Twisted (3 page)

In less than ten minutes the table was clean, the dishes were stacked neatly in the rubber tubs the kitchen had provided, and the girls were enjoying their favorite soft drinks from the teachers' refrigerator. They'd developed a system for counting the votes. Gail would unfold the votes and read them aloud. Then she'd hand them to Colleen, who would verify them. Amy would do the actual count by making a tally mark on the lists Mr. Dorman had given her, one for the Senior boys, and one for the Senior girls.

Their first task had been to separate the votes. That wasn't difficult because the names were written on hearts cut out of construction paper. There were red hearts for the Valentine Queen, and green hearts for the Valentine King.

They'd counted the green votes first, and Brett had taken a decisive lead for Valentine's Day King. He'd chalked up thirty votes out of the fifty-two that had been cast. Now they were counting the votes for Valentine's Day Queen, and there were many more of them. It was pretty obvious that the boys had purchased more cards than the girls.

Gail unfolded another red heart, and frowned as she read the name inside. “Here we go again. It's another vote for Tanya.”

“That figures.” Colleen sighed as she verified the vote. “Chalk up another one for Tanya. How many does that make, Amy?”

“Fifteen. Out of twenty. You've got one, Gail's got one, Jessica's got one, and Michele's got two.”

“Here's one for you, Amy.” Gail unfolded another red heart.

“For me?” Amy looked astounded. “Who'd vote for me?”

Colleen grabbed the heart-shaped ballot out of Gail's hand. “Let me see. I know everybody's handwriting.”

“Yes?” Amy held her breath. She hoped the vote had been cast by Brett.

“I don't know. It's printed. And that means it could be anybody. Maybe you've got a secret admirer, Amy.”

“Oh, sure.” Amy sighed. “It's probably from your brother and you made him do it.”

Colleen shook her head. “No, it's not. Danny had to go to the dentist at eleven this morning, and he's not back yet. He missed lunch and that's when they sold the cards.”

“Are you sure it's not from Danny?”

“I'm positive. Somebody else must have voted for you.”

Amy began to grin as she turned back to her tally sheet and put a check mark by her own name. Even though the skies outside were still gray, it made the whole day seem much brighter. Someone had actually cast a vote for her! Maybe Colleen was right and she did have a secret admirer. She just wished she knew who he was.

C
at scowled as he studied the bulletin board. They'd posted the totals during fifth period, but this was the first chance he'd had to look.

The bulletin board had been decorated since he'd seen it this morning, and it was a total mess. Cat remembered the old joke Mr. Dorman had told them, that the camel was a horse that had been designed by a committee. Even though it was a joke and Cat knew it, he decided that the same committee had decorated the bulletin board.

The bulletin board was covered with red construction paper. That, in itself, was just fine. But someone had cut Cupids out of glossy pink paper and stuck them up in a random design with ribbons of blue lace running between them. Silver hearts formed a frame in the center of the board, and there was a shiny, gold bow on top of the center heart. White clouds made of cotton balls dotted the red background, and four big purple hearts, made of garish, metallic paper, were attached to the corners. The only part that was the least bit tasteful was the white piece of paper that was thumbtacked to the center of the frame. It was the list of votes for Valentine's Day King and Queen, and it was typed very neatly.

Cat read the list with interest. Brett Stevens had the lead for Valentine's Day King, just as he'd predicted. But Tanya Ellison had the most votes for Valentine's Day Queen, and that just wouldn't do.

“Hi.” Amy walked up to him and smiled. “The bulletin board looks nice, doesn't it?”

Cat smiled back, searching for something positive to say. There wasn't much. “It's really . . . uh . . . colorful. Who counted the votes?”

“I did, along with Colleen and Gail. Mr. Dorman wanted three of us, so there wouldn't be any mistakes.”

Cat nodded. “Good idea. Is he going to let you sell the cards every lunch hour?”

“That's the plan. Mr. Dorman's really happy. This is only our first day, and we made eighty-three dollars for the library book fund.”

