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  Whitney and Chelsea snickered as they put on their parkas, both with hoods trimmed in white faux fur as if they had planned it, although Carlie knew that wasn’t possible since they’d only just met. But perhaps those two girls, and Amy too, were alike. As more girls entered the cabin, the three giggling girls exited, loudly banging the door behind them.

  “Did they leave?” asked Emily as she came out of the bathroom.

  Carlie stuck her nose in the air and strutted across the cabin with her head slightly cocked and shoulders thrown back. “Yes,” she said in a haughty tone. “But don’t worry, little girl, someday you’ll understand why they are such idiots over stupid old boys.”

  Emily doubled over, laughing so loud that she snorted.

  “Don’t let them get to you, Carlie,” said Morgan, sticking her head out the bathroom now. “They can’t help themselves.”

  “But how rude was that?” demanded Carlie. “What a putdown.”

  “We all know that Chelsea doesn’t always think before she speaks,” said Emily. “You have to cut her some slack.”

  “Yeah,” agreed Carlie. She made a face like a dill pickle. “And now Amy is starting to get boy crazy too.”

  “Well, it was bound to happen,” said Morgan as she stood in front of the mirror, putting on lip gloss.

  “But it’s so stupid.” said Carlie.

  “Not really,” said Morgan. “It’s just that you’re not used to it.”

  “Don’t tell me you’re going to be boy crazy too,” said Carlie.

  Morgan shook her head. “No. But there’s nothing we can do about girls who are, Carlie.”

  “That’s true,” admitted Emily. “To be fair, some boys are sort of nice.”

  “No way,” said Carlie. “Are you talking about Jeff Sanders? Just because everyone says he likes you, Emily? Are you boy crazy too?”

  She just shrugged. “That doesn’t mean I’m boy crazy.”

  “Is everyone in the club turning boy crazy?” moaned Carlie. “Maybe you guys should just kick me out.”

  “No one is getting kicked out of the club,” said Morgan as she pulled a clean hoody sweatshirt over her head.

  “What club?” Laura emerged from the bathroom with a toothbrush sticking out of her mouth and white foam coming out one side.

  “You’re brushing your teeth in the middle of the day?” demanded Carlie in an irritated voice. “What is up with everyone anyway? I’m stuck with a bunch of neat freaks.”

  “Watch it,” said Emily. “They might start calling you Pigpen.”

  “Well, this is supposed to be a vacation,” complained Carlie. “I have to do all that clean and brush and scrub stuff at home. Give me a break.”

  “What club?” asked Laura again.

  “Oh, it’s just something we do, back where we live,” Morgan barely explained to her.

  “Where do you live?” asked Laura.

  “Harbor View,” said Emily as she pulled on a fresh pair of socks.

  “Oh, you mean that old trailer park on the edge of town?”

  “Yeah, whatever,” Morgan glanced at Emily and rolled her eyes. Then she flopped onto her bunk now. “I’m taking a quick nap.”

  “Me too,” said Carlie as she flopped back onto her bunk.

  “Aren’t you two going to clean up for dinner?” asked Laura.

  You mean clean up for the boys? thought Carlie as she closed her eyes. Why bother?

  Soon more girls were coming in from the cold, using the bathroom, changing clothes, fixing hair, doing makeup … basically just primping. Carlie tried to ignore them, but it did bug her some that everyone in this cabin (besides Morgan, Emily, and her) had gotten the weird idea that this ski trip was supposed to be some kind of fashion show. To be fair, it wasn’t that Carlie didn’t care about her appearance at all. She sort of did, at least some of the time. But this was supposed to be a ski trip. A vacation! If Carlie had wanted to be nagged about how she looked, or if she needed to be reminded to act like a lady, she could’ve just stayed home.

  “Hey, Carlie,” said Emily. “Wake up, sleepyhead. Or we’ll be late to dinner.”

  Carlie popped up, taking a moment to remember where she was. “Oh,” she said, as she got out of the bunk. “I really dozed off.”

  “Do you want to clean up at all?” asked Emily.

  Carlie scowled at her.

  “Okay, okay …” Emily held up her hands.

  “Come on then, Pigpen,” teased Morgan as she held out Carlie’s parka for her. “Let’s go eat.”

