by R. L. Stine
“I’m ready,” Tina answered, shutting the closet. But she couldn’t shut Josh’s boots out of her mind. Why did he leave them in his closet?
“Well, are we going or what?” Holly asked impatiently.
“I have to write Josh a note first,” Tina replied. “Chris, where are we going? I’ll tell him to meet us.” She found a pen and a piece of scratch paper on Josh’s dresser.
“To a party over in Old Town,” Chris responded, staring at her intently as she wrote. “I don’t know the address. Tell him to wait here for us.”
Carla shook her head and tsk-tsked. “He doesn’t deserve you,” she said. “If I hadn’t seen my girlfriend in three months, I would be right here waiting for her.”
Tina sighed and tried to ignore Carla. But she couldn’t help agreeing. A lump formed in the back of her throat as she put the note on Josh’s pillow.
“Don’t listen to Carla,” Chris said. “Josh will be back soon.”
“Well, let’s not stand here and discuss it,” Holly demanded. “Let’s go to the party.”
When they reached the Jeep, Tina decided to sit in the back with Carla. That way Holly and Chris could talk—and maybe Holly would find out that he was her type.
She started to climb in.
“Tina,” Chris called. “Sit up front with me, okay? And stop worrying.”
So much for that plan, Tina thought, settling into the front seat. She rolled down the window and let the cool air blow back her blond hair. She stared at the clear sky. The stars shone brighter here than they ever did in Shadyside.
Tina pictured Josh cruising through the mountains. But still, she couldn’t shake her uneasy feeling.
“Chris,” Tina began. Her heart started to beat quicker. “Something seems weird to me. I saw Josh’s hiking boots in his closet. Why would he leave them if he went camping?”
Chris’s eyes widened. “He bought new ones. Really cool with double-padded ankle supports and soft leather.”
“Really?” Tina answered, very relieved. “But Josh is on a tight budget. How could he afford new boots?”
Chris downshifted and turned the corner. “He must not have told you about his job. He’s been doing some computer work for the geology lab. The pay is pretty decent.”
“I think he did mention it,” Tina lied, embarrassed to admit that her boyfriend hadn’t told her about the job.
Tina stared out the window.
“I’ve been lost and alone … for so long … it’s so wrong.” The words drifted into the air. That’s the Spoiled Rotten CD, she thought. I can’t believe Chris has this CD, too.
Tina stared at Chris. He hummed along. I bet he’s missing his old girlfriend, she thought.
“Do you have this CD?” he asked. “It took me a while to find it.”
“Me, too,” Tina replied. “I searched everywhere, and then I finally found a store that carries all sorts of weird stuff.”
“What else do you like?” Chris asked.
Before Tina could answer, Holly shouted from the backseat, “This music is so gross! Turn it down.”
Chris smiled at Tina. He’s one of the coolest guys I’ve met in a long time, she thought.
They turned down a narrow, tree-lined street and found a parking spot along the curb.
“We’re here,” Chris announced. He shut off the engine.
As they hurried up the long driveway, Tina heard the thump of a bass guitar.
College kids spilled onto the porch and front lawn.
“Hey, Carla!” a tall boy yelled. “Bill’s looking all over for you.”
“Well, he’s going to have to keep looking!” Carla shouted back, brushing her hair away from her face.
Holly giggled.
This is just what Holly loves, Tina thought. A party and guys to flirt with.
The minute she stepped inside, Tina felt uncomfortable. I bet everyone can tell I’m still in high school, she thought.
Tina noticed a girl in jeans and a vest. She had a silver ring in her nose. Another girl wore a minidress with thigh-high socks that stopped a few inches below the hem.
I wish I had changed my clothes, Tina thought. Everyone is going to think I’m so boring. Preppy Little Miss high School.
Tina followed Chris across the living room. Several guys said hi to him and smiled at Tina. College guys actually noticed her! Maybe she didn’t appear as boring as she thought.
