Double Date

  Bree has found out about Samantha and me.

  As he led the way to the den, his mind raced with ideas about how to handle it. I could lie and tell her she’s crazy, he told himself. I could tell her I’ve never been out with her sister.

  Or I could just shrug it off and say, “What’s the big deal?”

  No, wait. I could admit I went out with Samantha—but tell Bree that she is my favorite, that she’s the best.

  Yeah, Bobby decided. She’ll go for that in a big way.

  Girls just want to be told that they’re the best.

  She’ll eat it up. And then we’ll be right back where we were. Everyone all happy and bright eyed again.

  Bree dropped down close to Bobby on the leather couch. She tugged nervously at a strand of hair that had fallen loose. Then she clasped her hands tightly in her lap.

  “It—it’s about Samantha,” she stammered, raising her troubled eyes to his.

  Uh-oh. Here it comes, Bobby thought. “Samantha?” he said innocently. “What’s up with Samantha?”

  He held his breath and waited for Bree to accuse him. She’s probably going to start bawling, he thought unhappily. I really hate it when girls cry.

  “Samantha is—seeing someone,” Bree said, her voice just above a whisper.

  “Yeah. So?” Bobby asked.

  Here it comes. Here it comes.

  Here’s where she bursts into tears and says, “Bobby, how could you?”

  Bree took a deep breath. Her eyes burned into Bobby’s as if searching for something. “Samantha has been sneaking out with someone,” she told him, clasping and unclasping her hands. “I know she has been.”

  And do you also know that it’s me? Bobby wondered, wishing she would put an end to the suspense.

  Let’s just get this over with, Bree, he thought.

  “Well, why are you so upset?” he asked sympathetically.

  “I—I asked Samantha about it,” Bree continued, lowering her gaze. “I asked her who she was seeing, and she wouldn’t tell me.”

  Bobby waited for Bree to continue, but she chewed her bottom lip instead.

  Confused, Bobby waited. But when he realized she wasn’t going to say any more, he broke the silence. “And that’s why you’re upset?”

  “Well, don’t you see?” she asked impatiently. “Don’t you understand? Samantha and I—we’ve always confided in each other. We’ve always told each other everything. That’s what it’s like, being twins. It’s like we’re part of the same person. We’re closer than sisters. We’re twin sisters. We’ve never had any secrets. Never. We’ve always told each other everything.” She added sadly, “Until now.”

  She doesn’t know! Bobby realized.

  She knows Samantha is sneaking out with someone. But she doesn’t know it’s me!

  He settled back on the couch, very relieved. He had to force himself not to laugh, not to break out in a wild dance of celebration.

  “I’m so upset,” Bree confided, shaking her head. “I had to talk to someone. And you—well, I feel I can tell you things, Bobby.”

  He slid his arm around her shoulders. He still had a strong urge to burst out laughing. But he held it back and said, “I’m glad you feel that way, Bree. Maybe I can help.”

  Her eyes opened wide. “Help? How?”

  “Well, I’ve got a lot of friends at school,” he replied, pulling her close. “I mean, everyone knows me—right? I’ll ask around for you. You know, try to find out who this guy is. I’m sure someone will tell me who Samantha’s secret boyfriend is.”

  What a laugh! he thought.

  “Oh, Bobby, thanks,” Bree said softly. She snuggled her forehead against his cheek. “Thanks, Bobby,” she whispered. “I don’t know what I’d do without you. You—you’ve become so—important to me.”

  “Hey, no problem,” Bobby replied softly. He raised her face to his for a long, emotional kiss.

  “You have to break up with her right away,” Samantha said.

  Bobby’s mouth dropped open. “Whoa!” he murmured.

  “I mean it, Bobby. You have to.”

  Bree had left five minutes earlier, after telling Bobby how much he meant to her. As soon as he closed the door behind her, Bobby began strutting triumphantly around the house.

  “Who’s the greatest? Who’s the greatest?” he chanted to himself.

  It was so easy to control girls, Bobby decided. A piece of cake!

  You just had to tell them how great they were and act real sympathetic to every dumb thing they said—and they’d fall all over you.

