The New Year's Party (5 page)

“And it lasts a lot longer,” Greta added.

Ty raised his hands in surrender. “Okay, okay. I give. You were only startled.”

“How did you get in there?” Greta demanded.

But Ty didn't answer. His eyes fixed on something down the hall.

No, Reenie realized. Not something down the hall. Liz. We forgot all about her.

Liz stood quietly off to the side with her brother. Ty seemed unable to take his eyes off her.

“This is Ty. He's not really crazy. He acted perfectly normal until he started hanging around with us,” Reenie explained. “Then he got addicted to our
stupid practical jokes. We're always playing dead. Trying to scare each other to death. Sick, right?”

“Definitely sick,” Liz replied. She turned to Ty.

“I'm Liz, and that's my brother, P.J. We're new at Shadyside.”

P.J. lowered his gaze and didn't say anything.

“I'm new, too,” Ty replied. “I started at Shadyside this fall.”

“How do you like it?” Liz asked.

“It's okay. I met these guys right off.” He gestured to Reenie and Greta. “We hang out a lot. We have a pretty good time.”

“It's a little weird the first day at a new school,” Liz admitted. “You get all turned around. I even tried to get into Reenie's locker by mistake.”

Ty kept staring at Liz. He seemed to have forgotten the rest of them.

I guess all those girls who hoped Ty would finally notice them are going to be disappointed, Reenie thought. One glance at Liz and he's gone.

“If you want, I can show you around,” Ty offered.

“Okay,” Liz replied. “You can show me where my locker is, so Reenie won't have to bother.”

“What was the number again?” Ty asked.

“B-nine.”

“It's this way.” Liz and Ty hurried off down the hall, their heads close together.

“Come on,” Greta said to P.J. “I'll show you where your homeroom is.”

P.J. didn't seem to hear her. He stared after his
sister and Ty, his green eyes wide and unblinking. His mouth slack. His breathing suddenly rapid and shallow.

“P.J., you okay?” Reenie asked.

P.J. blinked and snapped his mouth closed. Then he lunged past Reenie and tore down the hall after his sister.

Reenie jumped back to get out of his way, dropping her books. She banged hard against the lockers.

“Reenie, are you all right?” Greta cried.

“I think so,” she answered, staring after P.J. He wove down the crowded hall, pushing people out of his way.

“Hey!” someone yelled. “Watch it!”

Greta helped Reenie collect her books.

“What was
that
about?” Greta asked.

Reenie wondered the same thing.

“
D
o you see who Corky Corcoran is with?” Reenie exclaimed. “Ricky Shore!”

Greta leaned over Reenie's shoulder and peered through the windshield. “Where?”

Reenie pointed to a booth in the Burger Basket. “They're sitting over by the window.”

“I think they make a cute couple,” Greta commented. She reached over the backseat and grabbed a handful of french fries from Sean.

“How could Ricky Shore be part of a cute anything?” Reenie demanded. “Sometimes I think there is something seriously wrong with you, Greta.”

“I
know
there is something seriously wrong with
both of you,” Sean joked. “Can't you think of something more fun to do? Even our trig assignment is more exciting than this.”

Reenie rolled her eyes at Greta. Sean could never understand why they liked hanging out in Scan's car in the Burger Basket parking lot, listening to the radio, and watching people go in and out.

Reenie stuck a french fry in Sean's mouth.

“You know how much grease is in these things?” Greta asked. She grabbed another french fry from Sean.

Reenie smiled. Greta always refused to buy french fries because they were so fattening. Then she ate half of theirs.

“No,” Sean replied. “How much?”

“Too much,” Greta answered.

“That's what makes them taste so good,” Sean replied. “Without grease, they'd taste like paper.”

Reenie spotted a girl with reddish-brown hair hurrying out of the restaurant. “Is that Liz?” Reenie asked.

The girl turned and headed across the parking lot. “No,” Reenie said, answering her own question. “Only someone with the same hair color.”

“I kind of like Liz,” Greta commented.

“Me, too,” Reenie agreed. “She's lots of fun. We went to the mall last weekend. They had Scarlett O'Hara-type bridesmaids' dresses in the window of the Bridal Boutique. With hoopskirts and parasols and everything. And Liz insisted we try them on.”

“And why wasn't I invited?” Greta demanded.

“You and Artie had plans,” Reenie told her.

“Liz made up a story for the salesclerk about how her cousin in Georgia was getting married. She even took down the style numbers and asked about getting shoes dyed to match.”

“You know who else likes Liz?” Greta asked. “Ty. Whenever Liz is around, Ty gets a really weird expression on his face. Like he's about to melt or something.”

Sean chuckled. “I noticed him standing outside fourth-period math class today, acting real casual. But he kept checking the door. As soon as Liz came out, he walked up to her as if he just happened to be passing by.”

“Think Ty is finally going to ask someone out after all these months?” Greta wondered.

“I bet he's working up to it,” Reenie replied.

“I think they would make a great couple,” Greta declared. “They really are perfect for each other.”

Reenie shook her head. Greta loved trying to predict who would become a couple and who would break up. What if Chris and Natalie got together? she'd ask. Or Gary and Randee?

“It's hard to believe Liz and P.J. are related,” Reenie commented. “Liz is so cool. And he's kind of weird.”

“Definitely,” Sean agreed.

“He's not that weird,” Greta replied. “I think he's cute.”

Reenie made a face. “Yeah, but you think Ricky Shore is cute, too.”

“P.J. always acts as if he's sick or something,” Sean said. “Like he's about to faint.”

“I've tried to talk to him,” Reenie told them. “But all he says is yes or no in that low grunt of his. He always seems scared or something.”

