“Could we go somewhere and get some fresh air?” she pleaded as the second dance number led into the third. She pushed her dark hair off her shoulders, then grabbed his hand in both of hers and tugged him away. Her hands were hot and wet.
Near the exit they ran into Paul. He had his keyboard under his arm and was heading out.
“We were great! We were awesome! Rock ‘n’ roll!” Bobby cried, slapping him on the back.
Paul smiled halfheartedly. “We were doing okay, Bobby, until you pulled your amp cord out. Why did you decide to start strutting and dancing around like that?”
“Show biz, man!” Bobby cried. “Show biz. You’ve got to put on a show for them! Rock ‘n’ roll, man! They loved us! Did you see their faces? They loved us!”
Paul shook his head. “But you were taking away from us, man! We looked like your backup group.”
“They loved us!” Bobby repeated. “They ate it up!”
“Later,” Paul said. He smiled at Bree, then pushed open the door and disappeared.
Bobby realized he was still holding Bree’s hand. It felt tiny and soft inside his. He leaned close to her so he could smell her hair. It smelled like coconut.
She’s really great looking, he told himself. A lot of guys are staring at me. They’re jealous because I’m with her and they’re not. Too bad she can’t dance. And too bad she’s so shy. She barely said two words when we drove to the club.
Bobby glanced back at the dance floor, flooded in swirling red lights. Arnie was dancing with Melanie. Bobby gave Arnie a wave and a shout, but Arnie couldn’t see him.
Melanie looks really chubby in those shorts, Bobby thought nastily. Hope she doesn’t split them open. Actually, I hope she does!
When he had entered the club earlier, Melanie had greeted Bree warmly and deliberately snubbed Bobby.
As if I care, he thought.
Why did I ever date her? he asked himself.
Oh, well, I’ve learned my lesson. No more charity cases.
“Let’s get out of here,” he told Bree. “We’ll get that fresh air you wanted.”
He led the way out to the parking lot.
It was a clear night, cold for April, more like winter than spring. The stars shimmered in the purple night sky.
Bree shivered as she lowered herself into the passenger seat of his red Bonneville. “I should’ve brought a sweater or something,” she murmured.
He shut the door. I’ll bet I could warm you up real fast, he said to himself.
They cruised around Shadyside for a while. He slipped a CD into the player and turned it up. Classical guitar music. That always impressed girls, he knew.
He had to do most of the talking. He talked about the band, about his classes, about the summer vacation in Hawaii his family was planning to take when he got home from working as a camp counselor in Massachusetts.
He wished she weren’t so shy and quiet. And he wished she wouldn’t cling to the passenger door as if she might jump out at any moment.
“You’re the one with the monkeys, right?” she said as they drove by Shadyside High, now dark and empty. “I mean, your science project?”
“Wayne and Garth? Yeah, they’re mine.” He drove with one hand, his right hand on the gearshift, even though the car was an automatic. “It’s a diet experiment. I’m feeding Wayne only bananas and water. Garth is getting a mixed diet.”
“Where on earth did you get the monkeys?” she asked.
“My uncle,” Bobby told her. “He’s an animal importer. He works for zoos. They’re great monkeys, but I can’t keep them. I have to send them back when the experiment is over.”
“It’s a neat experiment,” Bree said, settling back in the seat.
“I don’t think Mr. Conklin appreciates it,” Bobby told her.
She turned to him. “Why not?”
“Because the monkeys look so much like him!”
They both laughed. Her laugh sounded more like coughing than laughing, Bobby thought.
“Do you take them home on weekends?” she asked.
He shook his head. “No. Conklin does.”
He kept glancing at her as he drove, trying to decide if she liked him or not. Of course she likes me, he told himself. But does she really like me?
As he drove, he had a fantasy of the Wade twins fighting over him. They were wrestling on the ground, tearing and scratching at each other, each desperate to have him for herself.
Did he like her? he wondered. Of course he did. She was a babe, wasn’t she?
