by R. T. Martin
Copyright © 2020 by Lerner Publishing Group, Inc.
All rights reserved. International copyright secured. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means—electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise—without the prior written permission of Lerner Publishing Group, Inc., except for the inclusion of brief quotations in an acknowledged review.
Darby Creek
An imprint of Lerner Publishing Group, Inc.
241 First Avenue North
Minneapolis, MN 55401 USA
For reading levels and more information, look up this title at www.lernerbooks.com.
Image credits: Master3D/Shutterstock.com, (winding road); Staras/Getty Images, (car); MihailUlianikov/Getty Images, (crystals); Dimitrina Lavchieva/Shutterstock.com, (climbers).
Main body text set in Janson Text LT Std 12/17.5. Typeface provided by Adobe Systems.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Martin, R. T., 1988– author.
Title: Spinning out / R.T. Martin.
Description: Minneapolis : Darby Creek, [2020] | Summary: Facing a severe snowstorm while on winter break in Colorado, friends CJ and Leo, Alex and Katrina, whose relationship is already in trouble, must rely on each other to survive.
Identifiers: LCCN 2018041017 (print) | LCCN 2018048273 (ebook) | ISBN 9781541557017 (eb pdf) | ISBN 9781541556850 (lb : alk. paper)
Subjects: | CYAC: Survival—Fiction. | Blizzards—Fiction. | Dating (Social customs)—Fiction. | Friendship—Fiction.
Classification: LCC PZ7.1.M37346 (ebook) | LCC PZ7.1.M37346 Ro 2019 (print) | DDC [Fic]—dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2018041017
Manufactured in the United States of America
1-46119-43494-5/15/2019
For Meghan W.
Chapter
1
CJ heard a soft knock on her bedroom doorframe.
“Coffee?” Leo was holding two to-go cups from the coffee shop down the street.
“You’re a lifesaver.” She grabbed the cup he was holding out to her and took a sip. It was a vanilla latté, her favorite.
“You know, most of us pack the night before we go on a trip,” Leo said, smiling. “Not the morning of.”
“Shut up,” CJ said through a giggle. “I was busy.”
Leo’s face scrunched up. “Busy with what? It’s winter break.”
She turned up her chin and took on a fake serious tone. “If you must know, there was an invasion that only I could stop.”
Leo rolled his eyes. “Playing your new game again?” he asked. When she only grinned at him, he laughed. “Fair enough. You nearly done?”
CJ tossed a bottle of shampoo into her bag. “I am now!” she said and zipped the suitcase closed.
“May I?” Leo asked, gesturing toward the bag and bowing slightly.
“You may.” CJ gave a slight curtsy.
Leo chuckled as he grabbed the bag. This was an inside joke that had been going on for nearly the entire two years they’d been dating. “When are Alex and Katrina getting here?” CJ asked as they went down the stairs.
“They’re supposed to be here now,” Leo replied. “I’d wonder what’s keeping them, but . . .” He trailed off and gave CJ a knowing glance over his shoulder as they reached the bottom of the staircase.
She rolled her eyes. “I hope it’s not that again.”
“Hope it’s not what again?” CJ’s mom poked her head out from the kitchen.
“Nothing,” CJ said quickly. “Alex and Katrina have just been having some . . . problems recently.”
“Ah,” her mom said. “Well, at least the trip should be fun. You all packed?”
“Yup!”
Leo put CJ’s suitcase next to his by the front door. The one thing that CJ had done the night before was get her snowboard out. Now Leo’s was next to it, all ready to go.
“You may want to call them and see where they are.” CJ’s dad was in the living room watching the morning news. “Looks like there’s a storm that’s set to hit pretty soon. You’re going to want to get on the road sooner rather than later.”
“Cool!” Leo said, excited. “Fresh powder!”
“Could make driving difficult,” CJ’s dad continued. “Judging by the forecast, it could be pretty bad.”