“He's shy,” Greta said. “What's wrong with that? He's new in town, at a new school, and he doesn't know anybody. I've talked to him, and I think he's nice. Smart, too.”

“Does Artie know he's got competition?” Sean teased.

Reenie knew Sean was kidding. But Greta answered seriously. “I like P.J., that's all. I mean, I don't… well…”

“Whoa! Check it out!” Sean teased. “Greta is blushing!”

She couldn't possibly be interested in a strange guy like P.J., Reenie thought. Could she? It
was
true that lately, Artie and Greta had been fighting all the time.

Greta tapped Reenie on the shoulder and pointed to a green car. “Lily Bancroft and Pete Goodwin. I never thought I'd see
them
together.”

“Trying to change the subject?” Sean asked. Greta didn't answer him.

“Where do P.J. and Liz live?” Reenie asked.

They looked at one another. No one knew.

“What do their parents do? How come they moved in the middle of the year?” Sean asked.

No one knew that, either.

A horn blared as a shiny red car pulled up beside them. The driver revved the engine.

“Cool car,” Sean observed. “Sounds like a V-6 that somebody has done a lot of work on. I'll bet it can really move.”

“It's Marc Bentley,” Greta said sourly. “And Artie.”

Artie rode shotgun. He rolled down the window. “Yo! How's it going? How do you like Marc's new wheels?”

“Nice,” Sean said. “What's it got?”

“V-6 with high-lift cam, oversize valves, and high-compression heads,” Artie bragged.

“Wow.” Sean sounded impressed.

Marc climbed out of the car. “Come on. I'll give you a ride.” He grinned at Reenie.

Marc is really good-looking, Reenie thought. He wore his dark brown hair in a ponytail. And she liked the faint scar that ran partway across his forehead and through his left eyebrow. It made him appear a little dangerous—and older, different from the other high school guys.

“Count me out,” Greta insisted.

Reenie shook her head. “I've got to get home. It's late.”

Sean glanced at Reenie and Greta, then at Marc and Artie.

“You don't want to go with them, do you?” Reenie whispered.

“I wouldn't mind seeing how that car runs,” Sean answered.

“Let's go,” Artie called excitedly. “We'll show you what this car can do.”

“Hey, no big deal. We'll just go around the block,” Marc promised.

“Yeah, just around the block,” Artie echoed. “You've got to ride in this car at least once. It's really awesome.”

Reenie and Greta exchanged stares. Greta shrugged and nodded. “All right. Just around the block.”

“Okay,” Sean told them. “Let's go.”

Reenie knew that Greta didn't want Artie hanging around Marc. She must think Artie will get in less trouble if she's with him, Reenie thought.

“Climb in,” Marc instructed. “It'll be a tight squeeze. But you can make it.”

They crammed themselves into the backseat.

“You guys ready for a ride in a
real
car?” Marc asked. He peeled out of the Burger Basket parking lot, the engine roaring.

Artie turned around. “Moves, doesn't it?”

Marc stopped at a red light. A white Mustang pulled up beside them. It had dark windows that made it impossible to see who was inside.

Marc revved the engine, challenging the Mustang. The Mustang's driver responded by revving his own engine. Challenge accepted.

“Let's not,” Greta urged. “It's—”

Before she could finish, the light turned green and both cars roared forward, tires squealing. Marc's car
immediately pulled ahead of the Mustang, widening the gap as it sped down the block.

“Yes!” Artie yelled, shaking both fists in the air.

He's really getting into this, Reenie thought. She squeezed against Sean's arm.

Marc raced through the next light as it turned from yellow to red.

“Whoa!” Greta shouted. “Slow down, before you get us all killed.”

Sean leaned forward. “Cool it, Marc. Okay?”

Marc glanced back at his passengers. “What a bunch of wimps.”

Artie didn't say anything.

“Want to have some fun?” Marc asked.

“I want to go back,” Greta told him.

But Marc turned onto Park Drive, going south, away from the Burger Basket.

“I want to show you something,” he said, eyes straight ahead.

“Slow down,” Sean urged. “You're going to get stopped.”

Marc sped through the Park Drive traffic circle. They zoomed past St. Paul's Church. Reenie watched the street signs. Bank Street. Hawthorne Drive.

What's going on? she wondered. Why is he heading for Fear Street?

“Marc, give us a break. Take us back,” Reenie pleaded.

“This will only take a minute,” Marc insisted. “It will be fun. I promise.”

Fun for Marc, Reenie thought.

He turned right on Fear Street.

A tingly, uneasy feeling settled into Reenie's stomach. Fear Street had a reputation. A place to be avoided. A place where weird things happened.

Branches intertwined above the street, as if the trees on each side were clinging to each other.

I'm being silly, Reenie told herself. It's just a street. Big deal.

But something inside her disagreed.

“You don't believe all those dumb stories about Fear Street—do you?” Marc asked.

“Some bad things have happened here,” Greta said softly. “I saw a story about them on TV.”

They fell silent. Good, Reenie thought. She didn't want to hear about all the strange murders and disappearances.

Marc turned left. He seemed to be heading right into the Fear Street Woods.

“You can't drive through here!” Greta yelled. “It's only an old bike path or something.”

The car bumped along the uneven ground.

“What are you doing?” Sean demanded.

“You'll see,” Marc replied.

“Yeah, you'll see,” Artie echoed.

Fear Lake was not a place Reenie wanted to go at night with Marc Bentley. She promised herself she would never ride with him again. Anywhere. Ever.

Marc pulled onto a narrow dirt road that circled the lake. The engine growled powerfully as the car started up a hill. Reenie stared out the window at the woods.

The trees appeared lifeless. Dead stalks sticking up through the snow. Marc pulled to a stop when they reached the crest of the hill.