Times Squared (7 page)

“Aaah!” A wet, slickered person jumped in front of me, waving! I'd thought Times Square wasn't dangerous anymore, but some people were obviously acting a little crazy.

“Shhh!”
The Slicker faced me, and inside the hood was Payton!

“What the heck are you doing?” I whispered. “You freaked me out.”

“No time to freak,” Payton said. She was whipping off her rain slicker. “Time to switch.”

What?

“Here, put this on,” Payton said. “You're me. I'm you. You know the drill. Here. Behind the stuffed animals where no one can see us.”

“You heard Mrs. Burkle,” I said. “No switching.” I looked around for our people. I saw no chaperones or students.

“Emma, we have to switch,” Payton said. “If I have to listen to Jazmine James's mother's math tips for another second I'm going to . . .”

Twin say what?

Did I hear that correctly? Math tips?

“She keeps going on and on with tips and competition advice.” Payton nodded. “Nobody except Jazmine cares.”

I cared! Oh, I cared!

“Give me that.” I grabbed Payton's slicker. I pulled it over my head. “Where's Mrs. James?”

“At the entrance.” Payton pointed to Jazmine and her mother standing near the front door looking bewildered.

“Bye, Emma!” I said in my twin's cheery voice. Yes, I was no longer Emma, as far as the world was concerned. As far as Mrs. James was concerned.

“Hello, Mrs. James,” I said, making sure my Emma outfit was covered by the slicker.

“Payton!” Mrs. James exclaimed. “What were you thinking running off like that? And into a toy store?”

Jazmine smirked at me. I thought fast.

“I just wanted to get out of the rain.” I said, “And I thought that being here would—erm—show you how frivolous other groups were and we'd be motivated to study with you.”

Jazmine looked at me a little harder. Oops. Payton would not use the word “frivolous.”

“At least that's what Emma said when I told her I wanted to come here,” I kept going. “She said toy stores were frivolous and . . . um . . . childish.”

“They most certainly are,” Mrs. James said. She pointed at Sydney, Reilly, and Munchkin. They were goofing around nearby.

“Well, I'm not going anywhere in this rain,” Jazmine announced. She set her tote down on a table demonstrating some toys.

“We will have to do our competition training right here.” Mrs. James sighed and sat down next to her daughter.

“Ooooh!” Mrs. James squealed and jumped up.

“Squeeee!” A toy pig flipped in the air and tumbled off the display table.

Mrs. James had sat on a pig. It was really hard to stifle a laugh. I distracted myself by leaning down and picking up the pig and putting it on the other end of the table.

“Well,” Jazmine's mother huffed and sat back down. “Jazmine, I will give you a number and you tell me if it is divisible by three, six, seven, or some of those, or none.”

“Wait.” Jazmine frowned and looked at me. “Why is
she
still here? Don't you want to go play,
Payton
?”

“Uh,” I said Paytonly. “I need to sit for a few minutes. These shoes are sooo cute, but not so good for running in the rain.”

I sat down near the James.

“Ignore me,” I said. “I—er—won't understand or anything. Visible by what?”

“
Di
-visible.” Jazmine rolled her eyes.

A group of little kids wielding foam swords began fighting in front of us.

“Hi-ya!”

“I got you, Jake! You're so dead!”

“Children!” Mrs. James said. Her voice made the kids freeze. “Take your fight elsewhere! Shoo!”

The kids fled. Mrs. James could be seriously scary. I, however, was not intimidated. I needed to get her back on math. And not that simple divisibility stuff. I needed some more-complex tricks.

“Um . . .” I cleared my throat. “I remember Emma saying how great Jazmine was in game . . . something. I see all the games here in the store, and it reminded me how”—I coughed—“jealous Emma was about how good Jazmine was at that.”

“She means game theory,” Jazmine said. “And it's true, I am so superior in that area.”

I wanted to throw up. Complimenting Jazmine felt faker than pretending I was Payton. But it worked. Jazmine and her mother worked aloud on advanced game theory, and since everyone's math brain works differently I was able to learn some new methods. Until some people our age wearing crazy hats started playing with the flipping pig. Loudly.

While Jazmine and her mother tried to get rid of them, I looked back up at the Ferris wheel. Twintuition! I saw Payton sitting in a little car with a cartoon character on it. She was with Nick.

They were both sitting close to each other. Payton and Nick! Nick and Payton! Oh, yay!

Oh, wait!

Oh no!
Payton was supposed to “be” Emma! Nick might think I
like
liked him! Twin telepathy time!!!!

Payton!
I aimed my thoughts at the Ferris wheel.
You are Emma! Do not flirt with Nick in public! Repeat. Do not flirt—

I heard a giggle. Ugh. Sydney was back with the other two boys in the group.

“Reilly, you were such a rock star on that video game,” Sydney was gushing. Speaking of flirting . . .

“Hey, Payton.” Sydney's voice had turned even more
sticky-sweet. “Isn't that your twin on the Ferris wheel with Nick? They look pretty cozy.”

“Gah,” I choked out.
Alert! Payton! Twin telepathy, activate!!!

“Does this mean Ox finally got a clue and dumped Emma?” Sydney went on. “Or is she—
gasp!—
two-timing Ox behind his back?”

“Pretend” Emma's and Nick's car circled into sight again. They were both laughing.

Twin telepathy fail.

“Seems like Emma's more into boys than math these days,” Jazmine chimed in. “She won't stay competition material much longer.”

“That's right, Jazmine,” Mrs. James said. “Good thing we raised you better than that.”

“Wait . . . it's not . . . I'm not . . .” I couldn't figure out how to defend myself, when I wasn't supposed to be me.

Sydney and Jazmine and Mrs. James were staring at me. I felt like a bug trapped under an electron microscope. Mean girls! Mean mother! Aah! What would Payton do?

