Twice As Nice Read Online Free PDF Page A

Lauren and the other girls think that I had given up wanting to be an SF2 and had suddenly joined the Geek Patrol? I know it wasn’t the nicest thought in the world, but it’s the truth.
    â€œWe were just at a t-tennis tournament,” I stammered, as though that explained why I was hanging out with these girls.
    â€œI know,” Lauren said, barely looking up from her papers.
    â€œWow, word travels fast. Who told you?”
    Lauren put her arm on Ryan’s.
    â€œYour dad called Ryan to say you guys won. And you know Ryan, he tells me
everything
. We’re so close.”
    â€œYou are? Does Ryan know that?” Sammie asked, an edge in her voice.
    â€œAs a matter of fact, he does,” Lauren snapped. “Which is why he volunteered to help us fill out our application for Junior Waves. He wouldn’t do that for just anyone. Isn’t that right, Ryan?”
    â€œWell, I wouldn’t exactly call it volunteering,” Ryan explained. “But watching these girls try to fill out the form was driving me nuts, so Captain Ry-Guy and his trusty laptop stepped in to save the day.”
    Lauren laughed like Ryan had just said the funniest thing in the world.
    â€œYour brother is so totally hysterical,” she said. Ryan looked pretty pleased with the compliment and Lauren shot me a look that practically said, “See, I told you he has a crush on me.”
    â€œWell, I need to use the computer after lunch to work on my history paper,” Sammie said. “So how long is this application thing going to take?”
    â€œMaybe forever,” Jillian groaned. “They want to know everything about us. Not just our grades, but our extracurricular activities, and community service, and hobbies, and awards and honors.”
    â€œI do a ton of community service,” Brooke said. “Just the other day, I gave a little kid on the beach my sunscreen because his shoulders were getting all red.”
    â€œI think they mean real community service,” Alicia said. “Like, I work at the food bank, and Sammie tutors a first-grader, and Charlie cleans up litter on the beach.”
    â€œ
Eeuuwww
,” Brooke said, wrinkling her nose at me. “You mean touch other people’s trash? That’s not sanitary.”
    â€œI wear rubber gloves,” I said, which only made her say “
Eeuuwww
” even louder.
    â€œWell, I was just telling Ryan that I have an honor that would really impress the principal,” Jillian said. “I auditioned for
Teen Super Model,
and the producer said she’d call me if I got the part.”
    â€œDid she call?” Sara asked her.
    â€œNot yet. It’s only been six months. They could still call.”
    â€œGood luck with that one,” Sammie snickered.
    â€œEase up, Sam-I-Am,” Ryan said. “You can’t blame the girls for trying to come up with things that sound good on the application. Not all of us are like you and Charlie, who can get good grades and be tennis champs at the same time.”
    As he said that, I noticed that Lauren took her legs off the table and sat straight up in her chair. She turned and looked at me, as if she were just seeing me for the first time. I smiled at her, and then I noticed that Sammie was watching Lauren carefully. She was squinting, the way she does when she sees something she doesn’t like.
    â€œCome on, guys,” she said to Alicia and Sara. “Let’s go inside. GoGo said she’d make up a bowl of guacamole and chips.”
    â€œDid someone say guacamole?” Ryan said, jumping to his feet. “I’m there.”
    He leaped out of his chair and sprinted toward the kitchen.
    â€œBut what about our application?” Jillian called after him.
    â€œGuacamole first. Chips second. Application third,” he called back to them. “I’ll be back. You girls talk among yourselves.”
    Knowing that I wasn’t welcome to hang out with