At a little before twelve, he pulled up her driveway and switched off the engine and the lights. He turned to talk to her.
But she startled him by nearly jumping into his lap.
“I had a nice time,” she whispered. Before Bobby could reply, she grabbed his head with both hands, pressed her face against his, and kissed him longingly.
The kiss lasted a long time.
Then, uttering a soft sigh, she raised her face to his and kissed him again, harder this time, and longer.
I don’t believe this! Bobby thought. She’s nuts about me!
She wrapped her hot hands around his neck and held his face close as she kissed him again. When it ended, they were both breathless.
“I’ve got to go in,” she whispered. She pressed her forehead against his. Her hair brushed his face. “Want to come over tomorrow night? We could watch a video or something.”
The question caught Bobby by surprise. He almost blurted out, No, I can’t. I have a date with your sister tomorrow.
But he caught himself, and replied, “I wish I could, Bree. I really do. But I’m—busy.”
Her lips formed an unhappy pout. She brushed them against his cheek as she pulled away from him. “Good night,” she whispered. “Call me, okay?”
He watched her jog to the back of the house. He could still taste her lips on his, still feel the warm tingle of her hands on the back of his neck.
Wow, he thought. You never can tell with the quiet ones!
As he backed down the driveway, he couldn’t help but grin to himself. “Bobby the Man scores again!” he cried out loud.
If she’s the shy one, I can’t wait to check out her sister!
* * *
Bobby waited for Samantha the next night in the food court at the Division Street Mall. She arrived a few minutes late, jogging toward Bobby, her black hair flowing wildly behind her.
She wore loose-fitting faded denim shorts and a bright magenta midriff blouse.
Oh, wow! Is she sexy! Bobby played it cool and forced her to come all the way to him. His first impulse was to tell her she looked incredible. But instead he murmured in a low voice, “Hey, how’s it going?”
She didn’t reply. Instead, she took his arm and pulled him toward the wall. “We can’t do this, Bobby,” she said in a low, frightened voice.
“Huh?” he reacted with surprise.
“We can’t meet like this,” she told him. Her eyes darted nervously around the crowded court. “Look! There’s Bree!”
chapter 7
First Danger Sign
“Huh? Where?” Bobby cried.
As his eyes searched the crowd, he took a moment to realize that Samantha was laughing.
“Gotcha,” she murmured, taking his arm. Her green eyes stared triumphantly into his.
“No way. I didn’t believe you,” Bobby insisted.
“Then what was that terrified expression on your face?” she demanded. “You looked like you were going to swallow your tongue!”
“No way!” he protested, laughing.
“Well, I feel like we’re in a spy movie or something,” she confided in a low voice. “What if someone does see us?”
Bobby shrugged. “No problem,” he replied casually. She had thrown him off with her phony scare. Now he had to be extra cool, he decided, to impress her.
“Did you bring the plans, Boris?” she whispered. “Do you know the password?”
He snickered. “You’re we
ird.”
Her expression turned serious again. Still holding his arm, she raised her green eyes to his. “I just feel a little strange sneaking around like this, Bobby. I mean, Bree told me she had a great time last night. I think she really likes you.”
“Hey, I’m a likable guy,” Bobby boasted, flashing her his best smile. He checked out his reflection in a window and pushed back his blond hair.
“So it’s not nice of me to go out with you tonight, is it?” Samantha asked, staring into his eyes.
“Well …” Bobby couldn’t think of a good answer.
She answered before he could say anything. “Who wants to be nice?” she exclaimed. “Nice is boring!”
They both laughed.
She is hot! Bobby thought, trying to be cool and not stare at the bare skin below her midriff top. She’s not like her sister at all, he decided.
“I—noticed you in homeroom,” Samantha said, following him to the ticket booth.
“Hey, I noticed you too,” Bobby replied with a meaningful smirk. “I mean, who wouldn’t?”
She giggled.
