But Olivia was pretty sure none of his friends had actually made a joke.
As the crowd of skater-boys filed down the hall on their way to class, the goth-girls all pointedly looked away . . . except for Amelia. She’d angled her head so that her fringe fell over her eyes, but she was surreptitiously watching Finn through the veil of hair.
And when he didn’t return her gaze, the look of disappointment on Amelia’s face made Olivia’s heart hurt.
Brrrrring!
The school bell sounded, and Olivia jumped. She’d spent so much time watching the action around her, she’d barely even started preparing for class! Hastily, she tipped her notebooks for that afternoon’s classes into her locker, scooped up her bag and her school map, and slammed her locker door shut. I’ll have to wait until later to add some pictures and colour to the inside of the door!
As she hurried towards her homeroom, though, she felt a fizz of excitement in her stomach, replacing all the nerves that she’d felt earlier.
I love a romance, she thought happily.
Her own romance might have to stay long-distance, at least for now . . . but she couldn’t imagine anything more fun than helping another couple get together while she waited to see Jackson again. Matchmaking was one of her favourite activities – and that was lucky for Finn and Amelia, because they obviously needed help! This school was so divided between goth and mainstream, how could Finn and Amelia ever openly declare their feelings for each other without a helpful nudge?
Even as she thought that, she heard Ivy’s exasperated voice in her head: ‘You can’t tell how they really feel just from watching them for less than two minutes.’
‘Oh, yes, I can!’ Olivia blurted out.
A pair of goths nearby gave her startled looks.
Oops. She hadn’t meant to say that out loud!
‘Is Ivy’s twin talking to herself ?’ one of the goths whispered loudly.
The other shook his head sadly. ‘I guess not everyone in her family is cool.’
Whatever. Olivia ignored them. She had bigger things to worry about . . . like figuring out how to bring down the social barriers of Franklin Grove High!
Matchmaking Amelia and Finn wouldn’t just make the two of them happy – it would bring all the school’s barriers crashing down.
And I’m just the person to make it happen. Olivia gave a decisive nod as she stepped into her classroom.
If she’d needed any more proof of how much this school needed help, it was right here in homeroom, where the social groups were so clearly laid out, they might as well have put up signs and gateposts by each set of desks.
The goth-crowd owned the ‘primo’ tables, sitting by the window towards the back of the class. Meanwhile, the bunnies were stuck all the way in front, completely unable to join any of the ‘cool’ conversations because they would have to turn around in their desks.
Olivia shook her head, sighing, and looked for Ivy. I might have known.
Ivy was boxed in right in the far corner of the room, besieged by goths. As they pressed around her, Olivia saw her eyes fill with more and more panic and frustration until she looked like a trapped tiger.
‘. . . But is that show really cool, Ivy? I mean, I know everyone says it is, but what do you think? If you tell me, I’ll know what’s right.’
‘Do you think the Pall Bearers sold out with their latest album? I mean, they used keyboards – that’s the opposite of goth! Isn’t it?’
Uh-oh, Olivia thought. She could see an ultimate death-squint ready to form on her sister’s face. No one trash-talked the Pall Bearers in front of Ivy and survived!
‘Hey, Olivia.’ It was Sophia, sitting in the exact centre of the classroom in a spot neither popular nor outcast. She smiled ruefully and patted the empty desk beside her. ‘There’s no point trying to fight your way through Ivy’s flock of bats.’
Olivia sank down into her seat, still watching her twin. ‘Do you think we should intervene?’
Sophia sighed. ‘There’s nothing we can do. Trust me – I’ve tried.’
The goths’ voices grew louder and louder as they all competed for Ivy’s attention. ‘But Ivy –’
‘Ivy –’
‘Ivy –’
‘Hey!’ Ivy suddenly surged out of her seat. ‘I need some thinking time!’
‘Thinking time?’ The closest goth-girl shook her head while all the others gasped. ‘What’s that?’
‘I just . . .’ Ivy sank back down into her seat, looking defeated. ‘I want to . . . meditate,’ she mumbled. ‘I need to . . . find my chin.’
