14 Flipping Out - My Sister the Vampire (15 page)

Ivy let out a silent cheer.
I made it past Stage One! Now . . .
She slid a glance forwards.
Yup. It’s time for Stage Two: the dumb skater-boy. Game on!

One of Finn’s friends took up most of the hallway ahead of her, sweeping out his arms and legs to show off his “killer” moves. ‘And then I went –
whoosh!
–
up that wall and I turned a flip like
this
. . .’

He flipped in mid-air and nearly knocked over two bunnies.
Remember your objective
, Ivy lectured herself as she started towards him.
Don’t scowl, don’t sigh, don’t
huff, don’t . . . huh?

Penny Taylor had just jumped in front of her, dressed in a very long black coat.

Wait a minute
, Ivy thought.
This wasn’t part of the script. I haven’t rehearsed this!

Penny’s eyes looked huge with misery. Her gaze skittered over three goths who were leaning against the wall of lockers nearby, obviously listening in, and her shoulders hunched. She
whispered, ‘Um . . . can I talk to you, Ivy? Please?’

Ivy gritted her teeth.
So much for the plan!
‘Oh, fine,’ she muttered. ‘If you must.’

Penny flinched as if she’d been slapped and Ivy winced, suddenly realising what she’d done.
Uh-oh. I wasn’t supposed to be mean today!

‘Of course you can talk to me,’ she said warmly. She wrapped one arm around Penny’s shoulders, feeling the tension vibrating through the other girl. ‘What’s
wrong?’

‘It’s just . . .’ Penny slid her a nervous glance. ‘You know our English class? This morning?’

‘Yeah.’ Ivy had to restrain herself from rolling her eyes. Was there
anyone
at this school who wasn’t eager to remind her that she hadn’t done her homework?

‘Well . . .’ Penny bit her lip. ‘Did you have any particular Pall Bearers song in mind? To read?’

‘Uh . . .’ Ivy grimaced. ‘Look, to be totally honest –’

‘Oh, don’t worry!’ Penny’s words rushed out as her eyes flew wide. ‘I would never read the one you were planning on! No matter which one it is.’ She grasped
Ivy’s arm with a feverish look in her eye. ‘You know, I really won’t read any of their lyrics if it’s going to offend you. I would never do that!’

Gently, Ivy tried to detach Penny’s fingers from her arm. ‘Look, the Pall Bearers aren’t really your thing, are they?’

‘Of course they are!’ Penny gave an anguished look at the watching goths. ‘I mean, every goth loves the Pall Bearers, right? So, I do, too! It’s just, I know you’re
a really big fan – I don’t mind the keyboards either, by the way! – and I would never step on your toes. That’s why I wanted to check.’

Ivy sighed. ‘I’m not reading any of the Pall Bearers’ lyrics, Penny. The whole CD collection is yours, free and clear.’

‘Oh. Well. That’s a relief, I suppose.’ Penny’s shoulders slumped. She stepped out from underneath Ivy’s arms, looking more miserable than ever. ‘So, I will
read Pall Bearers lyrics, then.’ She sighed. ‘See you there?’

‘Yup.’ Ivy watched Penny walk away, goth-perfect in her long black trench coat . . . and slumped. She couldn’t take this any longer. ‘Penny?’ she called out.

Penny froze, suddenly looking hopeful. ‘Did you change your mind? Do you want to use one of their songs after all?’

‘That’s not it,’ Ivy said. She glanced at all the other students watching them from around the hallway. ‘Could you just come back here for a second? Please?’

As Ivy waited for Penny, she heard her friends down the hall hissing at each other in sudden panic:

‘What is she doing?’

‘She’s going off-script!’

‘Improvising was NOT part of the plan!’

‘Chill, guys,’ Ivy whispered. She knew Olivia wouldn’t be able to hear her, but Brendan and Sophia both would, with their vampire hearing. ‘I know what I’m
doing.’

At least, I hope so
, she added silently.

Penny came to a halt in front of her, quivering with nerves. ‘Y-yes? Was there something you wanted, Ivy?’

‘Yes,’ Ivy said. She looked her in the eye. ‘I want to know: do you
really
want to read the Pall Bearers’ lyrics?’