Cat nodded again. He was glad the money was going to a worthy cause, even though he didn't approve of the contest. “I see your name is up there.”

“Yeah, at the bottom!” Amy laughed. “It was nice, getting a vote.”

“Would you like to be Valentine's Day Queen?”

“Don't be silly.” Amy gave a little laugh. “I don't even stand a chance. Just look at Tanya's total. Thirty-seven votes!”

“Do you think she'll win?”

Amy shrugged. “I'd be really surprised if she didn't. The boys all like her, and she got almost ninety percent of the votes today. See you later. I've got to get home and do my homework before the game. We're going to take the Bonnerville Tigers to the cleaners tonight, aren't we?”

“That's the plan.” Cat waved as Amy turned to go. “See you at the game.”

Cat smiled as he watched Amy walk away. He'd decided that it would look strange if he didn't buy a Valentine card, and he'd cast his vote for Amy. Now he was glad. She'd seemed really happy that she'd gotten a vote and Amy had been a true friend to Karen.

Amy had seemed certain that Tanya would win, and Cat was afraid that she was right. Tanya was very popular, and Brett had lots of money to spend on votes for her. Since Brett was going with Tanya, he wouldn't vote for anyone else. And Tanya would win, hands down.

As he turned away from the bulletin board, Cat thought about Karen. He could feel her presence with him now, and he could almost see her staring down at the bulletin board with a dismayed expression on her lovely face. But Karen had never been a vindictive person. She'd always believed in giving everyone a second chance. That was exactly what she'd want him to do with Tanya. He'd warn Tanya to shape up, and put her to the test.

If Tanya failed, he'd just have to eliminate her from the contest.

 

The gymnasium smelled like popcorn, sweat, and floor polish, but no one seemed to mind. The game was far too exciting to care about the strange combination of scents that were associated with basketball in the winter.

Amy sat with Colleen in the first row of seats, right behind the bench that had been set up for the cheerleaders. Gail, Jessica, Michele, and Tanya had left after doing their routine at halftime. Now they were in the girls' locker room, waiting for Hamilton High's band to start the school song. Right after the trumpet fanfare, they would run onto the floor, green and white pom-poms waving, to lead the students as they sang.

The band started to play the Bonnerville Tiger's school song, and Amy rose to her feet. “Come on, Colleen. We're supposed to stand.”

“Why?” Colleen complained as she pushed herself to her feet. “They don't stand up for our school song.”

“That doesn't matter. Mr. Dorman says it's a sign of respect.”

“Then, why don't they respect us?”

“I don't know.”

“I do.” Colleen began to grin. “Because they're going to lose and they know it!”

Amy glanced over at the scoreboard to see if she'd missed something. Just as she'd thought, the game was tied at forty-seven, forty-seven. Colleen had sounded very confident, but Brett had two fouls. Two more and he was out, and without Brett, their chances of winning went down the tube.

“But the score's tied.” Amy moved closer so that Colleen could hear her. The band was playing the Bonnerville song very loudly, perhaps to make up for the fact that the clarinets didn't seem to know the music. “And the Bonnerville Tigers are really on tonight. They've only missed one free-throw. How can you be sure that we're going to win?”

“Danny told me. He's sitting right behind us.”

Amy glanced behind her. Colleen's brother, Danny, was sitting four rows back, his arm draped casually around Megan Stillwell, who'd dropped out of school last year. Megan was working at Tom-Tom's Truckstop out on the highway, a horrible greasy spoon with the motto,
Tom-Tom's—You Can't Beat Our Food.

A sigh escaped Amy's lips. Megan wasn't very bright. She'd flunked out of school. But she had a perfect figure, and she was so pretty, she could have been a model with her gorgeous shoulder-length auburn hair and deep, sea green eyes. Megan knew how to show off her figure. She was wearing a low-cut black sweater and gold hoop earrings that glistened in the lights overhead.

Danny had cut his hair again. It was very short now, and he looked a lot like Keanu Reeves had in
Speed.
He was even wearing a clean white shirt, unbuttoned at the neck and with the sleeves rolled up. He looked incredibly sexy.