‘Um . . .?’ One of the other girls hesitantly pointed to Ivy’s face. ‘Isn’t it right there?’
Olivia had to choke down her laugh. None of the others might understand, but Ivy was definitely quoting Olivia’s adoptive father . . . only she had gotten the quote a little bit wrong. Olivia was pretty sure she’d meant to say ‘Jee’.
Unless it was ‘Chi’? She’d never been sure.
‘Whatever,’ Ivy muttered. ‘I just . . . I need to have my own headspace before school really starts.’
‘Oh, yes.’
‘So smart.’
‘I always do that too, Ivy!’
The other goths all fluttered back to their own desks.
‘Mondays are intense !’ the closest goth-boy said solemnly.
Then they all folded their hands and closed their eyes.
Ivy looked around the intently meditating group and shook her head, looking desperate. Then she put on her headphones and closed her eyes, slumping down in her seat.
‘Look!’ One of the goths had snuck one eye open to peek, and now they nudged another one, pointing to Ivy. ‘She even meditates better than anybody!’
Little do they know, Olivia thought, Ivy isn’t meditating on anything . . . except maybe on how much she hates being popular!
She sighed as she turned back to Sophia. ‘This can’t go on.’
‘What can we do?’ Sophia shrugged. ‘They love her.’
‘But you can see the pressure getting to her already,’ Olivia said. Just like it did at Wallachia Academy in Transylvania, she realised. The memory made her shoulders stiffen.
Olivia hadn’t been able to help her sister at that snooty school for vampires, but she was here for Ivy now . . . and she wouldn’t let her twin down.
She looked around the room and shook her head. ‘There are so many social walls built around everyone at this high school, it’s unbelievable.’
‘Tell me about it,’ Sophia groaned. ‘I’ve never seen anything like this before.’
‘Then let’s do something about it!’ Olivia nodded decisively. ‘These walls need breaking down . . . and I’m the one with the sledgehammer!’
‘You?’ Sophia gave a snort of laughter as she looked up and down Olivia’s glittering pink top, flippy skirt and sequinned bag. ‘Olivia Abbott with a sledgehammer – now, that would really be unbelievable!’
Chapter Three
Ivy took a deep breath as she joined the lunch line in cafeteria. I can do this. Of course I can. It’s not a big deal.
It was ridiculous to get annoyed by people liking her. Wasn’t it?
So why do I feel like yelling?
All around her was a sea of eyes that seemed to follow her wherever she went, even as she stood waiting for the lunch ladies to pass her a plate of food. The feeling of being watched made the skin between her shoulder blades itch with discomfort. I don’t get it! Why is everybody acting this way?
There was no good reason for all this worship. She was just a normal girl! . . . Well, normal by Franklin Grove standards, anyway, Ivy thought ruefully. But honestly, it wasn’t as if the kids here knew anything really special about her. Back in Transylvania, Ivy was kind-of-sort-of-royalty, and all the other kids at Wallachia Academy had known it, but here she was just another goth.
Just imagine if anyone else at this school knew I was royal! She shuddered at the thought. Oh, my darkness. That would be my
worst nightmare!
As soon as she’d paid for her lunch, she turned around – and saw heads drop as bunny students desperately tried to pretend they hadn’t been watching her. Ivy had to stifle a scream of pure frustration.
Seriously, people. I am not that cool!
Was it time for desperate measures? As she walked towards a table in the corner of the room, she desperately tried to think of new ideas. Maybe I could drop my tray? If everyone saw her act like an embarrassing klutz, that would have to undo her popularity . . . wouldn’t it?
But then I wouldn’t have anything to eat! Her stomach growled in protest at the idea. After a morning spent under relentless social attack, she was starving. No way could she give up her lunch, even if it was only a measly medium burger!
As she passed a table full of goths, one hopeful-looking girl piped up, ‘Here, Ivy! You can sit with us if you want.’
She started to push out a chair just as Ivy passed – and the chair smashed hard into Ivy’s leg.
The girl’s face went sickly green with horror. Gasps filled the air as the entire cafeteria turned to stare.
