Tracy hadn’t really looked at either of the guys while she was hanging upside down. She’d learned a long time ago it was better to pretend everything was normal when it was anything but. She might not even get grounded, since Mom was a few hundred miles away and Aunt Stephanie seemed to think these things weren’t her fault. For sure she’d get away with it if Lisa didn’t say anything. And Lisa wouldn’t if she got busy with something else.
“So. Um… Wanna watch Ed, Edd, and Eddy or something?” Tracy grinned hopefully at everyone.
“Cartoons?” Gene quirked an eyebrow, looking all condescending.
“Yeah. Got a problem with that?” Tracy stuck her chin out, ready to make something of it.
“Nope. I got no problem.” Gene smiled, but you could tell he didn’t want to. Tracy loved it.
She gave Ben a hard look, and he quickly shook his head. “No problem here.”
“All right.” She marched into the house, one fist straight in front and feet kicking high with each step.
When they got to the living room where the cartoon was still playing on the TV, she waved the boys through with a grand gesture, but stopped Lisa with a quick grab.
“The remote’s somewhere in the couch if you want to change channels. Lisa and I have to go to the powder keg. I mean pouter room. I mean, we’ll be right back.”
They gave her a funny look, but people gave her funny looks all the time.
“What are you doing,” Lisa hissed at her as they went right back out the back door.
“Which one is mine?”
“What?!” Lisa screeched as if she could possibly be shocked, something Tracy knew from experience wasn’t’ really possible.
“Tell me right now which one you want, because I know which I want and I need to know if it’s going to work out.”
“You can’t tell if it’s going to work out just by which you like,” Lisa said, but Tracy knew she was just stalling.
“You want me to test it for myself? Just tell me already.”
“Don’t do anything crazy,” Lisa said, eyes panic-wide.
“Pft. Of course I won’t. As long as you tell me.”
“I don’t know who I like better!”
Tracy’s poor cousin was sweating bullets. Too bad, because Tracy had no intention of letting her off the hook.
“You’ve known then for a year now, right? You’ve been talking about them since Spring anyway. Well, you’ve been talking about the writer, anyway. That’s more than enough time to decide. So I’ll decide for you.” Tracy left her at the rail. “Just remember I gave you a chance first. Don’t complain if I pick the same one you wanted.”
She didn’t bother to look over her shoulder to see how her cousin took it, but she listened for her footsteps. Lisa stomped along right behind her, just like the good old days when the two of them would get into all kinds of trouble.
The guys were laughing at an old Hawaii Five O rerun. Tracy gave them a minute to enjoy the show, just long enough for the commercials to come on. When they did, she was going to make everyone decide who they liked best.
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