Megan didn't seem to notice that she was staring, but Danny did. He caught Amy's eye, and winked. Before Amy could stop herself, she winked back. Then she blushed and turned away quickly, before Danny could see how he had affected her.

As the band finished the Bonnerville song, the Hamilton High crowd began to cheer. It was almost time for their team to take the floor. Amy cheered, too, being careful not to lift her arms too high. She was wearing a cotton forest green sweater that had been much longer before she'd washed it.

“Did you hear what I said?” Colleen had to shout over the noise of the crowd. “Danny says the Tigers are definitely going to lose.”

Amy nodded. “I heard you. But what does Danny know about basketball?”

“Nothing, but he's dating their coach's daughter. And she told him that the Tigers always fall apart in the second half.”

“Let's hope she's right.” Amy started to cheer again as the band played their trumpet fanfare, and the Hamilton High Chargers ran onto the floor. The cheerleaders were right behind them, and they led the crowd as they all started to sing the school song. Amy had always thought that the school song was insipid. It was about dear old Hamilton High and how it would live in their hearts forever. But she'd never expressed that opinion verbally. Mr. Dorman had written the lyrics when he was a first-year teacher, and now that he was the principal, all the students and faculty pretended to love it.

When the school song was over, Amy and Colleen sat back down in their seats and watched while the cheerleaders did a new cheer that they'd rehearsed at the pep rally that afternoon. Naturally, it featured Tanya, who did a series of back flips at the end.

“I hope Tanya's wearing her pants.” Colleen grinned.

“What do you mean?” Amy looked shocked. “Of course she's wearing her pants . . . isn't she?”

“Just watch.”

Colleen was still grinning as Tanya prepared to go into her series of back flips. The cheerleaders were wearing new outfits, long-sleeved white turtlenecks under short green satin jumpers, with flared skirts that were lined with white satin. The new outfits hadn't been ready at the pep rally this afternoon, but they'd been delivered in time for the game.

As Amy watched, Gail, Jessica, and Michele stretched out into splits, one leg forward and the other leg back, clearing the floor for Tanya. Tanya did a little jump, bouncing off the small trampoline that was at the edge of the floor, and started to do her series of back flips.

The moment Amy saw Tanya's green satin pants, she started to laugh. There was a message sewn across the rear in white satin ribbon. “Oh-my-God! Her pants say ‘BEAT TIGERS!' ”

“I know.” Colleen nodded. “Gail told me she had them made especially for this cheer. All the other girls have to wear plain green, but Tanya gets to wear a bulletin board. Gail says she's going to change the message for each game.”

Amy began to laugh so hard, tears came to her eyes. “I wonder what she's going to do next week.”

“Next week?” Colleen looked puzzled.

“We're playing the Farmington Mountain Lions. Do you think there'll be room for BEAT MOUNTAIN LIONS?”

“Sure. She's already working her way up to it.” Colleen gave a mean little smile. “Danny told me he saw her pigging out last night at the Hungry Burger. She ordered giant fries and two double-doubles with bacon and cheese. And she washed it all down with a chocolate shake.”

Amy raised her eyebrows. “If Tanya keeps eating like that, there'll be room on her pants for BEAT MOUNTAIN LIONS, and the time and temperature, and the latest stock market quote! Did Danny say if she was with Brett?”

“She wasn't with anyone. When Danny asked, she told him that Brett was tied up with his parents all night. His whole family went to a party at his grandmother's house.”

Amy nodded. And then she began to smile. Brett had gone to a family party, and he hadn't taken Tanya along. Perhaps their relationship wasn't quite as tight as everyone thought. That was bad news for Tanya, but it was very good news for Amy!

A
s soon as the cheer was over, Tanya came over to sit on the bench while Jessica, Michele, and Gail hurried back to the girls' locker room to get their sports bags.

“How do you like our new outfits?” Tanya turned around to talk to Amy and Colleen.

