Free Daddy's Little Angel by Shani Petroff Page B

better. Anyone watching me must have thought I was a loon standing there talking to gym equipment. “I don’t care. Will you give me a break? Just go.”
    “What are you doing? Giving the ball a pep talk?” Reid called out to me.
    “Ha!” I yelled back. “Nothing like that. Just have a habit of singing to myself.” My heart started racing. I looked back at the ball. “Please, go.”
    “Come on,” Reid said.
    I took a deep breath and tossed the ball, Lou and all, to Reid. Only he tried to give it back.
    “Your serve,” he said.
    I shook my head. “I’m no good at it.”
    Reid bounced the ball over to me, anyway. Lou was still on it. “No,” I said sharply. “Cut it out.” Reid thought I was talking to him, but Lou knew what I meant. His face finally faded away.
    “It’s okay. Hit it to Big Ben,” Reid said, referring to Max. “He can’t hit for his life.”
    Not that I could either. I scanned everyone on the other team. I froze when I saw Cole looking back at me. My eyes caught his, and I quickly looked away. A few seconds later, I glanced back up. He was still watching me. Probably because I had been acting like such a loon. But then he gave me a little wink. Or maybe it was an eye twitch. I don’t know, but it was something.
    I served the ball, but didn’t hit it hard enough. It wasn’t going to make it over. My body stiffened. I felt rotten. I let my team down. But then Reid came to my rescue. Right before the ball hit the ground he got it back in play. Nobody even called him out on assisting with a serve or anything.
    A major jolt of adrenaline rushed through me. I didn’t need Lou’s help. I had friends.

chapter 20
    Gabi headed to the cafeteria with me but stopped two classrooms away. “I’m not going to lunch. I told Mrs. Torin I’d start using the period to work on the sets and costumes.”
    “Cool,” I responded, feeling a twinge of guilt. I was pretty positive she decided to skip lunch because she knew I wanted to be at Courtney’s table. But I’d make it up to her. Once I solidified my spot with the popular kids, I’d totally convince them to bring her in. Then everything would be perfect.
    Courtney and Jaydin passed us by. “See you at lunch, Angel,” Courtney said without stopping or acknowledging Gabi in any way.
    Gabi didn’t say a word about Courtney’s rude behavior. But she didn’t need to.
    “I’m going to get them to see how great you are,” I promised her. “They’ll love you just as much as I do.”
    “Doubt it. But I don’t care. I don’t need them, anyway,” she said.
    “Okay, but I need you . And I want all of my friends to get along.” Gabi pursed her lips together when I called them “my friends.” I pleaded with her with my eyes. “So when they invite you to eat with them, you have to say yes. Please. Promise me you will,” I begged.
    “Fine, whatever,” Gabi said. “It’s not like it’s going to happen, anyway.”
    I didn’t bother trying to convince her, I was going to show her instead. Pretty soon, Gabi would be sitting next to me at Courtney’s table. I was sure of it.
    We parted ways, and I went to the cafeteria alone. It felt weird. For the first time since sixth grade, I was not going to be sitting at my table in the back corner. I was going to be with the popular crowd. Yeah, I was there yesterday, but only for a few minutes. This was a whole lunch period. Definitely different.
    Still . . . I wouldn’t be eating with Gabi. That was also a first.
    “You’re going to have to drop that loser,” Courtney said as soon as I sat down.
    “What?”
    “Don’t act all stupid.” She tossed a chip into her mouth. “You know who I mean. Gabi’s a major dork.”
    “You just have to get to know her better,” I assured Courtney. “Then you’ll see she’s superfunny and cool.”
    Courtney made a face like she just found out I was having Rottweiler for lunch.
    “Anyway,” she said, her eyes extra-bright. “I hear someone has a