Donna (Girls of Spindrift 2)

“Tomorrow,” I said without hesitation.

He laughed. We both drank some water.

“Hey, come on, you two. Let’s get some exercise,” Damian said. He tossed a soccer ball out onto the beach.

Mateo pulled a knife at least seven or eight inches long out of his backpack and walked off at least twenty-five feet between two lines he drew in the sand. “I’ll take the girls,” he declared, returning and throwing his knife onto the blanket. “That way, it will be fair.”

“Oh, big shot,” Ernie said.

“I’m the only one who was on the school team.”

The girls rose and joined him.

Greg looked at me.

“I never played soccer,” I said.

“Just kick it to someone and try to get it over the line. We play a simple version.” He held on to my hand and stood, urging me up to my feet.

“C’mon, Señorita Genius,” Mateo called to me. “You can be our goalie.”

“Maybe she’ll stay on our side,” Greg said.

“No fair. She’ll outsmart us. First to ten wins, and the losers have to go into the water and swim for a good minute. Boys bare-ass.”

“No way,” Greg said.

“Why not? You did it last year,” Mateo reminded him. The others backed him up.

Greg turned to me. “I was a little drunk.”

“Don’t worry. I’ll play fifth column,” I said.

“What?”

“You’ll see,” I said, and crossed over to Mateo’s side. The girls were all giggling in anticipation. I looked at Greg. He smiled, remembering that a fifth column was a group within a country that was working for its enemies.

“You think I’m the one with less chance, so I get the ball first,” Mateo said.

“Go for it,” Greg said.

As soon as Mateo touched the ball with his foot, Greg and Damian rushed him, but Mateo was as good as he claimed and turned the ball away from them and drove right past them to kick it over the line before Ernie could get to it.

He laughed when he turned to us. “Thanks to me, you’ll see some choice bare ass, Señorita Genius.”

Greg looked very upset.

The next time Mateo touched the ball, Greg and Damian lay back. Mateo laughed and then turned and kicked the ball to Sandra. Greg and Damian rushed at her. She screamed and kicked to Renata, who happened to be very good, too. She drove the ball to Mateo, who kicked it just over Ernie’s head and across the line again. All the girls except me cheered.

The next time Mateo kicked the ball, Greg managed to block it and drive it well to Damian, who went right past Renata. He kicked the ball too close to me, but I pretended to slip, and it went across the line.

Mateo stood there with his hands on his hips, watching, and then peered at me. He nodded. “Okay, Señorita Genius.”

After that, once he got to the ball, he didn’t pass it to anyone. After ten minutes, he had seven points, and Greg’s side still had only one. Mateo called time out to talk strategy with us girls, but all he really wanted to do was tease me.

“Don’t you want to see your boyfriend’s ass more than mine?”

“I don’t want to see anyone’s,” I replied.