Authors: Jasmine Beller

Bust a Move (3 page)

BOOK: Bust a Move

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“That's disgusting.”

“Right.
That's
how you play.”

Sophie thought for a second. “Okay. Would you rather wear a dirty diaper on your head or go to school without pants?”

“See? Now you come correct,” ill papi said.

“So now you gotta answer,” Sophie shot back. Ill papi was the steamiest guy at Hip Hop Kidz. Probably three-fourths of the girls who took classes there would want to be standing in Sophie's black-and-white-checkered Vans right now.

But what those girls didn't get was that Sophie and ill papi were buds. Sophie'd always had a lot of boy friends. She'd just never had an actual boyfriend.

“Guess I'd go with the diaper,” ill papi decided.

They were still playing the game as they walked across the park at eight fifteen to meet up with the rest of the group.

“Mud wrestling in vomit or taking a shower under a sewage pipe?” ill papi threw out.

“Huh. Wait. In the wrestling, is the vomit mixed with mud orâ”

“All vomit. With chunks,” ill papi told her.

“And who am I wrestling?” Sophie asked.

“It matters?”

“Of course it matters,” Sophie exclaimed. “There are some people I would gladlyâ”

“Over here!” Sammi called. She waved from a spot near some big tombstones in front of the Haunted Mansion. Ky, Devane, Max, and the twins were already there with her and Becca.

Sophie noticed that her sister's lip gloss looked fresh, and she'd added a streak of charcoal eyeliner over each eye.
Ooh, look out, ill papi,
Sophie thought.
Sammi's ready to make another play.

Has she ever lost at anything?
Sophie wondered, doing a quick review of the various Sammi pursuits over the years. She came in second in that spelling bee that time. But she had the flu.
So she'll get ill papi,
Sophie figured.
And pretty soon she'll have the Hip Hop Kidz Performance Group, too.

Does she have to have everything I want? When she already has so much?

Wait. Back up. Whoa.

Sophie stumbled on the smooth pavement, shocked by what had gone through her own brain.
Does she have to have everything I want?
That's what Sophie had been thinking. So did that meanâthat couldn't meanâ

That
had
to mean that Sophie wanted ill papi as a boyfriend. Not just a boy friend.

Huh-uh. No. Just no,
Sophie told herself.
He doesn't think of you like that, and he's not gonna. You're about to start sixth. He's about to start ninthâlike Sammi. And guess whatâyou probably weigh as much as he does.

Do not enter the LIKE zone. You'll only get hurt.

“Your sister is whack,” ill papi told Sammi. But he said it in a way that made it clear that he thought Sophie was cool. And funny. Sophie could pretty much make anyone laugh. Their parents. Teachers. Little kids. Friends. Strangers.

“Yeah. Always has been,” Sammi said, wrapping one arm around her sister's shoulders. Sophie's muscles felt tight. “You okay?” Sammi asked her softly.

“Sure. More than. Hey, we're at Disney World,” Sophie answered, moving away slightly. “It's not the okay-est place on earth.”

“So whatâ” Allan began.

“Are we doing now?” his twin, Adam, finished for him.

Sophie and Sammi used to be able to finish each other's thoughts. But lately, like in the last month or so, there was just something
off
between them.

“Splash Mountain,” Max suggested. She used a curlicue in the black iron fence around the fake cemetery as a step so she could be taller than everyone.

Sammi automatically looked over at ill papi to see what he'd say.
Can you please try not to act like a ten-year-old?
she begged herself. She hated being so obvious. She usually had no problem managing herself around guys she liked. But with ill papi . . . Maybe it was because he was the first boy she'd crushed on who didn't crush back.

“Well, Sammi promised to take me on the Peter Pan ride, so that's what we'll be doing,” Ky announced. “We'll see you guys back at the bus.”

“What?” Sammi burst out.

“Oh, come on,” Ky told her, his dark eyes bright with amusement. “You know.”

“Peter Pan? Green tights, never-grow-up, flying Peter Pan, Peter Pan?” Devane asked, hands on her hips.

“I hear about this at school, and I hunt you down,” Ky told her. “But yeah. See, I had a very scary experience on that ride when I was four. Sammi promised to go on it with me, help me get over my phobia. In the very dark Peter Pan ride.” He grabbed Sammi by the hand. “Let's go before I chicken out.”

Ky started walking, tugging Sammi along with him. She followedâbecause his bizarre behavior had made her brain shut down. For a few moments. She stopped dead before they got anywhere near Fantasyland.

“What's going on?” she asked, pulling her hand away.

“I'm helping you out,” Ky said, giving her this I-know-everything smile.

Sammi flicked her hair out of her face. “I don't need any help.”

“Yeah, you do. You want ill papi to notice you. Maybe he will if he sees some other guy's interested. Especially a guy like me. Tall. Good-looking. Athletic.” Ky started walking again.

Sammi stared after him. She looked over her shoulder. The group was out of her sight. Was Ky right? Sammi didn't play little games like that with boys. But maybe ill papi
did
need a little extra . . . motivation.

“Ky, wait up.” He didn't turn around, but he did slow down. Sammi still had to jog to catch up to him. He had long legs. “So are we really going on the Peter Pan ride?”

