Over the fence

They'd come to the end of the forest now. A tall wooden fence indicated the beginning of a row of houses. Bonnie couldn't see what was on the other side of the fence, but it was probably just somebody's empty back garden. Anyway, whatever it was, it had to be better than this!

"Up you go," she said, grabbing Susie and hoisting her in the air. Susie got a peep over the top of the fence, and squealed, trying to get back down, but Bonnie ignored her. She loved Susie, but the girl really could be a scaredy-cat sometimes. Imagine being afraid of heights at a time like this.

She placed her hands under Susie's bottom, and pushed, until the slim girl had **** but to climb over the top of the fence and drop down into whatever awaited on the other side. Then she tensed all her muscles, leaped up, grabbed the top of the fence and hastily hauled herself over.

Her feet sank into the soft mud of the garden beds as she dropped down. Safe. Finally, at last, some privacy. There was no way any of those stupid boys could take pictures of her now. All she had to do was find something in the garden to wrap herself in, and she and Susie would be home scott free...

She heard an odd sound. Splashing?

She turned around.

She looked at the pool, which was full of cheerleaders and football players. All of them were staring at her. Anne-Marie Patchett, head cheerleader and dazzling blonde, resplendent in a red one-piece, was the first to break the silence.

"Um, excuse me?" she said. "Who invited you to my birthday party?"

Bonnie blinked, looking at the crowded back yard, full of deckchairs and pool toys and beer bottles and birthday cake and around three dozen of the most popular people in Pinkwhistle High School, all of them staring directly at her. All of looking as if they couldn't believe how unbelievably stupid she was being.

Which was understandable, since she didn't have any clothes on.

Bonnie shrieked and dropped into a crouch, a position that Susie, beside her, had already adopted. The two of them shared a glance, each hoping against all hope that the other girl had figured a way out of it. Anne-Marie was advancing on them, smiling, as the other cheerleaders whooped and raised their cell phone cameras.

"Why don't we show these two little dorks," she said, cracking her knuckles, "what we do to party crashers?"

"Eep!"