved at a few kids as we walked into the thick of the crowd. "Hey, Paul," she said to a boy with white-blond hair.
     He was the guy Judith had picked during Would You Rather at the airport.
    "Hi, Rena," Mer said to a superskinny girl with big eyes and a splash of freckles across her nose. "You have to meet my friends,
     Flan and Judith," she said. And then, turning to us, she explained, "We bonded on the scavenger hunt today."
    "How's it going?" I said.
    "Awesome," Paul said, sounding like a total surfer. "How huge is this bonfire?"
    "Huge!" Judith agreed, and I was glad to see her smile.
    The bonfire was so large that it was impossible to see the other side of it. But we could hear a lot of people laughing over
     there, and it seemed like that was where the action was, so we kept walking around the circle.
    When we reached the other side, I stopped short. It shouldn't have surprised me to see Kennedy Pearson holding court with
     about fifteen of the most popular-looking kids on the beach,