Take Two (20 page)

I took a deep breath and got ready to go onstage.

Emma

Twenty-four

AFTER THE PLAY

“Woo-hoo!” I cheered.

“Yay, Payton!” Mason yelled. He was sitting in one of the auditorium chairs on my left.

“Yay, Tess and Nick!” I added loudly. Around us, the audience was clapping and cheering. The play was over. Dorothy had found her way home from Oz—with a little advice from my twin sister Glinda—and it was all a big success. The actors bowed and left the stage, and the auditorium lights went on overhead.

“The plot line was totally illogical,” Jason said. He was seated on my right. “If there really was a tornado, why wasn't the Kansas set destroyed?”

“Jason, it's a
fantasy,
” I told him. “It's not real life.”

“Emma!” Speaking of real life—Counselor Case (responsible for my permanent record for college) and Coach Babbitt
(responsible for my mathletes career)—were making their way toward us.

“Emma, thank you for sitting with our boys,” Counselor Case said. “It let us enjoy the play together. It was almost like our first date, when we went to see
our
high school's play. Remember, honey?”

“Ew!” . . . “Gross!” The twins gagged.

“Er, yes,” my math coach said, looking a little uncomfortable. “Well, perhaps we should be leaving now.”

Yes! After all the pressures of today—the mathletes competition (which I won!), babysitting, the gecko/bubble fiasco, and trying to impress everyone—I really needed a break.

“Payton asked me to stop by backstage after the play,” I told Coach Babbitt. “So I'll be going in the opposite direction.”

I began to walk down toward the stage, expecting the boys and their parents to walk upward toward the exit.

“Can we go backstage with Emma?” Mason begged. “I want to see Payton! Uh, I mean Nick! So I can, uh, see the sound effects!”

Spend more time with the Twins of Trouble?
Did I have to?
I started to shake my head no, but Jason stopped me.

“Mason,” Jason said loudly, “who do you think was a better Glinda? Emma or Payton?”

“I'd be happy to take the boys, Coach,” I said, grabbing one hand of each twin. “Can we meet you at the school entrance in fifteen minutes?”

“That's fine,” Coach Babbitt said. “Anything for our mathletes champ!”

Then, as the grown-ups turned to leave, Counselor Case stopped.

“Oh, Emma!” she said. “Before I forget, this is for you.” She handed me an envelope that had my name on it.

“And would you please give this one to your sister?” Counselor Case gave me another envelope. It said “Payton Mills.”

“Of course.” I smiled my perfect tutor/mathlete champion smile. And dragged Jason and Mason downward toward the stage.

“Umm . . .,” I said. “That part of the play where I was in the bubble? I was helping Payton out. So, it doesn't really count as switching places, right? Mason? Jason?”

“You were helping me and Mascot out,” Mason said. “So Jason and I won't tell anybody.”

“Ooh, a secret,” Jason said. “Like the one about Mason being scared of brain-eating zombies?”

“Duh, who wouldn't be scared if a zombie came to eat your brain?” Mason sputtered.

“You of all people shouldn't be worried about that,” Jason said, with a sly smile. “They'd go hungry. Get it? 'Cause you don't have a brain?”

“Well, if you tell anyone about the Payton-saving-Mascot-while-Emma-was-in-a-bubble
secret
, I'll tell
yours
,” Mason shot back.

“You mean that I'm scared of bugs?” Jason's eyes grew wide.
“And thunderstorms. Big whoop. Your secrets are better. How about the secret that you think Payton is c-u-t-e. . . .”

Mason blushed and looked like he wanted to strangle his twin. I knew that look all too well. But, wait. Mason had a crush—on my sister? That was too awkward to even contemplate any further.

“Here we are!” I cut the twins off. “Backstage with all the famous stars! Hi, Dorothy/Tess! You were amazing!”

“Thanks, Emma!” Tess said. Her long blond hair had been taken out of the Dorothy pigtails and turned into crimpy waves.

“Payton's in a changing room,” Tess told us. “She should be out soon. Wasn't she awesome taking over for Sydney like that? And she was so funny, too!” Tess laughed.

Yes. Funny. Ha.

“I didn't even know the bubble was zoned for cell phone use,” a boy's voice said from behind me. It was Nick.

