NorthangerAlibiInterior

by Jenni James

  “I’ve never really—”

  “Don’t give me that junk, okay?” Nora was really ticked. “I heard you on the phone. As a matter of fact, I heard you on the phone just minutes after you let Jaden kiss you—almost twice!”

  “Hey! I didn’t—”

  “You weren’t stopping him the second time, were you?”

  No.

  “Look, Claire, I know we just met. And I’m sorry if I read you all wrong, especially since I don’t know what you guys are like down in New Mexico. But here, we play it pretty straight. So, whether you’re intentionally trying to go around breaking hearts or not is beside the point. The point is, you are breaking them, and you’re messing with my family. I don’t really like people messing with my family. So, if you like Tony, I suggest you figure it out quick and then stick with it. But don’t be playing two fields at once—not with people I care about, at any rate.”

  “Whoa. You’re serious.” Now I know how Joe must’ve felt when she yelled at him. I decided to grovel. “Nora, honestly, I don’t even know what’s come over me today. Please believe me when I say guys have never noticed me before, and I have no idea what to do with this kind of attention, at all. What I do know for sure is that I like your brother. He has definitely intrigued me. I also haven’t seen or heard from him since Saturday. So, when today comes around, and I’m completely free and unattached, and this totally cute guy attacks me—I mean, you were there, what would you have done? And he . . . well, he can kiss. Really nicely. And he said the most amazing things to me and, well, I don’t know what’s wrong with me. I’m just way over my head.” I slumped into my seat.

  Nora didn’t say anything. She didn’t even look at me.

  Ugh. “Look, when I talked to Tony just now, and he flirted with me, I did something I never do—I don’t even know how to do—I flirted back. He was so cute about it, too. He totally had my heart racing and everything. Just hearing you say that he likes me makes me totally freak out inside. But do I know which guy I like more? Sheesh. I have no idea. I’m not trying to break any hearts, that’s for sure. But I really don’t know either of them well enough to decide. Besides, why do I have to? I’m sixteen. It’s not like I’m engaged to them. At most, they’d only be boyfriend potential for the summer, anyway.”

  The phone rang. It was Tony, and we both knew it. Nora looked at the cell phone sitting on the console between us and then up at me. I faced the side window.

  Let her talk to her own brother. Heaven forbid, I get accused of flirting with him. If I’m lucky, he’ll say the movie theater burned down so I can just go home.

  Eight

  Paranormal Activity

  “I’m sorry.”

  I looked over at Nora. She’d just hung up the phone with Tony.

  “I’m sorry. I totally overreacted. It’s just—I get a little defensive of my brother. Maybe it’s because we’re twins. I don’t know.” She sighed and set the phone between us again. “Maybe it’s because every friend I’ve ever had has only been my friend so she could get to know him better.”

  “Really?”

  She rolled her eyes. “Yeah. Apparently he’s got some sort of fan—uh, mysteriousness—that draws females to him.” She shrugged. “I don’t see it, but that’s what they all tell me.”

  I’m not the only one? “So, wait—are you saying he has tons of girlfriends?”

  “No! Not at all. That’s probably why I freaked out, actually. I’m saying I’ve never seen him really notice a girl until you.”

  “What?”

  “Don’t get me wrong. He’s gone on dates and did the whole prom thing—mainly because my mom would kill him if he didn’t—but other than that, he really doesn’t attach himself. He says he’s too busy with his career—er, I mean, school stuff—to really think about getting involved.”

  “No way.”

  “Yep. It drives girls crazy, too. I guess you could say he’s sort of a challenge.”

  “I don’t get it. If he’s like that, what makes you think he’s falling for me, anyway? I mean, seriously, why would he? It makes no sense.”

  She laughed. “Probably because you’re the first girl who didn’t fall all over him when you guys met. We all noticed that straight away. Even Mom and Dad teased him about it when you weren’t around. It was kind of refreshing, actually, to have you want to sit next to me during the tour and not hang on him.”

