Double Date (14 page)

“Honey,” he told her. “I—I—” His words caught in his throat. He couldn't say any more.

A few seconds later he was leaning back against the towel Melanie had spread over the passenger seat. “How did you find me?” he asked.

Melanie stared straight ahead, guiding the car over the dirt road to the highway. “I wasn't looking for you,” she explained. “I was helping Samantha and Bree. They're home alone, and their convertible was stolen this afternoon. They were pretty sure that Jennilynn had taken it. They asked me to help look for it. I remembered that Jennilynn used to like hanging out at the family cabin, so—”

“So you finally admit there
is
a Jennilynn,” Bobby murmured bitterly.

“Yeah, I admit it,” Melanie replied softly. “I'm sorry, Bobby. Really. I apologize. But I promised Bree and Samantha I wouldn't tell anyone about their third sister. I guess it's too late for secrets now.”

Bobby was quiet, watching the dark fields roll by.

“You really are a sticky mess,” she commented without smiling.

He scratched his leg. “I can't stop itching. I don't think I'll ever stop.”

“We'll go straight to the police station,” Melanie said. She turned to him. “Or do you think we should warn Bree and Samantha first.”

Bobby thought about it. “They might be in danger,” he said softly. “Jennilynn is really dangerous. Crazy and dangerous.”

“Maybe we'd better warn Bree and Samantha, and
then
go to the police,” Melanie suggested.

“Yeah. Okay. Good idea.”

Melanie and Bobby both uttered worried cries when they saw the white convertible parked in the street in front of the Wades' house.

“The car—it's back. Do you think Jennilynn is already here?” Melanie asked, her voice trembling. She pushed open the car door. “Hurry, Bobby—we may be too late!”

They ran up the front walk. The living room drapes were pulled shut. The house was completely dark. Grass stuck to the soles of Bobby's feet. He pulled his boxer shorts up higher. They were sticky and heavy with honey.

“Bobby—I'm so frightened!” Melanie whispered. She pushed open the front door without knocking, and they burst inside.

As they made their way to the living room, Bobby heard voices. A square of light angled out into the hallway.

Bobby lurched into the living room. “Jennilynn is here!” he shouted to warn Bree and Samantha. “Look out—Jennilynn—”

Samantha and Bree jumped up in surprise. “Bobby—what on
earth!
” Samantha cried, staring at him in disbelief. “You—you're not dressed!”

Bobby heard shocked laughter. He gazed in astonishment around the room. Samantha and Bree were not alone. On the couch he saw Ronnie and Kimmy. Several other girls were seated on the floor.

They were all staring at him in amazement, staring at his honey-drenched body, at his stained T-shirt and boxer shorts, the clumps of grass stuck to his bare feet.

He opened his mouth to speak, but no sound came out.

“What on earth is going
on
here?” A man's voice broke the shocked silence. Mr. Wade strode into the living room. “Bobby—what happened to you?” he demanded.

“It's Jennilynn! She kidnapped me!” Bobby told him breathlessly. “She's here now! In your house!”

Mr. Wade made a bewildered face. “Who?”

“Your other daughter. Jennilynn. She's back!” Bobby cried.

Mr. Wade's confused expression didn't change. He stared hard into Bobby's eyes. “If this is some kind of joke or prank, I really don't get it, Bobby. Have you been drinking or something?”

“It's no joke!” Bobby cried desperately. “Jennilynn is back, Mr. Wade. You don't have to pretend she doesn't exist. I saw her. She
kidnapped
me!”

“I'm sorry. I really don't have time for this,” Mr. Wade replied impatiently. “
Who
is this Jennilynn?”

“The third sister!” Bobby insisted, breathing hard.

“The girls don't have a third sister,” Mr. Wade replied curtly.

Bobby heard embarrassed laughter in the room. He glanced around again and recognized more faces.

What's going on here? he asked himself. It looks like every girl I ever dated and dumped is in this room!

“Wait, Mr. Wade,” Bobby pleaded. “She took me to your cabin. Jennilynn did. She dumped cannibal ants on me! She—”

“Huh? What
kind
of ants?” Mr. Wade demanded.

“Cannibal ants!” Bobby cried breathlessly.

Mr. Wade frowned. “There's no such thing as cannibal ants.”

“But—but—” Bobby stammered, hearing more laughter in the room. “You can check your cabin if you don't believe me!”

Mr. Wade's eyes narrowed. His confusion was quickly turning to anger. “Bobby, we don't own any cabin. And the girls don't have a third sister! You're not making any sense.”

Bobby had a sudden flash of memory. He remembered having to break into the cabin the first time he was there. Was it possible it
didn't
belong to the Wades?

“Where is this cabin?” Mr. Wade demanded suspiciously.

