Free No One's Watching by Sandy Green Page B

Everyone scrambled for Nicki and shrieked. Our laughter rattled the door.
    â€œYou won’t even tell Dira?” I pinned one of Nicki’s wrists to the door.
    â€œShe’s been so secretive lately.” Dira pinned the other one.
    â€œHow did she manage to make a date when you guys are together all the time?” Candace poked at Nicki. “Have you seen anyone talking to her?”
    Nicki wiggled. “Ahem. I’m still here.”
    We laughed and let her go.
    Nicki reached into her shorts pocket and pulled out a cell phone. “This helps.”
    Dira snatched it from her. “Where’d you get a cell? I didn’t know you had one.”
    Nicki hopped as Dira held the tiny, flat phone above her head. “Give it back. I can’t jump and laugh at the same time.”
    â€œThese are illegal, young lady.” Candace jumped for it. “You could get kicked out of camp.”
    â€œYou could? I thought the administrators would just confiscate it.” I blinked.
    â€œYou didn’t read the fine print.” Candace plopped on her bed, and Dira tossed the phone to her. “Now to see who Nicki’s been texting.” She frowned over the screen.
    Nicki dropped her head back and laughed. “Mwaa-hahaha. You’ll never find out.”
    â€œShe’s covered her tracks too well.” Candace shook her head and showed me the phone.
    I squinted at her. “You’ve deleted your messages.”
    Candace tossed the cell phone back to Nicki, who smirked and zipped it in her pocket.
    â€œWho else has one?” I searched Nicki’s face.
    â€œSome guy.”
    â€œAnd?” Dira propped her hands on her hips.
    Nicki examined her gnawed nails. “Some other guy. And Shelly. She doesn’t even bother to hide it.”
    I frowned. “Shelly?” My heart skipped a beat and hung in midair.
    â€œNobody cares. When her cell phone slipped out of her dance bag, Mr. Jarenko handed it back to her.” Nicki slapped her thigh and laughed. She pantomimed Mr. Jarenko, complete with accent and rolled r’s. “Here, dahling. You mussn’t looz your precious mo-bile.”
    Dira and Candace rolled their eyes and groaned. “Does your mom know?” Dira asked Nicki.
    â€œI convinced her I’d use it only in emergencies.” Nicki exaggerated a wink.
    Candace clucked. “A date isn’t an emergency.”
    Nicki sighed. “It is with me.”
    Candace’s eyes grew wide. “Let Kit use it to call her mom about her Irish dance performance piece before Shelly has a chance to.”
    Nicki reached in her pocket and offered me her cell phone. “Here.”
    I stared at the lighted dial until it turned off.
    â€œGo on,” Candace urged.
    â€œI can’t.” I swallowed. “What would I tell my mom? I have a ballet solo and lie? Or I have an alternate dance? Something I can’t even explain to myself?” I squeezed my head with my hands.
    Nicki dropped it back in her pocket.
    I stared at a smudge on the wall in the shape of New Jersey next to Candace’s poster of tiny ballet girls at the barre , stuck on the fact Shelly had a cell phone and wasn’t afraid to use it.
    Borrowing Nicki’s cell phone to call Mom was out of the question. I wouldn’t know what to say.
    Would Shelly call her mom and tell her all about me? There was a better than average possibility she would. Or has she already done the nasty deed? I needed to get that phone out of Shelly’s sweaty, little hands.
    Now.

Chapter Thirteen

    Okay. I had two goals for this evening. Stop any romance budding between Blake and Shelly. Not because he was my dance partner. Which he was — temporarily, until I harangued Mrs. Ricardo for a spot, at least, with the character dancers. Not because Shelly didn’t deserve him. She didn’t, and I was in mean mode. Besides, I was sure she didn’t like him that way and leading him on