The Sleepover (21 page)

I stand and cheer as the Warriors score a three-pointer. West Oak: 41.

Jake smiles at me, and my stomach flip-flops again. It's still a little weird to have him hanging out with us. I can tell the other kids at school are trying to figure out what's going on. I keep catching them looking at me. Although, maybe it's just my new look. Or my new attitude. These last few weeks I've felt freer than ever and ready for more and more and more adventure. Bring it!

Starting with halftime.

I clutch Anna Marie's arm. “It's almost time!”

Anna Marie grins back. “I know!”

A minute later the buzzer sounds, and both teams jog off the court and into the locker rooms. The cheerleaders take center stage and began another cheer.

West Oak, West Oak, they're a dream.

That's why we're proud that they're our team!

Half the crowd stomps their feet on the bleachers and applauds. Anna Marie points at the twirling hedgehog mascot taking center stage alongside our West Oak tree mascot (worst costume idea ever, for the record).

“I can't believe that's Veronica!” she says.

“I know! It's crazy,” I add.

Jake says, “I still don't completely understand how that happened. She doesn't even go to Hillside.” He gestures to Veronica inside the hedgehog mascot costume, swooping her arms in the air to get the Hillside fans riled up. I have to give her credit. Turns out, she doesn't even need to know how to do a roundoff, because she's good. Really, really good.

I lean over to speak into Jake's ear, since the crowd is now screaming at the tops of their lungs. “Don't forget we know a few people over there now. But it gets even better. Wait and see what we have planned.”

Anna Marie winks at me and puts a video camera up to her eye.

Just then there's a smattering of pops, like someone let off bottle rockets, and from a side entrance, Hedgie the Hedgehog rolls in on his platform with the entire Hillside Heights marching band surrounding him. They play a fight song, and the giant drums echo through the gymnasium. I can even feel them inside me.
Boom. Boom. Boom.

Eventually the cheers turn to giggles and pointing as the float turns in a circle and everyone catches sight of a boy standing on the platform next to Hedgie. He's wearing fuzzy My Little Pony pajamas and has pink curlers wound tight in his hair.

The marching band finishes their song, and Flute Girl hops up next to the boy on the hedgehog float, speaking into
a microphone. “I'm told you were promised a kiss today, Max. Are you ready for it?”

Max licks his lips. “Am I ever! Paige, where are you, my love?”

A smiling, ponytailed Paige appears underneath the net. One hand is tucked behind her back. Max has a huge smile when he sees her, and he does a fist pump. The audience cheers even louder. This is so perfect.

Paige sashays right up to the float and then crooks her finger to call Max to her. Max hops off, slipping a little on the slick gym floor due to his footy pajamas. He seems utterly unconcerned to be wearing such a ridiculous outfit in front of basically the entire town.

Jake says, “Okay, how did you guys manage to pull this off?”

Anna Marie pipes up from behind her camera, where she's recording everything. “Well, the float part was easy. Paige figured out the weird top hat she found in my basement belonged to the kid with the baton as part of his conductor outfit. So she brought it to the basketball game that afternoon and turned it over. That, plus the fact that by then the band had watched the rest of the YouTube videos on Max's channel by then, trying to figure out what you guys were going on and on about in the Dunkin' Donuts lot, made them really sympathetic. They were happy to help with whatever revenge we cooked up!”

Jake laughs. “Okay, but the pajamas? How the heck did you get him to—”

I let my gaze sweep over the crowd, seeking out one turbaned head in the second row. At exactly the same second, the turban turns, and the woman wearing it stares directly into my eyes, a small smile at the corners of her mouth. Creepy. How does she do that?

I point Madame Mesmer out to Jake. Anna Marie winks at me.

“Never underestimate the power of suggestion,” I say smugly.

In center court, Paige approaches Max. He rubs his hands together and then closes his eyes and puckers his lips, tilting his head in an exaggerated plant-one-on-me gesture.

