The Big Splash Read Online Free PDF Page B

was a hula girl clutching a surfboard. The hula girl was smiling, as if she thought that all she needed was her surfboard and a wave and everythingwould be right with the world. Nicole was also smiling, but sadly, as if she knew better.
    â€œThis is it,” she said.
    â€œIf you want to keep it, keep it,” I said. “I get paid either way.”
    Her smile remained, but her eyes crinkled in surprise.
    â€œHe was pretty adamant about not pressuring you into a decision,” I continued. “He only wanted it back if you didn’t want it anymore.”
    Her smile got a little wider as she looked at the little figurine in her hands. She had placed all the memories of her past life into that little smiling surfer girl, and now she was trying to decide if she wanted to part with it. It was the only thing she had left.
    â€œSometimes I think about the kids I took out, and I really feel bad for them,” she said, a note of sweetness in her voice that I had never heard before. Then her eyes hardened. “And sometimes I think of all the kids I
should
have taken out before I quit.” I shivered. It was like having a conversation with two different people trapped in the same body.
    â€œMaybe if I give you this, Nikki will go away completely,” she said, more to herself than to me. “Then Ican just be Nicole.” I couldn’t tell if the thought thrilled or horrified her. Either way, I knew it wasn’t true.
    She grabbed my hand and put the surfer girl in it. I felt a jolt when she touched me, like holding a toaster in the bathtub.
    â€œTake it,” she said softly. “I don’t want to be who I was anymore.”
    I nodded and closed my hand around the figurine. “Okay,” I said. I heard a quick two-pump behind me. Before I could turn around, two giant bursts of water caught Nicole square on the front of her pants, right below her waist.
    The blasts were so big, they sounded like watermelons hitting the sidewalk after a ten-story free fall. The surprise and force of the water jolted her backward, causing her head to slam into the locker doors. She slid to the ground butt first, legs splayed, eyes glazed over in shock.
    I hit the ground and rolled away, trying to orient myself to the direction of the blasts. The crowd in the hall thickened almost on cue, like a storm cloud blotting out the sun.
    â€œNikki peed her pants!” someone yelled. Suddenly, I felt the weight of the crowd’s eyes, even though theyweren’t directed at me. I turned back to Nicole. The ominous wet spot stood out clearly on the front of her pants, impossible to miss.
    The first peal of laughter came from someone in the back. Like a spark on a pile of old newspapers, the laughter liked what it tasted and started to spread. Soon, the whole crowd was laughing hard. A full year of fear and hatred was fueling it, giving it power. Nicole cringed. She had always known this day would come, and now that it was here, it was worse than she had expected. She let out a soft whimper.
    â€œPEE-PEE PANTS! PEE-PEE PANTS!” the crowd chanted, over and over again, each chant gaining in volume and strength. “PEE-PEE PANTS! PEE-PEE PANTS!”
    â€œNicole!” came a single cry, only audible because of its difference from the chant. I turned in the direction of the voice and saw Jenny Finnegan fighting her way through the crowd. As she made her way toward her sister, another kid pushed past her in the opposite direction. That kid was the only person moving away from the scene.
    â€œPEE-PEE PANTS! PEE-PEE PANTS!” The roar was deafening.
    Jenny sat down next to her sister, tears welling up in her eyes. Nicole was too shocked to move. “Stay with her!” I yelled. I jumped up and started pushing kids out of the way, trying to get to the lone, fleeing figure. It was like trying to dig out of quicksand with a teaspoon. By the time I made it to the outer fringes of the crowd, the kid