“We’re not allowed to remove anything,” Darcy warned. “That would spoil the ecosystem of the tidal pool. We can take lots of pictures, though. ”

“What’s that green thing?” Tarah asked. “Ewwww, it’s disgusting!”

“That’s a sea cucumber,” Darcy said.

“Looks like you, Coop,” Tarah declared.

“Hey, babe, I see you right there! That thing wriggling under the water. Look at it, it’s your spittin’ image!” Cooper taunted.

“That’s a sea urchin,” Darcy said. She snapped some pictures of the tidal pool and began to write observations in her notebook. She already saw starfish and more sea urchins along with a lot of kelp and algae. Some of the rubbery kelp was lying on the rocks in small patches of sand.

Darcy was peering into the water, intent on observing a purple sun star, when she felt something large and wriggly drop down the back of her pullover sweater. “Cooper!” Darcy screamed as the laughing boy danced away in glee. Tarah was doubled over laughing too.

Darcy felt the creature scuttling along her back. Quickly she grabbed her sweater and began shaking it violently. “Get it out!” she screamed.

“It’s only a leech,” Tarah said, laughing wildly. “I mean, it’s got a million legs and it sucks blood, but leeches gotta live too, girl. ”

“Whoa, look at that girl dance,” Cooper said as Darcy frantically tried to shake the bug from her sweater. The black insect, a water bug, finally dropped to the sand and scurried away into the weeds. Furious, Darcy aimed a kick at Cooper’s shins.

“Owww,” he cried, stumbling backwards.

“I knew you were crude and stupid,” Darcy screamed at the pair, “but I didn’t think you were so childish that you’d do something like that!”

“It was a joke,” Cooper said, rubbing his leg where Darcy had kicked him. “Girl, you got a mean hoof!”

“Can’t you get off your high horse long enough to take a joke?” Tarah yelled, siding with Cooper. Darcy was not surprised by that. These two were cut from the same cloth, she thought.

Darcy felt angry and humiliated. “I’m telling Ms. Reed on Monday that I want another partner!”

“Good!” Tarah shot back. “I don’t want to work with no stuck-up girl who thinks she’s better than everyone else. You ain’t no better than the rest of us. ”

Darcy shook with rage as she stuffed her notebook into her backpack. “I’ll find another way home. I don’t want to ride with you,” she snapped.

“You ain’t welcome to ride with us,” Cooper shouted. “You prob’ly busted my leg!”

“Good!” Darcy shot back over her shoulder as she started up the path. “Next time you’ll think twice before you play stupid pranks!”