wasn't as distractable as me. He kept an eagle eye on the entrance.

"Is that them?" he asked, at one point. He jumped up and shaded his eyes, trying to get a better look. I jumped up, too, but all I saw was a skinny girl with short red hair. We sat down again. The sun felt good on my shoulders, and it had warmed the stone steps. I leaned back and closed my eyes, feeling very sleepy all of a sudden.

"Jessi, wake up!" cried Quint, shaking me. "We better get going or we'll be late for lunch."

"I wasn't asleep," I protested. But I rubbed my eyes and yawned. Maybe I had drifted off for a few seconds. After all, I'd barely slept the night before. It wasn't surprising that I was tired. "Did they come out?" I asked.

Quint shook his head, looking disgusted. "No," he replied. "It looks like we've lost them for the day. Unless they turn up at the Palm Court."

"Let's go," I said. "Maybe they're there already."

We walked down to the street, and Quint stepped forward to look for a cab. I pulled his arm. "I can do it," I said. "Check this out." I looked up the street until I saw a cab coming, and then I threw up my arm. The cab pulled over, and I opened the door for a surprised-

looking Quint. I slid in behind him. "The Plaza, please," I said to the driver. I was tempted to add, "And make it snappy," like they do in the movies, but I was afraid it might sound rude. Besides, we weren't in that much of a hurry.

Quint gave me a grin and held up his hand for a high-five. "All right, Jessi," he said. "Very cool."

We arrived at the Plaza right on time. Quint led the way through the hotel's lobby, which was full of very rich-looking ladies with fancy luggage. Just seconds ago, in the cab, I'd been feeling very sophisticated. But now, suddenly, I felt like a hick. I gazed around, noticing the beautiful furniture, the heavy drapes, the thick carpets. Then I looked down at myself and realized that I was most definitely not dressed for the Plaza. I hadn't seen too many other people in jeans. I felt kind of shy and embarrassed. Then Quint tugged on my arm.