Page 25 of The Beta Test

“A witch who lost her hat.”

“No.”

“Wednesday Addams.”

“No!”

At this point Hunter’s doubled over with laughter. Typical of men to not recognize a great female scientist!

“I’m the first woman to ever win a Nobel Prize, Marie Curie,” I stand taller, as if this will imbue the situation with gravitas and respect for our foremothers of science. “This outfit is fashioned after early 1900s styles, and Curie became known for wearing black after⁠—“

“After her beloved husband died in a tragic accident,” Jake interrupts me to finish.

I’m slightly annoyed by my moment being stolen, but I’m also impressed that Jake even knows about that. I give him a questioning look.

“What? I remember you practicing your presentation about Curie years ago. Seventh grade, maybe?”

Wow, I can’t believe he remembers that. That year we had an assignment to pick a historical figure and present about them. I was so nervous about public speaking and wanted to do it well, so I practiced it in front of my family and friends numerous times, including at Jenna and Jake’s house. I also practiced a lot with Braden. Just thinking about memories of him sends a pang of anger and sorrow through me, but I shake it off, determined to not let him ruin my entire Halloween.

“Um, yeah, good memory. Anyway, let’s go pillage the neighborhood for candy.”

Hunter bounds out the door and Jake falls in step beside me.

Chapter Eleven

Sugar floods my senses as I pop another fun-size candy bar in my mouth, courtesy of trick-or-treating. The steady splash of arms and legs churning pool water echoes off the aquatic center walls, with the occasional sound of Kim calling out corrections. The chlorine scent and humid air would generally make me feel wrapped in a comfortable, familiar cocoon, but not today.

From my spot leaning against a wall, Analiese flies through her laps with determination. She currently has a pull buoy between her legs so she can swim without having to kick her legs and aggravate her injured ankle. Maybe all those flip turns the other day were actually detrimental to her recovery, but I don’t care enough to ask. Coach Kim made it clear Analiese could take care of herself, and I’d rather stab myself in the foot than start a conversation with her.

As the sugar high hits, I float back to memories of Halloween night with Hunter and Jake. The three of us had a blast joking around as we toured the neighborhood, then we watched Hocus Pocus while eating way too many sweets. During the movie, I’d kept checking my phone for texts from Braden (there were none), though I did get a text from my dad confirming that he’d be home for Thanksgiving. It will be amazing to see him, but there’s definitely potential for tension between Mom and him.

Towards the end of the movie, I dozed with my head on Jake’s shoulder. Maybe I should have been embarrassed to be using him like a pillow, but he didn’t seem to mind. In fact, when I startled awake and lifted my head off him, he used one of his hands to push me back down and patted me on the head gently. He was warm and nice and comforting, and I tried my best not to feel weird about it. Jake said himself that he wanted to be friends with me and that’s what close friends do, right?

Popping her head out of the water, Analiese whips off her goggles and glances at the clock. She climbs out of the pool, and I hand over her crutches—not because I want to, but because Kim is standing across the pool finishing drills with the other swimmers. Passing someone crutches doesn’t require conversation, but I need to do everything possible to appear ready to be swim captain. If Kim glances over, she needs to see the ultimate team player.

“Your stroke has gotten stronger,” I say. “Even with the ankle.”

Internally, I give myself a pat on the back for sounding genuine. If complimenting Analiese means she’ll tell Kim I’ve done a good job with this class, I can suck up to my nemesis. Within reason, of course.

She looks at me with her brows furrowed, like she’s searching my expression for signs that I’m being sarcastic. My face must not pass the inspection, or maybe Analiese is just in a bad mood.

“I should be off the crutches next week, then I’ll be back to running the week after that.” She pauses to sniff and adjust the crutches. “So this whole ‘supportive teammate’ routine won’t be necessary much longer. Until swim season, anyway.”

I sigh. “Take the compliment, Analiese. I didn’t mean anything by it.”

“Yeah, sure. You can pretend you meant it, I guess, but I don’t have to.” She swings away on her crutches.

In the locker room, I change into my clothes for school and grab my backpack out of my swim locker. A quick peek at my tablet shows me that I have a Connection Services message from Mr. Pi that I still haven’t looked at since Halloween.

31415: Roses are red,

Violets are blue,

Did you have a fun Halloween,

Or should I make it up to you?

I smile and shake my head. What in the world? We’re sending poems now?