Nancy, Bess, and George exchanged a look. There seemed to be a lot of tension among the participants in this college project.
Nancy felt a warm hand on her shoulder and turned to see Ned smiling down at her.
“Feel like taking a break?” he asked. “I could use some fresh air.”
The booth wasn’t crowded, so Nancy nodded, and the two of them headed out of the mall, arm in arm.
Nancy blinked in the sudden sunshine. It was a crisp October day. The sun felt warm on Nancy’s head and shoulders.
“Well,” said Ned ruefully, “I guess you learned how boring market research can be.” He took Nancy’s hand in his and laced his fingers through hers.
“Oh, I don’t know. I think it’s all interesting,” Nancy said sincerely. “Besides, I wouldn’t care even if it were horrible. I love getting to be with you,” she added.
Ned leaned over and brushed a kiss on her cheek. “Having you here makes it special for me, too,” he said. He squeezed her hand. “Do you feel like going to a movie tonight?” he asked.
“We can’t. Remember?” Nancy said. “Heather’s having everyone over for pizza.”
“Oh, that’s right,” said Ned. “Well, tomorrow, then.”
“You’ve got yourself a date, Mr. Nickerson,” Nancy told him happily. “I’ll bet Brad asks Bess out, too. They seem to have hit it off.”
“They sure do,” Ned agreed. “I hope it works out. To tell you the truth, Nancy, I’ve been worried about Brad. There’s so much competition in this program that I thought it might be getting to him.”
“I got a hint of that from Heather and Marcia,” Nancy said. “They tried to make it sound like a joke, but I think they were serious.”
“It is serious. The job with that ad agency is terrific for someone just out of college,” Ned told her. “Whoever wins will be part of the Premier training program, so they’ll get fantastic experience. On top of that, the pay is great.”
“But how did Premier happen to pick the marketing majors at Emerson to compete for this job?” Nancy asked.
Ned laughed. “Connections. The president of the agency is an Emerson graduate.”
“And how does Premier plan on picking who gets the job?” Nancy asked.
“Well, it’s a combination of grades and attitude,” said Ned. “And we have to write up reports of what we learned from marketing Spotless. Those will count for a lot. I’ve heard rumors, too—I don’t know if they’re true— that Premier’s got someone checking on all the groups who are manning these test-marketing booths. You know—seeing if we’re giving service with a smile. That kind of thing.”
“Well, for your group’s sake, I hope no one from Premier was at the mall this morning,” Nancy said dryly. “I feel sorry for all of you, Ned. It must be tough competing with your friends.”
“At least I don’t want the job,” Ned said. “But you’re right, Nan—this kind of competition can put a strain on even the best friendships. That’s why it’s good to see Brad relaxing again.”
Ned sighed and put his arm around Nancy’s shoulder. “You know, I wish I could steal you away from here, but I guess we’d better get back inside.”
The Spotless booth was surrounded by teenagers when Nancy and Ned got back inside. Bess and Brad were working as a team; Bess gave out questionnaires to each of the people who took samples from Brad. Marcia was handing out samples with her back to Brad and Bess. Nancy wasn’t sure if that was deliberate or not.
Justin had come back and was looking like his jolly self again. “You and I get the next break,” he said to Heather as Nancy and Ned rejoined the group.
“Not until these crowds thin out.” There was a sharp edge to Marcia’s voice, and she narrowed her eyes as she looked at Nancy. “We’ve been swamped while you two were gone.”
“Sorry,” Nancy said mildly. She picked up a clipboard and turned to the next person waiting for a questionnaire. “Oh, no! Someone’s run off with my pencil,” she said, looking around. “Does anyone have an extra?”
George was about to hand her one, when Justin pulled out a gold pen. “Here you go,” he said.
Pretty fancy pen for a college kid, Nancy mused as she clicked it open and began to write. Justin really was eccentric, she thought. He even used brown ink instead of black or blue.
With George’s help, Nancy was busy interviewing the kids standing around the booth, when Bess suddenly doubled over in a coughing fit. Nancy turned to her with concern.
