Whitney Read Online Free

I wouldn’t be visible to the i’s.
    Jake suddenly stilled, and I realized that he’d spotted me. I felt that little jolt of awareness that I always felt when he first looked at me. I always tried to look neutral, not to let it show. So maybe I was giving him confusing vibes, too. Maybe he was wondering, “Does she like me? Does she not? Should I make a move? Should I not?”
    I really wished that I didn’t feel the need to keep everything secret. I wished I could just be me, without worrying about getting hurt or being taken advantage of.
    The bells echoed through the park signaling that the gates were opening. The madness was about to start.
    Jake grinned. “Hey, you’re a little late tohelp.” He carried the balloons to a table and attached them through a hole designed to keep the balloons tethered at the end of the table.
    “I was busy,” I lied. “Where’s Lisa?”
    “She left to get the birthday guests.”
    “Oh.” That was my job, but since I hadn’t been around she’d had to do it. It wasn’t my fault, though. If Charlotte hadn’t detained me so she could tell me about this great birthday party that we’d be hosting, I would have been there sooner.
    Then I had a crazy thought. What if Marci invited me to this insane party? She was bound to invite just about everyone who went to the private school we attended. Yes, she was probably inviting the whole school. Why else would her parents rent the entire water park?
    With each thought, this situation was getting worse. Survival seemed impossible.
    “Are you okay?” Jake asked.
    “Why is everyone asking me that today?”
    He rolled his shoulders. “I didn’t know everyone was. Maybe you just look like something is wrong. So what’s up?”
    I really wanted to tell him about Marci and the i’s. I wanted to ask if he liked me. Instead I said, “Just bored working here. I’m thinking that I want to work somewhere else.”
    “What? You mean, like work at some other water park?”
    He sounded seriously disappointed. That was a good sign, right? He wanted me to be here.
    “No, just work someplace else around here.”
    “Like where?”
    “I don’t know.” I sat on the metal bench of the metal picnic table. Metal was easy to keep clean. Just spray it down with a water hose at the end of the day.
    Jake sat beside me. “Really, Whitney, what’s wrong?”
    He sounded genuinely concerned. That was another good sign … I think. Or maybehe just cared about everyone. Still, I couldn’t tell him about the i’s without telling him about me. I wanted him to like me without knowing everything about me. Was that even possible?
    The party pavilion was in Mini Falls, near the Lost Lagoon, which was a shallow pool with a fake wrecked pirate ship in its center. Lifeguards were standing around. Kids, along with their parents, were starting to make their way to the area. No unsupervised children were allowed in this area of the park.
    I thought about what Robyn said about Sean being there whenever she needed him. I needed someone. And Jake was there. But did it mean anything? How could I figure it out without actually asking him?
    I needed some way to test his interest in me, something that would tell me what his feelings were.
    “Some of us are going out for pizza after work. Do you want to go with us?” I heard myself asking, without thinking it through.
    “That’s the reason you’re acting funny and thinking of working someplace else? Because you’re going out for pizza?”
    “I’ve got a lot on my mind. So do you want to go out for pizza or not?” I knew I sounded put out. Why would he be interested in me when I was so difficult? I had a feeling that he was going to fail this test. And it wouldn’t be his fault. I was a whiz at taking tests but lousy at giving them.
    “Sure,” he said.
    I almost hugged him, but it would have been so uncool to let on how excited I was that he’d said yes. So maybe he did like me. I grinned.
    “I love pizza. So