She likes to be flattered, he decided.
“You’ve got quite a reputation,” she said.
He stopped walking. He wasn’t used to girls being so direct. She says whatever she thinks, he realized.
“I mean, girls at school, they talk about you,” Samantha confided.
“Yeah? What do they say?” Bobby demanded.
She flashed him a smile. “I’m not telling,” she replied coyly. “You’re already too conceited.”
“Well, whatever you heard, it’s probably true,” he said.
She laughed again. Her laugh was loud and throaty, he noticed. Not like Bree’s quiet, coughing one.
She has a lot more personality than Bree, Bobby decided. And it’s obvious she’s really stoked for Bobby the Man.
They stopped in front of the ticket booth. “What movie do you want to see?” Bobby asked. “Eradicator Five? The special effects are supposed to be outstanding!”
“Those films are gross,” Samantha replied. She grinned, then added, “I love them!”
“So you want to see it?”
She frowned and pulled her hair back with both hands. “I saw it already. Do we have to go to a movie? Can’t we just hang out?”
“Yeah. No problem,” Bobby quickly agreed.
She probably just wants to drive up to River Ridge and make out, he told himself. This one doesn’t want to waste any time.
“I like walking around the mall,” she said as they started away from the movie theater. “You see so many cool things.”
“You like to shop?” he asked.
“No. Bree is the shopper. I just like to look.” They entered the mall and walked for a while, stopping to gaze into store windows.
In front of the Gold Barn, a jewelry store, she turned to him, a devilish expression on her face. “Bree would kill me if she knew I was here with you,” she confided.
“She won’t find out,” Bobby replied, checking out his reflection in the display window.
“Did you have a good time with Bree last night?” Samantha demanded.
Before he could reply, she laughed and pointed across the aisle. “Look at those people! Do you believe them!” she cried scornfully. “They’re eating hot dogs, nachos, and ice cream all at the same time. Think they know the way to the food court?”
“Fat chance,” Bobby joked. “Uh-oh,” he said quickly, “I’m starting to sound like Arnie!”
“Arnie? Melanie’s boyfriend?” Samantha asked.
“Yeah. He’s my best friend,” Bobby told her.
“Weird,” she replied.
He didn’t understand her reaction. But he didn’t have time to question her. She pulled him into the Gold Barn.
“I thought you didn’t like to shop,” he protested.
“I don’t. But I love earrings!” she exclaimed. She dangled the two large gold hoops from her ears. “See?” Then she turned to the wall of earrings.
Bobby glanced back through the small store. It was long and narrow with a display counter across the back and walls of earrings on both sides.
“My cousin worked here one summer,” he told Samantha. “The owners know me.”
“Thrills and chills,” she commented sarcastically. She handed him the gold hoops. Then she playfully pushed him out of the way to try on a long, dangly pair of silver earrings.
“Help me with these,” she said, holding her hair back with one hand to insert the earring in her pierced ear. “Oh, wait. I like those better.”
She reached for another pair and held them up to him. “Look, Bobby. Silver fish. Aren’t they great?”
He nodded.
“Which do you like better—the dangly ones or the fish? Oh, never mind. I’ll try them both.”
As she tried on the first pair, Bobby turned to the display counter in back. He didn’t recognize any of the salespeople.
His eye fell on the large sign in the center of the wall. In bold red type it declared: SHOPLIFTERS WILL BE ARRESTED AND PROSECUTED TO THE FULL EXTENT OF THE LAW.
He juggled the two gold hoops in his hand. They looked like solid gold. But they were actually hollow and light.
“Excuse me, miss,” a saleslady called out from across the store. Samantha was reaching for a pair of delicate gold heart-shaped earrings. “It is against store policy to let customers try on pierced earrings. Please don’t put on any more.”
“Sure, no problem,” Samantha said with a smile. “Aren’t these great?” she asked.
“Great,” Bobby replied without enthusiasm.
