Читать книгу Flipping Out! - Sienna Mercer - Страница 8

Here we go. Olivia braced herself as she stood in the doorway to Franklin Grove High School. This is going to be great, she repeated in her head. I’ve been waiting for this all summer!

She looked down at her carefully chosen outfit. Her glittery pink short-sleeved shirt, with its shiny Union Jack in the centre, was her very favourite British souvenir, and it looked perfect with her paler pink capris. I’m all set!

Unfortunately, her stomach didn’t seem to be listening to her head. First it did a nervous front-flip. Then a backflip! Olivia swallowed hard. I’ve performed whole cheerleading routines with fewer flips and tumbles than my belly is doing right now!

Olivia took a deep breath and turned to look at her sister. As long as I’m with Ivy, it’ll all be fine.

But Ivy was groaning as she gazed into the dimly-lit front hallway of Franklin Grove High. ‘You see?’ she muttered to Olivia. ‘I told you this was Bizarro World.’

As Olivia followed her twin into the school, she was forced to agree. Her head whipped back and forth as she tried to take in everything she saw in the crowded hallway. And what an unexpected crowd it was . . .

Wow. The goths really were in charge here! Goth girls and boys lined the walls, leaning against the lockers with their arms crossed, wearing sunglasses despite the low light. Other goths slouched in groups down the centre of the hallway while the few bunnies leaped to the side to make way for them, nearly squeaking with panic as they approached. And then there were the skaters . . .

‘So, are you freaked out yet?’ said Ivy, giving Olivia a nudge.

‘Well . . .’ Olivia shrugged, settling her own nerves. ‘It can’t be more of a mix here than the kind I saw on the film set. The actors and the crew members all got along just fine, no matter how different they were. In fact . . .’ She dropped her voice. ‘I’m pretty sure the actress who played Jackson’s mom was secretly dating the key grip!’

‘The what ?’ Ivy stared at her. ‘She was dating a key ? Or a glove? How did that even work?’

Oops. Olivia shook her head ruefully. ‘Sorry. Technical term. Maybe I should have saved that bit of gossip for Camilla?’

‘Maybe,’ Ivy agreed. ‘But you can do that later. Right now . . .’ She drew a deep breath, looking even paler than usual. Her lips twisted. ‘It’s time to face the music!’ Squaring her shoulders, she headed into the crowd.

Why does she look like she’s heading into battle? Olivia wondered. As she walked by her sister’s side, her concern deepened. Something is seriously wrong. Normally, Ivy looked so confident as she walked around. She never cared about other people’s opinions. But here . . . she looked tense. Her eyes darted everywhere, as if she were afraid of being attacked.

And maybe she had a point. As they headed for their lockers together, every head turned to watch them. Olivia didn’t need vampire hearing to pick up the whispers rising all around them.

‘Is that Ivy’s twin ?’

‘That’s not possible! She’s so . . . pink !’

‘Geez, look at her skin-tone. Why would she put on a fake tan like that?’

‘Maybe it’s not fake.’

‘Then how could she have let it happen ?’

Gritting her teeth, Olivia hung on to the shoulder strap of her sequinned bag and forced herself not to react. They’re not really making fun of me, she told herself. They’re just confused. And why wouldn’t they be? Ivy and I must be the least alike identical twins in the world!

She wasn’t the only one hearing the whispers. As Ivy came to a stop in front of her locker, Olivia could see the frustration on her twin’s face.

‘Are you OK?’ Ivy muttered.

‘I’m fine.’ Olivia gave her a reassuring smile.

Knowing how protective Ivy was, she guessed her sister had probably wanted to stop and shout at every single person who’d whispered about Olivia on the way. As sweet as that was, Olivia couldn’t let it happen.

Unlike the students at Franklin Grove Middle School, Lincoln Vale kids hadn’t grown up with vampires. The Franklin Grove vamps had to work extra hard here to keep their secret safe. That meant: Make no waves!

