Who Killed the Homecoming Queen? (4 page)

“Give me a break!” Tania cried. “You know
exactly what I'm talking about. Do me a favor and stop pretending you don't.”

“I'm not pretending!” Sandy took a deep breath and shoved his fists into the pockets of his jeans. “I don't feel like playing guessing games, Tania. Why don't you just tell me what's going on?”

Ha, Eva thought. As if you don't know.

Tania's green eyes narrowed to slits. “Okay, Sandy, I'll tell you. I found out the truth. I found out that you've been sneaking around on me.”

Sandy frowned in confusion. “What?”

“Seeing somebody else,” Tania snapped. “That's what sneaking around means, Sandy. You've been seeing somebody else—behind my back!”

“No.” His fists came out of his pockets and he reared back, looking outraged. “That's a lie!”

“It's true!” she shouted. “I saw you! And I have friends, Sandy. They saw you, too.”

“It's a lie,” he repeated, shaking his head furiously. “I don't care what you and your friends
think
you saw!”

“Oh, please!” Tania rolled her eyes.

“I'm
not
seeing anybody else, Tania. You and your friends are totally wrong.”

Tania crossed her arms and gazed at him furiously.

Sandy stared back at her, a scowl on his face.

Eva watched them, not daring to move. What's going to happen? she wondered.

Finally, Tania sighed. “Look, this is crazy.”

“You got that right,” Sandy agreed quickly. He stepped toward her, his arms out as if to hug her.

“No.” Tania moved back, shaking her head. “I mean it's crazy to keep arguing. I know what I saw. And so do my friends.”

She took a long breath. Her green eyes seemed to fill with tears. “It's over, Sandy.”

“What's that supposed to mean?”

“You want me to spell it out?” she asked. “Okay—I'm breaking up with you. It's over. Get it now?”

“You can't!” Sandy's voice rose. His fingers squeezed into fists again. “You can't break up with me. Not before the Homecoming Dance.”

“You should have thought of that
before
you decided to fool around with somebody else,” Tania told him. “I'm the Homecoming Queen, remember? I'm not going to that dance and look like a fool. If you want to go so much, then why don't you take your
new
girlfriend?”

“I'm telling you—it's a lie!” he insisted.

“Give it a rest, Sandy!” she snapped. “Everyone in school knows the truth about you!”

“You can't do this!”

“Guess what? I just did!” Tania swept her hair out of her eyes and started to stalk away.

Sandy grabbed her arm and spun her around to face him. “You think you can break up and then walk away from me, just like that?” he asked angrily.

Glaring at him, Tania tried to peel his fingers off her arm. “Let go, Sandy!” she ordered through clenched teeth.

Sandy tightened his grip and shook her.

Tania's head whipped back.

Eva gasped. He's going to hurt her, she realized.

“Let go!” Tania screamed.

She swung her free arm up to slug him. But Sandy grabbed that one, too.

“I'm not letting you go!” Sandy roared furiously. “I'll never let you go!”

“Stop it, you're hurting me!” Tania screamed.

Eva saw Sandy's hands reach up and grip Tania's shoulders. His eyes blazed with rage. He shook her viciously, back and forth, until her head wobbled like a rag doll's.

He'll kill her! Eva thought. He's crazy!

“Stop!” she shouted. “Sandy, stop it!” She started toward them.

Sandy kept shaking. Harder and harder.

Twisting in his grip, Tania finally managed to crash her fist into the side of his head.

Sandy staggered and stared at her, blinking in pain. Then he lunged at Tania. His hands circled her throat.

“What are you doing?” Tania shrieked. “You're choking me! Stop it! Stop!”

He's
killing
her! Eva thought desperately. Sandy's killing her. I have to stop him!

Tania's cries turned to horrible strangling sounds. Her eyes bulged. Her arms dropped limply at her sides and her knees buckled.

Eva stared in horror as Tania slumped lifelessly to the ground.

“No!” Eva screamed into the silence. “Nooo!”

chapter 7
 

“C
ut!” Keith shouted. “That was excellent! Take a couple of minutes, everybody!” He straightened up from the video camera.

Eva watched Tania roll onto her back and stare up at the blue October sky.

Sandy strolled away from her, flexing his hands and grinning to himself.

Eva sneezed loudly, then sat cross-legged in the grass and sighed. They'd already done the scene three times.

It had been fun at first, but now she felt a little bored. And hungry.

“Eva, that was an
excellent
scream,” Keith told her. “Really gave me the creeps.”

“Thanks.” It gave
her
the creeps, too. The entire story did.

“The whole scene went very well, guys,” Keith announced. “Unfortunately, we have to do it again.”

“You're kidding.” Sandy wheeled around. “What for?”

Keith pointed to the sky. “Check out the plane.”

Eva glanced up and saw a small silver plane gliding overhead. She hadn't noticed it before, of course. But now she could hear how loud it was.

“I don't want that on the soundtrack,” Keith explained. “And there's no way to keep it off except to wait until it goes by.”

Sandy shook his head angrily.

Keith shrugged. “Hey, that's an outdoor shoot. What can you do?”

“So why don't we shoot indoors?” Sandy demanded. “It would make things a whole lot easier.”

Keith shook his head. “Lighting rooms can be tricky. Besides, I wrote the thing for outdoors, and that's where I want to tape it.”

“Great!” Sandy rolled his eyes. “I don't know if I can top the performance I just gave.”