Leo smiled and shook his head. “This station says every storm is going to be a disaster. How many times do they predict a blizzard, and all we get is an inch or two—sometimes nothing at all? I think they deliberately make the storms sound worse than they’re going to be just to get more viewers and boost ratings.”
“Still,” CJ’s dad said. “Better safe than sorry.”
“You’ve got all the clothes you need?” her mom asked.
“Yes, Mom,” CJ said, knowing it wouldn’t be the last question. Her mom always went through a checklist every time CJ went out of town, even if they were going somewhere together.
“All the gear for your board?”
“Yup.”
“Cell phone charger?”
“Yes, Mom, I’ve got everything I need.” Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Leo take a sip of his coffee to conceal a smile. She gave him a little slap on the arm.
“Okay,” her mom said. “Just wanted to make sure.” She paused. “You know how to get there? Do you want me to write down the address of the cabin just in case?”
“We’re fine, Mom. We all have the address saved in our phones from when we went last year. And it’s not hard to find, anyway. I’m sure Katrina knows how to get there, since it’s her uncle’s cabin.”
Leo’s phone buzzed. He pulled it out, looked at it, then spun around to look out the window. “They’re here,” he said.
“Have a good time, sweetie.” Her mom pulled CJ in for a hug and a kiss on the forehead.
Her dad popped up from the couch and did the same. “You kids have fun. Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.”
“Oh,” Leo said with a smile. “Did you start snowboarding recently?” He had been around so much for the past couple years that by now he easily fit in with CJ’s whole family.
Her dad chuckled. “Okay, except that. You can do that.” He gave Leo a friendly slap on the back as they gathered their suitcases and snowboards and headed outside.
Alex’s blue minivan was parked in CJ’s driveway, the engine still running, and CJ could see Katrina in the passenger seat. Right away, something seemed off. Katrina wasn’t smiling. In fact, she looked like she was grinding her teeth in anger, but CJ hoped she was just imagining that.
Alex popped the trunk, and CJ and Leo loaded their bags on top of Alex and Katrina’s suitcases and ski gear. When CJ came around the side of the car, Katrina had gotten out.
“I’m going to sit in the back with CJ,” she said firmly.
“Do whatever you want,” Alex said back to her. His cold tone told CJ everything she needed to know. The couple had been fighting.
CJ grimaced at Leo, but he just shrugged. He was always trying to downplay their friends’ arguments. He probably figured everything would be fine once the trip got underway. CJ didn’t feel as sure about that.
She hopped into the back seat behind Alex, and Katrina got in next to her, behind Leo.
“Colorado, here we come!” Leo said excitedly as Alex pulled out of the driveway. “Six hours from now, we’ll be sliding down a mountain faster than a go-kart on steroids!” For a second, CJ thought he had just had too much coffee, but then she realized that he was probably trying to boost the mood in the car.
“That doesn’t make any sense,” Alex said flatly.
“It doesn’t have to,” Leo replied. “It’s extreme!” He did something close to jazz hands
. CJ giggled, but Alex just kept driving. Katrina didn’t appear to be listening at all. She was staring out the window, but CJ could tell she wasn’t really looking at anything in particular.
“Come on, you two,” Leo continued. “It’s winter break. We’re about to spend the next four days hitting the slopes, and we don’t have to worry about school for another week. This trip is going to be great.”
Alex didn’t respond, but Katrina turned toward the front seat, and CJ saw her roll her eyes.
CJ looked out her own window. Flurries had begun to fall from the gray sky. This was going to be a long trip.
Chapter
2
“Is it a fictional character?” CJ asked.
“No,” Leo replied. Two and a half hours into the drive, the friends had already gone through two playlists and resorted to playing Twenty Questions.
“Is it a living thing?” Alex asked. It was the first time he’d actually spoken since Leo suggested playing the game. The previous two rounds had just been CJ asking all the questions while Alex watched the road and Katrina stared out her window.
“Uh, no,” Leo said, caught off guard by Alex’s question. Alex shrugged and kept his gaze on the road.
