Zach slowly shut the door to his room and locked it. For a moment, he just stood there and looked at the doorknob. Matt, his best friend since they were tots, was going to Midway Academy. As much as he wanted to stay close to Kate, he never would have wished for such a thing to happen.
"Zach! Hey, Zach!"
Zach was jerked out of his thoughts at the sound of the jovial voice. He looked up and smiled. "Hey, Mel. What's up?"
"Nothin' much, man. Why aren't you down at the Arboretum? The opening ceremony's just getting underway," Mel said, breathless from running up all of the stairs.
"Eh, I had some business to take care of. Why are you up here worrying about me, though? I'm sure Chantal's looking around for you," Zach smiled, nudging Mel playfully.
Mel smiled sheepishly. "Yeah, I know. That's why I want to get back to the Arboretum so that I can catch her before everyone heads down to the beach. Come on, man. We've gotta go!"
"Mel, I'm not so sure-"
"Kate's looking for you," Mel interrupted, knowing that he'd made a telling shot.
"That's not fair," Zach groaned. After another sigh, he put Mel in a headlock and began walking down the hallway. "What am I going to do with you? You come running down the hallway and then start demanding that I come down to the Arboretum with you. When are you going to learn that that doesn't fly with me?"
Mel managed to twist his way out from Zach's arm, laughing. "You know me, dude. I'm not going to let you get away with lounging around all day long." Mel paused, his smile fading away as he began to look at Zach seriously. "There is one thing I should warn you about, though."
"What is that?"
"Kate's mother is down there too, and it looks as if she's out for blood."