“Nick!” Jason said, jumping up and down. “Your special effects were spectacular. Mason said you have excellent technology. Did you know I'm quite proficient with technology? Can I watch you finish?”

“Sure, I've got a few more things to unplug.” Nick smiled. “But first, everybody meet my family—Dad, my stepmom, Liz, my sister, Margaret. These are my friends Tess and . . .”

“Emma Mills!” Nick's younger sister said. “It's a pleasure to finally meet you in a noncompetitive arena.”

“Margaret!” I smiled. “Spell ‘corpuscle'!”

“Logorrhea!” Margaret said back.

“Spelling Bee talk,” I explained to Mason and Jason. “Margaret was the youngest competitor at States last year.”

“Wow!” Jason breathed, staring at Margaret.

“She's too old for you, doofus.” Mason elbowed his brother.

“I'm almost nine,” Jason retorted.

“I'll be ten in two weeks,” Margaret said. “So I'll be eligible for spelling bee, Geobee, Scrabble-lympics, and—next year? Mathletes! Emma, when I get old like you, I want to be a champion just like you!”

“It
is
fun doing competitions,” I agreed. “Even when you're old like me.”

“It's all Margaret does,” her father said. “Study, study, study.”

And then it hit me. Margaret was like me. That was good in some ways. But what about the not-so-good parts?

“Margaret?” I said. “Is there anything else you're interested in? Besides academics?”

Margaret looked surprised. And a little shy.

“Um, well, I like beading. Making jewelry?”

“There's a beading class for kids at the craft store,” Nick's stepmother said. “I keep offering to take her.”

“It would interfere with my study schedule.” Margaret frowned. “I can't afford to indulge in frivolous activities if I want to be a winner.”

Oh, boy. Margaret was like a mini me.

“Emma understands,” Margaret said. “Right, Emma?”

“I do understand,” I said slowly. “It's fun and challenging to study and compete. And winning feels amazing. But winning isn't everything. And academics shouldn't be your only thing.”

Just then, Payton came around the corner wearing her regular clothes. And with her was Quinn! I stood up straight and took a deep breath.

“I love math and competitions . . . and I also love fashion!” I announced loudly.

Margaret said, “Whoa.”

“Ergh!” Jason made a strangling noise as Mason put him in a headlock. I ignored them and kept talking.

“In fact, one of the most fun things I want to do is a Passion-for-Fashion website with my friend Quinn.”

Payton and Quinn had reached us. They both looked at me.

“Quinn painted the
Oz
set,” I told everyone.

They all complimented Quinn.

“I'm hoping she'll hang out with me,” I went on, “and teach me about art and other cool, creative things.”

Please say you're still my friend, please be my friend,
I said silently, looking at Quinn.

“But what about your studying and competitions?” Quinn asked. “Won't it get in your way?”

“Well, studying is a big part of my life,” I said, looking back at Margaret. “But it shouldn't be my whole life. It's important to have balance. Creative outlets. Friends.”

“Great!” Quinn said, smiling. “I'll text you and we'll set up
a time. I've got some great new sites to show you, Emma! It'll be fun!”

“Cool!” I said, waving to Quinn as she left. “Fun!”

“Margaret,” I said. “Spell ‘zirconia.'”

“Z-i-r-c-o-n-i-a,” Margaret said.

“See? Mathletes and fashion? Spelling bees and jewelry? That's what I mean. We can be fierce in competitions
and
in our hobbies.”

Margaret laughed. Her dad and stepmom did, too.

Payton was weirdly quiet. Looking at me. Even though we couldn't read each other's minds (twin myth), I could make an educated guess as to what she was thinking.

“Who is this person? Not my twin sister, AcadEmma!”

“I feel all wobbly,” Payton said. “Like I'm still in a bubble.”

Okay. I can't even guess what's in her mind.

“Jason,” Nick said. “Want to help me unplug the tech?”

“Yes!” Jason said as he followed Nick. Then he stopped and looked back. “Bye, Margaret!”

Margaret giggled and said good-bye to Jason, then the rest of us, as her parents said it was time to leave.