Finally they found an empty spot along a far wall near an open window. The cool breeze felt good.
“Excellent party!” Holly exclaimed. She swayed to the music.
“Why don’t you and Holly dance,” Tina suggested to Chris. She had to shout to be heard. “This is one of her favorite songs.”
Chris shrugged. “Well, I don’t really—”
“Oh, look!” Carla interrupted. “There’s the girl playing the lead in Our Town. Come on, Holly, I’ll introduce you.”
Carla grabbed Holly and dragged her away, leaving Tina alone with Chris.
Tina took a step back. It didn’t feel right standing so close to him, even though they were surrounded by people. Her first college party, and instead of being with her boyfriend, she ended up with his roommate.
But that wasn’t the worst part. The worst part was that she felt attracted to him.
Tina shifted her weight from foot to foot.
“Want something to drink?” Chris asked. “There’s some soda in that cooler over there.” He pointed across the room.
“Thanks,” Tina answered.
“You stay here,” Chris told her. “This place is packed.”
Chris forced his way through the crowd. Tina lost sight of him almost immediately. She felt sort of awkward standing all by herself. She was relieved when she finally spotted Chris coming back toward her.
Chris handed Tina a soda, and opened one for himself. He took a long swallow, staring around the room. “I don’t go to these parties too often. I used to, but …” He shifted his eyes away from her.
Tina reached out and touched Chris’s arm, trying to think of something to say. “So you like spicy food?” she blurted out.
“Love it,” he answered, smiling.
“You should come to Shadyside with Josh. There’s a Mexican restaurant not too far away, in Waynesbridge. I’ll bet you can’t eat more than one of their jalapeños.”
“Oh, I don’t know about that. We had a contest last spring at Old Town Festival. And guess who won?”
“Now, let me see,” she teased. “How many did you eat?”
“A dozen,” he bragged. “My head nearly exploded.”
Tina laughed. It would be fun to show Chris around Shadyside. He was so easy to talk to, and they had a lot in common.
“So are you going to start here in the fall?” Chris asked.
“No. I can’t afford to go away to school,” Tina replied. “I’ll probably go to Waynesbridge Junior College, so I can live at home.”
“Too bad,” Chris said. “There are some great places around here I could show … I mean Josh could show you, if you had more time.”
A slow song started to play.
“Do you want to dance?” he asked.
“Sure,” Tina answered.
They found a spot among the other couples. Tina rested her head on Chris’s shoulder as they moved back and forth.
“Your hair smells good,” he whispered into her ear.
Tina smiled and snuggled in closer. She could feel his muscles under his shirt.
It felt good to be held. Even by the wrong guy.
When the song ended, Chris led her out on the back porch for some fresh air. A million stars dotted the sky. Tina tilted her head back and stared up at the moon. The smell of freshly cut grass drifted up from the lawn below.
Tina inhaled, then let her breath out slowly.
“It’s beautiful here,” she observed. “I see why you like this place.”
Chris put his arm around her. “Make a wish.”
Tina gazed u
p at the brightest star in the sky. “I wish I’ll become a famous model some day,” she whispered, imagining herself on the cover of Glamour or Vogue. Flying around the world on a private jet. Visiting exotic places. With enough money to have everything she ever wanted.
“Maybe I can make that come true,” Chris said softly, lifting her chin toward his face. “Let me take some shots for your portfolio.”
Tina felt her heartbeat quicken. For a few seconds they stared at each other. Then Chris bent down and kissed her lightly on the lips.
Tina felt her body tingle. She wanted him to kiss her again.
He did.
Tina didn’t hear the footsteps behind her until it was too late.
Until a voice cried out, “What’s going on here?”
chapter 5
Tina jerked away from Chris. She whirled around to find Carla standing there, her arms crossed in front of her.
“I, uh … we … were …” Tina stammered, shoving her hands in her pockets. Her face felt burning hot.
“Hey—no problem.” Carla shrugged.
“We were just talking about leaving,” Chris said.
