Save Steve
Page 24
“But the lobby store is closed,” I added lamely.
“I just batted my eyelashes.”
“That a girl,” Steve said.
“And when they said no, I gave them a little taste of Angry Prom Girl.”
Steve laughed and nudged her. “You are one gangsta bitch!”
“You know I am.” Kaia laughed and popped open the jar.
Steve went to shove in his finger, but Kaia blocked him. “Ladies first, Mr. Eager.” She whisked a dollop off the top and we watched as she tasted the gooey glob. Steve and I exchanged an excited look, anticipating the moment. Then, just like we’d hoped—“Hollllllyyyy shit, guys. What the fuck is in that?”
Steve shoved his finger in and said, “It’s bee vomit.”
“Double vomit,” I clarified, and plopped my finger next to his.
“You guys are disgusting,” Kaia said.
The honey burst in my mouth and I felt a ripple of sugary pleasure explode through my body. It was better than last time. Was it just the brand? Or was it me? I wasn’t sure, but I felt it in my legs and my stomach and my chest and they all expanded with the flavor.
We took turns dunking our fingers and savoring the sweet perfection. The moon shimmered on the ocean, which surged and retreated in front of us.
“Hey, Cam, do you think your shark is out there murdering innocent children because you set him free?” Steve asked.
“No. He’s a pescatarian,” I said, and gave him a sly smile. Kaia high-fived me and Steve laughed.
“You’re getting too quick for me, Cambone.”
We polished all of it off and then soaked in the aftertaste.
Steve sighed.
Kaia sighed.
I sighed.
Then Kaia tossed the empty jar behind her and, to our surprise, put her arms around us. “Promise me we’ll do this next prom, whomever we go with.”
“Deal,” Steve and I said at the same time.
With all that Steve would have to go through, the thought of next year was comforting. We would still be there for Steve. We would still be there for each other. Even though the ocean was still rising. And the coral reefs were still dying. And the rain forests were still burning.
I knew that today was the day I wasn’t going to ask anyone for proof that I was okay.
Acknowledgments
Writing books is a joy and a privilege, so we’d like to thank everyone who makes our lifestyle of sitting in coffeeshops possible.
Brianne Johnson, agent extraordinaire and person-we-very-much-enjoy-getting-a-drink-with (it seriously sucks we live on opposite coasts), thanks for all your continued support, encouragement, and for laughing at our jokes. Alexandra Levick, Cecilia de la Campa, and everyone else at Writers House, thanks for all your work at getting Cam, Steve, and Kaia’s story out in the world.
To the unstoppable Mary Pender and everyone at UTA, thank you for your ferocious belief in our story.
Hannah Ozer and Ben Neumann, thank you for all your hard work and support.
Alyson Day, our wonderful, tireless editor, thank you for your guidance and helping us dig deeper into our characters’ journeys. Megan Ilnitzki and the rest of our team at HarperTeen, thank you for all the hours you put in and for letting us know exactly how much Cardi and Kelly we can legally get away with. Joel Tippie and Estudio Santa Rita, thank you for your beautiful book design and for bringing our characters to life. It’s really hard to get cancer-love-triangle-with-sharks in one image.
Personal thank-you time!
Jenni, here. Thank you so much to Warren, Clark, and Calvin. I love you guys so much. Best family ever. Clark and Calvin, sorry once again I wrote a book without pictures that you aren’t allowed to read. Someday, I promise.
Ted, thanks for writing with me and entertaining ideas that start with, “but what if there is a shark?” While having a writing partner doesn’t seem to halve the workload, it does make it a lot more fun.
Finally, I’d like to send love to my mom, a breast cancer survivor, to my father-in-law, Keith, a colon cancer survivor, and to my friend Maggie, a Stage 4 Lung Cancer Thriver (seriously; it’s on her business cards).
Fuck cancer.
Okay, Ted here now, and I’ve got a few thank-yous as well. First and foremost to my wife, Kirsten. I couldn’t ask for a better partner, and can listen to her yell at the news all night long. Also, my two amazing kids, Andrew and Ione. They are the light of my life and I can’t wait until they can read this book and tell me there’s too much cursing.
And now a thanks back to Jenni. I’d be disappointed if your ideas didn’t start with something like, “what if there’s a shark.” I can’t wait to see what the next crazy idea is!
My mother (Bubby) and father (Pop) also deserve a big shout-out for all the love and support they’ve showered on me. To be clear, they are in no way like the parents in this book, even though they went through something similar.
When I was twelve, we lost my brother to lymphoma. Watching him go through the illness for two years, it was clear how hard he worked to be strong through the whole awful thing. Acknowledging him seems a little small, and this book is certainly not a fitting tribute. But I know he’s watching over me and I’d like to hope that I’ve made him laugh once or twice and, more important, that he sees that he’s remembered always.
About the Authors
Photo by Laura Ise
JENNI HENDRIKS’s mom often complained she was “a real smart**s,” so she decided to make a career out of it. She moved to Hollywood and worked her way from coffee-fetcher to writer for the television series How I Met Your Mother. She is also a cartoonist whose feminist-inspired works have been published in Ms. magazine. A film school graduate, she knows how to rack focus and wrangle a cable and can tell you what a best boy does.
TED CAPLAN has been working in the film industry for over twenty years as a writer, sound designer, and music editor. He has helped craft the soundtracks to many high-profile projects, such as Ford v Ferrari, Logan, both Deadpool films, and The Hate U Give. He is also the screenwriter of Love Sonia, a feature film about international sex trafficking from the producers of Life of Pi and Slumdog Millionaire.
Visit them on their website, www.jenniandted.com.
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Books by Jenni Hendriks and Ted Caplan
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Copyright
HarperTeen is an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers.
SAVE STEVE. Copyright © 2020 by Jennifer Hendriks and Ted Caplan. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the nonexclusive, nontransferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse-engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins e-books.
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Cover art © 2020 by Estudio Santa Rita
Cover design by Joel Tippie
Library of Congress Control Number: 2020938934
Digital Edition SEPTEMBER 2020 ISBN: 978-0-06-287629-4
Print ISBN: 978-0-06-287627-0
2021222324PC/LSCH10987654321
FIRST EDITION
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