“Well, you do use the same name,” Susan said. “That’s enough to confuse anybody!”
“That’s from when we were little,” said Bill, “Our mother used to say that she couldn’t tell us apart ... and, of course, we weren’t about to make things any easier for her! I’m sure you two understand all about that! Anyway, the solution she came up with was to start calling us both B.J., and, well, it just sort of stuck.”
“So, Chris,” said Bob, turning to Scarlett O’Hara, “was I right about our little ‘trick or treat’?”
“Definitely! I’m willing to admit that the Pratt twins have finally met their match!”
“Well, I’m just glad that there are enough Pratt girls to go around,” said Bill. “And to pick up where all this began: Susan, may I have this dance?”
“An excellent idea,” Bob agreed. “Chris, how about it?”
And so it was that two very oddly matched couples joined the crowd on the dance floor. Rhett Butler was dancing with Juliet, and Romeo was dancing with Scarlett O’Hara. And all four shared a delightful secret: that underneath the makeup and the masks, there were really two identical couples dancing together.
Chapter Sixteen
“Well, Sooz,” said Chris with a grin, “I guess the Pratt twins and the Wilkins twins are two of a kind. Or should I say ‘four of a kind’?”
“It was only a question of time “until we got beaten at our own game,” returned Susan. She laughed, then added, “You know what this means, don’t you?”
“No, what?”
“That from now on, you and I will simply have to work harder at coming up, with even more clever—and more outrageous—pranks!”
After dancing for more than half an hour, the two sets of twins had finally stopped to catch their breath. They stood next to the refreshment table, helping themselves to cider and powdered doughnuts.
“I don’t know about your future as mischief-makers,” teased Bill, Susan’s date for the rest of the evening, “but if you ever decide to go into the party-planning business, I’d say you’ve got it made. This is one terrific Halloween dance!”
“It certainly is,” Bob agreed. “Are the Whittington High School dances always this packed?”
But before either of the girls could answer, Bill interrupted.
“Well, Bob, old boy, there’s only one way to find out. We’ll simply have to make sure we come to the next dance. So we can compare, of course. And I don’t know about you,” Bill went on, “but I already know who I want my date to be.” He looked over at Susan fondly.
“Me, too.” Bob, not to be outdone by his twin brother, reached over and took Chris’s hand. “As for the rest of this dance, I plan to dance every dance with Scarlett O’Hara here. That is, if Miss Scarlett agrees.”
“Oh, yes,” said Chris. “Even though we’re a most unlikely pair! I mean, whoever heard of Romeo dancing with Scarlett O’Hara?”
“Speaking of pairs, look who’s over there.” Susan
grabbed her sister’s arm, then pointed over toward the dance floor.
There, dancing together, were Peter Pan and Wendy. But their disguises, as clever as they were, did not conceal their true identities.
“Oh, yes. There’s Katy Johnson and Wayne Lowell.”
“You don’t sound very surprised,” Susan observed. She was taken aback by her sister’s lack of enthusiasm.
But Chris’s brown eyes twinkled merrily. “To be perfectly honest, I’m not. After all, I was determined to match up Katy and Wayne, even if it meant pulling a few strings.”
Bill and Bob exchanged glances.
“Gee, I can’t imagine anyone doing that!” Bob pretended to be horrified.
“How exactly did you managed to make sure that Katy was assigned the character of Wendy and Wayne was assigned Peter Pan?”
“Easy.” Chris shrugged. “I just told Connie McCormick, who was in charge of selling tickets, to make sure they were paired off together.”
“Why, speak of the devil. Here comes Connie now!”
Connie, dressed as Raggedy Ann and followed by a boy the twins didn’t know but who, in his Raggedy Andy costume, was obviously her other “half,” was heading in their direction.
“Oh, Chris! There you are!” Connie rushed over, looking extremely forlorn. “Listen, Chris, I’m so sorry!”
“About what?”
“That I couldn’t match up those two friends of yours! I intended to, but I was out sick last Thursday. And, wouldn’t you know it, that happened to be the day they bought their tickets for the dance!”
“Are you sure, Connie?”
“Well, I think so. I mean, I know for certain that they didn’t buy their tickets any of the other days. I was on the lookout for both of them, and neither of them ever showed up.”
“But ... then how…”
Chris and Susan just looked at each other and blinked. They were both totally puzzled.
“If Connie didn’t match up Katy and Wayne,” Chris mused, thinking aloud, “then how on earth ...”