  “But what makes you think he likes me? Sorry, but he hasn’t really sent off the best signals. Besides, I wouldn’t have even thought it was true until he asked about me on the phone.”

  “Oh, you want to know how I know he likes you.” She laughed. “I forget you don’t hang out at our house, so of course you wouldn’t know what we all talk about—especially since you can’t read minds, can you?”

  Can’t read minds? “Uh, no, I can’t.”

  She giggled again. “Duh! What was I thinking? Of course you can’t.” She glanced over at me, her smile a direct contrast to just moments before. “We all can at home.”

  “You can do what?” Sheesh. People in Seattle change subjects faster than a racecar needs its tires changed.

  “Read minds, of course.”

  “Are you serious?”

  She laughed as if it were no big deal. “Well, that’s what Mom says, anyway. We’ve been doing it for years.”

  “Reading people’s minds?”

  “Finishing each other’s sentences. Tony’s the best at it. He can always tell what I’m thinking before I say it.”

  I knew it! My hand gripped the armrest of the car so tightly, my knuckles had gone white, but I didn’t care. “So, I overheard you inviting Tony to come to the theater with us—is he coming?”

  “Yeah.” She looked awkwardly at me. “You don’t mind, right? I mean, I didn’t blow it between the two of you because of my outburst?”

  “Blow what?” I chuckled nervously and excitedly all at the same time. “There’s nothing to blow, so you’re fine. I just wish Joe was coming too.”

  “Ah. You would. Whatever. I don’t even like the guy.” She chucked the phone right at me.

  I caught it easily. “So, who’s breaking hearts now, hmm?”

  ***

  The movie was great. We decided on an animated film, since we couldn’t agree on anything else. Okay, so we pushed up the average age of the audience by a few years, but it was fun. And it was really fun seeing Tony and Nora interact. They laughed just as loud—if not louder—than the little kids around us. I didn’t know many teenagers who’d let loose like that. Everyone I knew was too cool to admit they still liked certain things, like cartoons.

  “So, where to next, girls?” Tony’s smile was really sweet as we walked out of the theater. “This is on me.”

  I glanced at my watch. “I don’t have much time left, just forty-five minutes. Is that okay?”

  “Only forty-five minutes?” He grinned wickedly and looked over at Nora. “Are you thinking what I’m thinking?”

  “Yes.” She giggled. “Let’s do it.”

  “What?” I asked. Oh my gosh, they’re reading each other’s minds!

  “Do you think she’d like it, though?” Tony talked over me. “Plus, do you think she’s trustworthy enough?”

  “Definitely. Come on, Tony, you can’t get an idea like that and not do it,” Nora said. “You have to now.”

  “Do what? What are you guys talking about?”

  “You think?” He was milking it for all it was worth. “I don’t know . . . she isn’t technically family, you know. And usually only family gets invited.”

  “She’s close enough. Besides, Darlene and Roger are like family.”

  “Close enough for what?”

  “That’s true.” Tony looked at me. I stood between them with my hands on my hips. “Let’s do it.” He laughed.

  “Come on,” Nora tugged on my arm. “You’re going to love this!”

  I planted my feet right where they were. “Wait. What am I going to love?
What are you guys talking about?”

  Tony’s smile lit up. “We’re going to the park, of course.”

  “The—the park?” I was so thinking it would be something more exciting than a park.

  “Yeah.” He wrapped his arm around my shoulders. “It’s where I used to play Little League.”

  “It’s so much fun. Come on—say you’ll come, Claire.” Nora was practically jumping up and down.

  The feel of Tony’s strong arm on my shoulders made my head spin. I could hardly concentrate on what was happening. “A park? I have to be trustworthy to go to a park? A park where you used to play base—” I gasped. Holy cow. A baseball park! Just like the Cullens in Twilight. They’re taking me to play vampire baseball! I quickly turned within Tony’s arm to look up at him.

  “Are—are you . . . are you sure?” I couldn’t believe he was willing to take me there.