“Are you okay, Bess?” asked Brad. “That’s a nasty cough!”
Bess looked pale, and Nancy noticed that she was having trouble breathing. “Sure, I’m fine,” she said, but her voice was little more than a hoarse whisper.
“You don’t sound fine to me,” George said. “Why don’t I take you home? I’m sure Nancy will let us use her car.”
“No, please. I’ll be fine!” Bess insisted. “My throat just hurts a little, that’s all.”
Brad leaned closer to her. “Let me get you something for it,” he said. “What about some cough drops? There’s a drugstore at the other end of the mall.”
Bess looked up at him gratefully. “I don’t need any cough drops, but I would love something to drink,” she said.
“Some lemonade?” George suggested. “We could go to the Florida Fresh.”
“One large lemonade coming up,” Brad said promptly. “Anyone else want something to drink?”
When he’d taken everyone’s order, Brad looked searchingly at Bess. “You’ll be okay, won’t you?”
“It’s just a sore throat,” Justin said. “You can leave her for three minutes, Chanin.”
Brad flushed and turned to walk down to the juice stand. When he was out of earshot, Marcia suddenly stood up. “I think he may need some help with all those drinks,” she said, and hurried to catch up with him.
Nancy was about to ask Bess if she was sure she didn’t want to go home, when she glanced down the promenade and saw Marcia gesturing furiously at Brad. And Nancy could tell Brad was pretty angry himself.
“I wonder what they’re fighting about,” Nancy remarked softly to Ned.
Ned was looking serious. “They were going out until about a month ago,” he said. “I guess Marcia must be mad that Brad’s so interested in Bess. He hasn’t exactly been hiding it.”
So that was it. Marcia still liked Brad, which explained why she seemed so jumpy and irritable around him.
But when Brad and Marcia returned with the drinks, they were both smiling. “Here you go, Bess,” said Brad. “And the rest of you, too.”
As Bess took her lemonade from his hand, she almost dropped the cup. “Sorry,” she said. “My hand felt funny all of a sudden. Must be from filling out all those questionnaires.” She took a sip of lemonade. “This tastes great. My throat feels better already.”
But Nancy thought her friend still looked pale. “Why don’t you sit down for a little while?” she suggested. “We can handle things.”
Bess didn’t protest. She sank into a chair with a little sigh and leaned her head against her hand.
There were fewer shoppers in the mall now. It was close to closing time, when they’d all be able to go home.
At five o’clock Justin slammed his clipboard down on the table. “Quittin’ time!” he shouted. “I’m out of here!”
“Hold on just a minute,” Marcia said tartly. “We still have to pack up all our stuff.”
Nancy put down her clipboard and turned around to where Bess was sitting at the back of the booth.
“Almost ready to go, Bess?” she asked. Then Nancy looked more closely at her friend. Bess was slumped over in her chair, breathing heavily. Her eyes were glassy, and there was a feverish spot of color on each cheek.
“I feel funny,” Bess said in a weak voice when she saw Nancy’s eyes on her.
Nancy was at her side immediately. “What’s wrong?” she asked.
Bess’s eyes rolled back in her head.
Before Nancy cou
ld do anything, Bess had slid out of her chair and toppled to the floor in a dead faint.
Chapter
Three
NANCY FLUNG HERSELF DOWN on her knees next to Bess.
“We’ve got to get her home right away!” Nancy cried. “Ned—George—help me carry her to the car.”
Bess’s eyes flickered open. “Wh-what’s the matter?” she asked in a dazed voice, struggling to sit up. Her face was still deathly pale.
Nancy put a hand on Bess’s shoulder. “You fainted,” she told her friend gently. “Don’t try to move too fast, Bess.”
Now George, too, was bending over Bess. “What happened, Bess?” she asked. “You never faint.” George looked as worried as Nancy felt. Both of them knew something was really wrong.
“I don’t know what happened,” said Bess weakly. “I just started feeling dizzy, and then everything went black.” Bess put her hands to her head. “I’m still woozy, and my head—oh, it hurts so much!” Bess sounded almost as though she might cry.