  Of course, it helps to have my good looks, Bobby told himself. And it helps to be rich and drive a cool car.

  But you’ve got to know how to talk to girls, how to make them think you really care about them.

  He was still congratulating himself on his performance with Bree when the phone rang. He hurried to the kitchen and grabbed the receiver off the wall.

  “Bobby, it’s me.” Samantha, sounding very upset.

  Now what? he thought. “What’s up, Sam?”

  “Bobby, Bree is on her way to your house. She suspects something,” Samantha replied.

  “She’s already been here,” Bobby told her. He stretched the phone cord across the room, opened the refrigerator with one hand, and pulled out a can of Coke.

  “She has?” Samantha sounded frightened. “Does she know anything? Does she know about you and me?”

  “No way,” Bobby replied casually. “I took care of it. No problem.” He snapped the can open and took a long slug.

  “Really? She doesn’t know?”

  “I told her I’d try to find out who your secret boyfriend is,” Bobby said, snickering.

  Silence on Samantha’s end. “Bobby, we can’t do this anymore. You have to break up with her, right away.”

  Bobby nearly choked on his drink. He set the can down on the white Formica counter.

  “For one thing,” Samantha continued without waiting for a reply, “I’m tired of sharing you. Why should I sit home alone on Friday nights while you’re out with her?”

  Bobby grunted a reply. He was thinking hard, trying to figure out the best way to stall Samantha. He was enjoying going out with both girls. He didn’t want to end it with Bree so soon.

  “You have to do it right away,” Samantha said in a trembling voice. “Bree is very suspicious. She’s starting to go over the edge, Bobby. You don’t know her. She’s fragile—like glass. If she breaks….”

  “Yeah?” Bobby asked, tilting the can up and taking another long drink.

  “If she breaks, she could do anything,” Samantha said breathlessly.

  “Anything?” Bobby replied.

  “Anything,” Samantha whispered.

  chapter 13

  Crime Spree

  “Samantha—whoa! Stop!” Bobby screamed.

  Samantha tossed her head back, laughing gleefully.

  “I mean it!” Bobby cried. “Pull over! Let me drive!”

  “No way!” she shouted over the roar of the car engine. Her window was down. The air blew her hair wildly out from her head. Her eyes sparked with excitement.

  Houses and trees whirred past in a dark blur. A car horn blared angrily as Samantha spun onto Division Street without checking the oncoming traffic.

  “I bet you!” she screamed. “I bet you I can drive to the mall without stopping once!”

  “You’re crazy!” Bobby told her, shutting his eyes.

  Horns honked. Bobby thought he heard a police siren start up behind them.

  “My car!” he cried. “You’re going to wreck my car!”

  She laughed and swerved into the left lane, cutting off an enormous truck. She swept a hand back through her wild, tangled hair.

  “Please!” Bobby begged.

  “I love it when you’re frightened!” she cried, pressing her foot harder on the gas pedal. The red Bonneville shot forward, bursting up to a stop sign. Bobby heard a squeal of tires as a car in the intersection swerved
to avoid them.

  “I thought you were supposed to be so cool!” Samantha taunted him, her eyes glowing excitedly.

  “You—you’re crazy!” he cried.

  She hit the brake hard to turn into the mall. The car nearly spun all the way around. Bobby heard another car squeal to a stop. Horns blared.

  Samantha tossed her head back again in triumphant laughter. “We made it! All the way without stopping! I win the bet!”

  Bobby swallowed hard. His heart felt as if it were clogging his throat. His stomach was knotted into a hard, tight rock.

  Her windblown hair wild about her face, Samantha pulled Bobby’s car into a narrow parking space and cut the engine. She turned to him and grinned. “Well? Are you impressed?”

  Bobby uttered an angry cry. “What if we had crashed into something?” he demanded shrilly. “What if the police had stopped us? Do you have any idea of how much trouble you’d be in? They’d take your driver’s license away!”

  “No, they wouldn’t,” Samantha assured him calmly, pushing open the car door. “I don’t have a driver’s license.”