  For a moment, his eyes sparkled down into mine, and I realized he wasn’t saying anything. He must be trying to read my mind! I couldn’t help it—I blushed. Oh my gosh! Can he tell how hot I think he is right now? Seriously, up close like this, he is way cuter than Jaden. At least, I think so. I was having a really hard time remembering what Jaden looked like at the moment.

  “Hey, uh, I’m going to go get the car,” Nora announced. Neither of us answered her.

  “I wish I knew what you were thinking right now,” Tony spoke softly as his eyes scanned my face.

  I gulped. “You mean you can’t tell?” I thought for sure he could.

  “I thought I knew, but it can’t be—it’s just too good to be true. You have to be thinking something else.”

  “I do?”

  “Claire, what are you thinking right now?”

  That you’re the most wonderful vampire in the whole world, and I would follow you to the ends of the earth if you asked me. “That I’d like to go to the park.”

  “Nothing else?” he teased.

  “Uh—if there is something else, I’m going to bank on you using your intuition to figure it out.”

  He squeezed my shoulder and brought me in for a hug. My cheek rested against his rock-hard frame. “Deal,” he muttered above my head. “But I do have to warn you, my intuition rarely fails.”

  “I didn’t know it could fail.” I inhaled a soft, musky scent. Washington guys are really into hugs.

  Tony chuckled, and his whole body vibrated. “So, can I have your permission to act on whatever it is you’re thinking, then?”

  I pulled back so I could see him better. “What do you mean?”

  “I mean, if I can tell you want to be kissed, can I kiss you?”

  Washington guys think a lot about kissing, too.

  Tony chuckled again. “Don’t look so surprised. I’m a guy. It’s all we think about. Especially when we’re around a pretty girl.”

  Yeah, right. I rolled my eyes and pushed away from him. “So where’s this place, anyway?” Where is Nora? I took a couple of steps forward and searched the parking lot.

  “You’re not going to answer my question, are you?”

  I shrugged and tried to act nonchalant. ”If you need to have a girl’s permission to kiss her, it’s not spontaneous.” My knees started to shake, and I stood straighter. “And take my word for it—we all love spontaneity. It’s much more exciting.” I thought about Jaden and smiled.

  “So, uh, you’ve had a lot of spur-of-the-moment kisses, then?”

  I looked back and caught him kicking a small stone with the toe of his shoe. “Nope. Just one.”

  Tony cleared his throat and glanced up at me. “So, is that guy your boyfriend or something?”

  I laughed. “Who, Jaden? No. I don’t even know him. I only met him today.”

  Tony’s eyes flashed as he raised his head. “Are you saying some guy you don’t even know kissed you today?”

  “Yeah. Oh my gosh, I almost had a heart attack, I was sooo freak—”

  “Where?” he blurted.

  “At the mall.”

  “At the mall? Some guy kissed you at the mall?”

  “Yeah, in Old Navy.”

  Tony muttered something under his breath. “Where in the—where was Nora?”

  “Oh, she was standing right next to me.”

  He lost it. “Nora was standing right next to you when some random guy walked up and kissed you?”

  “Yeah. But it’s okay, because he thought he knew me. Well, he didn’t when he kissed me—I mean, he knew I wasn’t Sadie—but when he first came up to me and gave me a hug, he thought I was this girl, Sadie.”

  “Wait! So this Jaden dude who was at Old Navy just walked up to you,” Tony said as he walked up to me. “Just like this, and hugged you?”

  “Yep. Just like that—except he was smiling.”

  “So, when did he kiss you?”

  “Oh, when he put his finger over my mouth. He said he knew I wasn’t Sadie then, because he’d never felt like kissing her when he was around her, and as soon as he touched my lips, he felt like kissing me.”

  “He said all this” —Tony looked down at my mouth— “while he touched your lips?”

  “Oh! No. He told me that after he followed me out of the store to apologize.” I decided not to mention the smoothie fiasco.

  “So what happened next? After he touched your—” Tony brought his finger up and very gently caressed my bottom lip.

  I froze.

  His brief touch was so light, it felt like little butterfly wings before he removed his finger and ran his hand through his hair instead.

