That had been my thought as well. When Mom had told us we had three days to clean our bedrooms I realized it must be her clever ruse to pick the nicest one to stick her boyfriend in. And since Sunny's obviously too much of a Goody-Two-Shoes to disobey Mom (not to mention a total neat freak!) I figured I couldn't lose. Mom would take one look at my disaster of a bedroom and automatically pick my sister's room as the most David-friendly.
Guess Mom's more devious than she looks.
"This sucks!" I whine, lying back on the cot and staring up at the ceiling. "All my stuff. Where did she put it, anyway?"
"Basement, I think. She was muttering something about you getting it back when you learned not to be such a slob."
"Or when David the Dork decides to move back to Condo Land."
"Right. If he decides, that is," Sunny adds. "From the way those two get along, I'm wondering if he's here for the long haul. Mom's completely smitten."
I groan. "Sometimes I wish he really did turn out to be an evil vampire. Then we could have justified staking the guy."
"Oh, come on, Rayne. He's not that bad!" Sunny laughs. Of course she doesn't think so. She's still got her David Gray-postered room intact.
"I mean, why can't she just shack up with the guy like a normal Mom? Have him share her bed? They're obviously sleeping together, right? I mean, they're adults. They've got to be. So why the separate room thing?"
Sunny shrugs. "Probably wants to set a good example for us."
"Bleh. Thanks, Mom." I sigh, shifting positions on the cot. "You know, Sun, you should totally go hook up with Magnus. Screw his brains out. Just to prove the point that her pathetic attempt at a morality lesson is completely inef-fectual."
"Yeah, right. I'm not going to lose my virginity just to teach Mom a lesson, Rayne."
"Well, it's not like you wouldn't get anything out of the deal yourself," I grumble, annoyed that Sunny can't see the logic of taking one for the team. I'd do it myself, but I'm pretty sure Mom already knows I've been to home plate a few times by now.
"Anyway," Sunny says. "You'll never guess who I bumped into last night." She looks at me expectantly.
"Er, if I'll never guess, then why don't you just tell me?"
She pauses for dramatic effect. "Race Jameson."
I roll my eyes. Race Jameson is this rock star that every-one and their mother is obsessed with these days. He sings for a band called Triage and has become totally overexposed. I used to think his music was halfway decent until the band started appearing on TRL and stuff. Sellouts. Even the cheer-leaders are obsessed with the guy these days. And let's just say it's not his music that's got their attention.
"Is he as good-looking in person as he is on MTV?"
Sunny grins. "Better. Much better.And ..." Another dramatic pause. "He's a vampire."
I raise an eyebrow. Now she's surprised me.
"A vampire? Are you sure about that?"
"Yup. I met him when I was down at the coven last night, visiting Magnus. He's in the area for a month while he records his new album. I guess he'd been undead for nearly a thousand years, living on the down low until one day he picked up an Anne Rice book and decidedLestat shouldn't be the only vampire to rock 'n' roll."
"Huh. That's kind of cool," I admit, suddenly having newfound respect for the guy. Even if his music does suck.
"So anyway, how did the game go? Your first night as a cheerleader?" Sunny queries."Istill can't picture you in the skirt."
I roll my eyes. "Don't give me that crap. You know you went and watched."
Sunny feigns shock. "You think I went to the game? Risked your threat of slow death and dismemberment like the victims in the Saw movies if I came within a hundred yards of the field?"
"Duh."
"Okay, fine," my twin confesses. "I went by. Just for a few minutes to check out your moves. Actually, Rayne, you weren't half-bad. I was pretty surprised."
"Urn, thanks. I think." I prop myself up on my side with my elbow. "Glad to hear you had such confidence in me. What did you expect? For me to fall flat on my face?"
"Rayne, face it, you're not exactly cheerleader material. Piercings and pom-poms don't usually mix."
"I'm not saying it's my scene. But my assignment was to become a cheerleader and I take my assignments seriously."
Sunny raises an eyebrow. "Uh, since when?"
"Anyway," I say. "I have bigger problems than mastering the megaphone at the moment."
"Oh?" Sunny crawls to the foot of the bed, her eyes dancing with mischief. "Like what? You fell for a football player? Developed a longing for lip gloss? You're now suddenly passionate about pink?"
I throw a pillow at her. "I'm serious!" I cry. "You do remember why I joined the squad, don't you? And, FYI, it wasn't for invites to the cool kids' keggers."
"I know, I know. I'm just teasing." Sunny laughs. "Slayer Inc. forced you to infiltrate the ranks of your archenemies to determine if they've been growling."
"Right." I nod. "And turns out they've been growling, all right. Growling, snarling, snapping. Not to mention sprout-ing hair. And claws. And teeth."
Sunny stares at me. "What the hell are you talking about, Rayne?"