  “Do you think that Whitney really likes Jeff?” asked Emily as they trudged through the snow toward the big lodge.

  “Are you worried?” asked Morgan.

  Emily shrugged. Then Carlie let out a discouraged sigh. What was happening to all her friends? Were they all turning boy crazy? And, if so, why?

  chapter six

  “Hey, funny face,” said Jeff Sanders as he came up from behind the girls and tugged on one of Emily’s braids. Carlie glanced at Emily, curious as to how she would react to this. Would she be glad for the attention? Or would she put the stupid boy in his place?

  “Knock it off!” Emily snapped at him, then turned her attention back to the video game that she was playing with Carlie. But Jeff just grinned like it was no big deal. Then, as the girls finished up the game, Carlie turned and glared at the stupid boy. As it figured, Enrico Valdez was with him.

  They had all finished dinner a while ago and were hanging out in the games area until eight o’clock, when Cory planned to gather them back in the fireside room for a meeting. Carlie and Emily had nabbed a video game while Morgan stood nearby, waiting in line for a pool table.

  “Saw you riding this afternoon,” Jeff said to Emily. “You’re pretty good.”

  “Thanks for noticing,” said Emily in a cool tone.

  “You were pretty good too,” Enrico said to Carlie in a quiet tone, like he was unsure of himself.

  Carlie studied him for a moment. Was he making fun of her? Still, she didn’t want to make a scene. “I’m okay …” She looked away. “For a beginner anyway.”

  “She’s not a beginner anymore,” said Whitney from behind. Carlie hadn’t even known she was there. “You should’ve seen her on her last run.”

  “Hey, I saw you having a good ride today, Whitney,” said Jeff. “You look like you know what you’re doing.”

  “She does,” said Carlie with more enthusiasm. “She’s been teaching me.”

  Jeff grinned as he jerked his thumb toward Enrico. “Maybe you should give him lessons. ‘Cause if you guys wanna see a real beginner you should watch old Enrico ride — it’s something to see.”

  “I did see him,” admitted Carlie. “I saw him splattering himself all over the slope about halfway down the red chair.”

  Jeff laughed. “Man, was that ever a yard sale.”

  Enrico rubbed his elbow and looked slightly embarrassed. “Kinda painful too.”

  “Don’t feel bad,” Morgan assured him. “I had a few good wrecks myself today.”

  “But she’s definitely improving,” said Emily.

  “Hey, you guys wanna shoot some pool with us?” asked Jeff as one of the pool tables suddenly opened up.

  “Sure,” said Whitney, stepping up and picking up a cue.

  Suddenly Carlie was unsure. Who were they inviting to play? And hadn’t Morgan been trying to get a table for the girls? What now?

  “Girls against guys,” challenged Whitney.

  “You’re on,” agreed Jeff as he picked up a cue, holding it out to Emily with a smile.

  “You guys go ahead,” said Emily as she grabbed Morgan’s arm and tugged her away. “Let’s go play a video game.”

  And before Carlie could protest, she suddenly found herself partnered with Whitney again. And before she could think of an excuse to get away, Jeff and Enrico were putting billiard balls into the triangle. And then the four of them were playing pool, like no big deal. How on earth did that happen? How was
it that Carlie Garcia, after all her little speeches against stupid boy-crazy girls, was suddenly stuck with Jeff Sanders and Enrico Valdez?

  They were several minutes into the game when Carlie noticed Chelsea and Amy sauntering up to the pool table.

  “Hey, guys,” said Chelsea in a friendly tone. “How come we weren’t invited to play?”

  “Because you weren’t here?” ventured Carlie. Her nose was starting to twitch now and judging by the smell, Amy and Chelsea had both just applied another dose of that stinky pink perfume. Carlie also noticed that they both had on a fresh layer of lip gloss as well. What were they trying to prove anyway?

  “What’s that smell?” asked Jeff as he stood up from making a corner pocket shot.

  Chelsea giggled. “You mean that stinky sweaty smell, like someone forgot to take a shower today?” She glanced directly at Carlie now.

  “No, I mean that smell like a funeral parlor full of rotten flowers,” said Jeff as he bent down to gauge his next shot.

