Double Date (6 page)

“When are you
not
impressed with yourself?” Melanie accused.

“Paul's right. We've got to practice,” Arnie interrupted.

But Bobby saw that Melanie was determined to have her say. “You had a study date with Samantha the other night and Bree showed up at your house. Is that really true?” she demanded.

Bobby grinned. “I guess people are talking about me, huh?”

“Is it true?” Melanie asked.

Bobby nodded. “Yeah. No problem. Samantha got out the back door just as Bree came into the living room. Bree didn't suspect a thing.”

“Close one, man,” Arnie murmured, grinning. “Wow.”

Melanie flashed Arnie an angry look, then returned
to Bobby. “Everyone in school is talking about it,” she told Bobby. “I know you think it's really great. But what makes you think Bree won't find out about you and her sister?”

“Is it
your
problem?” Bobby shot back.

“They're my friends,” Melanie replied with emotion.

“Hey—mine too,” Bobby replied with a smirk. He grinned at Arnie. “They're wearing me out, man. They're
too much
—even for me!”

Arnie started to laugh, but Melanie's stare made him cut it short.

“I can't believe Bree hasn't figured it out,” she told Bobby, shaking her head. “How can you and Samantha
do
that to her?”

Bobby shrugged. “Bree is a big girl. She can take it.”

“But, Bobby,” Melanie insisted shrilly, “what happens when Bree finds out? She'll be so hurt, feel so betrayed. You could tear their whole family apart.”

“That's the breaks,” Bobby replied with a shrug. He headed to the cabinet for his guitar.

Bobby studied his face in the dresser mirror. It was a little after nine o'clock, and he still had plenty of homework to do. But it was hard to concentrate.

He had been lying on his bed, his government text open in front of him. But thoughts of Bree and Samantha kept him from reading.

If I had to dump one of them, which one would it be? he asked himself.

They were so alike. Yet so different.

And they both seemed to be totally crazy about him.

He had pulled himself up and walked to the mirror. Brushing his blond hair, he studied his face, his smile.

He liked what he saw.

The phone on the desk rang, interrupting his admiration session. He let it ring a few times. If it was a girl, he didn't want to seem too eager. He finally picked up the receiver and said hello in a low voice.

“Two's company. Three's a crowd,”
a voice whispered in his ear.

“Huh?” Bobby pulled the receiver from his ear and stared at it as if that would help him recognize the caller. “Hey—who
is
this?” he demanded.

“Two's company. Three's a crowd,”
the whisperer repeated.
“You'll pay.”

“Huh? What's the joke?” Bobby asked, struggling to hear the words, listening hard for a clue to the caller's identity.

“You'll pay,”
the voice repeated menacingly.
“You'll pay double.”

B
obby gripped the receiver hard, listening to the threat. He had read books and seen movies in which people got scary phone calls. But he never thought it would happen to him.

Who would try to scare me? he asked himself.

Everyone
likes
me!

“Samantha—is that you?” he demanded. “It's you, right?” He knew this was the kind of dumb joke Samantha would pull. She loved to surprise him, to shock him. “Living on the edge,” she called it.

He heard a quiet snicker at the other end of the line.

“Whoa! Arnie!” Bobby cried. “Give it up, man. I recognize you now.”

The quiet snicker burst into a high-pitched laugh. “How'd you know, man?”

“Arnie, I'd recognize your stupid laugh anywhere,” Bobby said, feeling relieved. “What is your problem anyway?”

“Just goofing,” Arnie replied. “I thought maybe you
needed a little excitement. I mean, your life is so
boring
these days.”

“You're jealous. Face it,” Bobby said, relaxing his hold on the receiver. He dropped down to sit on the edge of his desk.

“Hey, no way!” Arnie insisted.

“You're jealous because Bobby the Man has got both of the Wade twins and—”

“No way,” Arnie repeated. “Why would I be jealous? I know I eventually get your rejects.”

Bobby laughed. “Well, you can have Bree when I decide to dump her,” he told his friend. “Or maybe Samantha,” he added. “Or maybe both.”

Arnie laughed. “Wow, Bobby. I don't
believe
you! How long are you going to keep this up? I mean, going out with both of them.”

“As long as I can!” Bobby replied. “They're both hot, Arnie. I mean, really
hot!
And they're both stoked about me. But,” he added, “what else is new?”

Arnie chuckled. “At least you're not conceited or anything.”

“Who? Me?”

They both laughed.

“Melanie is having a cow about this,” Arnie said seriously.

Bobby shifted the phone to his other ear. “Yeah, I know. What's her problem, man? She's got
you
now. She isn't still hung up on
me
—is she?”

“No,” Arnie replied thoughtfully.

“So why is she on my case?” Bobby demanded. “Why does she care what I do with the Wade twins?”

“You know girls,” Arnie answered flatly.

Bobby started to reply with a nasty comment about
Melanie. But the doorbell rang downstairs, interrupting him. He told Arnie goodbye, hung up the phone, and glanced at the clock radio. A little after ten.

Who would be at the door this late?

The bell rang again. And again. Bobby's parents were at a neighbor's. “Give me a break! I'm coming!” Bobby called, hurrying down the stairs two at a time.

He pulled open the front door.

“Bree! What's wrong?” he asked.

She stared at him with troubled eyes. “Bobby,” she whispered. “We've got to talk.”

“
B
ree—what's up?” Bobby asked. “It's so late and—”

She brushed past him into the house. Her black hair was tied behind her head with a blue band. She wore a pale green polo shirt over baggy faded denim shorts.

She's found out! Bobby realized, a heavy feeling forming in the pit of his stomach.

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.

“
S
amantha—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.