Keep the Beat - Kata Cuic Page 0,5
me.” I grin, and it probably glows in the dark as high as the power coursing through my veins makes me feel. “I’m going to make all of them fall in love with me.”
“Oh, this is starting up like one of those reverse harem novels.”
“Don’t be so quick to judge.” I bump into her shoulder like she did to me earlier. “You know what the best part of romance is?”
“All the dick you’re about to get?”
I laugh. I want to play the game, not ruin my chances. There isn’t going to be as much dick in my future as she’s imagining.
“No. It’s the happily ever after.”
Chapter Four
The sun shines on a beautiful Tuesday morning. Birds are singing, visibility has lifted now that the morning fog has burned away, and the day holds all the promise of two weeks from now.
I throw open the curtains and chirp, “Rise and shine, sleepyhead! Day two of camp starts now!”
Shannon moans from beneath the pile of blankets on her bed. “Why are you such a morning person?”
“Because all the best things happen in the morning!” I tick items off on my fingers even though she still hasn’t emerged from her cocoon to see me. “Like revenge, victory, feminism triumphing over the patriarchy …”
As predicted, a fist flies up from the mountain on her bed. “Who run the world?”
“Girls,” I state with finality. And if those Neanderthals think they can use being a woman against me, I’m about to show them they’re playing with fire.
Shannon finally pries her heavy veil from her face. “You’ve got your work cut out for you. Trying to snag one decent guy in the dating cesspool is hard enough. How are you going to seduce four of them into eating from the palm of your hand?”
“Easy.” I make my bed like the wack-job perfectionist I am. “I consider none of them decent. Problem solved.”
“Fair point.” She sighs, swinging her legs over the mattress to sit there and glare at the sun like she’s mad it rose. “Pitting them against each other won’t be easy though. How are you going to keep them from putting their heads together and figuring out what’s really going on? If Jimbo came up with this diabolical plan in the first place, he’ll probably be the first to realize you’re giving him a taste of his own medicine.”
“I’m counting on his pride to blind him,” I answer while pulling a hoodie over my sports bra and tank top. It might be blazing hot in the afternoons, but early morning practices are actually chilly. There’s nothing quite like experiencing all four seasons in the same day to really take a toll on the body. “If that doesn’t work, then …”
“You don’t have a plan for that, do you?”
“Nope.” I pop the P and ignore the twinge in my gut that says this is going to backfire spectacularly. All I have to go on is hope and three years of burning indignation.
“Okay.” Shannon takes a deep breath and heaves herself upright. “Let’s say this all goes according to plan. You have the guys drooling over you and competing with each other for a completely different top spot. You still have to worry about how to get the most votes in the band. And there’s no guarantee this cold dish will be enough of a distraction to keep them from campaigning for themselves. At least tell me you have a plan for that.”
I wish. I collapse onto the side of the bed. “I’m going to do what I’ve always done to get the vote. Love marching band. I love everything about it, Shannon! Honestly, before the stupid voting announcement and that stupid conversation we heard last night, I was just grateful to make it this far! Until I heard that vile plan spew out of Jimbo’s mouth, I would have been happy for whoever got named head drum major. But I can’t let him win. Not this way. Not again.”
She places a hand on my shoulder, suddenly looking as alert as possible without coffee. “How has he won so far?”
“Um, I don’t know. Let’s see …” Negative Nancy isn’t usually a side of my personality I let out, but sometimes, to get a clear mind, you have to purge all the bad to make room for the good. “He got a full ride to State on his brother’s famous shoulders while I had to bust my ass in high school to get even a fraction of the money he