Ivy realized that she had completely forgotten about the meeting. She couldn’t go to the mall with Brendan; she’d agreed weeks ago to go to a meeting after school with her best friend. Sophia would put a stake through Ivy if she backed out now.
“I know you, Ivy,” Sophia declared. “You never get sick!”
“That’s not true,” Ivy replied halfheartedly. “I got sick in fourth grade.”
Sophia smirked. “You got a marble stuck in your ear.”
“Okay, okay,” Ivy said. She took a deep breath. “I’m going. Four o’clock, right?”
Sophia nodded, and Ivy felt the blood drain from her heart. It’s better this way, she told herself. I’ll put a note in his locker after school, telling him I can’t go.
She let her hair fall in front of her face and followed her friend into their fourth-period class.
“Okay, class!” Mr. Strain shouted, holding a ridiculous red hunting cap on his head. “Spread out! I want to see a full report on this soccer field’s flora! Remember, conifers are extra credit!”
Olivia clutched her sweatshirt around her and looked down at the leaf-covered grass. “I’m all in favor of science class outside,” she said just loud enough so that Ivy would hear. “But this is really dumb.”
She turned to see her sister’s reaction, but . . . Ivy was gone. Olivia spun around and spotted her sister’s black figure trudging off into the distance. “Wait up!” Olivia shouted.
She caught up with Ivy near the edge of the field. “Hey!” she said. “What are—”
Ivy held up a red leaf. “Do you think this is an oak or an ash?” she asked tentatively.
“An oak,” Olivia told her, slightly confused. “I didn’t know where you went.”
Ivy threw the leaf away and bent down to pick up another and then another. She mumbled, “I didn’t want anyone to disturb my leaf sampling.”
“Okaaay,” said Olivia doubtfully.
Ivy kept working silently, picking up leaves, looking at them, jotting notes down, throwing them back. She looked really sad.
Olivia sighed. She touched her sister’s shoulder. “You’re really nervous about your date with Brendan, huh?”
Ivy moved away.
“It’s okay, Ivy,” Olivia continued, full of sympathy. “This summer, there was this guy I had the biggest crush on and he—”
“I’m not going,” Ivy said to the grass.
“What?” Olivia said.
“I can’t.” Ivy shook her head. “I forgot I had this meeting I have to go to. I promised Sophia ages ago.”
“The guy you’re ‘utterly in love with’ asked you out, and you’re not going?” Olivia cried.
Ivy wouldn’t look at her. “That’s right,” she said. “And it’s for the best anyway. If I go, I know I’d just do something seriously grave, like throw up on him on the escalator or something. And then I’d regret it for the rest of eternity.”
“What are you talking about?” Olivia demanded.
“I know I would, Olivia,” Ivy barreled on. She was scattering leaves this way and that. “And he’ll hate me—worse, he’ll think I’m seriously bizarre. And—and I’ll have ruined everything.”
“Oh, my gosh,” Olivia said with a shake of her head. “If this were the movies, I’d have to slap your face to make you snap out of it.” She was so dumbfounded she couldn’t think of anything else to say. Finally she just sat down on the ground, eyes closed, thinking hard. She could hear her sister scribbling and picking up leaves.
It was a windy day, and Olivia shivered. She wished she was still wearing Ivy’s long skirt. That’s it! she thought, springing to her feet and rushing to her sister’s side.
“I really wish you’d stop disturbing my sample,” Ivy said, stomping around.
Olivia grabbed her sister by the shoulders. “Ivy, we have to switch again,” she said sternly.
“You’re right,” Ivy replied with a frown. “You’d be much better on a date.”
“No, you’ll go on the date,” Olivia said, grinning. “I’ll go to the meeting!”
“Oh!” Ivy said, sounding shocked. Then she shook her head. “I think it’s one of those meetings where a cheerleader might stick out, though.”
Ivy was clearly confused, so Olivia had no choice but to speak extra slowly. “There will be two Ivy’s, you dork,” she explained. “Impostor Ivy—that’s me—will go to the meeting with Sophia. Real Ivy—that’s you—will go to the mall with Brendan.”
Ivy silently studied the leaf in her hands for a long moment. Finally, she looked up. “I know you’re trying to help, Olivia.” She sighed. “But it won’t work. This meeting will be all Goths. And even if you could get by everyone else, you’ll never make it past Sophia.”
“If you can fool Charlotte, I can fool Sophia,” said Olivia confidently.
“She’s my oldest friend,” countered Ivy.
“Don’t underestimate me,” Olivia pleaded. “Just because I’m a cheerleader that doesn’t mean I don’t know all about Goths. I’m like the number one vampire novel fan in middle school today. I’ve read every Count Vira book four times. I promise, I’ll fit right in.”
Ivy laughed uncomfortably.
“All right, class,” Mr. Strain’s voice wafted across the field. “Time’s almost up!”
“Say you’ll do it,” Olivia said intently.
“I want to, Olivia. But . . .”
Olivia took her hands. “Ivy, I swear to you as your twin sister that if you don’t go on this date, you will never forgive yourself. The boy you like likes you. He likes you. The only thing that will definitely ruin that is if you blow him off.”
“But what will we talk about?” Ivy asked desperately. “Somehow I don’t think asking about the ‘latest’ is going to work in this situation.”
“I’ll help you,” Olivia said firmly. She was not going to take no for an answer. “You’ll be fine, just like you were at lunch.”
Ivy was silent.
“Girls!” Mr. Strain called.