Small Steps (Holes 2)

“Do we have a deal?”

“Yes, we have a deal.”

Armpit waited a long moment, then quietly said, “Armpit.”

Kaira shrieked, causing several other walkers to turn and look at them.

“You are so bad,” Kaira said. “Oh, you are so bad. Okay, raise up your elbow.”

He did so.

She slowly moved her finger up the sleeve of his T-shirt, but he suddenly laughed and pulled away.

“You’re ticklish!”

She tried again, but again he couldn’t stay still.

“Are you going to let me do this or not? Close your eyes.”

He did so and waited. She held on to his shoulder. It was hard to keep still.

She quickly poked her finger up his sleeve and fulfilled her part of the bargain.

He opened his eyes.

“Yuck, it’s all sweaty,” she said as she wiped her finger on her shorts.

He started to explain about the scorpion but she wasn’t interested. Her hand was still on his left shoulder, and now she placed her other hand on the right one.

He gently held her waist and felt her rise to her tiptoes. H

e could feel blood pulsating against the tips of his fingers but couldn’t tell if it was his or hers.

He leaned toward her.

“What are you doing?” she exclaimed, suddenly backing away.

“My job, Miss DeLeon,” said a voice behind him.

20

“So you d-didn’t kiss her?”

“I couldn’t. Not with her bodyguard right there.”

“I would have kissed her,” said Ginny.

“You would have kissed her?” Armpit teased.

Ginny giggled at that. “I m-mean if I was you. If I was a b-b-boy.”

Armpit ate a spoonful of Cheerios. They were in her half of the house. They were her Cheerios.

He knew Ginny was right. How many chances in your life do you get to kiss someone like Kaira DeLeon? He’d thought about nothing else since the moment Fred showed up.

Fred had ruined the moment, but as the three of them headed back to the hotel, Armpit had had it all planned out. Just before saying good-bye, he would say something smooth like “Next time you’re in town, give me a call,” and then kiss her.

But it never happened. Kaira’s manager was in the hotel lobby when she returned, and she started yelling at him for firing the drummer, and he told her that drummers were a dime a dozen. Kaira was practically in tears. She told Armpit she was “sorry about all this,” then went sulking off into the elevator.