Argh. Ivy stifled a groan. I don’t have time for this!
The truth was, she’d felt no pain at all. With vampiric RHP on her side, the hit had felt like only a light tap. But from the way the chair had crashed into her, it obviously would have hurt a human.
So Ivy had no choice . . .
‘Ohhh . . .’ She bent over, grimacing as if in agony. Acting with all her might, she rubbed at her leg through her long black skirt.
‘I am so, so sorry!’ The goth-girl was almost crying now, her voice choked. ‘I never meant to hurt you.’
‘Don’t worry about it,’ Ivy muttered. ‘Really .’
Even as she spoke, her vampire hearing picked up the conversations erupting all over the cafeteria.
‘Did you see that?’
‘Oh, she’s so grounded, even when she’s in pain!’
‘She even looks cool when she winces!’
Oh, my darkness. Ivy rolled her eyes. Are they seriously idolising the way I look when I’m ‘in pain’? They’re going to love me in math class!
As she straightened, the goth-girl jumped up, grabbing Ivy’s arm in a desperate grip. ‘I’m just so sorry. I’m Bela, by the way. Let me make it up to you? My father has a store card at Macy’s. Please let me take you there this afternoon! You can pick up a gift and –’
‘No! No, thank you.’ Ivy yanked her hand out of Bela’s clinging grip. Too. Much. Apologising!
Bela looked crushed.
Ivy bit her tongue against the death-squint she could feel forming on her face. Then she winced at the sudden stab of pain. I really need to get to the dentist, and soon!
Through gritted teeth, she said, ‘It’s fine. I’m fine. But, Bela, please. Get. Out. Of. My. Way.’
By the time she finally got to the corner table she’d been aiming for, she felt like she’d been through a battlefield. She looked down at her medium burger and groaned. It has to be cold by now.
Then again . . . Silver lining? Maybe it’ll do a good impression of a real, rare burger!
Quirking her lips at the idea, she sat down. Immediately, she realised her tactical mistake. Uh-oh.
The small, rectangular table she’d chosen could seat up to six people. All five empty seats were just waiting to be filled . . . and, based on recent events, people were going to want to sit with her now! She could already feel the eyes on her from the rest of the cafeteria, and hear the furious whispering as people debated whether or not they dared to join her.
Don’t even think about it! Ivy hunched her shoulders defensively, leaning over her tray. She’d promised Olivia they would sit together at lunch. Not only did she want to spend more time with her sister, but she really wanted all the other students to get used to her having a non-goth twin. Then maybe they’d stop whispering rude things about her . . . and Ivy would stop wanting to punch them all!
Unfortunately, Olivia’s first stop at lunchtime had to be the school counsellor’s office, to work out her late-enrolment issues. She wouldn’t be here for at least ten minutes.
How am I supposed to guard five empty seats for that whole time, all by myself ?
Clenching her hands around her burger, she sent off her strongest Don’t come near me vibes and bit into the burger, hard.
The burger was every bit as cold as she’d imagined. Tough, chewy and flavourless. She forced herself to keep eating just to fill her stomach, but it couldn’t hold her attention as she felt the cafeteria filling up around her. Come on, Olivia. Hurry up!
Tapping one booted foot nervously under the table, Ivy mentally counted off the number of spare seats against the number of students and trays. Soon, she might have no choice but to let someone sit opposite her . . . and no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t think of any way to translate ‘Get away from me’ into polite English. There’s only so much grumpiness the word ‘please’ can excuse!
She closed her eyes for a moment in despair. Oh, my darkness, it’s only the second week of school. What will I be like by the end of the year?
As she chewed doggedly on her unappealing burger, taking tiny bites to minimise the taste, a parade of people tried to ‘subtly’ walk by her with their trays of food, their footsteps lagging as they passed her table. She tried not to look, but she couldn’t miss the way their eyes lit up with hope – hope that she might let them sit at her table.
Argh. Ivy couldn’t bear it. How do I reject them without being mean?
She lunged for her bag, searching for something she could use as a shield. Textbooks wouldn’t work, but maybe . . . Yes! She could feel a small paperback inside. Maybe if I’m totally absorbed in reading, people will leave me alone!
