by Tia Mowry
“What?” She stepped back, her eyes wide. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Yes, you do.” I gritted my teeth. “Admit it, okay? You put that jock up to it, didn’t you?”
“You mean the thing with Captain Underpants? I was an innocent bystander.” She pursed her lips, clearly trying not to laugh. “I mean, it’s one thing to get pantsed. But really, who could possibly have predicted he’d have something like that on underneath, right?”
I stared at her. Who was this person? What had happened to my sister? “Liam was really upset,” I said softly. “He didn’t say much, but I could tell.”
“Then maybe he should wear normal underwear.” Grabbing her shopping bag, Cassie swept past me and disappeared down the hall. A second later I heard our bedroom door slam.
I slumped down on the sofa. Okay, so she hadn’t come out and admitted having anything to do with what had happened. And I preferred to give people the benefit of the doubt—especially my own sister.
But it was a pretty big coincidence, wasn’t it? On the very day the popular kids decided to mess with Liam, Cassie became best friends with them out of nowhere. She’d been popular at pretty much every school we’d ever attended, especially the one in San Antonio. How far would she go to be in the in crowd here? I had no idea, and it scared me a little—suddenly I felt like I didn’t know my own other half anymore.
THE NEXT DAY at lunch I barely heard a word Liam and Bianca said. I had a perfect view of the table in the middle of the cafeteria where the cool kids always sat. And today Cassie was right there in the center of the action. She was chatting and laughing and waving her French fries around, clearly having a great time with her new friends.
I bit my lip as I watched her playfully bump shoulders with Megan. Maybe I was reading too much into this whole situation. Maybe it all really was a coincidence. Maybe I should be happy that my twin was finally settling in.
“Come on, Liam!” Bianca’s voice broke into my thoughts. “I’m freezing, and you’re obviously not.”
Bianca was hugging herself and glaring at Liam as he looked down at his lunch, his expression sort of angsty.
“Sorry,” he muttered, still not meeting Bianca’s eye. “I need to keep it, that’s all.”
“What’s wrong?” I asked Bianca.
She turned to me with a frown. “Liam won’t let me borrow his sweater,” she complained.
Liam’s bright-red sweater, which clashed pretty dramatically with his brown-and-green-striped polo shirt, was tied firmly around his waist.
“Here, you can borrow mine,” I told Bianca, fishing out the cardigan I’d tossed in my bag that morning. “I don’t need it.”
“Thanks!” Bianca accepted the sweater, immediately looking much happier. “I’ll give it back as soon as I can get mine out of my locker.”
“No hurry.” I smiled distractedly, my gaze already wandering back toward my sister.
As we left the cafeteria a few minutes later, Liam grabbed my arm, holding me back.
“Thanks, Caitlyn,” he said quietly, sounding unusually serious. “You know—for the sweater thing?”
“Sure, no biggie.”
“No, really.” He glanced around to make sure nobody was looking our way. “See, I didn’t want to tell Bianca where other people might hear me—you know, after yesterday and all. But I, uh, tripped and ripped my pants in the lunch line.” He tweaked the sweater aside just enough for me to see a hint of Superman peeking out through a tear in his khakis. “I couldn’t be a laughingstock two days in a row.”
“Oh!” Now I understood. Talk about bad luck!
Or was it? Suddenly something else was starting to make perfect sense, too. Horrible, awful sense.
As Liam hurried to catch up with Bianca, I stood there in shock. Cassie’s words from yesterday started running through my mind in an endless loop: Who could possibly have predicted he’d have something like that on underneath?
My twintuition had been right! Cassie must have had a vision about Liam ripping his pants and decided to use his, um, unusual fashion sense to win over her snooty new friends.
“How dare she!” I whispered.
It took a lot to make me mad, but right now I was ready to chew metal and spit nails. How could Cassie have done something like this? What had Liam ever done to her? I wanted to find her and give her a piece of my mind.
But I forced myself to take a few deep breaths. Getting mad at Cassie never got me anywhere. She had what she wanted now—popularity—and no amount of yelling and ranting from me was likely to get through to her. This wasn’t the time to get mad. It was time to get even.