CJ, eager to keep going if Alex’s mood was suddenly turning around, continued: “Is it a disease?”
Leo tilted his head suspiciously. “Yes . . .”
“Smallpox!” Alex shouted.
“Nope,” Leo said, smiling.
“You didn’t think you should narrow it down a little more first?” Katrina piped up.
Alex scowled a little. “If you want to sit back there and just criti—”
“Fifteen questions left,” Leo practically shouted over Alex. “Use them wisely.”
“Is there a cure?” CJ asked. She wanted to keep the game moving forward and not give Alex and Katrina a chance to start fighting again.
“No, I don’t think so,” said Leo. “Fourteen questions left.”
“Does it only affect people?” Katrina asked.
Leo turned around to face her. “No.”
“Is the other species it affects apes?” Katrina said immediately.
“Yes!” Leo replied.
“Ebola,” Katrina said flatly. She returned to staring out the window at the falling snow.
“Wow,” CJ said. “How did you figure it out so quickly?”
“Remember during sophomore year when we had to do those presentations about infectious diseases?” CJ nodded. “Leo did Ebola. He also did the Spanish Inquisition for a presentation in history junior year. And Edgar Allen Poe, that was the author you wrote the essay about in Ms. Moen’s English class, right?”
Leo smiled back at her. “I think she’s on to me.” CJ and Alex chuckled. Even Katrina cracked a smile.
“I’ve got an advantage in this game,” Katrina said. “Leo and I have had a lot of classes together.”
“And you’ve got a really good memory,” Alex added.
CJ and Leo looked at each other. CJ was pleased to hear Alex compliment Katrina after they’d seemed so close to arguing this whole time. Leo shot her a look that roughly translated to See—I told you everything would be fine.
“Thanks,” Katrina said to her boyfriend.
“How’s the driving, Alex?” CJ asked. The snow was falling steadily, building up on the road, but the lanes of traffic on the highway were still easily visible. Sometimes the wind would whip up and blow snow all over the place, making it difficult to tell where one lane ended and another began, but when it died down, everything became relatively clear again.
“It’s okay,” Alex said. “Nothing I can’t handle.”
“If you need someone to take over, just let me know,” she offered.
He shrugged. “It looks worse than it is. I think I’ll be able to handle the whole trip.”
“Well, if you all think you can outsmart me again, I’ve come up with another answer for Twenty Questions,” Leo said. He turned to face Katrina. “And this time, it’s not something I did a project about. No more advantage for you. Think you can handle it?”
“Can you handle losing for the fourth time in a row?” Katrina asked with a smile.
Things seemed normal again. CJ was able to relax a little bit. In a few hours, they’d reach the cabin on Split Peak Mountain. They’d drop their bags off, drive a little farther to the Silver Springs ski resort, and hit the slopes. They could forget about their problems for the next four days . . . at least CJ hoped they could.
Things between Alex and Katrina had been pretty rough recently. Nearly all their arguments had to do with college. CJ and Leo happened to be interested in the same university, so it had been an easy enough decision for them to both apply and see what happened. Things weren’t as simple for the other couple.
Katrina had her heart set on NYU, but Alex wanted to go to UCLA. For the past few months, Katrina had tried to convince Alex to go to New York with her, and Alex had tried to get her to come to Los Angeles. No matter what reasons one gave, the other wouldn’t budge. They’d both ended up applying to both schools just to see what happened. But CJ knew that Katrina had never expected to get into UCLA, and she’d heard from Leo that Alex had had the same thoughts about NYU.
This past month, though, Alex and Katrina had found out they’d both received early acceptances to both schools. If it hadn’t caused them to bicker nearly every day since, CJ might have found the situation funny. Plus, she was having a hard time feeling too sorry for them when she was still waiting to hear from any of the colleges she had applied to.