“I—I don't know,” Bobby stammered. “In the woods. On a dirt road.” He turned desperately to Melanie, who had joined Ronnie and Kimmy on the couch. “Melanie knows. Tell him where it is,” Bobby pleaded.

“I'm sorry, Bobby,” Melanie replied softly. “I don't know anything about a cabin.”

“Huh?” Bobby gasped in shock. “You're lying! Lying!”

“Take it easy, Bobby,” Mr. Wade urged. “If you've been drinking, we'd better get you home.” He turned to his two daughters. “Do either of you know what Bobby is talking about?”

“No, Daddy,” Bree replied quickly.

Samantha shrugged. “Beats me.”

“They're lying!” Bobby screamed. “Listen to me. Maybe there isn't a Jennilynn. But one of them drove me to a cabin.”

“Stop right there,” Mr. Wade interrupted. “Bree and Samantha don't have drivers' licenses yet.”

“One of them drove me,” Bobby insisted. “The one with the tattoo. The one with the tattoo—she kidnapped me and—”

“Tattoo?” Mr. Wade's voice boomed loud in the small living room. “They'd
better
not have any tattoo!”

“Look at their shoulders,” Bobby urged desperately, pointing at the two girls. “The one with the tattoo—she did it!”

“Let me see your shoulders, girls,” Mr. Wade ordered sternly.

“Daddy, this is silly,” Bree said. “Bobby has totally
lost
it!”

“All this crazy talk about a third sister and cannibal ants,” Samantha muttered. “He needs help, Dad. He really needs help.”

Both girls obediently lowered the collars of their T-shirts.

No tattoos.

The phone rang. “Bobby, you'd better get home and get cleaned up,” Mr. Wade said sternly. He hurried away to answer the phone.

“You did this to me!” Bobby shrieked as soon as Mr. Wade had left. “You did it! You found out I was dating you both—and you cooked this all up! You and Melanie!”

The twins gazed at each other innocently. “We've been home all night with our friends, Bobby,” Samantha said meekly. “We haven't been out for a minute.”

Melanie suddenly climbed to her feet. “I warned you,” she said in a low voice. “This is what you get for the way you treated Bree and Samantha, and for the way you treated all of us. You're not Bobby the Man. You're Bobby the Total Pig!”

The girls in the room—the ones Bobby had dated and dumped—burst into loud cheers and applause.

“Dating both Wade twins was the last straw,” Kimmy said angrily.

“That's when we got the idea to pay you back,” Ronnie added.

“I had so much fun driving you crazy, acting like a wild girl,” Samantha said with a grin. “Making you think Bree and I were so, so different!”

“You got a little carried away with the shoplifting,” Bree told Samantha sternly.

“Yeah. I guess,” Samantha replied. “But the look on Bobby's face—”

“Hope you liked your surprise party,” Melanie cut in, unable to hold back a gleeful laugh.

“This is the best party I've ever been to!” another girl exclaimed.

“Nice outfit, Bobby!” someone else remarked. Everyone laughed some more.

“You—you mean you don't
like
me?” Bobby cried in disbelief.

His question was greeted by gales of scornful laughter.

Bobby started to protest. But he realized there was no use. Defeated, he turned and slumped out of the room, their laughter ringing in his ears.

After school a few days later, Bobby started toward the music room. He was halfway there when he remembered he no longer had a band. Paul had found another group to play with. And Arnie had finally realized that he had no sense of rhythm, and had sold his drum set.

Bobby headed toward the exit, but stopped short as Bree and Samantha hurried up to him. “Here,” Bree said. She slipped a small envelope into his hand.

Bobby raised the envelope and quickly read the handwritten message on the back:

“Twin sisters don't have secrets. We both knew everything from the very start. Bye.”

“Bye!” Bree and Samantha called. They waved to him and disappeared around the corner.

Bobby sighed and tore open the envelope.

Inside, he found a small paper temporary tattoo. A blue butterfly.

“Where do you get your ideas?”

That's the question that R. L. Stine is asked most often. “I don't know where my ideas come from,” he says. “But I do know that I have a lot more scary stories in my mind that I can't wait to write.”

So far, he has written nearly three dozen mysteries and thrillers for young people, all of them bestsellers.

Bob grew up in Columbus, Ohio. Today he lives in an apartment near Central Park in New York City with his wife, Jane, and thirteen-year-old son, Matt.

THE NIGHTMARES NEVER END … WHEN YOU VISIT

NEXT:
THE THRILL CLUB
(Coming in May 1994)

Five kids from Shadyside High have formed a new, scary club … the Thrill Club. Every week, Talia Blanton reads a horror story sure to send chills up everyone's spine. Her stories are so good, they almost seem real. And she even gives her friends starring roles.

But then Talia's stories start to come true. Two members die gruesome deaths. Now the Thrill Club starts wondering about Talia. Why does she always use real names? And who will be next?

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