“Very nice.” Amy put on a smile. It wasn't in her nature to be unfriendly, even though she really didn't like Tanya. “That color looks very good on you, Tanya.”

“That's why I picked it.” Tanya looked smug. “Daddy told me I could order anything I wanted.”

Amy nodded. She'd already guessed that Tanya had chosen the cheerleader outfits. They made the other girls look less attractive. The extremely short skirt emphasized Jessica's heavy thighs, the bright green washed out Gail's pale coloring, and the turtleneck flopped around Michele's neck. The only cheerleader who looked really good in her new outfit was Tanya.

“Why did your father tell you to pick out the outfits?” Colleen looked puzzled.

“Because he paid for them.” Tanya smiled. “They cost a fortune, but Daddy said he wanted me to have the best.”

Colleen nodded. “I see. Did he pick up the bill for your pants, too?”

“Of course. And the crowd loved it! Did you hear all the stomping and whistling when I did my back flips?”

“We heard.” Amy tried to think of something nice to say, but absolutely nothing occurred to her. She was saved from an embarrassing silence when the other girls came rushing back.

“Here's your bag, Tanya.” Michele handed Tanya her expensive leather sports bag. “Why don't you show Amy and Colleen the cards you found in your locker? Maybe they can figure out who sent them.”

“I think they already know.” Tanya frowned as she pulled three red envelopes from her gym bag. “Somebody thinks these dumb little poems are really cute. You write poetry, don't you, Amy?”

Amy nodded. “Sometimes. But I haven't written anything in a long time.”

“These are signed by somebody named Cat.” Tanya was frowning as she stared at Amy.

“Cat?” Amy was thoroughly puzzled. “Who's that?”

“Isn't your middle name Katherine?”

“One of them is, but . . .”

“And isn't Cat a nickname for Katherine?”

“I guess so.” Amy shrugged. “But I never use my middle name, and nobody's ever called me Cat.”

“Just listen and see if you recognize this poem.” Tanya was still frowning as she opened the envelope and pulled out the Valentine card inside. “It says,
‘Roses are red, violets are blue. A queen should be kind, faithful and true.' ”

Amy smiled. “That's kind of cute. But I didn't write it, Tanya.”

“I didn't expect you to admit it. And I suppose you didn't write this one, either.” Tanya opened the second envelope. “This one says,
‘Roses are red, violets are blue. Pass my test and the queen could be you.' ”

“Look, Tanya.” Amy was beginning to get exasperated. “I didn't write those poems, and I didn't send you any cards!”

“Are you sure?”

“Of course I'm sure!” Amy sighed. “My poetry is all blank verse.”

“What's that?” Tanya looked confused.

“That's poetry that doesn't rhyme.” Colleen answered the question. “And Amy's poetry is very good, not at all like the stuff you just read.”

“Well . . . okay.” Tanya opened the third card and handed it to Amy. “Here. You read this one. I just found it at halftime.”

Amy opened the envelope and took out the card. The message was printed, and she shivered as she scanned it quickly. The third poem was chilling.

“Read it, Amy,” Colleen urged.

Amy swallowed hard. And then she read the poem. “It says,
‘Violets are blue, roses are red. An unworthy queen is better off dead.'
And it's signed by Cat, just like the others.”

“That's scary!” Gail shivered.

“It sure is!” Michele nodded. “Aren't you nervous, Tanya?”

“Of course not.” Tanya gave a little laugh, and then she stared straight at Amy. “These are probably from a girl who's jealous because I'm so popular. Maybe this girl even wishes she could be pretty enough to date Brett. Right, Amy?”

Before Amy had time to reply, the warning buzzer sounded, and the cheerleaders left the bench to do one last cheer before the start of the second half. Amy sighed in pure frustration. She'd denied sending the cards, but it was clear that Tanya still thought she was Cat.

 

Amy was standing at the concession line, when someone tapped her on the shoulder. She whirled around and found herself face-to-face with Danny.

“Hey . . . Amy.” Danny gave her a lazy grin. “Can I buy you a beer?”

