Call the Shots (Swim the Fly #3)(2)

The DJ turns on the music in the rink. It’s a Justin Bieber ballad that’s been everywhere lately. It’s actually not a bad song. The lyrics are sort of catchy, really.

Coop turns on me, his eyes narrow. “You’re tuggin’ me, right? You don’t actually know the words to this crap, do you?”

I clamp my mouth shut, suddenly aware that I’ve been singing along. “Uh . . . no. I just . . . no.”

“Sean-o likes the Biebs!” Coop cracks up. “Now I totally understand why your sister’s convinced you’re gay.”

I glare at him. “First of all, munch my left one, okay? And B, Cathy isn’t convinced I’m gay. She wants me to be gay. Because she thinks it’d be cool. There’s a big difference.”

“Okay, sure, fine. Whatever you say.” Coop sighs and runs his hand through his hair, doing nothing to fix the hat head he’s been rocking all day. “Anyway, as I was saying. We can raise the money for the movie. I mean, Christ, B&M Deli sponsors Little League baseball teams all the time. And what do they get for that? Their name spanked across the back of a uniform? A cheap-ass plastic trophy every few years? Big whoop. If our movie rakes in even one-quarter of the coin that that puddle of spooge Psychopathic Anxiety made, they’d never have to sell another pastrami on rye with a flaccid pickle spear ever again.”

Matt shakes his head, tugging his pant leg down over his skate boot. “Please, count me out on this one, okay? I just want to have a normal, boring school semester for once.”

Coop sighs. “I don’t get you guys sometimes. This is the kind of thing that can separate us from the miserable masses. Don’t you dawgs want to be in charge of your own destinies?”

“Tell me,” I say, carefully untying the dog-chewed laces on my skates and pulling the tongue up and out to try and give my feet a little more breathing space. “What’s Helen think of this ‘genius plan’? She on board?”

Coop glances toward the rink, where the Zamboni is finishing up resurfacing the ice. “I haven’t told her yet. Because,” he adds before Matt or I can interrupt, “I wanted to tell you guys first. But I’m sure she’ll be all over it. She loves the movies. Why wouldn’t she want to help make one?”

“And what about Val?” I ask Matt. “Think she’ll go for it?”

Matt holds up his hands in surrender. “Like I said, I just want to have a nice, normal semester. I’m sure Val does too.”

I flash a grin at Coop. “See?”

“Fine.” Coop smashes his knit cap on his head. “But don’t you two come squalling to me when I pull up to the car wash you’re slaving at in my bitch-red Gullwing, blowing my schnoz with fifty-dollar bills and wiping my ass with hundreds.”

“Why would you be wiping your butt at a car wash?” I ask.

Coop shakes his head. “I was being metaphorical.”

Just then, I look up from adjusting my skates to see Val and Helen entering the arena.

“Okay,” Coop says when he sees the girls. “Let’s keep our movie plan on the q.t. for now. Until we have a few more details hammered out.”

“Yeah, well.” Matt shrugs. “Seeing as we’re not doing it, I don’t see what there is to keep quiet about.”

“I’m just saying.” Coop keeps his voice low. “If the girls learn about it before we know exactly what kind of film we’re going to make, they might have . . . opinions. And we don’t want to have to make some gay-ass lovey-dovey chick flick. No offense, Sean.”

“Just because I liked Mamma Mia! doesn’t mean I like all chick flicks. And it certainly doesn’t make me ga —”

“Hey, whatever.” Coop shoots me with a finger pistol and winks. “We accept you for who you are, dude.”

I look skyward as the girls approach.

“What’s up?” Helen says, her white figure skates tied together and slung over her shoulder.

“Nothing much,” Coop leaps in. “Just discussing how lame it is that we have to go back to school on Monday.”

Helen’s looking pretty cute in her powder-blue mittens and matching pom-pom hat. It used to be that she would only wear bulky clothes in various shades of gray. But ever since the Battle of the Bands, Helen’s been trotting out the pastels in a big way. I just can’t believe she and Coop are going out. After all he did so he wouldn’t have to be her partner in Health class. Beefing her out of the library. Stealing her combination so Prudence could ransack her locker. Filling out an application to try and get her to change schools. I don’t get it. But that’s Coop for you. Always landing on his feet.

“Yeah. Vacations always go so fast,” Valerie says. “Hi, you.” She leans over and gives Matt a kiss. Lucky jerk. I’ve had a crush on Val — with her long red hair, full lips, and sexy French accent — ever since she moved here in seventh grade. I would have been totally pissed at Matt for dating her if I hadn’t been going out with Tianna at the time.

As it is now, I’m just insanely envious.

“Have you guys been here long?” Helen asks, sliding her arm around Coop’s waist.

“Not really. Maybe fifteen.” On skates, Coop is several inches taller than Helen. He leans down, and the two of them start making out.