Penny blinked rapidly. ‘I thought you said I could! You said –’

‘Don’t get me wrong,’ Ivy said. ‘The Pall Bearers
suck
– I mean, they
rule
– but you don’t have to read one of their songs just
because that’s what you think you
should
do. You know that, right?’

Penny looked around at the watching goths. Ivy could almost see the wheels turning in her head.

‘But if I don’t . . .’

‘Look,’ Ivy said, dropping her voice to a whisper. ‘The whole idea of Mr Russell’s assignment is to read something you connect with, emotionally, on a personal level. We
both know the Pall Bearers aren’t
it
for you, right?’

Penny’s eyes dropped. ‘Right,’ she whispered. ‘I mean, I don’t think they’re
bad
, I just . . .’

‘They’re just not
your
thing.’ Ivy nodded. ‘So if you go up and read those lyrics, you’re not going to get as “into” them as everyone expects,
are you? That means people are going to have
questions
 
.’ She laid one hand on Penny’s stiff shoulder, feeling a wave of empathy. Ivy, of all
people, knew exactly how hard it was to pretend to be a different kind of person. ‘Don’t you think it would be better to give them questions you can actually answer?’ she asked
gently.

For a moment, Penny just looked down at her feet. Then her chin rose. She met Ivy’s gaze. ‘Do you remember that poetry book I was reading at the skatepark?’

Ivy frowned. ‘That was while you were pretending to be a goth, wasn’t it?’ she whispered. ‘I’m not sure that book is the best –’

‘No!’ Penny said. ‘There’s one poem in there I
really
loved. Genuinely. “Shadows in Sunshine.”
That
’s the one I’d pick if I
really could.’

‘“Shadows . . .”? Ohhh, yeah.’ Ivy’s eyebrows rose. ‘I remember that one.’
And actually . . .

Yeah, it was moody – but it was pretty, too. And the more she thought about it, the more she could see: it really would have meaning for Penny, the goth who secretly loved pink.

‘That sounds like a great choice,’ she said truthfully.

‘You think so?’ Penny’s lips curved into a smile of delight. ‘Then I’m going to do it!’

‘Fantastic.’ Ivy gave her shoulder one last squeeze, then stepped away. As she made her way briskly down the hallway, she barely even remembered that she was running the dreaded
Hallway Gauntlet. Warmth filled her chest, making her feel light as air.

She bypassed the annoying skater-boy without giving him a glance, even as his backflip landed him so close to her that he actually apologised, backing away with his hands held up defensively.
Maybe he thinks I’m going to go after him the way I went after that idiot in the trench coat
, Ivy thought, and rolled her eyes.
Honestly, I’m not that scary!

When the bunny girl with six piled textbooks scurried past, Ivy gave her a half-smile. The bunny girl stopped in her tracks, staring. ‘Um . . . um . . .’ She licked her lips, looking
panicked. ‘I . . .’

‘Yes?’ Ivy asked gently. She stopped to listen.

‘What are you doing?’ Sophia whispered. The sound carried down the hallway to Ivy’s sensitive hearing.

Ivy ignored her friend’s question. Instead, she waited patiently for the bunny girl to work up her courage.

Finally, the girl gave Ivy a shaky smile. ‘Hi,’ she said. ‘I’m Julia.’

‘Nice to meet you, I’m Ivy.’

The bunny girl beamed, looking almost relieved as she continued walking down the hall. ‘Wow,’ the girl whispered to herself, not realising that Ivy could hear her. ‘She’s
not
scary!’

Nope
, Ivy thought.
And maybe I don’t need to be, either.

As Ivy joined her friends by her locker a few minutes later, she was smiling as broadly as Julia. She’d successfully run the Hallway Gauntlet . . . and she knew she’d never be afraid
of it again.

O
livia couldn’t have been happier for her twin . . . but now that Ivy had finally learned how to manage the dreaded hallway, it was time for
Olivia to focus on her other mission:
Get Famelia together
–
for the whole school’s sake!