How could I kiss Chris like that? Tina asked herself. In the two years she’d been dating Josh, she’d never cheated on him. She’d never even thought about it.
I have to make Carla swear she won’t tell, Tina thought. This is something Josh can never find out about. Even if nothing really happened.
“Yeah. Let’s go,” Tina said. Now more than ever she wanted to find Josh. “Where’s Holly?”
“I don’t know.” Carla tossed her silky hair out of her eyes.
“Where’d she go?” Tina asked. “Haven’t you been with her?”
“For a while. But then a bunch of townies came in and we got separated. She danced with some guy, and that’s the last time I saw her,” Carla said.
“Townies?” Tina asked.
“You know.” Carla waved her hand through the air. “The local kids who don’t go to school here. They’re pretty geeky.”
Tina turned to Chris. “I’m going to look for Holly.”
“I’m sure she’s fine,” Chris reassured her.
“You don’t know Holly.” Tina answered, imagining the worst.
She hurried back inside. The party has definitely changed. Some older guys had arrived. They passed a paper bag back and forth, taking long slugs from the bottle inside it.
Tina felt someone staring at her. She turned her head. A guy with skeleton tattoos covering his upper arms winked at her. She quickly twisted in the other direction.
The floor vibrated from the loud heavy-metal music. The stuffy air made Tina’s head ache. She pushed her way through the dance floor, searching desperately for her cousin.
“Hey,” a low voice called. “What’s your hurry?”
Tina gazed into the bloodshot eyes of a guy wearing his T-shirt around his head.
“I’m looking for someone,” she answered curtly.
“Well, here I am.” He laughed, grabbing her around the waist. “Dance?”
“No, thanks.” Tina wriggled out of his grasp.
“How about a drink?” he asked, forcing a large mug against her lips.
It tasted bitter. “No, really, that’s okay,” Tina answered, pushing the mug away.
He grabbed her arm. “Hey, you look pretty good. Come on, just dance with me. One dance. I’m not going to hurt you.”
Tina smelled his sour breath. She pulled her arm away and hurried across the room.
There she is, Tina thought, relieved. She spotted the top of Holly’s curly hair. “Holly!” she called out. She fought her way across the room. A stranger turned around. Not Holly.
“Did you find her?” Chris asked, stepping up beside Tina. His warm smile made her feel a little better. But only a little.
Tina shook her head. “No, not yet.”
“I’ll go check in the kitchen,” Chris offered. “You go down the hall.”
Tina made her way down the narrow hallway. She opened the door to a bedroom. Then slammed it shut after getting angry looks from the couple having an argument inside.
“Sorry,” Tina mumbled. But she was only sorry she’d come to the party.
On her way back to the living room Tina heard a girl scream. A loud, piercing shriek.
That’s Holly! she thought. I know it is!
She pushed her way to the front door.
She reached the porch as several motorcycles zoomed away. One of the riders was holding a girl with curly brown hair.
“Holly!” Tina screamed. “Come back!” she began, running down the sidewalk. She didn’t stop until she reached the corner.
A cold wind picked up, howling through the trees. An empty can rattled down the sidewalk.
Where are they taking Holly?
Stay calm, Tina told herself. Stay calm. Maybe Holly wanted to go with them.
But then, why did she scream?
Maybe it wasn’t Holly.
There are lots of girls with curly brown hair.
I have to find Chris, she thought. He’ll know what to do.
As she started back to the party, Tina spotted something shiny on the sidewalk. It glinted in the moonlight.
What’s that? she thought, reaching down.
She picked it up and examined it.
And gasped.
No.
Holly’s beaded earring.
chapter 6
Tina clutched Holly’s earring in her hand. They took her, she realized. They took her away.
Her entire body trembling, she ran up the porch steps and bumped into Carla.
“There you are!” Carla exclaimed. “I’ve been searching all over for you.”
“They took her!” Tina shrieked. “Some guys on motorcycles—they dragged Holly away!”
