A stall door swung open and out marched Olivia. She walked right up to the old woman. “Then you should be worried about all those stolen ketchup packets from the food court you have in that pocketbook,” she said, folding her arms disapprovingly.
The lady hurried out of the bathroom without another peep.
“Have a good day!” Ivy called after her with un-Gothlike enthusiasm.
Five minutes later, Olivia and Ivy had changed into each other’s clothes, and Ivy was putting the finishing touches on Olivia’s black eyeliner. The spray-on whitener really made an enormous difference to Olivia’s appearance.
“All right,” Ivy said, taking a step back to admire her work. “You are now officially one of America’s Most Wanted.”
Olivia laughed. “And you should really consider wearing pink sparkles more often,” she responded.
They gave each other a huge hug.
“I hope you find what we’re looking for,” Olivia said.
“Me, too,” whispered Ivy. Then, with a playful wink, Olivia trudged out of the bathroom in Ivy’s heavy black boots.
Ivy pulled her hair back into a ponytail and started putting on Olivia’s shimmery pink lipstick. It’s pretty killer having a twin. Although, she thought, reviewing her reflection in the mirror, I always swore I’d never be caught dead in sparkles!
Olivia looked through an on-sale rack of drab skirts in the back of Midnight Clothing. She never thought she’d ever feel this way, but she was sick of shopping. She’d led Toby around the mall three times already. Her feet, clad in Ivy’s heavy black boots, were almost as sore as they were when she won the Cheer-a-thon in sixth grade.
Right now, Olivia could see Toby lurking behind a pile of distressed black jeans. She glanced longingly toward the dressing rooms, wondering if she could hide out there for a while.
Toby would probably just camp out in the next changing room, she thought. She hoped Ivy was succeeding at the adoption agency, because this was starting to feel as bad as not being able to stick a roundoff.
Suddenly, Olivia had an idea about how to liven things up. It’s time to find out just how far Toby is willing to go, she thought mischievously. She turned on her heel and walked abruptly out of Midnight Clothing. After a moment, she heard a crash, and Olivia glanced over her shoulder to see that Toby had toppled a display of black sunglasses.
“Sorry!” he yelped to a store clerk as he hurried after Olivia.
Olivia walked briskly down the mall’s main hallway. The hand-lettered sign in the window of Trudy’s Beauty Palace couldn’t have been more
perfect: WAXED LATELY? I bet he won’t follow me in here! Olivia thought as she walked to the personal care section near the back of the store. She peered out from behind a pyramid of jars of flesh-firming cream.
Toby was frozen outside in front of the WAXED LATELY? sign with a completely bewildered look on his face. He was hopping nervously from foot to foot.
He looks like he has to pee! Olivia thought with glee.
Toby craned his neck to see into the store, but Olivia ducked out of sight. Finally, she saw Toby take a pained breath and come inside.
Wo w, thought Olivia. He really is determined to get the inside scoop.
A saleswoman in a white smock approached him immediately. “Can I help you?” Olivia heard her ask.
Toby looked like a deer caught in the headlights.
“Did your mother send you in for something?” the saleswoman persisted.
“No,” Toby finally managed. “I’m just looking.”
Yes, but just how far will you look, Mr. Dedicated
Reporter? Olivia wondered, darting out of the store. In the next half hour, Olivia went into a bridal shop, a nail salon, and a bikini store. Toby gamely followed her into every one, no matter how much it clearly made him squirm. She was almost ready to admit defeat when she passed Panzer’s Department Store.
Panzer’s ladies underwear section was near the front of the store. Olivia grabbed the craziest thing she could find off the rack and carried it over to a floor-length mirror. In the mirror, she could see Toby pacing nervously near the front of the store, clearly trying to get up the courage to follow her.
Olivia held the garment up in front of her. It was a fake leopard-skin bra that was so pointy it looked like it was made of party hats. From the distant reflection in the mirror, she could see Toby turn fire engine red. He threw his hands up in the air, walked out of the store, and sank down on the edge of the hallway fountain, his head in his hands.
A reporter defeated, Olivia thought. She did a little dance. “I win!” she sang lightly. “I win, I win, I win!” Then she noticed a saleslady staring at her like she had eighteen heads. “Sorry,” Olivia whispered, putting the bra back on the rack and hotfooting it out of the store.
Olivia looked at Ivy’s chunky black watch. I think I’ve kept Toby occupied for long enough, she thought, satisfied that she’d done a good job. It was time to head for Ivy’s house.
After making her way through the food court and back across the main hall, Olivia could see the main doors out of the mall up ahead.
“Ivy!” someone called. “Ivy!” the voice yelled again. That must mean me! Olivia realized with a jolt and spun around.
In the distance, someone waved. A boy in black. Suddenly, Olivia’s stomach filled with nervous butterflies as she recognized Ivy’s boyfriend, Brendan Daniels.
“Hey,” Brendan called, his pale face breaking into a wide smile as he strolled up.
“Brendan,” Olivia said, glancing around nervously. Yep, Toby was still on her trail, lurking a few feet away. “What are you doing here?”