Very Bad Things
Page 17
Katie almost choked on a kernel laughing.
She stopped goofing off when the lights went down and a spotlight appeared, shining on the open slot in the boards where the home team would come skating out.
The crowd began to roar as the announcer wailed, “Your Soaring Eagles starting lineup!”
Katie held her breath until she saw Mark appear, a huge smile on his face like she hadn’t seen in weeks.
“And introducing the captain, Mark Suuuuummers,” the announcer said, dragging out the name like he’d never stop.
Katie’s heart felt near to bursting. She couldn’t help it. She jumped to her feet, clapping and hooting, showering Joelle with popcorn.
“For God’s sake,” Joelle muttered, brushing the buttery stuff from her lap. “You’re not just a puppy, you’re a puppy on crack. I think being your friend is going to take some getting used to.”
But Katie was screaming “Gooo, Eagles!” so loudly she couldn’t hear much of anything except the sound of her own voice.
She realized something in that moment: it didn’t matter that this game didn’t count and Mark wouldn’t get the state championship MVP award to add to Whitney’s trophy case. Maybe it wasn’t the picture-perfect ending to their senior year that either of them had dreamed of. But considering what they’d been through, it wasn’t half bad. No, it wasn’t bad at all.
Many thanks to Wendy Loggia and Krista Vitola for their insightful and meticulous notes during the creative process. Very Bad Things would not be the roller-coaster ride that it is without such brilliant direction. Big hugs to Christina Hogrebe for all her hard work behind the scenes. And much love to my husband, my daughter, Grandma, and Nana, who gave me time to write (and kept me sane throughout!).
SUSAN MCBRIDE is the award-winning author of fiction for adults and teens. She lives in a suburb of St. Louis with her husband, their daughter, and two cats who think they’re dogs. You can visit her at SusanMcBride.com and on Facebook at SusanMcBrideBooks.