As she headed for her locker on the other side of school, leaving Ivy and her other vamp friends behind, Olivia could actually feel the difference in people’s reactions. While goths and
bunnies both stared at Ivy and everyone around her, Olivia turned into the Invisible Girl the moment she stepped out of Ivy’s charmed circle.
There should be a loudspeaker warning every
time I walk away from Ivy
, she thought ruefully, as she stepped back to make way for a noisy group of goths.
Warning! Warning! You are now leaving the popularity zone!

The goths passed by her without a second look . . . and Olivia smiled, relaxing into her anonymity.
Jackson was right. This could be a whole lot worse.

Honestly, it was going to be weird enough to alternate between weeks of normal high school and weeks of Hollywood filming across the next several months. But if she wanted to stay grounded
through it all – and keep herself from becoming a nightmarish diva like Jessica Phelps – this was exactly what she needed to keep her steady. She had Hollywood ceremonies and film sets
to make her feel special . . . and school to keep her normal and anonymous.

This feels right
, she decided.
Now all I have to do is get Operation Famelia moving again!

Olivia nibbled at her lower lip. She’d barely slept last night for wondering what she should do next to help Finn and Amelia get together. This morning, though, she was pretty sure she had
the perfect plan.

All she needed was a box of chocolates and a yellow umbrella, and she’d . . .

Oh, no. Trouble ahead!

Just ahead of Olivia, Amelia was stepping backwards from her locker – and she was obviously completely unaware that another student had set a big, bulky bag just behind her. The Queen of
Goth was about to take a nasty fall.

‘
Look out!
’ Olivia yelled.

But Amelia’s boot had already landed askew on the bulky bag. She started to fall, her arms pinwheeling . . .

. . . and from out of nowhere, Finn zoomed down the hall on his skateboard. Moving so swiftly it almost looked like he was flying, he sped towards Amelia and caught her in mid-air before she
could hit the ground.

Amelia gasped, grabbing on to him and clinging to his shoulders as his board screeched to a stop. Finn’s arms locked around her waist. As Olivia watched, open-mouthed, his head lowered
towards Amelia. The Goth-Queen’s eyes drifted closed as her head tipped back, obviously waiting for his kiss . . .

And Mr Russell’s voice snapped through the air.

‘That’s it!’ Looking triumphant, the English teacher marched down the hall. ‘It’s detention for you this time, Mr Jorgensen. You’ve been told before about
skateboarding inside the school!’

Not now!
Olivia pleaded silently. But it was too late.

Groaning, Finn let go of Amelia. She stepped back hastily, brushing herself down and not meeting his gaze. Without a word of protest, Finn scooped up his skateboard and followed after Mr
Russell, all the way to Principal Carson’s office.

Olivia shook her head despairingly as she watched him disappear behind the closed door. Then she looked back at Amelia . . . and began to smile.

The Goth-Queen was still gazing after Finn as if no one else in the world existed.

Talk about a perfect ‘Meet Cute’ moment!
Olivia bit her lip to hold back a burst of delighted laughter as she sidled up to Amelia. ‘That was quite heroic, wasn’t
it?’ she murmured. ‘The way he saved you . . .’

‘Sorry?’ Amelia seemed to snap out of a daydream. Her face tightened, as if she were preparing some sharp remark . . . but then she sagged. ‘Yeah,’ she said softly. Her
eyes turned back to the closed door of Principal Carson’s office. ‘I guess it was.’

Yes!
Olivia wanted to do a high-jump of triumph. Instead, she opened her mouth, already preparing her next move. She knew exactly what to say next:
No other boy would have done what
Finn did!

But Principal Carson’s office door opened before she could say a word.

‘This is outrageous!’ Mr Russell burst out, red-faced, and stalked down the hallway, scattering students in his wake.

Behind him, Finn and the principal stepped out together . . . and they were both smiling!

What on earth is going on?
Olivia wondered, freezing halfway to her locker.

As she watched, Finn and Principal Carson shook hands. Then Finn started walking . . . straight towards Amelia.

The whole hallway went silent as everyone gathered around, eyes wide.

Amelia waited in front of her locker, and for once, the Goth-Queen looked anything but cool. One hand fluttered up to touch her hair. Her other hand closed around her locker door. Olivia could
see Amelia’s chest rising and falling, as if she were breathing quickly.