CJ looked out her window at the snow falling and wondered if this peace would last. All she wanted from the weekend was to have some fun snowboarding with her friends—one last hurrah before they had to start buckling down for their last semester of school and getting ready for the future. She didn’t think that was too much to ask.
“Chicken nuggets,” Alex said, bringing CJ’s attention back to the game. She had no idea what kinds of questions they’d been asking to get to an answer like that.
“Nope,” Leo replied.
“Chicken tenders,” Katrina said.
“Correct!”
“That’s the same thing!” Alex protested.
“It is not the same thing,” Leo said. “Chicken nuggets are small, and the chicken is ground up. Chicken tenders are long strips of whole chicken.”
Alex shook his head and rolled his eyes, although CJ could tell he was smiling. “They’re basically the same thing.”
“But you acknowledge that they’re not exactly the same thing,” Leo replied. “And if Twenty Questions doesn’t demand pinpoint accuracy, then what are we all doing here?”
“Sometimes I worry about you,” Alex said.
“You should try dating him,” CJ said.
Alex chuckled. “I’d rather not.”
The wind picked up, and CJ felt the van swerve a little. Her stomach rose and dropped. She saw Alex grip the wheel tightly.
“Whoa,” he said, correcting the vehicle’s path. “That wind’s getting nasty.”
“Slow down if you need to,” CJ said. “Better to get there late and safe than to never get there at all.” Leo cocked an eyebrow at her, and CJ laughed at herself. “I can’t believe I just said that. I’m becoming my dad.” She saw Leo covering his laughter in the front seat.
“Okay, I’ve got one!” Alex said suddenly, bringing them back to their game. He sat up in his seat and wiggled his eyebrows at them through the rearview mirror. “You guys are never gonna guess this . . .”
* * *
A half hour later, Alex announced he had to stop for gas. He pulled off the highway and into a gas station. While he refilled the tank, the others headed inside to look for some snacks.
“Huh,” Leo said, picking up a bag of beef jerky. “This comes in party lime flavor now.” He paused. “What’s the difference between party limes and regular limes?”
CJ looked up from the candy aisle. “Party limes wear hat
s.”
“Sold!” Leo said with a grin.
They walked toward the checkout counter where Katrina was now joined by Alex. They were talking quietly, and CJ noticed they both looked frustrated.
“I don’t want to talk about this anymore,” Katrina said, her arms folded.
“Well, I do,” Alex replied.
“This isn’t the time or the place and you know it. The whole point of this trip was to take a break and relax for once. We can talk again after we get home.”
Alex scoffed and opened his mouth to say something else. Judging by the look on his face, CJ knew he was going to keep pressing the issue.
She stepped forward and put on a fake smile. “Everything okay?” she asked, though she already knew the answer.
“It’s fine,” Katrina said forcefully and marched outside without buying anything.
Alex lingered around the counter until CJ and Leo were done buying their snacks. When they got outside, Katrina was leaned up against the van scrolling through her phone. CJ watched as Alex tried to catch Katrina’s eye, but she kept her gaze on her phone. He rolled his eyes and stomped over to the driver’s side door.
“Ready to go?” CJ asked her friend, hoping that some time with another person would put Katrina in a better mood.
Katrina’s gaze slid sideways, toward Alex, but he was no longer watching her. She gave CJ a weak smile. “Yeah. Sorry about all this. I know you guys have been looking forward to this getaway as much as we have.”
CJ looped her arm through Katrina’s. “I just want you two to enjoy yourselves.”
Katrina wrinkled her nose. “I’m a senior in high school who can’t decide whether to go to my dream college thousands of miles away from my boyfriend or go to a college I don’t like just because my boyfriend wants to go there. I don’t think I remember the meaning of fun.”
“Okay, drama queen,” CJ said with a snort. She walked them over to the sliding doors of the van. “Let’s get going and I’ll try to remind you just how much fun you can be.”
Alex was tense when they climbed in, but his shoulders loosened up as he noticed Katrina was laughing with CJ. Leo leaned over the back of his seat as the girls buckled in.