Small Steps (Holes 2)

“Uh, what flavor?” asked Armpit. He didn’t know why he said that. Sometimes words seemed to come out of his mouth on their own.

“I’ll check,” Kaira said. She opened the door to her dressing room and went inside.

Armpit and Ginny remained in the hall.

“Well, come in,” Kaira said to them, as if she thought they were being stupid.

Ginny entered, followed by Armpit.

Kaira’s bodyguard started to come in as well, but Kaira told him to wait outside.

Armpit was surprised by how small the room was—not much bigger than a utility closet. A small couch had been squeezed in between two walls, and a miniature refrigerator sat on the floor across from it.

Kaira opened the tiny refrigerator, and the even tinier freezer compartment, which was just big enough to hold a quart of ice cream. “It’s chocolate chip,” she told Armpit. “Is that okay?”

“Sure, fine,” Armpit said, wishing he had never asked about the flavor.

“I can ask David to get you something else.”

“Chocolate chip is my favorite ice cream!” he said, trying to put an end to the subject but instead sounding like a little kid.

Kaira scooped the ice cream into two plastic bowls and gave them each one. “Well, sit down.”

“You should get the couch,” said Armpit. “You’re the star.”

“Shut up,” said Kaira.

Ginny laughed. “She told you to shut up.”

“I know. I heard her.”

Armpit sat on the couch next to Ginny. Kaira sat on the floor and ate her ice cream right out of the carton.

“I always get so hungry after a show,” she said. “Before the show I’m too nervous to eat.”

“You didn’t seem nervous,” said Armpit. “You seemed really cool.”

Kaira laughed. “Cool? Look at me. I’m drenched in sweat. It’s gross!”

If Armpit knew her better he might have said, You think you’re sweaty. Man, you don’t know what sweat is! But he didn’t dare say that to Kaira DeLeon.

“Why was that man y-yelling at you?” Ginny asked.

“Him? That’s El—my manager,” Kaira said. “He’s all pissed off ’cause of the last song. Oh, sorry, Ginny.”

“It’s okay,” said Ginny. “I h-hear b-bad words at school.”

“I thought that last song was great!” Armpit said.

“Well, I don’t know about that,” said Kaira.

“Is it a new one?” Armpit asked her.

“You never heard it before?”

“No.”

“Don’t tell me you’ve never heard of Janis Joplin?”