Part 14 (1/2)

”I can do throaty, too, if you like that kind of stuff.”

”Throaty?” Meadow b.u.t.ts in. ”Sign me up for that.”

”I haven't heard that piece before.” I actually elbow out Meadow-this is official choir stuff. My business. ”Where'd you find it?”

Blake comes up and catches the end of the conversation. He knuckles the top of Derek's head. ”Out of this guy's twisted brain.”

”You wrote that?”

Derek looks at the floor. ”Just arranged it. It's an old spiritual.” A faint tinge of pink washes over his cheeks. ”I like working with authentic tunes and lyrics.”

Blake swings his arms around Sarah and Leah's necks and hangs on them. ”Speaking of twisting brains, did you ladies hear that we can drink here? Just beer. Wine, too, if you're a fancy pants.” He glances at Meadow. ”Legal age is sixteen. Bars will serve us. How about heading uptown to see what we can scare up?” He focuses on Derek and me. ”You coming?”

Derek gets a strained look on his face. ”You know I can't.”

”That's right.” Blake winks at us. ”This boy's got a drug habit to feed.”

Drug habit? My eyes dart to Derek's face.

He glares at Blake. ”Shut up.”

”After all I've done for you, man. You could at least come hang with me. Make sure I get home safe.” He whispers something that makes Sarah laugh.

Sarah looks ready to head out with Blake. ”We compete tomorrow.” I sound like a nagging mom, but this is serious.

Derek turns to me. ”I'd rather make sure Beth and-sorry what was your name?”

”Meadow.”

”Yeah. And Sarah and Leah all get back to their hotel safe. Can I walk you girls home?”

”Traitor.” Blake drops his arms off Sarah and Leah and pushes them toward Derek. ”That's Derek. Always looking after the women.”

”Shut up! ”

”If I don't make it back to the hotel, it'll be your fault.”

Derek's eyes roll. ”I can live with that.”

Derek walks us to the metro. Meadow makes sure she walks beside him, but he keeps turning back to include the rest of us. He keeps coughing again, like he did up on the mountain. I don't blame him. He worked hard tonight. He looks tired, too. Wan, not just pale. But still he rides down to Ouchy, the part of Lausanne next to the lake, with us and escorts us to the Mermaid.

”Thanks, Derek.” Meadow flounces up the steps.

Leah and Sarah say good night and follow. I'm with them, but Derek touches my arm like he wants to say something. I fall back.

”I'm glad we finally got to meet.”

”Me too. You guys are great.”

Derek shakes his head. ”I'm glad I got to meet you.” He touches my arm again, lightly like a b.u.t.terfly flutter, and walks away.

I stand there, entranced by his retreating figure, and whisper, ”Me too.”

chapter 11.

BROKEN.

I catch up to the other girls waiting for the elevator in time to hear Meadow say, ”I think Derek's into me.”

She's perfect like him. How can he not be?

The elevator door opens, and we squeeze inside the tiny box. Leah pushes the b.u.t.ton for our floor. ”He's too charming to be real. He walked us home.”

”Escorted.” Sarah laughs. ”There's four of us-and we have Beth. As if we wouldn't be safe.”

Once an Amazon always an Amazon.

Meadow leads us off the elevator. ”Obviously, he wanted to hang out with me as long as he could.”

We make it down the hall and into our room without being spotted. Terri, Meadow's mom, and the other choir mom chaperones all have rooms on another floor, close to the younger girls. We've got four single beds squeezed into a room that is barely a double. We have to keep our suitcases on our beds during the day or we wouldn't be able to get through the bathroom door.

Sarah snags the bathroom first. I start to change. Meadow dumps her case on the floor, throws herself on her bed, rolls over, stretches. ”Derek has the bluest eyes.”

”They're brown.” I throw the long tee I sleep in on and slip my bra and jeans out from under it. We weren't stupid enough to sneak out to the concert in our official Bliss wear.

Meadow sits up. ”Whatever.” She sighs and falls back on her pillows. ”They are perfect.”

I sit down on the edge of my bed. ”Do you think he really does drugs?”

Meadow pitches her pillow at me. ”I like him. Don't diss him.”

I catch the pillow, pile it on top of mine, and stretch out. ”I think he's nice, too.” Ma.s.sive understatement. ”But Blake said he has a drug habit.”

Sarah comes out of the bathroom with her toothbrush in her mouth. ”Blake was joking.”

Leah looks up from her suitcase at Sarah. ”What, girl, do you see in him?”

Sarah turns back around and slams the bathroom door.

Meadow stares at the door. ”Blake and Sarah?”

Leah shakes her head. ”You're blind.”