“Well, forget about taking you home. This sounds much more serious than a cold. We’re taking you to the hospital right now,” Nancy said with determination. “They’ll find out what’s wrong.”
“I’m going with you,” Brad said in a worried voice. He turned to his classmates. “Will you guys be okay here?”
Marcia gave him a cold stare, then turned away. “We’ll have to be, I guess,” she said. “Don’t worry about us. We’ll just finish packing up the stuff and then go home.”
Nancy was shocked at the harsh tone in Marcia’s voice. She didn’t seem to care about Bess and her fainting spell. She sounded as if Bess’s collapse was just the topper to a trying day. Of course, Marcia did hardly know Bess, Nancy reminded herself. Still . . .
“Let me give you my address, in case you can come over to my house later,” Heather added. Her eyes gave the merest flicker in Ned’s direction as she scribbled her address across the top of a spare questionnaire.
“Thanks,” said Nancy. She tucked the piece of paper inside her purse. “Okay, let’s go. Ready, Bess?”
There was no answer. Bess was out cold again.
• • •
“Why do you think the doctor’s taking so long?” Brad asked nervously as he paced back and forth in the hospital waiting room. “We’ve been here almost an hour!”
Nancy managed a wan smile. “That’s not really long for an emergency room,” she said.
Ned spoke up. “I’m sure it’s just the flu, anyway,” he said. “Bess was probably just on her feet too long, and—”
“Are you waiting for Bess Marvin?” A young, rumpled-looking doctor was standing in the doorway of the waiting room with a clipboard in his hand.
Nancy jumped to her feet. “Yes, we are. How’s she doing?”
“Well, we’re going to keep her overnight, just to be on the safe side,” the doctor said. “Except for a slight rash on her face, her symptoms all point to the flu, but I’ve ordered some blood samples to be drawn as well. It’s just routine,” he added. Brad gulped audibly. “Barring anything unusual, she should be released tomorrow morning.”
“That’s a relief,” Nancy said. George and Ned nodded in agreement.
“Can we see her?” asked George.
“For a little while. She should be in her room now.” He gave them the room number.
Bess was lying in bed with her eyes half closed. “Hi,” she said faintly when she saw her friends. “Sorry to cause so much trouble.”
“Oh, Bess, don’t say that!” said Nancy. “We’re just glad you’re okay.”
When Bess looked behind Nancy and saw Brad, she stirred restlessly. Her hand moved anxiously to cover her blotchy cheek.
“We’ll let you get some rest now,” Nancy said quickly. “Call me tomorrow morning, and George and I will come pick you up.”
“Have fun tonight,” Bess murmured. “Wish I could . . .” She seemed too weak to finish the sentence.
“You just get yourself feeling better,” Brad said warmly. “There will be plenty of other nights.” Weak though she was, Bess blushed.
• • •
As Nancy turned the Mustang onto Heather’s street, she had second thoughts about going to Heather’s—especially without Ned and George. George had decided to stay at the hospital, and Ned’s mom had asked if he couldn’t “please” have dinner with them. Still, he would drop by soon, Nancy thought with relief.
I don’t even know these kids, Nancy mused, and I’m not sure how I feel about Heather. She’s putting the moves on Ned right in front of me!
But something about the group of Emerson students had aroused Nancy’s curiosity— some undercurrent of tension that she couldn’t exactly define but could feel.
Nancy pulled up in front of Heather’s house, parked her car, and walked up the tree-lined walkway to the small ranch-style house. She rang the doorbell. In a second Heather came to the door, wearing a black leather miniskirt and black cashmere sweater.
“Hi,” she said unenthusiastically. “Where’s Ned?”
Nancy paused for a second. “He’ll be coming in a few minutes,” she explained.
“Oh, that’s good,” said Heather, her face brightening. “Everyone else is here,” she went on. “Come on in.”
Brad, Justin, and Marcia were having sodas and watching a football game on TV in the family room. “How’s Bess?” Brad asked immediately. “Have you called the hospital again?”
