Chapter 27

chapter twenty-seven

I'm on my fifth bag of Tropical Skittles Jack brought, because he figured I'd be hungry. Which I was. And I'm ALWAYS in the mood to taste the rainbow. "Guys, should this be our new hangout?" Dirk asks, looking around. "I dig the skulls. I dig the crossbones. I dig the whole thing." I shake my head. "Hard pass. Please." Quint plucks an electric blue Skittle out of my hands. "June, next time you decide to get lost—could you please keep track of your walkie? I had to listen to hours of weird Wretch stomach grumbling before I could pinpoint your location." I laugh. "Not surprised. Neon's diet is—well —unusual would be putting it lightly." They all glance down at Neon. He's gnawing on a Rifter ax handle like it's a bone. My friends eye him warily. "And you sure he's not evil?" Jack asks again. "Like... REALLY sure?" "I'm sure."

"I'm not worried," Dirk says. "Look, Rover loves the shiny dude. They're golf buddies already." It's true. Now Rover and Neon are jumping and playing on the eighteenth hole like they're old friends. "Hey, Jack," I say, grinning. "Did you help Quint with the radio and the map?" "Me?" he says. He sticks his hands in his pockets and looks embarrassed. "No, no, of course not. I was, uh, stargazing."

"Dude," I say, "you are the worst liar." "He was just freaking out the whole time," Dirk says. "No way!" Jack protests. "I was very cool. Very calm. I said, you know, June? She'll be fine on her own. Maybe she'll come back someday, maybe she won't, no big deal." "Oh yeah?" I say, raising my eyebrows. "Pretty much," he says with a shrug. "I guess, sure, I was slightly nervous. Medium nervous. Like, a four on a scale of one to ten." Dirk erupts in laughter. "Medium nervous!!" he howls. "Oh man. The kid was having kittens! He calls it a four. You should've seen him...."

Where could she be? I know she can handle herself, but she shouldn't HAVE TO because we're a team. And the whole point of being a team is that we handle things together. Like, remember that time we all ate one pizza TOGETHER by each holding a side and then racing to see who could reach the middle first. And all of our noses touched that once. And we, laughed well, I'm NOT LAUGHING NOW because June's a MAJOR DANGER and take a breath. Jack Jack blushes. His face is practically magenta. "I really did know you'd be okay out here on your own. I just... y'know. I wasn't sure we'd be okay without you."

"We'd all be okay on our own," I say. "But we're better together. Like peanut butter and marshmallow fluff." I'm trying to find a free second to tell my friends the stuff I learned about Thrull and what the Boss Rifter revealed about the Outpost, but Globlet and Johnny Steve are sort of dominating the conversation. They're regaling everyone with the story of their epic journey and blowing the whole thing way out of proportion. Dismantled seventeen victors bare handed. Of course I do everything bare handed