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signed up without asking questions.
    Spring takes the empty cracker bag from Tree as she listens. “That’s so amazing,” she says, brushing crumbs from Tree’s mouth. “But I don’t have twenty bucks.”
    Lug sputters with disbelief. “Everybody has twenty bucks.”
    “No they don’t,” I say. “Lots of people don’t.”
    “Hey, I wish I did. I’d love to be an extra on your show,” Spring says.
    Lug pulls the sad face he used when that girl asked if guys could sign up. “That’s too bad. But we do need the registration fee.”
    “No we don’t,” I say. “We could let her sign up for free, and then she could pay it back from her earnings.”
    “Seriously?” Spring’s face lights up. “You’d let me do that?”
    “Do that?” Tree says.
    Lug gives me a dirty look. “Aw, no, so sorry. We can’t waive the fee.”
    “Sure we can. No big deal.” I push Lug’s iPad toward her. “Just enter your name and contact info. We’ll do the rest.”

Chapter Eight
    Just as Spring is finished entering her details, Tree jumps down from the table. “Peepee!” he shouts.
    “Oops, sorry. I’ll be right back.” Spring grabs Tree in her arms and races him to the washroom.
    Lug squashes his empty drink cup with his fist. “Jeez, man. Why’d you do that?”
    “Do what?”
    “Sign her up for free!”
    I lean back and cross my arms over my chest. “Because she didn’t have the money.”
    “Exactly. And now we’ll never get that twenty bucks!”
    “And she’ll never get to be an extra. This whole thing is fake, remember?”
    “So?” Lug throws his squashed cup toward the garbage bin. He misses.
    I go and put it in the bin. When I come back I say, “So I wanted her contact info.”
    He gasps. “You’re joking, right?”
    “Why would I be joking?”
    “Did you see that scar?”
    I look him right in the eye. “What about it?”
    Lug shakes his head with disgust. “No wonder her parents took her out of school.”
    I want to hit him. But he’s way bigger and heavier than I am. And we’re in a public place. “Not necessarily. Some parents just don’t like the school system.”
    “Yeah, because their ugly kid would get bullied to death. She’s a freak.”
    “No, she’s not. She’s a pretty girl with a scar of some kind.”
    “And here comes Freakface now.” Lug stands to leave the table. “I’m going for a smoke.”
    Spring is holding Tree’s hand like she’s scared he might escape again. “Your assistant’s leaving?”
    “He had to, um, make some calls.” I mimic smoking. “Hey, you guys want a drink or something? I mean, if you’re not busy?”
    “Ice cream!” Tree says.
    “That would be great,” Spring says.
    We go over to the ice-cream place and order sundaes. I use some of the money I was saving for dinner on the ferry. I don’t want to spend what I made pretending to be Bo Blaketon. Luckily, nobody asks if I’m him.
    As we wait for our order, I wonder how I could give that money back.
    I’d like to reverse this whole day. I have a feeling if Spring ever finds out we were running a scam, she’ll hate me.
    And I really, really want her to like me.
    We carry our sundaes to a table. Spring tucks a napkin bib on Tree and says, “This is turning out to be a great field trip, right, Tree?”
    “Ice cream,” he says as he digs in.
    I stir my chocolate sauce. “Field trip?”
    “That’s what we call it. My dad had a meeting today, my mom’s working, and my other brothers are at soccer, so normally we’d be at the park. But because it’s so rainy, my dad dropped us off here. There’s a play area, and Tree can run around. Or run away from me.” She smiles and eats some of her sundae. “This is so good,” she says. “But anyway, my dad calls it a field trip so he’ll feel better about us spending a Saturday here. I’m supposed to be researching consumerism, so it’s a learning experience.”
    “And what have you learned?”
    “What I already knew. That the mall