Shooting Stars by Allison Rushby Read Free Book Online

you’ll be able to do it cleaner than someone else?” he tries.
    “I seriously doubt it.”
    “Oh.”
    “Yeah, oh.”
    There’s another pause. “So you’re considering not doing it?”
    I think for a second. “Yes. No. I don’t know.” I look at the time. “It’s just that I’m not sure I’m being told the whole truth.
    What do you think I should do?”
    Mannie looks more than slightly scared that I’m asking him for advice. “Man, I don’t know. I guess . . . if you do this job, it means you’d be able to cut back a bit, yeah? You told me you thought you’d have to. That’s a pretty big incentive.”
    “I know.”
    Mannie checks out my expression. “But it’s really dirty.”
    “Still really dirty, Mannie. Really, really dirty.”
    “Wait. You’d be safe and everything, right?” I nod. “Perfectly safe. It’s not sex or drugs or alcohol or violence dirty. Just low- down dirty, you know? Sneaky dirty.”
    “Yeah, I know.” I don’t need to tell Mannie about sneaky dirty. He’s been there and done that. He’s been papping a whole year longer than me.
    “Anything I can do?”
    I shake my head. “Nothing. But thanks for the offer.”
    “You’re welcome.”
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    We sit in silence for a moment or two until a knock on the door makes us both jump.
    “Just me!” Wendy comes in. “I heard your voice. Hey, you should lock this, you know. What would your dad say?”
    “Probably that I should be out working and not sitting here on my butt,” I tell her. I stop perching and stand up.
    “Very funny. So, what’s going on? Hey, Mannie!”
    “Guh,” Mannie answers, and I give him a look. Mannie has a thing for Wendy. Let’s face it, any male who’s breathing has a thing for Wendy.
    “I’m going away for a while. On a job,” I say. “Late to night.” I cross my arms ner vous ly and then realize it and uncross them.
    Wendy’s eyes fi x onto me. “A job, huh?”
    “Yep,” I try to act nonchalant. “Up to nine days, depending on how things go. At a sanctuary. Should be nice!”
    “Oh, like a wildlife sanctuary?” Wendy asks.
    “Um, sure!” I nod. If you count stars as wildlife and me as a big game hunter, I guess it could be just like a wildlife sanctuary.
    Mannie snorts.
    “It’s not a wildlife sanctuary, is it?” Wendy looks from one of us to the other.
    I sigh. “Look, it’s not dangerous. I’ll be fi ne. Dad would approve.”
    “That’s not saying very much,” Wendy huffs.
    “It’s fi ne, really. I’ll give you a number to call so you can 44
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    check up on me.” I move over to the computer and grab a Post- it, scribbling down Melissa’s cell. I only change the last two digits. I pass it to Wendy.
    She looks at it for a second. “Okay, and now can I have the real number?” She passes it back to me. “I know you always change the last two digits.”
    Busted.
    I scribble the real number down this time and pass it over.
    “Thanks. And this better be real.”
    I look her in the eye. “It is.”
    “Good.” She comes over to give me a hug. “I don’t like this. Not one bit. But I know you’re smart. And I also know I can’t stop you. If you need me to bail you out, you know where I am.”
    “Thanks, Wendy,” I say. And I mean it. She really would bail me out. Even fl y over to Boston to do so.
    “I’ve really got to get packing and get some sleep,” I tell them, and they both take it as their cue to leave.
    “Okay. Well, I’m headed to the movies,” Wendy says.
    “What are you up to, Mannie?”
    “Guh,” Mannie says.
    “Uh- huh. Sounds good!” Wendy gives me a wink. She’s used to the “guhs.” At least it’s endearing under the age of twenty. At fi fty- fi ve and in fi rst class? Not so much, she tells me. “See you. And be good.” She loads up the word with a whole lot of