Part 8 (1/2)

Dylan burst out laughing. ”How d'you do do that?” that?”

”You actually wanna know know?” Cam asked, shocked.

”Toe-dally.” Dylan nodded, imagining herself burping words with the COCs. Maybe a little boy-humor was just what OCD needed to loosen up. Somehow, she doubted it.

”Stay here.” Derrick pushed through the dense crowd like a running back, leaving Dylan and Cam on the packed dance floor. An exchange of friendly smiles and awkward glances around the party made it even more obvious that neither one of them had much experience with the opposite s.e.x.

”I kinda wish we had boys at OCD,” Dylan shouted over Q-Tip. ”School would be more fun.”

”Yeah.” Cam stuffed his hands in his pockets, pulled out a handful of gummy sours, and opened his palm. ”Want?”

”No thanks,” Dylan politely declined. ”I'm trying to lose weight.” She waited a few seconds, hoping he'd take the bait.

”Why?” he mumbled.

Yes! Ma.s.sie Blo-was wrong! Wrong and jealous! Ma.s.sie Blo-was wrong! Wrong and jealous!

”Yeah, you're right.” Dylan shrugged. ”Why?” She pinched a red sugarcoated bear and dropped it in her mouth. Cam ate a green one. They looked at each other and giggle-winced from the sour rush.

”Here!” Derrick appeared with two gla.s.ses of icy c.o.ke. ”Drink these super-fast.”

Without question, Dylan did what she was told.

”As soon as that burp pa.s.ses your throat, speak!” he explained. ”Timing is everything. If you do it too soon, you'll puke.”

Cam giggled, then popped another gummy in his mouth. He chew-winced and watched Dylan. Derrick was staring too. His b.u.t.t wiggled slowly, like a tail starting to wag. He reminded her of a happy yellow Lab, and Dylan felt completely at ease... until her torso tightened with pressure.

”Something's happening!” She tapped her chest, encouraging the gas. Up it crept. Up... up... up... Slowly but steadily, the burp inched toward her throat. Stinging her ears and pus.h.i.+ng past her tonsils, the invisible bubble reached its mark. Then, with grace and focus, Dylan bellowed...

”Co-ca Co-laaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!”

The boys cracked up and high-fived her as if she had just scored the winning goal in some sport that had goals. Dylan's eyes watered, a little from the burp but mostly from the pride.

”I did it!”

”Wait until your friends hear you.” Derrick beamed.

Dylan thought of the COCs and immediately knew that burping words would appeal to them about as much as a hidden camera in the girls' bathroom. Unless she could figure out a way to burp the who's who articles in the Hollywood Reporter Hollywood Reporter, they probably wouldn't be interested. ”I don't think they'd be that into it.”

”Then you need new friends,” Derrick insisted.

Dylan pressed her glossy lips together and nodded. He was right.

”'Scuse me,” slurred a blond-bouffanted mom dressed in a tight black c.o.c.ktail dress. A gold crown was on her head and an empty martini gla.s.s was dangling in her hand. ”Would-ju mind taking our pik-chure?” She gestured to the other moms standing behind her, who were also wearing black dresses.

Dylan reached for the disposable camera. ”Su-”

”I'll do it.” Derrick grabbed it away with a devilish grin.

While the women linked arms and finger-fluffed their hair, Derrick aimed the camera down the back of his jeans and fired off three shots.

Dylan and Cam turned away, hiding their laughter.

”Harri, you are, like, the coolest girl we've ever met,” Derrick told Dylan after he handed back the camera. ”You're like a dude, but not.”

Dylan's cheeks warmed from the compliment. ”Thanks.”

Cam nodded in agreement. ”Do you play sports?”

”Nah.” Dylan shook her head regretfully. ”I'm too skinny.”

Derrick nodded like he saw her point. ”What's your real na-”

”Dylan!” Shouted a thin, Elmer's gluecolored man. ”I've been looking everywhere for you.” He pressed a finger against his headset and pushed a b.u.t.ton on his walkie-talkie. ”Got 'er. Have Merri-Lee's bodyguard meet us... dance floor... near the soda bar.... Over.”

”Your real name is Dylan?” Derrick asked shyly. ”I'm-”

”You're Derrick and he's Cam.”

”How'd you know that that?”

Dylan pointed at their Canine Chorus name tags and smiled smugly.

”Oh.” He shrugged, a little embarra.s.sed.

”Time to go,” the stage manager said once Merri-Lee's hefty bodyguard arrived.

”Thanks for the lesson,” Dylan whisper-giggled. ”And the sours.”

The boys both told her she was welcome, and smile-waved goodbye. It was obvious from the awestruck s.h.i.+mmer in their eyes that they thought she was special. A skinny, fun dude-chick with trendsetting hair, who'd burped a four-syllable name on her very first try.

Dylan sauntered away with the confidence of a Grammy-toting pop star. If they thought she was fun now, wait till they saw her on TV.

WESTCHESTER, NYTHE COLEMAN RESIDENCE3748 BREAKWATER CIRCLE BREAKWATER CIRCLEFriday, December 31st9:08 P.M. P.M.

Kristen tossed her math book onto the coffee table. It landed with a thud, summing up her state of mind perfectly. Studying positive integers was the only ”positive” in her entire night. And she couldn't even concentrate, because Ali had been yapping ever since she got baby Max back to sleep.

”What do you mean he was flirting flirting with her?” Ali twirled her dirty-blond blowout. ”Flirting like with her?” Ali twirled her dirty-blond blowout. ”Flirting like talking talking, or flirting like touching touching?”

Kristen rolled her eyes and turned on the TV. Merri-Lee Marvil's party was raging. The DJ was playing Lil' Bow Wow's ”Bounce With Me” and judging by all the sweaty foreheads, it looked like the party guests had been bouncing with him for a while.

”You have have to keep him away from her,” Ali whispered into her cell phone, pacing in front of the TV. ”I dunno, spill salsa on her lap, just do to keep him away from her,” Ali whispered into her cell phone, pacing in front of the TV. ”I dunno, spill salsa on her lap, just do something something!”

Mic in hand, Merri-Lee stepped into the foreground and began shouting over the music. ”Make sure you stick around, because a very lucky girl is about to have her New Year's dreams come true when she gets kissed by ThRob over at our Orlando party.”

They cut to a stunned blond girl with crooked bangs and round blue eyes standing in front of her house. She was dressed in a ridiculous red dress waving, metronome style, at the camera. Kristen hate-kicked her math book onto the floor. Even the freaks were having fun tonight!

”Tell him you're on the phone with me and that I say hi.” Ali crossed in front of the TV. ”Tell 'im. Tell 'im now now. Go. Gogogogogo. Yeah, I'll wait!”