‘It’s just going to take a while to get used to, that’s all,’ Olivia said firmly.

‘Good luck with that,’ Ivy grumbled. ‘I’ve been here a week already, and I’m not getting used to anything!’

‘Oh, come on.’ Olivia gave her twin a sympathetic smile. ‘There’s got to be something good about this school, right? I mean . . .’ she looked around the dimly lit hallway, searching for something positive to say ‘. . . at least the light isn’t bright enough to hurt your eyes.’

Ivy snorted. ‘I wish . . . oh, no!’

‘What is it?’ As her sister’s eyes widened with horror, Olivia twisted around . . . just in time to see half a dozen goths descend in a mass of black hair, flapping black trench coats and jangling silver jewellery.

They swept down around Ivy like a flock of blackbirds.

‘Oh, Ivy, where did you get that killer ensemble?’ The girl in front was almost shrieking with excitement, reaching out to stroke Ivy’s Pall Bearers T-shirt with one black-nailed hand.

Olivia watched Ivy squint – not in one of her patented death-stares this time, but in an obvious attempt to hide the fact that she was rolling her eyes as she scooted backwards.

‘These are the exact same clothes I was wearing last Friday,’ she said, sighing. ‘There’s nothing special about them.’

‘Ohhhh!’ breathed the girl who’d asked the question. She clapped one hand to her mouth, her eyes widening in obvious wonder. ‘That is so daring of you!’

The two girls behind Olivia started whispering frantically.

‘She’s so cool, she doesn’t even do laundry!’

‘I’m going to try that, too!’

More and more goths gravitated towards them, as if Ivy were a magnet pulling them in from throughout the school. Olivia had never seen anything like it. Her twin had no choice but to keep backing away to create room for the newcomers. Within a few minutes, she had somehow drifted from one side of the hall to the other, fending off fashion-related questions with every step.

‘But how do you get so pale?’ the closest girl asked imploringly. ‘I want to do it, too!’

‘Um . . .’ Ivy gave Olivia a look of obvious desperation, but they were separated by so many goths now, Olivia could only shrug sympathetically. ‘I don’t know,’ Ivy said. ‘Just luck?’

The girl pressed on, forcing Ivy further backwards. ‘But what brand of pale foundation do you use? You can tell me, Ivy! I’d never tell anyone else!’

‘I don’t really . . .’ Ivy began.

As she backed away, she walked straight into a sweet-faced bunny girl who was trying to edge past the group of goths. It would have been bad enough if Ivy was human – but with her vampire strength, she knocked the girl straight to the ground.

Oh, no! Olivia raced over to help. Ivy was already apologising as she leaned over the bunny girl.

‘I’m so sorry!’ Ivy said, for at least the third time. ‘I wasn’t looking where I was going. Are you OK?’

Olivia and Ivy took an arm each as they helped the girl to her feet. But the bunny shrugged them off.

‘No, no!’ she said to Ivy. ‘Please don’t apologise. It was my fault. I totally should have been watching where you were going! No one should get in your way. Ever!’

Hey. Suddenly frowning, Olivia let go of her arm. She didn’t have to be nasty about it. That kind of cruel sarcasm had been exactly what their old nemesis Charlotte Brown had specialised in, back at Franklin Grove Middle.

But as Olivia watched the other girl, the truth dawned on her. She wasn’t being sarcastic at all. She actually thought the collision was somehow her fault.

‘Please forgive me!’ she said earnestly, gathering up the last of her books. ‘I promise I won’t do it again.’

‘But . . .’ Ivy began.

It was too late. Still apologising, the girl had already hurried away.

Olivia met Ivy’s gaze and saw the desperate frustration simmering there. She started to step forwards but the goths had already moved back in. They swept between her and her twin like a tsunami. Olivia felt dizzy as she watched the wave carry Ivy down the hall. Even though she was standing still, it seemed like the world was spinning around her.