“Sure. I'll have whatever they've got on tap which is probably root beer.” Amy grinned up at him. She knew Danny was joking. No alcoholic beverages were sold on the school grounds.

“So what are you really having? I'll get it.”

“Just a Diet Coke.” Amy smiled at him. “All this cheering is making me thirsty.' ”

“A
Diet
Coke?” Danny raised his eyebrows as he moved up to join her in line. “You don't have to be on a diet, Amy. You look perfect to me.”

“That's because I drink Diet Coke.” Amy laughed, but she felt a blush rise to her cheeks. She'd never been comfortable accepting compliments.

“Good game, huh?”

“Only if we end up winning.” Amy glanced at the scoreboard where the score was still tied. “I thought you were the one who said that the Tigers always fall apart in the second half.”

Danny shrugged. “That's what I was told.”

“By the coach's daughter?”

“Right.” Danny looked slightly embarrassed. “That'll teach me never to believe a woman. She was probably saying what she thought I wanted to hear. I guess all women do that, huh?”

Amy shook her head. “This one doesn't.”

“Really?” Danny was still grinning. “Let's try it and see. What do you think of my date?”

Amy drew a deep breath. She'd practically promised to be honest. “I think she's gorgeous. And you're handsome. You make a very attractive couple.”

“Okay.” Danny grinned. “Do you think I should get involved with her?”

“No way. Megan's pretty and she's probably a lot of fun, but she's not smart enough for you.”

“You think I'm smart?”

Amy nodded. “Absolutely. You're one of the brightest guys I know. I think you'd be bored with Megan in less than a month. Then you'd break up, and both of you would wind up getting hurt.”

“Come on, Amy . . . how bright can a guy be if he drops out of school to start a rock band?”

Amy raised her eyebrows. “You've got a point, but that doesn't mean you're not bright. It just means you did a stupid thing a couple of years ago. Now you're working to correct your mistake, and that shows some real intelligence.”

“So you think I'm smart, and you said I was handsome. Are you coming on to me, Amy?”

Amy's cheeks began to feel hot, and she knew she was blushing. Was she coming on to Danny? She had to be honest. “I . . . I really don't know if I am or not, but I don't think so. I think I just like you.”

“And you like me because I'm Colleen's brother?”

“That's part of it.” Amy nodded. “But I also like you, because you're you.”

Danny began to grin again, and he slipped his arm around Amy's shoulders. “Amy, Amy, Amy. You're going to get in trouble being so honest. Some guy might just take advantage of you.”

Amy nodded. “I know. But you wouldn't, would you?”

“Well . . .” Danny smiled his lazy smile, the one that was rumored to make girls feel faint. But then he shook his head. “No, Amy. I'd do my absolute best not to take advantage of you.”

Amy smiled back at him, not quite sure whether she was disappointed in his answer, or not. Danny was a very handsome guy, and he was terribly sexy. His arm felt very good around her shoulders, and she had the surprising urge to nestle her head against his chest to feel the crisp, starched material of his shirt on her heated cheeks. But she didn't. That wouldn't have been appropriate. And Amy was always very careful to behave appropriately.

“One Diet Coke, a big orange, and a ginger ale.” Danny gave his order, and then he turned to Amy. “Does Colleen want something, too?”

“No. She got a giant Slurpy about ten minutes ago.” Amy watched as Danny pulled out his billfold and put a ten-dollar bill on the counter. “Are you sure I can't pay you back?”

“You can get the next one.” Danny handed Amy her drink. “Are you two girls going down to the Hungry Burger after the game?”

“I guess so. How about you?”

“I'll be there about ten-thirty. I have to drop Megan off at Tom-Tom's first. She's working all night. Will you save me a place next to you?”

Amy nodded, and turned to go. She knew she was blushing again. She was sure the phrase
Save me a place next to you
didn't constitute a date, but it was the best offer she'd gotten all year!

“By the way, Amy . . .” Danny stopped Amy with a hand on her arm. “I traded in my Harley for a car. Do you think that means I'm trying to be respectable?”

