Free Funhouse by Diane Hoh Page B

planned. You’d all better be there, or I’ll never speak to a single one of you ever again!” A coquettish smile accompanied that threat.
    “Promises, promises,” Tess murmured. Aloud, she said, “Party? You’re having a party? Now?”
    Trudy tossed her thick, blonde hair. A fat pink velvet bow sat atop it, matching her short-sleeved sweater. “Yes, Tess, I’m funny that way. I like to celebrate my birthday on the day I was born.”
    “On the day you were born,” Beak said with a grin, “your parents wouldn’t give you permission for a party.”
    “Very funny, Beak. I mean, on the anniversary of the day I was born. Quit trying so hard to be cute.”
    “Oh, it’s no effort. Comes naturally. You really having a party this Saturday?”
    “What is the matter with you people? Don’t you understand plain English? I just said I was, didn’t I?”
    “Holding a party at The Boardwalk,” Tess said, toying with her sandwich, which remained untouched in its wrapper, “is like holding a party on a runway at a busy airport! You’re just asking for trouble, Trudy. Haven’t you been paying attention? People have been getting hurt over there.”
    Trudy’s blue eyes narrowed. “Is that a threat, Tess? You were around both times something awful happened at The Boardwalk. That’s a pretty major coincidence, don’t you think?”
    Tess gasped. “That isn’t funny, Trudy! How could you even think such a thing?”
    “Cut it out, Trudy,” Sam warned. “Tess didn’t have anything to do with that stuff, and you know it.”
    “Shame on you, Trudy,” Candace scolded, her ponytail bouncing with the unusual vigor of her words, “Tess would never, ever hurt anyone!”
    Unperturbed, Trudy shrugged. “All I know,” she said stubbornly, “is that Tess was the only other person in the Funhouse when Gina fell.”
    That was too much for Tess. For all she knew, Trudy wasn’t the only person in school who felt that way. People had been staring at her all day. She’d thought it was because she looked like such a wreck, but now she wasn’t so sure.
    “Ignore her,” Candace said softly. “She’s just being mean.”
    But as comforting as the words were, they weren’t enough. Tess, biting her lip fiercely to keep herself from bursting into tears, stood up and hurried away from the table and out of the cafeteria. She was conscious of stares and whispers following her every step of the way.
    Fury fueled her steps. Wasn’t it enough that someone was torturing her with menacing notes and phone calls? Wasn’t it enough that she was alone out there in the condo, without anyone around who cared about her? Wasn’t it enough that her best friend was lying flat on her back in a hospital bed? People like Trudy had no right suspecting her. No right at all!
    Quit feeling sorry for yourself, she scolded herself. At least you’re walking on your own two feet, which is more than you can say for Gina.
    After school, Tess went straight to the Medical Center, the heavy rain forcing her to drive slowly. On the way there, she passed The Boardwalk. It was almost deserted, with only a handful of cars in the huge parking lot. That couldn’t be because of the weather, she told herself, since most of the amusement park was covered. If anything, The Boardwalk was usually busier in bad weather, since it was one of the few places in town where kids could have fun without braving the elements.
    Maybe the thing Mr. Giambone had feared was actually happening. Were people afraid to go near The Boardwalk now, after two serious accidents?
    It was at that moment, as she turned a corner toward the Medical Center, that a new thought occurred to her. Maybe … maybe people being hurt wasn’t the point at all. Maybe the actual target was The Boardwalk itself! The amusement park was hurting for business. Could that have been the goal all along? To cripple The Boardwalk? Or … could the target be the board of directors? Dade, Joey, Sheree, and Gina all had