Ivy and Sophia were right. High school really is weird! Olivia was used to fangirls swooping down on Jackson and other movie stars. But on her own sister? Just for being cool ?

Olivia took a deep breath and rubbed her eyes, trying to steady herself. But when she opened her eyes again, she saw the weirdest sight yet. Ivy’s best friend Sophia was walking towards her down the hall, wearing one of her usual sleek black outfits . . . but her hair was . . . partially blonde!

It’s so different, Olivia thought, staring. But it’s fabulous!

Ivy had told her all about how Sophia had crushed on a skater-boy and gone pixie-blonde for a couple of days. The boy wasn’t anywhere in sight now, but Olivia absolutely loved Sophia’s new hair!

Sophia’s black roots were already growing back, and she had obviously taken the opportunity to dye the tips of her hair the same colour, leaving jagged streaks of blonde in chaotic patterns all over her head. It looked a little bit like lightning!

‘Hey, you!’ Sophia’s lips curved into a smile as she joined Olivia. ‘You’re back! How was London?’

‘It was all great,’ Olivia said weakly. She shook her head wonderingly even as she moved forwards for a welcome-back hug. ‘But you . . . what about you? You look amazing. I love your hair!’

‘Thanks. Me, too!’ Sophia hugged Olivia. When she pulled back, Olivia could see her scanning the crowd of goths surrounding Ivy. ‘I saw that little scene with the bunny girl, though. Is everyone here still sucking up to Ivy?’

‘Oh, yes.’ Olivia sighed as she stepped back. She could hardly bring herself to look at the disaster unfolding for her twin. How was Ivy, of all people, going to endure four years of this? Even now, one of the goth-girls was stroking Ivy’s hair, and Ivy was visibly shuddering with displeasure. ‘Maybe I should ask Jackson how he deals with all the attention,’ Olivia murmured.

Then she grinned. Hey, that’s right! I get to talk to Jackson whenever I like, now. After all their months apart, it still felt delicious to remember that they were finally a couple again.

Sophia cocked one eyebrow at her in a Come on, now look. ‘Ivy may be popular, but she’s not quite A-list yet.’ She grinned mischievously. ‘Besides, can you really see her using the classic Hollywood disguise of sunglasses and a baseball cap?’

‘Hmm. Maybe not,’ Olivia admitted.

As Sophia put her black faux-leather shoulder bag in her locker, Olivia looked around for her own locker. Her eyebrows scrunched together as she read the numbers. 61, 62, 63 . . . Wait a minute. Where’s 323? She’d assumed her locker would be in the same area of the hall as all the others in her grade. But these numbers weren’t anywhere near her own!

Frowning, she pulled out her cell phone. Maybe I’m misremembering it.

When she looked in her phone’s message box, though, she saw a second text from the school – a text she’d never actually read, in all the craziness of filming.

Drat. She sighed as she read the text. It turned out, because she had missed Week One of school, her locker wasn’t with the other freshmen at all! Instead, it was further down – with the juniors and seniors.

Oh, well. Considering how pushy her fan club is, I wasn’t going to get to hang out with Ivy anyway. Shrugging, Olivia put the phone in her backpack and stood on tiptoe to try to catch her twin’s eye.

‘I’ll see you in homeroom,’ she whispered. The crowd might be intense, but she knew her vampire twin would have no problem hearing her words. ‘I have to go find my locker. It’s not with yours.’

Ivy broke off from yet another fashion question – ‘Honestly, I don’t really have an opinion on whether purple lipstick “totally stakes” black lipstick!’ – to wave back at her. ‘See you later!’ she called.

At that, Ivy’s entire adoring crowd swung round to glare at Olivia. Every goth eyed her up and down with curled lips and frowns . . . then turned their attention back to Ivy.

Dismissed, Olivia realised. She gritted her teeth, forcing herself to keep her head high. Whatever!

Maybe Ivy’s goth-fans didn’t approve of her sparkly pink outfit, but that didn’t stop it from being fabulous . . . right?

