Breaking Up Is Really, Really Hard to Do by Natalie Standiford

Author:Natalie Standiford [STANDIFORD, NATALIE]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: JUV014000
ISBN: 9780316054935
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Published: 2008-12-14T05:00:00+00:00

12

All's Fair in Love and Art

To: mad4u

From: your daily horoscope

HERE IS TODAY'S HOROSCOPE: VIRGO: There's a fine line between clever and kooky, and you crossed over to the kooky side long ago.

Mads had a plan. She pulled Lina into the Swim Center Wednesday afternoon. The pool was lively with shouts, whistles, and splashes, the sounds of both the boys and girls swim teams practicing.

“Mads, this is against all the ethics of journalism,” Lina protested, dragging her feet.

“Don't think of it as journalism,” Mads said. “This isn't about journalism. It's about love! And art. And all's fair in love and war, and I'm sure that goes for art, too. You should know. You're a poet.”

“I guess…”

“Anyway, you can ask him real questions if you want. You might actually get a story out of this,” Mads said.

“I don't really see a good angle here,” Lina said. “Although ‘Sophomore Tricks Hunk into Posing for Sexy Photo’ might make a nice headline.”

“Come on, Lina,” Mads said. “Don't pull journalistic standards on me now. Remember a little piece called ‘Badminton Smackdown’?”

“Well, I guess it won't hurt anyone—”

“Exactly. Come on, there's Sean.”

Sean had just emerged from the boys’ locker room, adjusting his goggles. Mads loved to see him in his bathing suit. He was lean and muscular but not too bulked up, and even with his shaggy blond hair tucked under a swim cap, he still looked cool. The cap only made you notice more than ever what a great face he had.

Mads and Lina crossed the bleachers toward him. Before they reached him a whistle blew, and Rob pulled himself out of the pool and stood in front of them, dripping. Awkward. Way awkward.

“Hi, Rob,” Mads said. She still liked him even though Holly had dumped him. Both Mads and Lina thought Holly was crazy.

He wasn't wearing his cap and his thick, choppy hair clumped up when wet. He looked like a puppy who'd just gotten a bath. “Hi,” he said. “What are you doing here?”

“We're on a mission,” Mads said. “Uh, of a journalistic nature.”

“That's cool. How's Holly doing?”

“How's Holly doing?” Mads echoed. “Urn, I don't know. How's she doing, Lina?”

“She's okay,” Lina said. The truth was, Holly felt bad about the way she'd left things with Rob at the Rutgers Roadhouse. Mads and Lina heard all about it the next day. But Holly was convinced it was for the best. She was just sorry about the way things happened. Rob probably wouldn't want to be friends with her for a while, if ever.

“Should we tell her you said hello?” Mads asked.

“No,” Rob said. “Don't tell her I said anything.”

The coach shouted, “Back in the pool, Safran! Breaststroke!” Rob dove in and swam away.

“Come on, let's catch Sean before the coach nabs him,” Mads said. “You know the plan.”

They stopped Sean before he reached the pool. “Hey girls,” he said. “What's shaking?”

Mads elbowed Lina. “I'm, hi, Sean, I don't know if you know me, I'm Lina Ozu, and I'm a sports reporter for the Seer.

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