  * * *

  Bobby calmed down a bit as he and Samantha made their usual Saturday night tour of the mall. He realized he had blown his image by shrieking at her in the car.

  But he didn’t care. After all, it was his car she was trying to wreck, he decided. And she could’ve easily gotten them both killed.

  Didn’t she care about her own life? he wondered. Was excitement so important to Samantha that she’d risk her life—and his—to get it?

  Heavy thoughts, Bobby told himself.

  She’s just totally nuts, he decided. Maybe I should break up with Samantha and keep going with Bree. It would certainly be a lot safer.

  “Did you break up with Bree last night?” Samantha asked as if reading his thoughts.

  The question caught him by surprise. “Uh—well …”

  They were sitting across from each other in a red vinyl booth at Pete’s Pizza. The waitress had just set a pie down on their table, and Bobby was reaching for a slice.

  Samantha liked peppers, mushrooms, onions, and pepperoni on her pizza. Bobby liked his plain. So they had ordered the pizza half and half.

  She’s even weird about pizza, Bobby thought, studying her as she picked the mushroom pieces off her slice and popped them into her mouth.

  “Bree said you took her to a party at Suki Thomas’s,” Samantha said, dabbing the top of her pizza slice with a napkin to soak up the excess oil.

  “Yeah,” Bobby mumbled, lowering his eyes. “Suki’s parents were out of town, so she had a party.”

  “You didn’t have a serious talk with Bree?” Samantha demanded. “You didn’t tell her you weren’t going to see her anymore?” She took a large bite of pizza. “Ow! Hot!”

  “I always burn my mouth on the first bite,” Bobby said, eager to change the subject. “Always. No matter how long I wait for it to cool, the first bite—”

  “Can I drive home?” she interrupted and lowered her slice.

  “No way!” Bobby cried.

  They both laughed. She gazed at him coyly and grabbed his hand on the table. “Don’t I make your life exciting?”

  “Yeah. Too exciting!” he replied, rolling his eyes.

  “More than Bree, right?” she demanded, her eyes locked on his. “More than Bree?”

  “Your sister is—quieter,” Bobby replied uneasily.

  “You don’t know anything about her,” Samantha snapped, startling him. She raised the pizza to her mouth and bit off a large section.

  They talked about school for a while. Bobby talked about his monkeys, Wayne and Garth. She said she wanted to show him her science project. “How about after chorus practice on Monday?”

  He shook his head. “I’ve got band practice. We’re playing in front of the whole school next week.”

  He told her he was thinking of dumping Arnie and Paul and finding new band members. “They just can’t keep up with me,” he explained.

  “But Arnie is your best friend,” Samantha protested.

  “That’s show biz!” Bobby replied.

  They both laughed.

  Samantha is totally crazy, but she has a great sense of humor, Bobby decided. Bree is so serious all the time, he realized.

  How can twins be so totally different?

  They left the restaurant without finishing their pizza. Samantha could never sit still for more than a few minutes.

  Bobby asked if she wanted to see a movie. But she chose to cruise the mall. She took his hand. “I like walking with you,” she whispered in his ear. “I just like being with you.”

  Her soft breath made the back of Bobby’s neck tingle. He put his arm around her shoulders, and they began to walk slowly, window-shopping.

  Samantha stopped at the entrance to a department store. “Let’s go in for just a moment,” she said, tugging his hand.

  When she started eyeing the earrings in the jewelry department, Bobby felt his stomach tighten. “I don’t like your smile right now,” he told her.

  Her green eyes flashed. Her smile grew wider.

  “You’re not going to shoplift again—are you?” Bobby demanded warily.

  Samantha shook her head. “No, I’m not,” she said. “You are!”

  “Whoa! No way!” Bobby threw up his hands like a shield and started to back away.

  “Come back here,” Samantha ordered. “You dared me to drive here without stopping, right? So now it’s your turn. Come here, Bobby!”

  “I’m not doing it, Sam. No way,” Bobby insisted. But he stepped up to the glass display case.

  “See that silver charm bracelet?” She pointed to it, tapping her pink fingernail on the glass. “I need it.”