No clue. I fled. Toward Payton and Nick and the Ferris wheel. I needed to save my reputation. Fast.

HIGH UP IN THE AIR

Doo dee doo. La la la. Hee hee hee.

Okay, yes. I am on a Ferris wheel with Nick. In the middle of a toy store, in New York City, I am on a Ferris wheel with Nick.

Squee!

At first it was confusing when everyone mixed up me and Emma. And then how I got pushed into the group with Tess and Nick. And how Tess and I were at the front of the line.

“Tess,” I'd whispered. “It's me! Not Emma! I have to go and switch back—”

And that's when she interrupted me.

“I think I'll skip this ride. Nick, can you go on with Emma?”

“That's not Emma,” Nick said, puzzled. “Hey, Payton.”

And then Tess had shoved us together and onto the Ferris wheel ride!

Squee!

“I love Ferris wheels,” he said, as the car moved slowly up. “Don't you?”

Actually, I was a little freaked-out. The Ferris wheel was kind of tall, and then when I looked down I could see everyone looking up at us. And all the giant toys and statues in the store.

And sitting next to Nick.

Squee!

Eeek! I looked down. I could see people running all over. I squinted and tried to see Emma. I thought I could see her in my raincoat, surrounded by what looked like people with foam swords running around.

Ooh boy, we were at the top of the wheel. I was feeling dizzy. I decided to look at Nick again. He was smiling.

Squee!

“How's your group going?” he asked me.

I decided to sort of shut my eyes and ignore the fact that I was dangling in the sky.

“Ergh,” I said. “Mrs. James is trying to teach us math the whole time.”

“I'm glad you got to take a fun break,” Nick said. Then he looked at me closer. “Are you closing your eyes? You
are
having fun, right?”

“Yes,” I squeaked.

“You're a little green,” Nick said. “You're not going to puke are you?”

No!
No
I will not puke on the Ferris wheel with Nick!

“Definitely not,” I squeaked. But I shut my eyes more.

“Well, the bus ride was long and bumpy,” Nick said. “I can see why you might get Ferris-wheel sick after that.”

I nodded. I didn't trust myself to open my mouth to speak in case something else came out.

“Hang in there,” Nick said. “I'm sure it won't be much longer.”

Up. Down. Around.

I wished this would end. Why couldn't I be sitting next to Nick somewhere not a zillion feet in the sky, turning round and round?

I clenched my lips tighter. Then I felt something around my shoulders. What was it? I opened my eyes. It was Nick's arm! It was Nick's arm around my shoulders! The feelings of pukishness suddenly disappeared. And I felt happy.

It almost seemed like I was on a date. A super-romantic date! High on a Ferris wheel in New York City.

Squee!

“Is this helping?” Nick asked me. “I thought pressing your shoulders down would make you feel grounded so you wouldn't throw up.”

My happy feeling disappeared. He was trying to stop me from puking. This was not romantic. I frowned.

“Uh-oh,” Nick said. “I guess that didn't help. Sorry.”

He whipped his arm off me.

“No,” I tried to explain. But the Ferris wheel car swung as he moved his arms. I clamped my lips shut.

“I didn't mean to be awkward,” Nick said. “I thought it might help.”

Agh! He was totally misunderstanding! I wanted his arm around me! But not because he thought I might puke!

I was on an emotional roller coaster. No, an emotional Ferris wheel.

And then the wheel reached the bottom. It was our turn to get off. Nick helped me stagger off the wheel. Tess came running up to us.

“How was your ride?” Tess asked, smiling.

“Whew,” Nick said. “I'm so glad that's over.”

Glad it's over?

Tess looked at me and stopped smiling.

“I—” I tried to say something but suddenly someone grabbed me by the arm. I assumed it was Emma, but I could barely see her face since she had my raincoat hood pulled tight.

“Come,” she said, tugging at me.

“But—” I tried to turn back to Nick and Tess.

“Emma!”
Emma gave me a look.
“Come!”

Then she yanked my arm and dragged me away.

“Go back to your group!” Emma said. “We're about to get busted. I will
not
get in trouble and get thrown out of the math competition just so you can have a romantic carnival ride.”

“Where's my group?” I asked her.

Emma dragged me through a crowd of people.

“But I need to tell you something!” And I needed to go back and talk to Nick. And it definitely was not a romantic carnival ride. But it was too noisy. “Tell Nick—”

“There you are!”
a voice boomed behind us. We turned around to see Mrs. James and the rest of my group.

“Payton.” Mrs. James frowned, looking back and forth at us, not sure who was who. “As my buddy you are to be with me at all times. Do
not
run off again. Emma, do you know where your group is?”

“At the Ferris wheel,” Emma and I both said at the same time.

“Then join them,” Mrs. James commanded.

I made a signal to Emma that I'd text her what happened. Then I joined my original group—Jazmine, Sydney, Reilly, and Sam—as they followed Mrs. James as she practically knocked small children over on her way out the door.

And I saw Emma as she hurried over to Nick and Tess and the rest of her group. I so wished I could run over there. I just needed a minute to explain. Or to fix things with Nick. Actually, what I needed was a do-over of the whole time with Nick!

But not on the Ferris wheel. Somewhere on the ground that didn't move.

We followed Mrs. James out the door and onto the street in front of the store.

“Yay, it's not raining anymore,” Sydney said. “Can
we go to the makeup store across the street so they can fix my makeup?”

“Absolutely not!” Mrs. James said. “I am unhappy—and I repeat,
un
happy—with the behavior shown in the store. There has been a breach of rules.”

Oh no! Mrs. James knows I left the group! She knows I went on the Ferris wheel! But it wasn't my fault!