by Brian Bakos
Things go differently for Tamika. She plays all the media angles right and lands herself a spot on a new reality TV show: High School Queen Bees.
She, along with four other Alpha girls around the country, will be featured as they rule their exclusive social cliques. The show promises lots of drama and conflict, on a no-brain type level. It’s a four year gig for Tamika at our high school – unless she gets her wish to move to L.A.
Please let her move to L.A.!
Things are cool with Lauren and me, I think there might be a future for us. I’ve heard from Trace, as well. She’s cleaned up her act a little and has ditched the Goth persona.
“It was just a phase,” she says.
She’s a senior this year, but admits that, “I’ve got this thing for younger guys – and older ones, too.”
It would be way too much of a stretch to say that Dylan’s presence on the tour boat had anything to do with the accident. Just the opposite. His daring rescue of Captain Montrose seems to have broken his disaster jinx.
Some kids outgrow pimples, Dylan has outgrown disasters. Not only that, but once the media spotlight shut off, Tamika dumped him again, adding to his good fortune.
Grandpa is fully back in our family now. Mom has turned 180 degrees in her attitude; maybe my outburst had something to do with it or maybe she just wised up on her own.
He’s going to Costa Rica again during Christmas break – and taking me along! He wants to shoot some documentary footage about the mission work, and we’re negotiating to bring Duals with us.
Then there’s Grandpa’s China trip next summer. We’re playing that one cool until after we get back from Costa Rica – but I’d say the odds are good that Mom will let me go. I’ve got a hunch that Kathleen might be included on some of these excursions, too.
So, I’m on this rare streak of luck, but some unanswered questions still bother me. I wonder what Tamika would have done that fateful day if a TV crew hadn’t been on the boat. Would she have still jumped in to help? Heck, would I have jumped in? I keep thinking that Dylan is the only one who acted from purely unselfish motives.
I finally decide that some questions have no answers, so there’s no sense beating myself up about them.
***
Well, that’s the whole story. I hope you enjoyed it, and may all your great ideas work out. – Matthew Alpin.
THE END
Thanks for reading! You must have liked the story if you got this far, so why not write a review? Just a few words, either at the online bookstore where you obtained this book or in any other medium you wish. May numerous blessings come your way.
Brian’s Other Books
Captive in Terror Orchard
Book 1 of the Terror Orchard series
To the authorities, Billy Conner is just a rebellious and defiant juvenile delinquent. To his foster parents, he’s a pawn in a fiendish drug plot. He’s much more than anyone realizes, though – he’d better be, or the consequences will be unspeakable. Assisted by unlikely allies, one of them literally “dug up” from the orange orchard, Billy struggles for his freedom and for the lives of countless other potential victims.
light horror / action adventure
The Bulb People
Sequel to Captive in Terror Orchard
Book 2 of the Terror Orchard series
What’s going on in the awful little town of Bridgestock? Why did the English teacher’s husband race his truck down the streets screaming his head off, and why are people vanishing? Of course, only nasty types have disappeared so far, but that could change at any time.
Ryan Keppen, a 13-year-old newcomer, must tackle these mysteries, along with the issue of his “happy blended family” which he desperately wants to disappear as well. Maybe everything is related, and one problem can help solve another.
light horror / action adventure / humor
The Lost Country
Crown Prince Rupert struggles against ignorance and superstition to rally his countrymen against a dire threat coming from the mysterious Eastlands. When disaster finally strikes, it’s up to Rupert and his band of often questionable allies to win through or face destruction of his kingdom and everything he holds dear.
Young adult action / adventure fantasy
The Daring Rooftop Rescue
“Coming up in the world” can bring unexpected problems as Johnny Badger learns the hard way. Despite his new-found wealth, Johnny is no match for the complicated political situation in Forest Towne. His own bumbling arrogance adds to his woes.
Children’s humor / satire
A Hurricane in Your Suitcase
Brett’s constant lying is getting him into serious trouble. Can big brother Joe stop admiring himself long enough to help turn things around? A strange mixture of cautionary tales leads to a showdown with the Giant Hill.
Children’s humor / satire
TIME BEFORE COLOR TV SERIES
Follow the adventures of Amanda Searles and her friends as they make astonishing discoveries, invent new stuff, and generally save the world. Based in 1950’s USA, they branch out into strange realms of the wider universe to set things right. It’s all in a day’s work.
Middle grade – Young Adult humor / adventure / fantasy
How Raspberry Jam got Invented
Book 1 of the Time before Color TV series
The last summer picnic turns into an astonishing disaster! Melissa’s snotty arrogance involves the friends in a situation they may not survive, but maybe they will.
Middle grade humor / adventure / fantasy
The First Ring Rainbow
Book 2 of the Time before Color TV series
1950’s cold war tension at it’s scariest. Anything can happen during the Atomic Summer. Amanda struggles to deal with the era’s sexist restraints, her fugitive Russian communist grandparents, and the appearance of a bizarre creature at Secret Pond. Somehow, everything ties together.
Middle grade humor / adventure / fantasy
Adventure Bike Club& the Tire Giant
Book 3 of the Time before Color TV series
The huge tire on the freeway outside town is not an advertisement, as people think, but a vessel from another universe on a sinister mission. Can Amanda and her friends make it back out alive? The fate of the world might hinge on the outcome. Not only that, but the town mayor stands to lose a fair amount of money.
Middle grade humor / adventure / fantasy
The Great Flying Adventure
Book 4 of the Time before Color TV series
Amanda and Quentin fly to an alien universe where Quentin competes in a brutal sports tournament to determine the fate of the Earth and of human civilization. Amanda falls for the enemy team captain, and things become terribly complicated.
Tween humor / adventure / fantasy
Return of Mr. Badpenny
Book 5 of the Time before Color TV series
Tommy gets more than he expected from a mysterious two-headed coin. The power it gives him goes rapidly to his own head, setting him on a course to moral decay. Solution? Hand it off to Melissa, who also goes off the rails with her new found power. Eventually, they team up to battle the danger.
Tween humor / adventure / fantasy