“Ned, you shouldn’t have!”
“It’s something to help you remember this visit. Go on. Open it!”
Nancy’s fingers shook as she unwrapped the gift. It was a delicate silver bracelet, the loveliest she had ever seen. She slid it on.
“It’s beautiful! But, Ned, it must have cost a fortune!”
Her boyfriend’s face darkened for a split second. Was he angry? Troubled? Before she could decide, the look faded.
“The price doesn’t matter. I want you to have it. I’ve missed you, Nancy.”
A lump formed in her throat. “I’ve missed you, too. And how!”
She threw her arms around him and kissed him—sweetly at first, but then with growing urgency. It felt terrific to be with him again! Silently she vowed not to wait so long between visits the next time.
Suddenly a chorus of voices interrupted them.
“Hey, Nickers, save it for later!”
“Yeah, it’s party time!”
“Ned . . . can you hear us, Ned? Uh-oh, looks like we’ve lost him. Send for an ambulance!”
They fell apart. Around them stood a group of Ned’s teammates, all grinning mischievously. Nancy stood and tried—unsuccessfully—not to blush as Ned introduced them.
“Nancy, this is Andy Hall . . .”
She shook the hand of a black youth with a narrow, baby-smooth face. He was the off-guard, she knew, Ned’s opposite number on the Wildcats’ starting lineup.
“. . . and Craig Watson . . .”
Tall, blond, and amazingly cute, Craig was the power forward, or “enforcer,” who did the work that made the others look good.
“. . . and our center, Howie Little.”
Nancy’s eyes traveled up . . . and up . . . and up . . . to the face of the tallest boy she had ever met. Howie Little was a towering seven-feet-one. He had deep black skin and sparkling eyes, which were full of humor.
“Hello down there,” he said, laughing. His voice was a deep bass, like the lowest notes on a church organ. “It’s kind of hard to tell from this distance, Ned, but it looks to me like you’ve got yourself one pretty girlfriend there.”
Everyone laughed, Nancy hardest of all. She liked Howie’s sense of humor.
“Where’s Mike?” Ned asked, looking around for his friend.
Craig pointed. “Over there. He’s still upset about what happened during the game, I guess.”
All eyes turned to a couple across the room. Nancy saw Mike O’Shea talking with a short, snub-nosed brunette. His girlfriend, probably. She looked as if she was trying to calm him down. It wasn’t working, however. As they watched, Mike pulled away from her and stalked out of the room.
“Mike takes those practical jokes kind of hard,” Ned explained to Nancy in a low voice. “Tonight, for instance, after the mascot’s costume was slashed he could barely dribble the ball.”
“Maybe he’s high-strung,” Nancy said.
“Strung out is more like it,” Andy drawled sourly.
“What do you mean?”
Ned shot Andy a warning look. “All he means is that Mike’s been feeling run-down, lately. We’ve all been feeling run-down! It’s been a long, tough season.”
Murmurs of agreement followed his remark, but Nancy caught an undercurrent of tension in the air. Were they upset over Mike’s poor performance in that night’s game, or was there more to it than that? And why was Ned covering up for him? That was very unusual!
Nancy’s thoughts were interrupted by a new voice—one that was high, thin, and tinged with an unpleasant edge of sarcasm.
“Aren’t you going to introduce me, too?”
“Ray, what are you doing here?” Ned asked.
The newcomer was tall and skinny. He had pale blue eyes, a prominent hooked nose, and red hair that needed to be trimmed. He stared at Nancy.
“I thought you wanted nothing more to do with the Wildcats,” Ned added.
“I don’t. You can all rot, for all I care. I like a good party, though. So . . . are you going to introduce me, or not?”
“Nancy, this is Ray Ungar. Ray, my girlfriend, Nancy Drew.”
Ray’s eyes bored into hers. Nancy was used to being checked out, but his reckless expression made her very uneasy.
“So, you’re the famous snoop Ned’s always bragging about.”