So it was down to Payton, Mason, and me. I was about to tell my sister how amazing a Glinda she'd been, when Mason beat me to it.

“You were amazing, Payton!” Mason said. Suddenly, he leaped at her and gave her a big hug. “Both on
and
under the stage.”

“How's you-know-who?” Payton asked him.

“Safe and happy in my sleeve.” Mason pointed to his arm. “Thank you for saving him.”

“No problem,” Payton said. “I
am
a
good
witch, remember?”

“And so am I,” I said, laughing. “Although that part I'd rather
not
remember. Payton, you really were fabulous up there.”

“Yeah, Payton, you totally rocked that bubble,” Nick said, coming back, with Jason trotting behind him.

Nick was smiling at Payton. Hmm. It was kind of the way Ox used to look at me.

Nick and Payton? Payton and Nick? Hmm.

Suddenly, Mason looked suspiciously at Nick. I realized I wasn't the only one to notice that possibility. Mason moved so he was between Nick and Payton.

“Payton,” Mason said. “I think you really rocked that bubble, too.”

“Um, thanks,” Payton said.

“Yeah, that was excellent,” Nick said.

“Yeah, well, I think it was even excellenter!” Mason said louder. “I think it was excellent times two! Which is twice as much as you! See, Emma? I know my math!”

“Excuse us.” I took Mason by the arm and half-dragged him off to the side. “Mason, what's up?”

“Nick!” he said indignantly. “Nick is trying to steal my woman.”

I bit my lip to stop myself from smiling.

“You really like Payton?” I asked him.

“Duh! She's like my twin superwoman,” he said. “She saved my gecko. And she let me make fart sound effects. She's perfect.”

He got a faraway look in his eyes.

“Mason, I'm sure Payton thinks you're great,” I said, trying to let him down gently.

“Really?” His eyes lit up.

“But
not
like that!” I hurriedly said. “You're four years younger than she is, Mason. That's just too young.”

“Are you sure?” Mason looked disappointed.

“Yes. But, um, maybe when you're older,” I said. “For example, when you're twenty-two, Payton will be twenty-six. That could work.”

“Hey, that gives me an idea,” Mason said. “I can marry Payton and you can marry Jason! You're both geniuses, so it's perfect.”

Ack! Ick! Squick! I shook my head to clear that thought.

“I guess thinking Payton might like me was kinda dumb,” Mason said. “I know, I'm the dumb twin.”

“That's not true,” I said firmly. “You just have a different kind of smarts than your brother. Like how you noticed Nick has a crush on Payton. Even Payton hadn't noticed that! That's called ‘interpersonal smarts.'”

“Hmm,” Mason said. “Well, Nick is okay for a second choice. He did show me the special effects.”

I smiled at Mason. He was turning out to be an okay kid.

“I thought of another kind of smarts I have, too,” Mason
said. “What's it called if you know how to make money?”

“Hmm, financial smarts?” I replied.

“Give me a dollar, and I won't tell my mom how you and Payton switched places tonight even though it's against the rules.”

“That's not financial smarts, that's blackmail!” I said. “Besides, it's because of your gecko that we did it in the first place!”

Mason just smiled. Ergh. I take it back. He was not an okay kid.
Grrr
. I put my hand in my pocket and pulled out a dollar.

“Blackmail is not something to be proud of,” I grumbled.

“I know, but I'm thirsty,” he said. “I need the juice machine.”

Jason came running up to us as I handed it over.

“Give me a buck, too, or I'll tell my mother you paid Mason off for . . . something,” Jason said.

“See, Jason's got the blackmail smarts, too,” Mason said. “We're identical like that.”

“And here comes our mom and dad! Quick, Emma, a dollar gets you our ‘perfect angel' act,” Jason said. “Right, Mason?”

I sighed and pulled out another one.

“Oh, yeah, what I really came over for was to remind you to give Payton the envelope from my mother,” Jason said.

“Oh!” I reached into my left hoodie pocket and pulled out the envelope for my sister.

“Bye, Emma!” Mason said, holding his father's hand.

“Thank you, Emma,” Jason said, holding his mother's hand.

“Emma's cool,” I heard one twin say.

“Not cool, exactly,” the other disagreed. “But not bad for a math tutor.”