  “He—he stopped and then stared at my mouth.”

  Tony’s eyes flew back to my mouth again, and he took another step forward.

  “And he made me nervous, so I licked my lips.”

  “You licked your lips?”

  “Yeah.” My actions mirrored my words as I unconsciously licked my lips again.

  “And that’s what made that guy kiss you?” Tony nearly whispered, his eyes never leaving my mouth.

  “Yeah.”

  He leaned in, his mouth hovering a fraction of an inch above mine. I gasped. Is this really happening?

  Nine

  Better than Vampire Baseball

  A car honked nearby, and we jumped apart. It was Nora. I heard Tony mutter something under his breath as she rolled down the electric window.

  “Are you two coming or what? Hurry up. We don’t have that much time.”

  “Okay,” Tony answered as I bolted for the passenger door. Talk about awkward. For some reason, I was having a hard time even thinking about looking at him.

  I can’t believe he almost kissed me! Seriously, what is with me? Do I have some new kind of perfume on? Just the thought of almost getting kissed for the third time that day nearly drove me crazy. And to think that earlier that week, I was complaining I had never been kissed at all! Mom would so freak out if she knew. What is it about moms and not letting their sixteen-year-old daughters kiss, anyway? Why do they all of a sudden flip out over something so small—and okay, not meaningless, since we all know kisses mean a whole bunch? But honestly, what is the big deal?

  “So, are you ever going to forgive me for honking?” Nora giggled in the seat next to mine.

  I heard Tony move behind us. “I don’t know. Maybe.”

  His sister burst into laughter. “You know you deserved it! What were you thinking, anyway?” she asked the rearview mirror.

  I looked out the window and tried to ignore her.

  “Just drop it, and get us to the park, okay?” he said.

  “Drop it?” She laughed again as she pulled away from the curb. “Ha. This is way too good. Especially after all the times you’ve teased me about kissing. Oh, heck no. This is going down in the Hall of Records.”

  Tony groaned. “You’re kidding, right? I was only playing with you, Nora. Come on. Don’t do this.”

  “Just like I’m only playing with you now?” she retorted, then turned to me. “So, you’ll never guess what my brother has gi
ven me a hard time about since I kissed my very first boyfriend.”

  I rubbed my hand over my eyes and shook my head. Just leave me out of this. When I looked up again, she was waiting. “Gee, could it be kissing?” I said.

  “Yep!” She laughed at Tony’s groan. “But not just that. I wouldn’t be giving him such a hard time now, if it was just that. Nope—”

  “Nora!” he growled from behind. “I will get you back—”

  “It’ll be worth it.” She smirked into the mirror, then glanced my way again. “Tony’s got virgin lips.”

  “Virgin lips? Tony?” I didn’t dare glance back at him.

  “Yep. My brother, the playboy—the guy every girl dreams of kissing—has never kissed a girl. Can you believe it?”

  No way.

  “You are so going down,” he mumbled.

  “And surprisingly, until recently—very recently—he has been opposed to the idea altogether. In fact, he’s actually had the audacity to rebuke me for kissing my boyfriends.”

  “Ah, man! That’s because you couldn’t care less about them!” he nearly shouted behind me. “Besides, you know what I said, anyway. I said I’d never kiss a girl I didn’t feel—uh . . .” He stopped.

  “Feel what, Tony? What were you going to say? I’m sure Claire would love to know.”

  Oh my gosh.

  “Feel like I—uh, knew that well,” he finished lamely.

  Nora snickered. “Don’t buy it, Claire. He’s always said he’d never kiss a girl he didn’t feel he could love.” Then she added, “Which is why I had to stop you. There’s no way you know Claire enough to decide you could love her. Trust me. You’ll thank me for this someday.” He mumbled under his breath again as Nora sighed. “Don’t worry about us. Tony and I argue all the time,” she explained to me. “I just rarely have the upper hand. So in case you think I’m being extra mean, just ask him—he’ll tell you he totally deserves it. Don’t you, Tony?”