Stuff We All Get (7 page)
“Isn't that what music's for?” he asks.
“But what if Jolene takes credit for it? Wouldn't you mind that?”
He shakes his head. “Man, I don't care. She can sing those songs if she wants.”
“Butâ¦I gave her the
CD
. And I made copies for her to send out to radio stations. I don't think she plans to tell anyone it's your music.”
Frank goes quiet.
I wait.
Finally he sighs. “Whatever, man. I doubt Jolene will get around to doing that. But if by some miracle she gets to do a pro recordingâ¦I'll worry about it then. The only song I still do is âTravel Time.' She can have the other two.”
“âTravel Time,'” I echo. “I like that one.”
“Yeah? It's all right, isn't it?” Frank gazes down the trail. “Speaking of, I should get going. Nice talking to you, uh⦔
“Zack,” I tell him. “Good talking to you too. Maybe I'll see you around? Out geocaching or something.”
“I'm off and on with the caching,” he says. “I mainly like the symbolism, you know? I like the idea of being able to pinpoint a position. Can't always do that with a lot of stuff we get.”
I watch him walk away. Then I look at the sky and think about satellites. They're circling the globe, sending out signals, helping people everywhere find their position. I've seen them at night, twinkly points of light that could pass for stars. Only their behavior betrays that they're not real stars.
Jolene's like a satellite.
And me? I think I've pinpointed my position on a few things. I strum my guitar and watch the colors float over the lake. For now, this is exactly where I want to be.
My gratitude to authors Shelley Hrdlitschka and Diane Tullson, whose coordinates always read
friend
and
true
. Many thanks also to Melanie Jeffs, Orca editor, for her fine attention to the details.
K.L. Denman is the author of numerous popular and award-winning books for youth. Her previous works include
Rebel's Tag, Mirror Image,
The Shade
and
Perfect Revenge
in the Orca Currents series, and the Governor General's Award nominee
Me, Myself and Ike
. She lives in Powell River, British Columbia.
o
rca
currents
9781554694341 $9.95 pb
9781554698882 $16.95 lib
In most ways, Poe is like the
other kids in his school. He thinks about girls and tries to avoid too much contact with teachers. He has a loving father who helps him with his homework. But Poe has a secret, and almost every day some small act threatens to expose him. He doesn't have a phone number to give to friends. He doesn't have an address. Poe and his father are living in a tent on city land. When the city clears the land to build housing, Poe worries that they might not be able to find another site near his school. Will Poe have to expose his secret to get help for himself and his father?
o
rca
currents
9781554699032 $9.95 pb
9781554699049 $16.95 lib
At a Battle of the Bands event
, Ace and his best friend Denny notice that girls like musicians, no matter how dorky the dudes might be. So they start a band, and Ace discovers that he loves playing music more than anything he's done in his life. Fueled by Denny's tweets and a sound guaranteed to make cats barf, the band takes flight until a contest draws them into conflict. Their drummer, Pig, cares more about hygiene than music, and Denny's drive to impress the girls leads them all astray.
Titles in the Series
o
rca
currents
121 Express
Monique Polak
Bear Market
Michele Martin Bossley
Benched
Cristy Watson
Beyond Repair
Lois Peterson
The Big Dip
Melanie Jackson
Bio-pirate
Michele Martin Bossley
Blob
Frieda Wishinsky
Branded
Eric Walters
Camp Wild
Pam Withers
Chat Room
Kristin Butcher
Cheat
Kristin Butcher
Cracked
Michele Martin Bossley
Crossbow
Dayle Campbell Gaetz
Daredevil Club
Pam Withers
Dog Walker
Karen Spafford-Fitz
Explore
Christy Goerzen
Farmed Out
Christy Goerzen
Fast Slide
Melanie Jackson
Finding Elmo
Monique Polak
Flower Power
Ann Walsh
Fraud Squad
Michele Martin Bossley
Horse Power
Ann Walsh
Hypnotized
Don Trembath
In a Flash
Eric Walters
Junkyard Dog
Monique Polak
Laggan Lard Butts
Eric Walters
Living Rough
Cristy Watson
Manga Touch
Jacqueline Pearce
Marked
Norah McClintock
Mirror Image
K.L. Denman
Nine Doors
Vicki Grant
Perfect Revenge
K.L. Denman
Pigboy
Vicki Grant
Power Chord
Ted Staunton
Queen of the Toilet Bowl
Frieda Wishinsky
Rebel's Tag
K.L. Denman
Reckless
Lesley Choyce
See No Evil
Diane Young
Sewer Rats
Sigmund Brouwer
The Shade
K.L. Denman
Skate Freak
Lesley Choyce
Slick
Sara Cassidy
The Snowball Effect
Deb Loughead
Special Edward
Eric Walters
Splat!
Eric Walters
Spoiled Rotten
Dayle Campbell Gaetz
Storm Tide
Kari Jones
Struck
Deb Loughead
Stuff We All Get
K.L. Denman
Sudden Impact
Lesley Choyce
Swiped
Michele Martin Bossley
Watch Me
Norah McClintock
Windfall
Sara Cassidy
Wired
Sigmund Brouwer
o
rca
currents
For more information on all the books
in the Orca Currents series, please visit
www.orcabook.com