It didn’t take her long to find out.
A minute or two later, when the band stopped to take a break, Katy and Wayne headed over toward the refreshments. They immediately noticed the twins, standing close by with their dates for the evening.
“Hi, Chris! Hi, Susan!” Katy called gaily.
“Hi, Katy. Are you, uh, having a good time tonight?”
“On, yes, Chris! In fact, I wanted to thank you. You and the rest of the Halloween Dance Committee did a fantastic job this year. This is a wonderful dance!”
“I’ll say,” Wayne agreed. “Boy, this was a great idea, matching up two halves of a famous couple.”
“And I heard about what you two did to help out Mrs. Carpenter,” Katy went on. “However do you find the time to do all these things?”
“I guess we do keep pretty busy,” Chris admitted. “And these days, we have one more thing to do: make sure one of us feeds Jonathan every night!”
“Jonathan?” Katy repeated. “Who’s that?”
Chris and Susan looked at each other and laughed.
“One of the ghosts that haunted Crabtree Hill,” said Susan. “But he’s retired now, and he’s spending all his time being a professional pussycat.”
“Wayne,” Chris said suddenly, “would you please get me another doughnut? I’d ask Bob here, but, well, I’ve already had him go back to the refreshment table for me twice.”
When Bob started to protest, Chris cast him a warning look.
“Sure, Chris,” said Wayne. “I’d be happy to.”
As soon as he was gone, Chris pounced on her friend.
“Katy Johnson, how on earth did Wayne ever get up the courage to ask you to this dance?”
“He didn’t,” the red-haired girl replied matter-of-factly.
“But I know for certain that you two weren’t assigned matching halves. I tried my best, but—”
“Why, Christine Pratt! You didn’t!”
Chris blushed. “Well, I knew that you had a crush on Wayne, and that Wayne had a crush on you, so I simply tried to help things along. Honest! I didn’t mean any harm ...”
Katy had started to laugh.
“But even though I tried to pull some strings, it didn’t work out! So tell me: How did you two ever get together?”
“Simple,” Katy said with a shrug. “I invited him to the dance!”
Chris and Susan both burst out laughing.
“Good for you!” exclaimed Susan, “See, Chris, Katy and Wayne didn’t need you to play matchmaker after all!”
“Aw, gee, Sooz. I was only trying to help!”
After Wayne delivered Chris’s doughnut, he whisked Katy away once again.
“Sorry to monopolize her,” he apologized with a bashful grin. “But, well, Katy and I have a lot to talk about!”
Chris just sighed. “So much for my matchmaking abilities!”
“Hey,” said Bob, “instead of worrying about your friend’s date, how
about me? I’m beginning to feel neglected!”
“Once the band gets back from its break, you won’t have a chance to!” Chris returned. “Don’t forget that you’ve already promised to dance every single dance with me, for the entire evening!”
“Sounds good to me!”
“But in the meantime, Bob and Bill,” she went on, “there’s something I want to tell you both about.”
“What’s that?”
“It’s a theory I developed,” Chris said with mock seriousness. “It has to do with autumn, and Halloween, and pumpkins ...”
“Oh, no!” Susan groaned. “Not the Pumpkin Principle!”
“Exactly,” her twin replied calmly. “Because I’m beginning to believe that I’ve really stumbled on to something!”
Susan just grimaced, rolling her eyes upward.
But Bill and Bob seemed interested.
“The Pumpkin Principle, huh?” said Bill. “It sounds fascinating. I can’t wait to hear all about it!”
“Me, too,” his twin agreed. “Maybe at Fozzy’s later on? Over ice cream sodas?”
“Now you’re talking!” Susan chuckled, “Even I’ll agree to that! But for now, I see that the band is setting up once again. And all I want to do is dance!”
Neither Chris nor Bob nor Bill needed a second invitation.
Copyright © 1986 by Cynthia Blair
Originally published by Fawcett Juniper (ISBN 0449702057
Electronically published in 2014 by Belgrave House
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
No portion of this book may be reprinted in whole or in part, by printing, faxing, E-mail, copying electronically or by any
other means without permission of the publisher. For more information, contact Belgrave House, 190 Belgrave Avenue, San
Francisco, CA 94117-4228
http://www.BelgraveHouse.com
Electronic sales: [email protected]
This is a work of fiction. All names in this publication are fictitious and any resemblance to any person living or dead is coincidental.
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