“No. It's winter, and I think it means you're trying to be
warm!”

Amy grinned as she walked back into the gym. Danny was fun and she enjoyed talking to him. She was glad that he was Colleen's brother, because she could see him more often that way. Of course, it wouldn't be right to tell Danny that. Then he really
would
think that she was trying to pick up on him!

“What took you so long?” Colleen looked curious as Amy came back to her seat. “And why are you blushing like that?”

Amy sat down, and took a big gulp of her Diet Coke. There was no way she'd tell Colleen that her blush was a reaction to the things Danny had said. “I'm not blushing, Colleen. I'm just hot. It's very warm in here.”

The referee blew his whistle, and to Amy's relief, Colleen turned her attention back to the game. “Oh, look! They're sending Brett in!”

“It's about time!” Amy watched as Brett ran out on the floor. “Let's just hope he can win the game for us.”

For the next two minutes, Amy sat on the edge of her seat as the score went back and forth. The Hamilton High Chargers would make a basket and pull ahead by two points, and then the Bonnerville Tigers would shoot to even the score. The score was tied, and there were only twenty-three seconds left on the clock, when the referee blew his whistle.

“Oh-oh! I think it's a foul against Brett!” Amy turned to Colleen in alarm as the referee pointed to Brett. Brett raised his arm and both girls winced. It was a personal foul, and the Tigers had two shots at the free-throw line.

“It's okay.” Colleen tried to stay calm. “They won't make it. Just watch.”

The first free throw bounced against the rim, but it toppled in. Amy groaned, along with all the other Hamilton High students. Now the Tigers were up by one point.

“They can't make it two in a row.” Amy tried to sound confident, but she clasped her hands tightly together as the ball arced up in the air. She held her breath as it hit the rim again, but this time it didn't bounce in. “Thank God! Now all we have to do is . . . oh, no!”

Amy gasped as the Tigers recovered the rebound, and the ball flew through the air again, clearing the net with a swish. Now the Tigers were ahead by three points. It would take two baskets to catch up, and there were only fifteen seconds left on the clock. Without really realizing she was doing it, Amy jumped to her feet with the rest of the crowd, and joined in the cheer that was bouncing off the walls of the gym.

“Go Chargers, go! Go Chargers, go! Go Chargers, go Chargers, go Chargers, go!”

The cheer seemed to lend new energy to the team. Neal Carpenter dribbled down the court and passed the ball to Brett. Brett looked very determined, but there was little he could do since the Tigers were double-guarding him. But Brett was a team player, and he knew he didn't dare risk a shot when there was no opening. He passed the ball to Neal, and Neal took an off-balance shot. But somehow the ball rimmed the basket, and toppled in.

“Do it again! Do it again! Do it again!”

The crowd roared, and Amy glanced at the clock. Only ten seconds left, and the Tigers had the ball. Naturally, they tried to stall to run out the clock, but somehow, Neal managed to steal the ball.

“Oh, my God!” Amy jumped up and down as Neal passed the ball to Brett. There was only one second left, and Brett was almost a full court away from their basket. One more step and Brett released the ball, just as the buzzer for the end of the game sounded. And then there was complete silence as hundreds of pairs of eyes watched the ball fly through the air.

Amy was frozen in place, her mouth open and her hands clasped together as the ball approached the basket. It looked good. Very good. It hit the rim, hesitated there for a split second, and then it dropped down, through the net.

“Oh, my God!” Amy reached out to hug Colleen, and they both jumped up and down. “I can't believe it! We won!”

The crowd couldn't seem to believe it either, and it was a full second before everyone started to scream and whistle and stomp their feet on the bleachers. The cheerleaders rushed out to do a final cheer, but the crowd was too excited to pay any attention.

After the excitement died down, and the team went off to the showers, Colleen turned to Amy. “You're going to do it tonight, aren't you?”

“Do what?”

“Ask Brett to the dance. Tanya always goes home after the game to change her clothes and do her hair. Brett'll come down to the Hungry Burger with the team, and it'll be at least half an hour before Tanya shows.”