  “That just shows how much you know,” said Chelsea in a slightly offended tone.

  “So, who’s winning?” asked Amy.

  “Right now we are,” said Whitney.

  “Not for long,” said Enrico as Jeff sunk another shot.

  “Good one,” admitted Carlie. “But you can stop right there, Mister.”

  “You’re playing girls against boys?” said Chelsea. “Where’s the fun in that?”

  “The fun is when we whoop them,” said Whitney as Jeff finally missed a shot. “Okay, Carlie, we need you to make this. Put one in for the girls.”

  Carlie held her breath as she lined up her shot, and to everyone’s surprise (mostly hers), she not only got one ball in the pocket but a second one as well. “Woo-hoo!” she shouted.

  “Way to go,” said Whitney, giving her a high five.

  “Not bad,” said Enrico with real admiration.

  “Yeah,” agreed Jeff. “The girl not only snowboards like a guy, but she shoots pool like a guy too.”

  Chelsea just shook her head. “Poor thing smells like a guy too.”

  Carlie took in a quick breath, but decided not to let her irritation show.

  But suddenly Whitney was glaring at Chelsea. “That wasn’t a very nice thing to say.”

  Chelsea just shrugged. “I was just kidding.”

  “Yeah,” said Amy. “You shouldn’t take things so seriously.”

  Then to Carlie’s stunned surprise, Enrico leaned over and picked up one of her curls between his thumb and forefinger and actually took a big loud sniff of it. She glared at him, unsure as to whether she should slap him or just walk off. But instead she braced herself and got ready for even more teasing.

  But Enrico just smiled. “I think she smells pretty good — for a girl anyway.” Then they all laughed, and the four returned to their pool game.

  “What’s with some girls?” asked Enrico as Chelsea and Amy walked away.

  “It’s like they wanna start a fight over nothing,” said Jeff as Enrico missed his next shot.

  “Oh, I don’t think they want to fight,” said Whitney as she chalked her cue and studied the table for her turn.

  “They just want attention …” said Carlie. “From you guys.”

  “Well, they should act more like one of the guys,” said Jeff.

  Carlie considered this as they continued to play. To be honest, it really wasn’t that bad hanging with the boys when you could just be one of the guys. In some ways it was better than being with Chelsea and Amy when they were acting boy crazy. She wondered why some girls wanted to complicate things. What was the point in fixing yourself all up, putting on perfume, and then acting the way they did? Then she considered Whitney … she had been acting kind of boy crazy earlier, but now she seemed fairly normal. Although, here they were hanging with boys. That wasn’t exactly normal. Suddenly Carlie felt confused.

  “Your shot, Carlie,” said Jeff.

  “And you could win the game if you sink it,” said Whitney.

  Carlie focused on the table now. Her dad was the one who had taught her to play pool. They’d played a lot of games on Tio Geraldo’s table. She tried to remember all the tips her dad had given her. In some ways it wasn’t much different than what she’d been telling herself about snowboarding. Focus and then relax. And so she did.

  “Great shot!” exclaimed Enrico as the eight ball went straight into the side pocket just like she had called it.

  “Woo-hoo!” said Whitney, hugging Carlie. “Girls rule!”

  “Think you girls can do that again?” asked Jeff.

  “Don’t know why not,” said Carlie.

  “Best two out of three?” asked Enrico.

  Carlie glanced over to see if Morgan and Emily were around. Maybe it should be their turn to play. But both girls had disappeared. And, no way did Carlie want to surrender this game to Amy and Chelsea, although they were watching from over by the video games.

  “You’re on!” said Carlie.

  “Hey, have you guys tried the half-pipe yet?” asked Jeff as they racked up the balls for the next game.

  “What’s that like?” asked Carlie. “I mean, I’ve skateboarded on a half-pipe before, but it was made out of plywood.”

  “It’s like a giant half-pipe that’s made out of snow and ice,” explained Enrico.

  “Pretty much the same concept as a skateboard half-pipe,” said Jeff.

  “Only a whole lot bigger,” added Whitney.

  “And you can do jumps and things,” said Jeff.

  “If you know how,” added Enrico with a sheepish grin. “Not that I have any problems with that myself.”