“Huh?” Carla cried. “What are you talking about?”
“Holly’s in trouble!” Tina screamed. “We have to find Chris and go after them.”
“Whoa,” Carla said, putting a hand on Tina’s shoulder. “Calm down. Holly is with a girl named Alyssa Pryor. That’s why I was looking for you. To tell you. She’s fine.”
“Alyssa Pryor?” Tina repeated. “From Shadyside?”
Carla nodded. “Yeah. She said she knew Alyssa from home. And Alyssa’s in the drama department, so she took Holly to see the drama building.”
“That makes sense,” Tina told her. “Holly and Alyssa were in some plays together back home. I forgot Alyssa decided to go to school here.”
Tina felt relieved. She could imagine how horrified her parents would be—and Holly’s—if they found out she’d lost her cousin.
“But it’s after midnight. Why would they go to the drama building now?” Tina asked.
“The drama kids at this school are so weird,” Carla replied, rolling her eyes. “I mean they are way strange. Sometimes they hang out at the stage all night.”
Tina yawned and sat down next to Carla on the steps. “Are we supposed to wait here for her?”
“No way,” Carla answered. “I’m tired. Let’s get Chris to take us home.”
“But what about Holly?” Tina insisted.
“She’ll be with a whole bunch of kids. Don’t worry. Someone will give her a ride,” Carla reassured her.
Tina sighed. She gazed up at the sky. Clouds had moved in, but Tina spotted a few stars. She picked out the brightest one. This time she wished that Josh was waiting for her back in the dorm. And that she had never, never kissed Chris.
“Listen,” she said to Carla. “About what you saw before.”
Carla’s eyes grew wide. “You’re the first girl Chris has been with since the … you know … the accident.”
“It wasn’t like that,” Tina insisted. “We weren’t together.”
“You could have fooled me,” Carla declared, laughing.
“I have a boyfriend,” Tina answered.
“Well, I always say,” Carla continued with a grin, “if you can’t be with the on
e you love, love the one you’re with.”
“Really, Carla,” Tina insisted. “Please don’t say anything to Josh. Promise?”
“No big deal,” Carla murmured. “You know, college isn’t like high school. Steve and I see other people. Almost everyone does.”
“You do?” Tina asked. “Don’t you get jealous?”
“Not really. You’ll see.”
But Tina didn’t see. When she pictured Josh with another girl, her insides turned all funny.
“Please don’t say anything,” Tina repeated.
“Don’t worry about it,” Carla said, getting up. “Have fun, Tina. This is your big college weekend!”
Tina didn’t feel like talking on the way back to the dorm.
Chris turned on the radio, but Tina couldn’t focus on the music. How could Holly go off” like that without telling her? And why wasn’t Josh here? Why was Carla so anxious for her to be with Chris? And why had she let herself kiss him?
The more she tried to figure it all out, the angrier she became. With Holly. With Carla. With Josh. With herself.
Chris pulled the Jeep up to the curb. Carla climbed out of the backseat before Tina even opened her door.
“See you tomorrow,” Carla called and ran into the dorm.
Why is she in such a hurry? Tina wondered. She really is trying to fix me up with Chris.
Tina turned to face him. “Thanks for the ride,” she said. “I better go up. I’m sure Josh is back by now.”
“I’ll go with you,” Chris volunteered.
“I’ll be fine,” Tina answered. “Really.”
“I’ll just come up for a second,” he insisted. “I need to pick up a few things.”
Tina’s heart beat faster as they entered the dorm and began climbing up the steps to Josh’s room.
She opened the door. “Josh?” she called anxiously. But once again she saw the room dark and empty.
Still not back, she realized, sighing unhappily.
She spotted her note on the bed where she had left it. It had not been moved.
The digital clock read one-fifteen.
“Where is he?” she demanded. “Maybe they had an acccident.”
Chris shook his head. “I’m sure they’re fine. They’re probably going to real slow. It’s a scary road in the dark.”