After all, two could play at this game.
13
CASSIE
THE NEXT MORNING I must have tried on every outfit I owned, struggling to decide what to wear. It was Friday, and now that things were going so well with Megan and the gang, I was fixing to get myself invited to their weekend plans.
Well, it was mostly going well anyway. Megan was already starting to feel like a real friend. We actually had a ton in common: we liked a lot of the same stuff, from fashion to movies, and we laughed at each other’s jokes. Most of the minions seemed to accept me, too. If Megan thought I was cool, that was good enough for them.
Then there was Lavender. She was going to be a tough case, I could tell. Oh, she didn’t exactly say or do anything wrong or mean or whatever. But she didn’t exactly act super friendly either. She mostly avoided me, and I caught her watching me with narrowed eyes more than a few times.
I wasn’t too worried, though. All I needed was to find something to bond over with her, and we’d be good. But first we needed to spend more quality time together. Starting this weekend, I hoped.
The weather had taken a turn toward the less-than-stifling over the past couple of days, so I pulled a striped cardigan from the bottom of a drawer and held it up, surveying myself in the mirror.
“That one’s cute,” Caitlyn spoke up. “But what about that hot-pink V-neck you got last year? That one really looks good on you.”
I’d almost forgotten she was still in the room. “Hot-pink V-neck?” I echoed. “Oh, right, I can’t believe that one slipped my mind.”
I dug into the drawer again. Aha, there it was. I’d bought the pink sweater at an end-of-season sale at the Alamo Quarry Market last spring, which meant I’d only had a chance to wear it once or twice. But Cait was right—I looked great in it.
I smiled at my sister in the mirror. “Thanks for the tip.”
“Cool.” She smiled back.
As I slipped on the sweater over a white T, I thought about Cait. Sure, she could be a pain sometimes with all the happy-shiny-bright-side stuff. But she was still my sister. Why should she get stuck in Nerd Central while I lived it up with the cool kids? Maybe once I was more firmly established in the popular crowd, I could start working her in, too.
Especially if she got over wanting to talk about our visions all the time.
Now that the visions had gotten me what I wanted, I was ready for them to end. Or at least make sure they stayed out of my way.
WHEN I GOT to school, I stopped by my locker before heading to Megan’s. The halls were crowded, and after dodging around a cluster of giggling seventh graders, I finally spotted her. She was leaning against the locker with Lavender, whispering and shooting looks at Gabe Campbell, who was swearing as he tried to wrestle open his locker nearby.
My eyes widened as soon as I got close. Lavender looked up and saw me, too, and her jaw dropped.
“Are you kidding me?” she exclaimed.
She was wearing my sweater! Okay, it wasn’t exactly the same—hers was a crewneck with a little row of rhinestones around the collar. But it was pretty much the identical shade of hot pink.
Gabe finally managed to yank open his locker. He looked around defiantly, as if daring anyone to laugh or say anything. Then his gaze settled on me and Lavender.
“Whoa!” he blurted out wi
th a laugh. “Check it out—I guess Lavender caught some of the twins’ crazy after all. Is that the new uniform for school losers?”
His loud, snorting laughter attracted attention from other kids, including Biff and Brent, who were horsing around nearby. The two jocks came closer.
“Hey, it’s the Pink Ladies!” Brent said. “Can I join if I wear my pink sweater?”
“Aw, not fair,” Biff joked. “Pink’s totally not my color, dude!”
Lavender’s poisonous glare settled on me. “You are so not wearing that today,” she said icily. “Seriously.”
“Whatever.” I peeled off the V-neck quickly and shoved it into my bag. “It’s way too hot for wool anyway.”
So not true. My T-shirt was thin, and goose bumps were already rising on my arms. But I wasn’t about to let that show.
Megan was glancing from me to Lavender with an uncertain smile. “Great minds think alike, right, girls?” she said.
Lavender already looked less annoyed now that my sweater was out of sight. “Yeah, well, some of us aren’t interested in being a twin.” She shot me an insincere smile. “No offense.”