Eva rolled her eyes. Mr. Conceited, she thought. The first video Sandy has ever been in, and suddenly he's acting like he's Tom Cruise!

“Give us a break, Keith!” Sandy argued. “Play the tape back. Maybe the plane noise isn't on it.”

Keith pointed to the headphones slung around his neck. “I already heard it, loud and clear,” he
replied. “Would you stop griping, Sandy? Let's do the scene again before something else goes wrong.”

With a scowl and a huge, dramatic sigh, Sandy began moving toward Tania, who still lay on her back. “Come on, Tania,” he told her. “Let's get this over with. If we're lucky, we might actually be finished by morning.”

Tania didn't move.

“Hey, Tania, get up. Tania?” Sandy dropped to his knees beside her.

“Hey!” he cried. He turned to Eva, his face twisted in panic.

“Something's really wrong with Tania! She isn't moving!”

chapter 8
 

“S
he's not moving!” Sandy cried frantically. “She won't wake up!”

Eva and Keith raced to Tania's side. Before they reached her, Sandy grabbed her by the shoulders and tried to pull her into a sitting position.

“Tania, wake up!” he cried hoarsely. “Wake up!”

Tania's head flopped back as Sandy shook her.

“Stop it, Sandy!” Eva shouted. She dropped to the grass and cradled Tania's head in her hands. “Let her back down! You're going to hurt her.”

“Oh, wow!” Sandy quickly let go. As Tania fell back against Eva, she moaned softly and her eyelids fluttered.

“Look, she's coming around,” Keith murmured. “Hey, Tania. What happened? You okay?”

“Of
course
she's not okay! Are you nuts or something?” Sandy snapped angrily at Keith. “Don't just stand there. Call for an ambulance!”

“Sandy, shut up!” Eva cried. “Tania just said something. You're yelling so loud, you didn't even hear her!”

Sandy scowled, then bent over Tania. “What is it?” he asked. “What's wrong, Tania?”

“I said ‘no ambulance,'” Tania whispered. “I'd die of embarrassment. I don't need a doctor. I need a candy bar.”

“But …”

“It's just the blood sugar thing,” Tania choked out. “Too much excitement again, I guess.”

Eva sighed with relief. “Anybody got some candy?” she asked.

“Yeah. I have a Hershey's bar in my backpack,” Keith replied.

“Well, get it!” Sandy snapped.

Keith hurried to his pack, fished out the candy bar, and brought it back.

Tania sat up and ate it quickly. “That's better,” she announced, licking chocolate from her fingers. Then she started to get to her feet.

“Whoa, not so fast!” Sandy told her. “Just sit here for a while. You're still so pale, you know.”

Tania laughed. “So are you, Sandy. Haven't you ever seen anyone faint before?”

“Not somebody I care about.” Sandy dropped next to her in the grass and slipped an arm around her shoulders. “You really gave me a scare. I don't
know what I'd do if something really bad happened to you.”

You'd run straight to Cherise for sympathy, Eva thought in disgust. And she'd give you plenty of it.

“I'm fine,” Tania assured Sandy. “But thanks for being so worried.”

Sandy smiled and pulled Tania closer to him.

Eva felt like gagging.

What a two-faced creep he is! she thought. Putting on this big dramatic act of caring about Tania. Acting as if she's the most important person in the world to him.

And all the time he's sneaking around with somebody else.

It's like Keith's video come true, she thought.

There's just one difference—Tania doesn't know what a phony Sandy is. She doesn't know about Cherise.

I have to tell her, Eva decided, as she watched Sandy help Tania to her feet. Sandy has her fooled. She thinks he's the greatest guy in the world.

She should know the truth about him. And I have to tell her.

“Okay!” Keith cried as Tania brushed blades of grass from her jeans. “Is everybody ready for another take?”

“Keith, I can't,” Tania declared, glancing at her watch. “I have to be in the auditorium in ten minutes. I have a rehearsal for the homecoming ceremony.”

“This won't take long,” Keith insisted. “You've
got the lines down cold. And the last take was perfect except for that plane.”

“I know, but …”

“Besides, I don't have forever to do this video,” Keith pleaded. “It's October. We've been lucky so far, but the weather could change any day.”

“Hey, give her a break,” Sandy told him. “She can't stay. It's not her fault.”

Tania laughed. “Actually, it is. If only I hadn't fainted.”

As Keith ran a hand through his hair in frustration, Tania grabbed it and gave it a squeeze. “I'm sorry, Keith. I promise not to faint next time.”

Blushing, Keith gave her a lopsided grin.

Jeremy's right, Eva realized. Keith has a major crush on Tania.

Tania gave Keith's hand another squeeze, then turned to Sandy and kissed him quickly on the cheek. “See you later.”

As Tania ran down the hill toward the school, Eva grabbed her book bag and followed.

Now's my chance to tell her about Sandy, she thought to herself. I'll just tell her and get it over with. It won't be fun, but at least she'll know the truth about him.

I just hope she won't be mad at
me
for telling her, Eva thought.

Picking up her pace, she caught up to Tania as she was about to enter one of the side doors of the auditorium.

“Hey, Tania. Can I talk to you a minute?”

“Sure” Tania shoved open the door and they stepped inside. “What is it?”

“I …”

“Whoa, it's pitch black in this place,” Tania interrupted as the heavy door clanged shut behind them. “I guess I'm the first one here. Where's a light switch?”