She snatched the paperback out of her bag and opened it to the middle section, as if she were already halfway through. Almost burying her face in it, she began to fake-read without even looking at the cover, screwing up her face in an expression of intense concentration.
Behind her, she heard someone gasp. Then someone else whispered, ‘Is she really reading . . . that ?’
‘I can’t believe it,’ another girl murmured. ‘Of all the people I never thought would read that book –’
Um . . .? Ivy blinked and switched from fake-reading to real-reading.
‘He clasped her in an embrace so tight, she could not escape . . . nor did she want to. She would be his prisoner of love . . . forever!’
Ivy stifled a groan. Oh, no.
She knew that awful writing style and that unintentionally funny romance vibe. This was Bare Throats at Sunset by S. K. Reardon! Ivy had become friends with his daughter Holly this summer, but she’d been outraged by the way the book presented vampires. Still, Lillian had insisted that Ivy should give it another try, claiming it was the ultimate guilty pleasure. Ivy had finally stuck it in her bag last week just to make her stepmom happy. She’d planned to read it when no one was looking.
Now everyone was looking – and she’d practically plastered her face to the pages in her attempt to keep people away from her. She must have looked as if she were loving it!
Ivy’s face burned. Everyone’s going to think I have the worst taste ever!
. . . Hey, wait! A sudden flutter of hope sparked inside her. If they think I actually enjoy this book, maybe they’ll stop thinking I’m cool. Maybe they’ll realise I’m actually just . . . uh . . . warm?
But the next conversation she heard destroyed her hope.
‘Wow . . . Maybe that book isn’t so bad, after all.’
‘If Ivy likes it . . .’
‘I’m going to get a copy, too.’
‘Maybe we should re-evaluate S.K. Reardon. He may have made a serious contribution to literature.’
I can’t believe this! Ivy slammed down the book on the table, fighting the impulse to scream.
‘Or maybe not,’ another girl whispered. ‘I think she’s turned against it.’
Ivy close
d her eyes and counted to ten. When she finally thought she could hold herself back, she opened her eyes again and reached for her burger. Just as her fingers touched it, she stilled. Wait a minute. Maybe it’s not too late to prove that I’m un-cool.
What if she ate messily – and not just a little messily, but horribly, sloppily, like a pig? Then the other kids would have to stop mooning over her!
It’s worth a try. Steeling herself, she grabbed her burger and took a huge, messy bite. Ketchup exploded over her chin and cheeks, through the air, on to the table . . .
. . . and just as she smeared it across her face, she looked up to find her boyfriend staring down at her in disbelief.
Oh, no!
Ivy wanted to disappear.
Brendan’s eyes widened as his gaze went from her ketchup-smeared face to the ketchup she had sprayed across the table.
It’s OK, Ivy told herself, trying to slow her suddenly rocketing heart-rate. We’ve been together for a long time. He knows this isn’t really me. Right?
As she sat frozen, unable to speak, Brendan’s lips twitched. Then he began to laugh.
‘Uh . . . you want one of these, maybe?’ Still laughing, he handed her a paper napkin from the dispenser on the table. ‘You look just like a movie vampire!’
Rolling her eyes, Ivy snatched the napkin from his hands and hastily wiped off her face. ‘Movie vampire, huh?’ She gave him a mock-snarl.
Brendan recoiled, his laughter dying. ‘Whoa.’ His voice dropped to a concerned whisper. ‘Your teeth really need filing.’
‘I know, I know.’ Ivy winced. ‘I’m going to the dentist soon, I promise. But first, you need to sit down fast.’
‘Really?’ He looked around the nearly-empty table, shaking his head. ‘Have you been saving all the seats just for me?’
‘Doofus.’ She groaned, trying to ignore the ripple of excitement and gossip that passed around the room as Brendan sat down beside her.
It was impossible to ignore the squeals that rose from the very next table, though. ‘O.M.G.!’ one girl gasped. ‘Do you think Ivy has a boyfriend ?’
14 Flipping Out - My Sister the Vampire Page 3