Right, she told herself firmly. But she couldn’t help a small voice in her head from asking: Why is Ivy staying with them even after she saw them do that? Olivia had never seen her looking so helpless or so overwhelmed . . . but she knew her twin. Ivy was the strongest person she’d ever met. Why wasn’t she just speaking her mind to her ‘fans’ and walking away? She isn’t secretly enjoying all this attention . . . is she?

Olivia took a deep breath and forced the suspicion aside. Leaving Ivy and her fan club behind, she started down the hall, following the locker numbers higher. But she couldn’t forget what she’d just seen. Who knew Ivy would turn into Most Popular Girl at School? she thought wryly. Just wait for the yearbook!

She had to weave her way through the mass of older goths in the hallway as she headed for the junior and senior lockers. There really are a LOT of goths here, she realised. Does that explain why Ivy’s so popular?

As she waited for a space to clear, Olivia suddenly came face to face with the most gothabulous senior girl she’d ever seen . . . and the most confused-looking one, too. She looked Olivia up and down, shaking her head in amazement and making her heavy silver earrings jangle.

‘Is something wrong?’ Olivia asked.

‘Oh, come on, Ivy,’ the older goth-girl said. She crossed her arms over her leather jacket. ‘Are you really so bothered by being liked that you’ve gone “alternatively” mainstream? Or did you just get into a wrestling match with a Glitter Goblin?’

Ouch! Olivia couldn’t help glancing down at her sparkly top. Maybe this isn’t my favourite souvenir any more, after all.

Then she took a deep breath. Yes, it is, she told herself. Whatever this girl thinks of it! Still, she found herself shifting her bag to cover it up as she answered, swallowing down her hurt for the second time that morning. ‘Sorry for being so mainstream,’ she said coolly, ‘but that’s because I’m not Ivy. I’m Olivia, Ivy’s twin.’

‘Oh.’ The older girl stepped backwards, frowning. ‘I’m Amelia Thompson.’

And you’re not apologising for being rude, are you, Olivia thought. Hmm . . .

‘Hey, you were in the newspapers, weren’t you?’ Amelia’s eyes narrowed. ‘Back when Jackson Caulfield came to town. You two are making Eternal Sunset now, right?’

Olivia smiled. Just thinking of Jackson was enough to make her lips stretch into a goofy grin. My boyfriend . . . she thought giddily. ‘That’s right!’

‘Hmm.’ Amelia’s pale face hardened. ‘That’s one of my favourite books. I hope you guys don’t mess it up.’

Olivia felt the smile stiffen on her face. ‘I’ll try my best not to,’ she said.

Amelia didn’t reply . . . and as Olivia gazed at the older girl, she wondered: was her expression actually supposed to be threatening? Or did she just never smile?

With an impatient sniff, Amelia swept past, silver jewellery clanking and black-painted lips pursed. Olivia shook her head in bafflement.

What a weird encounter.

Ivy had said this school was bizarre. It was more than bizarre – it was . . . it was . . .

There’s not even a word for it! Olivia decided.

Blowing out her breath, she pushed forwards to find her locker, weaving through a cluster of skater-boys on the way. Most of them ignored her as if she didn’t even exist, but one of them – a lean, tall blond senior – moved aside politely to let her pass.

‘But come on, dude,’ one of the others said. ‘If you really want to get air, you have to –’

Spreading out his arms, he leaped up, miming skateboarding as his friends applauded. The blond boy shook his head, grinning.

‘No way, bro. Watch and learn. If you want the best way to get air –’

. . . Try breathing in, then out? Olivia thought wryly. She opened her mouth to make the joke.

Then she saw the intent looks on all the boys’ faces, and sighed. She didn’t think any of them would find it funny. As the blond launched into his own high-leaping mime, she turned to the line of lockers, squinting to find her own locker number among all the black paint. As soon as she spotted it, she started working on the combination lock. What was the code again? Three . . . forty-nine . . .