  “No way. Unh-unh.” Bobby shook his head. He grabbed her hand. “Let’s go.”

  She pulled her hand free. Her smile faded. “We’ll go—as soon as you get the charm bracelet for me. I’m daring you, Bobby. You can’t wimp out on me.”

  He stared into her eyes, trying to see if she was serious or playing with him.

  She was serious.

  “Just take it from the case, and let’s go,” she urged, leaning close to him. Again her breath tickled his neck, exciting him. “You saw how easy it is. Now it’s your turn.”

  He hesitated, lowering his eyes to the glass case.

  “You’re not a wimp, are you?” Samantha demanded softly. “You’re not a chicken-livered wimp, are you?”

  “No one ever calls me a wimp,” Bobby replied seriously, his eyes on the silvery charm bracelet.

  “Wimp!” Samantha teased. “Wimp wimp wimp!”

  “Shut up,” Bobby said sharply.

  “Wimp wimp.”

  “Shut up. I’ll get you your stupid bracelet,” he told her.

  He glanced toward the back of the jewelry department. There were two salesclerks, both helping customers.

  He turned to check out the store exit. No security guard in sight.

  He swallowed hard, took a deep breath. “Here goes,” he whispered.

  He grabbed the lid of the glass case with both hands, lifted it—and set off a loud alarm.

  chapter 14

  Caught

  “Ohh!” Bobby let out a startled cry as the loud bell rang out over the store.

  “Grab it! Grab it!” he heard Samantha shout.

  He grabbed the charm bracelet with a trembling hand. Dropped it. Grabbed it again.

  He pulled his arm back, letting the glass lid slam shut.

  The alarm bell rose over the sounds of the store.

  Before Bobby realized it, he was running. Running through the bright blur of colors and lights. Running through the deafening clang.

  His heart thudding in his chest, he held the bracelet in front of him—and ran.

  Where was Samantha?

  He didn’t see her.

  He saw only the open doorway. A woman bending over a kid in a stroller. A teenage couple behind her.

 
“Hey—stop! Somebody stop him!”

  He was out of the store now, running through the crowded walkway.

  Samantha?

  He turned and made his way toward the food court.

  “Watch out!”

  He stopped short to avoid colliding with two little girls walking with their arms around each other’s waists.

  He spun around. Anyone chasing him? Any sign of Samantha?

  “Oh. There!” he uttered breathlessly. “Whew!”

  Samantha stood right behind him, not even out of breath. She reached out and motioned for him to hand over the bracelet.

  Still gasping for breath, Bobby dropped it into her hand.

  “Bobby, what a beautiful gift!” she cried with mock surprise. She gazed at the bracelet, then threw her arms around his neck and kissed him enthusiastically on the cheek. “I love it! You’re so thoughtful!”

  She slid it over her hand, onto her wrist, and jangled it in his face. “You have such good taste, Bobby. It must have been really expensive!” She burst out laughing.

  “You really crack yourself up, don’t you!” Bobby said, shaking his head.

  “Yeah, I do,” she admitted, grinning as she examined the shiny charms.

  “You’re going to get us killed or arrested or both,” Bobby muttered, still struggling for his heart to stop racing.

  “Just trying to have some fun,” Samantha replied. She jangled the bracelet. “I really love it.”

  “We’d better get going,” Bobby urged. “They’re going to be looking for us.”

  “Can we get a milk shake first?” Samantha asked. “I have such a craving for a milk shake.”

  “No way,” Bobby replied, nervously glancing over her shoulder. “The security guards—”

  He stopped in midsentence and let out a choked cry.

  Samantha turned to follow his gaze.

  “Oh, wow,” Bobby whispered. “It’s Bree!”

  Bree stood at a store window, a few feet in front of them, staring at them in wide-eyed shock.

  “We’re caught,” Samantha murmured.

  chapter 15

  Slashed

  Bree stared at Bobby coldly. She wore a white T-shirt over faded denim cutoffs. Her hands were balled into tight fists, held awkwardly at her sides.

  His mind racing, Bobby frantically struggled to think up an explanation. He glanced quickly at Samantha.