“I could shop for earrings all night,” she told him.
“Wow. This is going to be an exciting night!” he teased, rolling his eyes.
She turned to him, her eyes lighting up. “You want excitement?” She seemed to be challenging him.
He grinned. “You know my reputation,” he boasted. “I’m always pumped for a little excitement.”
“Okay,” she said, grinning back. “Let’s go.” She started to the door.
“Hey, wait!” Bobby hurried after her. “Your earrings!”
Samantha didn’t look back. Walking with quick, steady strides, she continued toward the open doorway.
Bobby ran to catch up with her. He had her gold hoops in one hand. He grabbed her shoulder with the other. “Those heart earrings—you didn’t pay for them.”
He glanced back at the salespeople behind the counter in the back. Were they watching?
“I know I didn’t pay for them,” Samantha whispered, shoving her earrings into her pocketbook. “Let’s go.”
“What are you doing?” Bobby demanded.
“I’m taking a hundred percent discount,” she said casually.
As they stepped into the doorway, they heard a loud, urgent call from the back of the store: “Young lady—stop! Young lady!”
Bobby hesitated. But Samantha grabbed his hand and tugged on it.
“Young lady! Stop! Stop!”
Bobby glanced back to see two salespeople racing toward them.
Samantha pulled him out the door. “Bobby, run!” she cried.
chapter 8
Caught
“Run!” Samantha screamed.
She let go of Bobby’s hand and darted into the crowded mall.
Bobby uttered a single gasp, then took off after her.
“Stop them!”
“Hey—stop!”
Angry shouts rose over the voices of the crowd. Glancing back over his shoulder, Bobby saw a middle-aged man and a young woman running full-speed after them.
“Look out!”
Bobby nearly collided with a wide double stroller with two sleeping toddlers. He stopped short, dodging to his left.
“Watch where you’re going!” the woman behind the stroller snapped.
“Sorry!” Bobby called back, and started running again.
He lost Samantha for a moment, then spotted her magenta top in
a crowd in front of a CD store.
“Stop them! Hey—stop them!” The two salespeople were still in pursuit.
“Samantha!” Bobby called breathlessly.
She didn’t seem to hear. He watched her disappear around a corner.
Bobby stopped short to avoid stumbling over two little girls carrying ice-cream cones. Then he plunged around the corner.
He felt a sharp stab of pain in his side as he caught up with Samantha. “Ow. Wait up!”
To his surprise, she was laughing. Laughing excitedly, gleefully.
They cut across the near end of the food court, ducked through a line at the McDonald’s, ran between two rows of yellow plastic tables.
The pain in Bobby’s side grew sharper. He took a deep breath and tried to will it away.
“Whoa—Samantha! Wait!”
Past a Gap store. Then a Waldenbooks.
The pain in his side faded. He was breathing hard. Running fast. Right behind her now.
Her black hair flew out behind her like a pennant on a windy day. He caught up, passed her, saw her green eyes glowing with excitement. She was still laughing.
He glanced behind them. No sign of the salespeople.
Had he and Samantha managed to lose them? Had they gotten away safely?
“Whoa! Samantha—why?” he asked breathlessly. “Why’d you do it?”
“For fun!” she shouted.
She kept running, her dark hair flying behind her, and he ran with her.
People backed out of their way. Bobby ignored their angry, surprised shouts.
They turned a corner past a doughnut shop. They darted in front of a group of teenagers heading into Pete’s Pizza.
Bobby gasped as a gray-uniformed security guard stepped forward. The man blocked their path, his eyes narrowed in anger.
“Oh, no. We’re caught!” Bobby murmured aloud.
chapter 9
“Don’t Hurt Her”
Bobby stopped so quickly, he bumped into Samantha. He was breathing hard, and his side ached again. Then he realized he still had the two gold hoops in his fist.
“Not so fast,” the security guard said. He pushed his gray cap back on his head and stared from one to the other with bloodshot eyes.