  “I’m gonna try it out tomorrow,” said Jeff.

  “That sounds fun,” said Whitney as Chelsea and Amy came back to stand by the pool table again. “I sort of attempted a couple of pretty lame jumps today, but I couldn’t get much —”

  “You were great,” said Carlie. “One time you must’ve been close to a foot in the air.”

  “You were doing jumps?” said Chelsea with a skeptical expression.

  “Not very good ones,” said Whitney. “And Carlie did a couple of jumps too.”

  “I tried,” admitted Carlie.

  “Hey, you guys should come to the half-pipe tomorrow,” Jeff said more to Whitney than the others.

  “You should come too,” said Enrico with his eyes on Carlie. “Maybe you guys can help me.”

  “I know how to jump too,” said Chelsea.

  “Why don’t we all go?” said Amy.

  “Sure,” said Jeff. “Why not?”

  “Although I just plan to watch,” said Amy. “I’m not ready to do any jumping yet.”

  “I wouldn’t mind trying the half-pipe,” mused Carlie. She remembered some of the stunts she used to do on the skateboard. Maybe it wouldn’t be that much different. At least if she fell the snow would be better than plywood and cement.

  “I want to try it too,” said Chelsea. “I caught some air myself today.”

  “And I’ll come to watch,” said Amy eagerly.

  “Why don’t we meet there, like say, around eleven?” suggested Jeff.

  “Sounds good,” said Enrico. “That’ll give everyone some time to get warmed up.” He chuckled. “And get our nerve up too.”

  “It’s a date,” said Chelsea, acting as if the guys had invited her personally. Was she aware that she’d pretty much invited herself?

  Carlie controlled herself from rolling her eyes.

  “You guys are coming too?” Jeff directed this to her and Whitney.

  “Sure,” said Carlie. “I’d like to check it out.”

  “Tell Emily and Morgan too,” said Jeff in an offhanded way. But something about his expression made Carlie think that he especially wanted Emily to come. Still, if that was the case, why was he being so friendly to Whitney? Finally, Carlie decided not to think about such dumb things. It was ruining her game. And, as they continued to play, the boys won the second game.

 
“Our turn now,” said Chelsea as she started to put the balls back on the table.

  “Not yet,” said Jeff. “We’re playing best two out of three, and at the moment it’s a tie.”

  Chelsea frowned. “That’s not fair.”

  “I know,” said Carlie. “And since we were playing girls against guys, we could let Chelsea and Amy replace the girl team.” She winked at Whitney. “That is, if you don’t mind.”

  Whitney looked slightly disappointed, but simply shrugged. “Fine with me.”

  So Carlie and Whitney handed their pool cues over to Chelsea and Amy, who looked surprised but pleased. The boys looked slightly disappointed. And for some unexplainable reason, this made Carlie very happy.

  “Good luck, girls,” she said.

  “Yeah,” said Whitney. “We’re counting on you to win this thing for the girls.”

  “Thanks,” said Chelsea. “We won’t let you down.”

  “Wanna get a soda?” asked Carlie as she picked up her parka.

  “Sounds good to me,” said Whitney.

  “See ya, Whitney,” called Jeff as they walked away.

  “See ya, Carlie,” called Enrico.

  “I think Jeff likes you,” Carlie said as they went to the soda machine and filled their cups with ice. She almost added that she thought he liked Emily too, but wasn’t sure if that would sound right.

  “And I think Enrico likes you.” Whitney chuckled. “And that should make Chelsea good and mad since she really likes Enrico.”

  Carlie shrugged. “Oh, I think the boys just consider us to be like one of the guys. Ya know?”

  Whitney laughed. “Hey, that works for me.”

  “Totally.”

  “So, are you as boy crazy as Amy and Chelsea?” asked Carlie.

  “Nah, I just know how to play along.”

  Carlie sighed. “That’s a relief.”

  “You should learn to play along too, Carlie. It’s much easier than fighting with everyone.”

  “I don’t know … all that primping and stuff … I can live without it.”

  “Apparently the boys agree with you.”

  “How’d the pool game with the boys go?” said Emily as she and Morgan joined Carlie and Whitney at the café.