Nancy had to laugh. “You’re as up-to-date on Bess as I am, Brad. I called the hospital just before I came here, and they said she was sleeping. George is having a pretty dull visit.”
“They still don’t know what’s wrong with her?” Marcia asked, trying to sound interested.
“Well, the blood-test results aren’t in yet,” Nancy answered. “But they don’t think it’s anything—”
The doorbell rang, interrupting Nancy. Heather jumped to her feet and raced to the door. “Hi, Ned!” they heard her saying happily.
In a second Heather was back in the room, pulling Ned along with her. “See, everyone’s here,” she said quickly. “Let me show you the rest of the house, okay?” She dragged Ned out of the room before he had time to answer.
“Wait!” protested Justin. “What about the pizza?”
“Oh, you guys go ahead and order it,” said Heather casually. “Ned and I will trust you. Won’t we, Ned?” She was practically yanking him down the hall. “Come see the living room,” she chattered. “It’s right in here, and—”
Ned shot a startled glance back at Nancy, but he seemed powerless to stop the flow of Heather’s tug.
Marcia stood up quickly. “Nancy and I will order the pizzas,” she said. “There’s a phone in the kitchen. Come on, Nancy.”
“Since when does it take two people to order a pizza?” asked Justin.
“Oh, I want to go with her,” said Nancy quickly. From the look in Marcia’s eyes, she was sure the other girl wanted to talk to her about something. “I need to get something to drink anyway.”
“But you don’t know what kind of pizza we want!” Justin complained.
“We’ll order plenty,” Marcia snapped. “Don’t worry about it.”
“Okay, but no anchovies!” Justin called after the two girls as they headed out of the family room.
The instant they were in the kitchen, Marcia turned to face Nancy. “I just wanted to warn you that you’d better watch out,” she said in a low, intense voice. “Heather has quite a reputation around Emerson for breaking up romances.” She raised her voice to a normal level again. “Now, let’s see. What kind of pizza do you like?”
“Anything but anchovy,” answered Nancy. Lowering her voice, she said, “I wondered if she might have something in mind—but I think I’ll be okay.”
I certainly don’t need any help, she added silently.
Marcia scowled. “Don’t be so sure of that,” she said.
“Oh, I’ll be careful,” said Nancy lightly. “Now, le
t’s order. I’m starving.” She picked up a phone book from a little table and flipped through it looking for the Yellow Pages.
For a second Marcia stood watching her. “Well, don’t say I didn’t warn you,” she said, and stalked out of the kitchen.
Nancy called the closest pizza place and ordered four large pizzas. Then she walked back into the family room.
Ned was on the sofa now, Heather next to him—much too close—talking brightly and smiling up at him. But Ned didn’t look as though he was enjoying the attention. As Nancy stood there in the doorway, she saw Heather give Ned a little pat on the cheek. He smiled politely and tried to move away from her.
I’m putting a stop to this right now! Nancy told herself.
She walked over to the other side of Ned and sat down firmly. As she did, she thought she heard Ned sigh with relief. He slid his arm behind her shoulders, and Nancy leaned up against him.
Heather scowled and turned away. “When’s the pizza coming?” she asked in a sulky voice.
“About twenty minutes,” Nancy replied.
“We’ve been talking about the Halloween party,” Ned told her. “Heather was saying she thought we should dress like characters from movies.”
Justin was sitting on the floor, stuffing handful after handful of popcorn into his mouth. “That’s right,” he said barely intelligibly. He gave a big swallow and added, “I’m coming as the shark in Jaws. What about you, Brad?”
“I haven’t made up my mind yet,” said Brad. “And when I do, I’m not telling anyone. Aren’t these things supposed to be a secret?”
Marcia tipped her head to one side and gave Brad a long look. “Brad could always be Dracula,” she suggested. “He seems to go for a different girl every night.”
The goad couldn’t have been more obvious, but Brad didn’t flinch. He hardly even glanced in Marcia’s direction, but Heather glared at Marcia.
“Have you picked a costume yet?” Nancy asked Heather, to cover the uneasy silence. There, she thought. No one can say I’m ignoring my hostess.