Paige steps right up to him and brings her face close to his, but at the very last second, her hand comes out from behind her back, and Max ends up placing his lips right up against the hard duckling bill of Waddleworth. The entire audience screams and cheers and laughs. Max's eyes fly open, and he blinks in confusion.

Paige curtsies to the crowd, then grabs Max by the hand and leads him out of the gym to catcalls and whistles. I try my wolf whistle again, and it isn't half bad this time.

Anna Marie, Jake, and I make our way down the bleacher stairs to find Paige. When we reach the bottom, a giant
hedgehog costume comes barreling toward us and catches me in a hug.

“You guys! Guess what.” Only it sounds like, “Oof eyes. Essa whaa,” through the hedgehog costume.

Anna Marie lifts the heavy head just enough so Veronica's lips appear, before laughing and asking, “What?”

The lips smile. “So I asked my mom today, and she said she's totally cool with it.”

Nothing is ever black-and-white with Veronica. Now that I know it's just how she is, I'm more amused than annoyed. But I still have to ask, “Cool with what, Veronica?”

Now the lips curl. “Oh. Oops. Sorry. Cool with me inviting you, Anna Marie, and Paige over next weekend.”

Veronica bounces up and down in her costume before adding:

“For a sleepover!”

F
irst and biggest thanks to my editor, Amy Cloud. Your joyfulness and energy is surpassed only by your mad skillz with the editing pen. I'm yours as long as you'll have me, Princess Warrior!

Everyone at Simon & Schuster, from the sales reps to the publicity and marketing teams to the production team, who work so hard to connect every book with the right readers: You are not unappreciated! Special shout-outs to Teresa Ronquillo, Faye Bi, Kaitlin Severini, Laura Lyn DiSiena, Lucy Truman, and Kayley Hoffman.

Giant thanks to my agent, Holly Root, for making me even more excited to write this book. When I first pitched this idea to you, your e-mail back to me read (and I quote) “Holy heckweasels, you have to write this!” (Of course, I had to steal your phrase for Meghan.) Thanks for that and all the many other e-mails that make me LOL.

Alison Cherry, Dee Romito, and Gail Nall—you guys always
get lumped together in my acknowledgments, but without each of your individual comments, this book would not exist. Dana Alison Levy and Ronni Arno, you are also the very bestest of the best! I would not want to be in this industry without any of you. Truly.

A special thank-you to Nick Sicurella for introducing me to the sport of unicycle floor hockey (which I will never attempt myself). To Jack, Ben, and Caroline, who ask to host sleepovers far too often, and to John, who stays awake with me to police them, I love you guys
thismuch
.

And most of all, to those of you who read my books: I am humbled and grateful and full of love for all of you who allow me to continue to do something I adore so much. Thank you!

DON'T MISS THESE OTHER GREAT BOOKS BY JEN MALONE

At Your Service

WRITTEN WITH GAIL NALL

You're Invited

You're Invited Too

This book is a work of fiction. Any references to historical events, real people, or real places are used fictitiously. Other names, characters, places, and events are products of the author's imagination, and any resemblance to actual events or places or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

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First Aladdin hardcover edition May 2016

Text copyright © 2016 by Jen Malone

Jacket illustration copyright © 2016 by Lucy Truman

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Designed by Laura Lyn DiSiena

Author photograph by John Malone

The text of this book was set in Dante.

Names: Malone, Jen, author.

Title: The sleepover / by Jen Malone.

Description: First Aladdin hardcover edition. | New York : Aladdin, 2016.

Summary: Four girls have a sleepover but awaken to find a big mess and no memory of how it all happened.

Identifiers: LCCN 2015050808 | ISBN 9781481452618 (hardcover) | ISBN 9781481452625 (ebook)

Subjects: | CYAC: Sleepovers‹Fiction.

Classification: LCC PZ7.M29642 Sl 2016 | DDC [Fic] dc23