The drive took less than twenty minutes. When they reached Lake View's campus, they could see their own school's bus already parked in the lot. The volleyball team always left a few minutes before school actually ended to beat the traffic. Parking close to the bus, both girls got out and surveyed their surroundings. Aside from a few families arriving to watch their daughters compete, the lot stood pretty empty.
Right away, Jon noticed something. "Where's the reporters here?"
"Lake View doesn't get them. Some kind of special arrangement with the city, I guess."
"And one of the perks of being our mystery wisher's home turf," added Jon. "So, where's the game being held?"
"I think it's at the gym." Karyn pointed.
"That's the gym?" Jon's jaw dropped at the gargantuan side of a building that blocked half the sky.
"Only part of it," clarified his friend. "The rest of the building is taken up by the bowling alley, the ice skating rink, the outdoor swimming pool, the indoor swimming pool, the outdoor tennis court, the indoor tennis court You get the picture."
Jon shook his head. "And to think, we always thought this school was the run-down one. Then again, I guess our's wasn't so much better. You know, it took us years to get enough money to get our own gym. A month later, the roof sprang its first leak. Fixing that took another two months."
"Really?" Karyn grinned. "Sounds dreamy." She counted off on her fingers. "An average co-ed school, no cars, no money, my best friend's a guy, I'm a tomboy. Did I miss any more tantalizing details of the good ol' days?"
Jon shrugged. "My sister's a Goth." At seeing her expression, he gave a good-natured snort. "Look, it wasn't that bad. Really. Besides, it wasn't perfect, but it was my life. I mean, you wouldn't want the life you know to be snatched away from you, would you? Look, I'm sure we can find a way to keep some of the good stuff you have here without having our lives be turned into some teenage boy's fantasy."
"If you say so," Karyn sighed, gazing across the luxury cars parked throughout the lot. She checked the time on her baby blue cell phone before tossing it back into her designer purse. "Game's started already. We'd better get in there."
Once they entered the athletics building, Jon tried not to gawk at the lavish facilities. Still, his head was spinning by the time they reached the volleyball courts. To his surprise, it was beach volleyball. Girls in tiny bikini-like sports uniforms romped around in a giant sandbox installed into the gym floor. From what he could surmise, the polished wood floor could roll back into place mechanically to convert the area back into average indoor volleyball courts. The whole setup just reeked of extravagance.
"Jen! I mean Jon!" Karyn's voice yanked him back to the present. She had already climbed partway up the bleachers, looking for a good vantage point.
Jon ran after her, ascending amazingly fast in his heels. Soon, they settled down on a seat near the top. Their eyes roamed the audience, trying to spot their suspect.
Unfortunately, Jon discovered a flaw in their plan. While a good eighty percent of the spectators were hot, young females in Lake View uniforms, there was a decent number of guys present, most likely friends and family members.
"How are we going to spot him in all this?" Karyn breathed. "I don't even know were to start looking."
Jon bit his lip. Things were not looking good.