“It’s okay.” I glanced around, trying to gauge exactly how many people had witnessed our embarrassing moment. Luckily the B Boys had pretty short attention spans. But Gabe was still watching me, his face weirdly attentive. What was that about?
Then I saw that someone else was watching me, too. A little farther down the hall, I saw my sister lurking in a classroom doorway, looking my way with a slight grin on her face.
What was she doing there? Suddenly I had my suspicions. . . .
“CASSIE? HEY, EARTH to Cassie! What do you think—is it me?”
I realized I’d been spacing out, staring out the boutique window. Meanwhile Megan, Lavender, and Emily were trying on sunglasses and scarves and stuff.
Lavender watched me over a pair of rhinestone cat’s-eye glasses. “Are you okay, Cassie? You act like you don’t even want to be here.”
Her tone was vaguely snotty. Ever since that morning’s sweater incident, she’d been acting icier than ever toward me. Thanks, Caitlyn.
Because by now I was pretty sure my sister was behind the whole thing. She’d cajoled me into wearing that pink sweater—because she knew Lavender would be wearing one the same exact color today. How had she managed to touch Lavender long enough to have a vision? Cait seemed to be out to get me, and all because of the whole Liam thing.
I’d been on edge all day, waiting to see if she would pull anything else. Everyone knew Cait was a much slower burn than I was. But when she was pushed to her limit? Watch out.
I grabbed a pair of bright-green bug-eye glasses, forcing a grin. “How about these?” I put them on and struck a pose. “Are they me?”
Megan laughed. “Definitely. But only if you wear this, too.” She jammed a hideous plaid hat on my head.
“No way.” I pulled off the hat and tossed it aside, grabbing another one. “This is way better.”
Lavender’s eyes lit up. “Oh, look at that!” she exclaimed, her snippiness disappearing. “It’s got little Scotties on it!”
I glanced at the hat. Sure enough, it was embroidered with a trio of tiny terriers. “Yeah, cute,” I said. “Do you have a dog, Lavender?”
“Lav would have, like, a hundred dogs if she could,” Emily said with a giggle. “But her parents only let her have one.”
“His name’s Amigo—I got him at the county shelter. He’s the best.” Then Lavender actually smiled at me. A miracle! But I knew I might have to rely on more than old-fashioned bonding.
“Cool,” I said. “Want to try it on?” Deciding to take advantage of her better mood, I placed the Scottie hat on her head, brushing my thumb against her forehead as I adjusted it. Would that be enough to trigger a vision?
“Watch it,” she said, her tone much sharper. “You practically poked me in the eye!”
“Sorry.” I pulled my hand back quickly. This wasn’t going to be easy.
Downtown Aura wasn’t exactly a world-class shopping destination, but we made the best of it, fully exploring the three boutiques and handful of other stores. I even found out that Lavender’s family owned the town’s old-fashioned general store—which meant Lavender and her friends got free sodas from the cooler. Nice!
By the time I said good-bye to the others and headed for home, I’d almost managed to forget about Cait’s revenge mission. But as I strolled through what passed for downtown Aura, my mind wandered back to what had happened. Now that I seemed to be stuck here, I had to make this town work for me. What if my sister messed up my plans? I had to deal with her somehow. . . .
But I pushed the thought out of my mind as I noticed someone hurrying along the sidewalk ahead of me. Someone familiar.
It was Gabe. He was walking fast, a small paper bag clutched in one hand. He hadn’t seen me, which was good—the guy seemed to be a serious psycho.
Which made me think about that weird thing he’d said about Mom’s job and the rest of it. What was that all about? Was there a way to find out? Come to think of it, Gabe looked a little suspicious rushing down the street clutching that bag. . . .
I couldn’t resist. Feeling a little too Nancy Drew for comfort but unable to fight my curiosity, I followed him.
I stayed about half a block behind Gabe as he walked around the corner and down the next street. When he turned again, I recognized the block we were on—it was the one where the police precinct was located. The rest of the block was mostly warehouses, small office buildings, and an empty lot, so there weren’t many people around.