‘That’s it!’ a voice bellowed behind her. Olivia spun around, her breath catching.

A sour-faced teacher in a stiff grey jacket was charging towards the skater-boys, clearing the hallway in his wake. ‘Get off that skateboard this minute, Finn Jorgensen! What have I told you about skating indoors?’

Olivia had to leap out of his way, bumping hard into her new locker. The teacher was so intent on his prey, though, he didn’t even notice.

Finn, Olivia thought. Wasn’t that the name of the skater-boy Sophia had been crushing on? It had to be the tall blond boy in the centre of the group. The teacher was heading straight for him.

‘This time you’ll have detention for . . . for . . . uh . . .’ The teacher stuttered to a halt as he finally reached Finn – whose feet were planted solidly on the ground. There wasn’t a single skateboard in sight. ‘Where did it go?’

‘No worries, Mr Russell,’ Finn said. Shrugging, he stepped back and pointed to the wall of lockers, where a bright blue-and-red skateboard stood safely propped. ‘See?’ he said calmly. ‘Everything’s just like it’s supposed to be. I wouldn’t break the rules.’

‘Well . . .’ Mr Russell’s face reddened. He pulled at his necktie, nearly choking himself. ‘See that you don’t!’ He glowered around the group of boys, patting his collar back into place. ‘I’ll be watching you. All of you!’

With a huff, he spun on one heel and marched off.

Whew, Olivia thought. She let out the breath she’d been holding as she’d hidden by the locker. I’ve never had a teacher go after me like that!

Finn’s friends were obviously fuming. ‘What a jerk,’ the closest boy muttered, glaring after the teacher. ‘He needs a life of his own. Or someone to teach him a lesson.’

Finn was laughing, though, and shaking his head. ‘Poor old Mr Fussell,’ he said. ‘Come on, guys. I feel bad for him. He’s always so disappointed when he can’t get us in trouble.’

‘But what is wrong with him, man?’ Another of Finn’s friends shook his head. ‘Do you think he’s some kind of secret agent for the goth crowd?’

As Olivia rolled her eyes and turned back to her locker, she heard the other skaters chiming in enthusiastically.

‘I bet he is!’

‘Those goths are always out to get us.’

‘I hate them!’

‘Oh . . .’ Finn’s voice was a low mumble. ‘Y’know, not all goths are bad . . .’

Really? Halfway through unloading her bag, Olivia looked up in surprise. This school seemed so divided, it was a pleasure to hear someone talking nicely about another group.

Then she glanced at Finn and realised he wasn’t even looking at his friends. Instead, he was gazing over their heads at . . .

Amelia. The grim Goth-Queen stood surrounded by a group of other goth-girls who might as well have called themselves an Amelia tribute band. Every one of them was dressed like an Amelia-clone in identical black leather jackets and matching earrings, and they clustered around her with adoring expressions.

Amelia wasn’t looking at any of them, though. She was looking straight at Finn . . . and for just a moment, Olivia glimpsed a slight smile playing at Amelia’s black-painted lips.

I wonder if it hurts her face? Olivia thought. It has to be rare that anything cracks that grim expression!

A moment later, Amelia had converted the smile into a scowl . . . but it wasn’t entirely convincing. She might have been trying to look hostile towards Finn, but instead she just looked uncomfortable . . . like there was a stone in her shoe. Or a boy she can’t make herself dislike!

Whoa. Olivia felt as if her own eyeballs were bouncing back and forth like tennis balls over a net as she looked from one to the other and back again. Even now that Amelia had managed to force a scowl, she and Finn were still staring at each other. It was as if they couldn’t look away.

There is some serious crushing going on, Olivia thought. Between the leaders of the two groups who seem to hate each other the most!

Finally, Finn’s glance dropped to the floor, and his shoulders sagged. He laughed, obviously trying to fit back in to his friends’ conversation. ‘Funny,’ he said.

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!’