“His older brother Miguel is a college kid,” Shelly said. “Miguel studies marine biology and volunteers here for his fall internship. Sometimes Enrique tags along to help out. He’s actually pretty silly. And kind of a . . . science nerd,” she added, the last words slipping out.
“Science nerd, huh?” Kendall asked, pulling a grossed-out face. “Never mind.”
Suddenly, something gelatinous swam up to the porthole behind Kendall’s head. It moved like a gigantic spider, only quicker, cutting through the water and blocking out the light.
Attina squealed and dropped her cup.
Alana pointed to the porthole. “Kendall, watch out!”
Just then, a slimy tentacle shot toward the glass.
“Get that slimy monster away!” Kendall yelled, leaping back from the porthole and squeezing her cup of iced latte as she did. The plastic top popped off, and coffee splashed all over her pink designer tank and yoga pants, staining them a milky brown. Attina and Alana both screamed again and cowered from the glass, which frightened Shelly more than the tentacle or the sea creature to whom it belonged.
“It’s okay,” Shelly said. “That’s Queenie, our giant Pacific octopus. She’s harmless—”
Another tentacle slapped the porthole, making the girls shriek again. But not Shelly. Then Queenie unleashed a thick cloud of black ink and darted into it, her huge body swallowed by the darkness she had unleashed in the tank. As fast as she had appeared, Queenie was gone.
Kendall aimed her manicured nail at the porthole. “Harmless? That thing attacked me!”
“Actually, she’s probably more scared of you,” Shelly said, defending Queenie as if she were an old friend. “Octopuses only release ink when they’re afraid. It’s how they escape—”
“Look what it did to me,” Kendall interrupted, pointing to her stained clothes. “And news flash for you,” she said, staring daggers at Shelly, “I could have been seriously injured.”
Shelly bit her tongue. She failed to see how an iced coffee stain could have seriously injured anyone. She glanced back through the porthole, where ink still clouded the water, and wondered if Queenie was on to something about her new friends. She pushed the thought away.
Kendall rapped with her knuckles on the porthole, which, Shelly knew, was against aquarium policy. “You hear that, you big ugly monster?” Kendall called out to Queenie. “I’m going to file a complaint with the school. They should cancel this dumb field trip next year.”
Shelly felt her stomach churn. School field trips like this one were the bread and butter of their family business. They depended on them to keep the aquarium running smoothly and to put food in the tanks and on their table. This was the day all the local schools came to the aquarium. It was practically a city holiday. Shelly spotted Little River Middle School making their way past an exhibit across the room—and she saw Judy Weisberg’s familiar silhouette framed by the tank.
Judy was surrounded by the other swimmers from the Little River team—rival swimmers.
Judy was tall for her age and stood out from her classmates. Her curly black hair was cropped short, better for tucking inside a swim cap. Her tanned face sported a constellation of freckles that dusted her cheeks. She must have been swimming outside all summer to prep for swim season, Shelly thought with a frown. Between the separation and move, Shelly had barely had a chance to dip her toes in the water, let alone train.
Judy’s friends giggled and pointed at Shelly, who felt her cheeks burn once more. When Judy caught Shelly’s eye, she sneered at her. The year before, Shelly had lost to Judy in the fifty-meter freestyle at regionals. Badly. And Judy wasn’t about to let Shelly forget it.
“This aquarium stinks,” Kendall went on, oblivious to what had just happened between Shelly and Judy. Attina and Alana desperately dabbed at Kendall’s clothes to soak up the coffee stain.
Shelly tore her gaze away from the Little River swimmers. She had to turn her attention back to Kendall. All it took was one formal complaint to ruin everything. And a formal complaint from Kendall Terran would be the worst. Her family practically ran Triton Bay. Her mother sat on the city council, and her dad was the head of the PTA. If Kendall followed through on her threat, the school could cancel the annual field trip, and other local schools might do the same.
Shelly had to find a way to fix this, for her family’s sake. “Guess what,” she said, forcing a smile. “The concession stand has a new coffee bar. My dad installed it to boost attendance.”
Attina perked up. “Espressos?” she asked.
“Lattes?” Alana chimed in, eyes wide. “Mochas?”
“Yup, yup, and yup,” Shelly said proudly. “Better yet, they make a killer flavored latte this time of year. And it’s a double shot.” She grinned at each of her friends.
Now she had Kendall’s undivided attention.
But then Kendall pulled a face. “Ugh, but my credit card maxed out.”
Shelly dug in her pocket, feeling for the bills and loose change crammed in there. Technically, it wasn’t her money; it belonged to Dawson, her six-year-old brother. He’d worked all summer to save it up, selling lemonade at a tiny stand, and before she’d left for school that morning, she’d promised to buy him a new goldfish on the way home to replace Mr. Bubbles. Now, as she counted the money, she realized that it wasn’t enough to buy lattes for her friends and a new goldfish for Dawson. But a new goldfish wouldn’t keep her friends happy.
Shelly forced a smile and fanned out Dawson’s money. “Lattes on me,” she said.
“Hashtag FTW,” Alana said, pumping a fist.
“Hashtag caffeine fix,” Attina chirped, nudging Shelly’s shoulder.
“Shells saves the day,” Kendall said, linking her arm with Shelly’s and steering her toward the concession stand. “After that tour, I seriously might fall asleep. You’re a lifesaver.”
A short while later,