Weird, I thought. If his uncle doesn’t work there anymore, why’s Gabe going to the cop shop?
Or maybe he wasn’t. As he neared the low-slung brick building, Gabe suddenly ducked into the narrow alley running beside it.
Uh-oh. Had he spotted me following him? I hid behind a shrub across the street, feeling kind of stupid. But I definitely didn’t want some kind of awkward confrontation with him right outside Mom’s workplace.
I peered out of my hiding place just in time to see Gabe emerge again, only this time he wasn’t alone. The man with him appeared to be around Mom’s age; the seams of his blue shirt strained across his beefy shoulders, and he was wearing cowboy boots almost like Gabe’s.
The two of them glanced around, and I shrank back so they wouldn’t see me. A second later I looked out just in time to see Gabe hand over what looked like a small, lumpy gray brick. I had no idea what it was, but Gabe and Mr. Blue Shirt both seemed pretty happy about it. The man tucked the item into a canvas bag he was holding, then wiped his hand on his jeans and clapped Gabe on the back, both of them grinning and looking pretty pleased with themselves.
After that Gabe hurried off, disappearing around the corner. I didn’t dare follow him with the other guy still standing there, so I stayed put. Finally the guy started to walk away, and I realized I needed to get moving, too. Mom was supposed to get out of work right around—well, now, actually. Just then she emerged from the precinct, laughing and calling something over her shoulder to whoever was just inside.
The man in the blue shirt heard her, too. He stopped short, then turned and took a few steps in her direction.
“You’re sounding awfully cheerful, Officer Waters,” he said loudly. “’Specially for someone who stole another man’s job.”
I froze. Uh-oh . . .
Mom looked confused for a second. Then her expression hardened into one of wary disdain.
“Charles Campbell, I presume?” she said icily.
“The one and only.” Charles Campbell—Gabe’s uncle Chuck!—hooked two fingers into his belt and swaggered another couple of steps forward. “You made a big mistake coming to this town, lady. We don’t need outsiders here telling us what to do; you hear me?”
Mom looked annoyed now. “That’s enough,” she said. “I have things to do.”
But Uncle Chuck stepped sideways, blocking her path as she tried to go around him.
“Listen, Waters,” he sneered. “I’m a nice guy, okay? All you gotta do is pack your things and hightail it back to the city, and I’ll forget I ever heard of you and your family. Am I making myself clear?”
Was he threatening her—us? All Gabe’s nasty comments flashed through my mind as I glanced at the precinct door, hoping another officer would come out. This guy seemed kind of unhinged. Mom needed help!
But the door stayed shut. Okay, if the cops weren’t going to provide backup, I guessed it was up to me. At least I could scream pretty loudly if something happened. . . .
“Mom!” I blurted out, jumping into view from my hiding place. “I was in the neighborhood, so I figured I’d come walk you home.”
Mom looked startled. “Cassie!” she said. “Hello.”
“Hi.” Not looking at Uncle Chuck, I slipped my hand into Mom’s and squeezed, wanting her to know I had her back.
But as soon as I touched her, it happened again—my vision went fuzzy, and the buzzing filled my head, making me dizzy.
A second Mom appeared over the real one, but this Mom wasn’t standing on the sidewalk next to me. She was inside the police station—with several uniformed officers in the background. The place looked dingy and kind of cramped, with a couple of small windows showing an angry, stormy-looking sky outside.
I stayed focused on Mom. She looked very upset as she grabbed things out of a desk drawer and tossed them into a cardboard box while an older man with a mustache glowered over her. Then I caught sight of his badge. It read, “Aura Police Chief.”
I gasped and pulled away, and the vision was gone.
So was Uncle Chuck. In the time I’d been spaced out, he’d stalked away and was halfway down the block. I took a deep breath, hoping that Mom hadn’t noticed me getting all quiet and weird on her.
“Are you okay?” I asked.
“I’m fine.” She glared after Uncle Chuck, then glanced at me. “Come on, Cassie. Let’s get home.”
14
