“What in the fresh hell is this?”
I sighed.
The grand marshal had arrived.
The kids gasped. Even Kai looked starstruck.
Helena Handbasket strolled up, all sequins and feathers, looking positively glorious and ridiculously out of place in the dingy parking lot. Darren and Paul and Vince trailed after her, but everyone was focused on Helena.
She ignored us as she eyed the float up and down, prowling along its edges as she inspected it. The kids all held their breath, and I managed to bite back my laughter.
Helena finally came back around the float to stand in front of them. She eyed the teenagers before her, all of them looking like they were abou
t to fall to their knees in worship. Helena would certainly enjoy that. “Did you make this?”
Diego puffed out his skinny chest. “We did. All of us.”
“Is that right?”
Everyone nodded.
“Then that does it,” Helena said, clapping her hands. “I have made a decision. I’m supposed to be sitting in a vintage convertible worth more than my entire existence, but it will no longer do. If there is room, I’d like to be on your float.”
“Oh my god,” Diego said, sounding like he was about to faint. “Oh my god.”
“Say yes,” Kai hissed at him. “She’s a queen.”
Diego gave an awkward half bow, one arm going across his stomach as he did so. “We’d be honored, Ms. Handbasket.”
And even though Helena had a part to play, I could tell she wanted nothing more than to coo all over him. She managed to maintain control and said, “Perfect. We shall be the best float in the entire parade, and everyone will bask in our presence. They won’t even remember all those other shitty floats that come after—”
I coughed pointedly.
“I mean, I’m sure everyone worked hard.”
I nodded.
She grinned at me. It was all teeth. “But this is still better than all their crappy floats.”
I sighed.
EVERYONE WENT inside to get ready. I told them I’d be inside in a moment. They blew kisses at Helena before heading back to Phoenix House.
“Thanks for this,” I told Helena after they’d gone. “I knew they’d get a kick out of seeing you.”
“Yes, well. I am a celebrity.”
“No ego, that one,” Darren mumbled.
“They did this by themselves?” Vince asked, staring up at the float. “I suddenly feel very inadequate.”
“You have other talents,” Paul told him.
“Yeah? Like what?”
“You know what,” Paul said, getting that aggressive look in his eyes.
“Absolutely not,” I snapped at them before they could start in on each other. “Not here. There are children.”