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They swung heavily and slowly at first, but picked up speed, swinging farther with each pass. Once. Twice. Mary Lou’s feet almost touched! Third pass and she knew they’d make it.
“You know what, Tane?” she shouted as they came around again.
“What?” he shouted back.
“I totally want to make out with you!”
She swung with all her might, reaching for the other side in defiance of gravity. There was an audible crack as the rope snapped.
CHAPTER THIRTY
When the girls had finished picking out their clothes and bathing suits for the pageant, compliments of Ladybird Hope’s pageant-wear line, Harris showed them around, enjoying his role as beauty queen escort.
“So how did you end up here?”
“Summer internship,” Harris said “My dad’s CEO of The Corporation. Well, he was. He kinda ‘mishandled’ things.” He put mishandled in air quotes.
“Mishandled how?” Adina asked.
“He sort of lost some revenue. The Corporation posted second, third, and fourth quarter losses totaling around forty billion? So, you know, they had to make some sacrifices, let some workers go.”
“How many workers?”
“About forty percent.”
“Forty percent?” Shanti said, incredulous.
“Yeah. Sucked. But the good news is that they worked out a deal with my dad. He got a sweet twenty million in severance, plus a full staff, use of the corporate jet and yacht for three years, and we did not have to unload the house in Bimini, thank God, because, hello? The surfing there? Crazy-good.”
“When I run Shanticeuticals, I will not overexpand, screw over my workers, and run it into the ground,” Shanti whispered to the others.
Jennifer sidled up to Harris. “My mom was one of those forty percent of workers laid off. She got one week of severance, and it definitely wasn’t twenty million. Lost her health care, too. I wouldn’t brag about that, if I were you.”
They were waiting for the elevator when two black shirts passed them by. One of them said something that sounded suspiciously like …
“Tane Ngata!” Adina exclaimed, stretching her arms overhead. Everyone, including the black shirts, turned to stare at her.
“Do you know him? Are you yourself an eco-terrorist?” Harris was in her face.
“What? No! Why would I?” Adina laughed nervously.
“What did you just say?”
“I was doing my vocal exercises. To be ready for the pageant. I do them all the time. Tane Ngatatatattannnnneeeeetane. Just limbers the tongue right up.” She gave him a coy smile.
“Gummi bears!” Tiara pointed wildly to the vending machine in the corner just as the elevator doors opened.
“Our ride’s here,” Harris said.
Tiara glanced toward the machine. “But … gummi bears.”
“Wouldn’t want to mess with those pretty teeth,” he said and ushered them inside.
They rode up in silence.
“What kind of a person doesn’t let you have gummi bears?” Tiara sat on the cot, her fingers worrying the hem of her new MermaidTopia shirt.
“And everyone seemed to know who you meant when you said Tane Ngata.”’