He gave a laugh-snort. “I don't care. It was the first thing that slammed into my brain.”

“It made you look kinda weak,” Sammi told him.

“Yeah. I wanted to get a hot girl alone in a dark ride. I doubt the guys were thinkin' I was weak.” Ky smiled at her.

“So it just slammed into your brain. Huh.” They headed toward the entrance to Cinderella's Castle. “Just slammed in there,” Sammi repeated, widening her eyes as she looked up at Ky.

“Okay. Okay. I did get scared on that ride when I was little,” Ky admitted, sounding a little less cocky. “Captain Hook jumps out at you. And a crocodile. And it's loud.”

“We're definitely going on,” Sammi told him as they walked out of the sun into the dimness of the castle. “So, uh, is it that completely obvious that I . . .” She couldn't make herself say it. Why had she even started?

“That you looove ill papi?” Ky joked.

Sammi punched him on the shoulder and realized she was having a Sophie moment. She was doing the boy-as-friend thing. “I don't love him. But is it obvious?”

“I've seen enough girls look at me that way. That's how I knew,” Ky bragged. Sammi punched him again, and he laughed. “I doubt ill papi's locked on it. He's fifteen, same as me, but, I don't know, he's not a playa.”

“And you are?” Sammi teased. They walked into Fantasyland together.

“Sure,” Ky said. “I mean, I've had a girlfriend before.”

“Once?” Sammi pressured.

“Once,” Ky admitted. “Almost once,” he added.

Now it was Sammi's turn to snort-laugh. Hanging with Ky was actually a little more fun than hanging
near
ill papi.

Well, sort of.

“Your plan was brilliant,” Sammi whispered to Ky on the bus back to the Hip Hop Kidz dance studio. “Ill papi is about to explode from jealousy.” She could see him clearly. Three rows ahead. Opposite side of the aisle. Sitting next to her sister. Both of them laughing, looking like they were having the time of their lives.

“Some plans take more than a day,” Ky answered.

“He hasn't even looked at me since we got to the bus,” Sammi pointed out.
He's been too busy enjoying the Sophie show,
she thought.

But why shouldn't he?
Sammi asked herself.
Sophie
is
fun.

She had to stop thinking about ill papi. She was making herself insane.

Ill papi laughing. At everything Sophie said.

This just felt . . . wrong. Sammi was the older sister. And truthfully, she was the prettier sister. Sophie was the cute one. Even though she was a little overweight. But everyone said Sammi was beautiful. They just did.

“What are you thinking?” Ky asked. He shook his head, following her gaze. “As if I didn't know.”

Sammi was glad he really couldn't read her mind. She didn't like what she was thinking. But she couldn't stop herself.

It should be me over there with ill papi
. Sophie was completely great. But Sammi was, well, Sammi.

CHAPTER 3

You are here to represent,
Devane told herself as she walked into the dance studio.
You are here to show Gina that you are the perfect Hip Hop Kid. You are here to get off probation.

That was the only step in her three-year plan to world domination right now. Nothing mattered except being able to perform with the group again. At least in time for the nationals and the world championship.

If Gina and Maddy are even going to let us perform in
any
of the competitions,
a little voice in Devane's head whispered. Devane ignored it. Getting off probation. That was all she was going to allow herself to think about right now.

“Yo!” Fridge called from over by the sound system. Ill papi stood next to him.

“I got my pictures back from Mouse World,” Max exclaimed. Devane hadn't realized she was in the room. The Fridge's body had totally blocked the tiny girl from sight. “Come look.”

“Show me in the locker room after class,” Devane answered. She set her water bottle down against the wall across from the other three and stepped into a lunge. Gina liked them to do individual stretching before class. It wasn't a rule or anything. But what Gina liked, Devane was going to give her.

“You look at them, Fridge,” Max insisted. “I have a great one of you after you got soaked on Splash Mountain.”

“Later,” Fridge said. “Right now we need to deal with the Southeast regionals. Do we just flat out ask Gina?”

“Ask, maybe. But don't tell her and Maddy how to run things.” Devane knew from experience that didn't fly.

“It's not fair how she and Maddy don't act like it's our decision, too,” Max said as she put her pictures in the pocket of her warm-up jacket. “We know if we're ready to compete. And we're ready to compete!”

“If we were in a street crew, like the one J-Bang used to roll with, we'd be deciding for ourselves,” ill papi agreed.

“M.J. was sayin' you had some sweet new moves from your pops. Maybe if you were working on them when Gina came in, she'd realize we are more than ready to bring it to the Southeastâeven without Devane,” Fridge said. “If that's even the reason, you know, that they haven't said anything about us going to the regionals.” He shot her a “sorry” look.

“You should do it, ill papi,” Devane urged, without interrupting her stretching.

Emerson, Sophie, and Sammi came into the room together. “Do what?” Sammi asked. Of course she wanted to know. It had to do with ill papi.

“We thought if ills was showing off some of his new moves âstraight from the J-Bangâit might get Gina thinking we're ready for the regionals,” Max explained.

“Better hurry. Gina's going to be here in a few,” Devane warned.

“The moves aren't new. J-Bang just helped me get them to perfection,” ill papi explained. “Check it.”

BOOK: Bust a Move

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