“What?” said Sophia.
“I’m Olivia Abbott.”
Sophia grabbed Olivia’s arm. “What have you done with my best friend?” she demanded anxiously.
“Nothing!” Olivia snapped, twisting out of her grasp. “She’s at cheerleading practice,” she admitted.
Sophia was speechless for a moment. Then she sat down beside Olivia on the curb. “I’m listening,” she said.
It took a long time to tell the whole story: discovering they were twins, switching identities, Charlotte Brown, Ivy’s date with Brendan, the ball. In the middle of it all, Sophia was nice enough to go inside and buy Olivia some aspirin and a Diet Coke.
After getting over her initial shock that Ivy had a twin sister, Sophia seemed to take the news surprisingly well—except that Olivia left the most awkward part for last.
“And then yesterday,” Olivia said slowly, “Ivy told me what kind of person she is.”
“What do you mean?” Sophia asked innocently.
“What kind of people you all are.”
Sophia looked thoughtful for a second. “Goths?”
“No, the really secret thing,” Olivia said meaningfully.
“Oh!” Sophia’s eyes opened wide. “She told you that?”
“Yup,” Olivia said guiltily. “I wasn’t supposed to tell anyone. She said we could both get into big trouble.”
“She never should have told you,” Sophia said firmly.
“She didn’t have a choice,” Olivia responded. She shut her eyes and let out a heavy sigh. “This is all my fault.” She thought she was going to start crying, but then she felt Sophia’s hand on her shoulder.
“Don’t worry,” Sophia said quietly. “I won’t tell anyone.”
“Really?” Olivia said, opening her eyes.
“Really,” Sophia said sincerely. “Ivy’s my best friend.”
“And you’re not mad?” Olivia asked.
“A little,” Sophia admitted with a shrug. “Ivy could have told me she’d found her long-lost twin sister. I feel like I’ve been missing all the fun. But at least this explains why Ivy was suddenly so good at party planning!” She peered at Olivia’s face. “You really had me fooled. I mean, I didn’t notice any resemblance between you and Ivy at all.”
Olivia smiled. “That spray-on pale stuff does wonders.”
Sophia laughed and stood up. “Come on,” she said.
“Where are we going?” Olivia asked, getting to her feet.
“Cheerleading practice,” Sophia replied. “If Ivy’s hopping around like a bunny, I need to see it!”
Chapter 11
Ivy stuck the final move of another cheer, yelled, “Fight!” and thrust her arms in the air. She could hear Charlotte panting desperately beside her.
The look on Charlotte’s pink face when Ms. Barnett put Ivy front and center in the formation—right in the captain’s spot—had been truly unforgettable. It was enough to plaster a 150-watt smile on Ivy’s face for the rest of practice. She turned it up.
“Good, girls!” shouted Ms. Barnett.
Ivy had been sinking her teeth into every cheer. Olivia would be so proud.
A few cheerleaders’ boyfriends clapped from the stands. Ivy thought, I wish Brendan were here, too. Then she remembered, with a pang of regret, that he’d never even know.
“A Little Birdie!” called Ms. Barnett, and the cheerleaders launched into another cheer.
Ivy was raising herself from a split when out of the corner of her eye she saw the gym doors open. In walked Olivia . . . with Sophia.
Questions raced through Ivy’s mind. Did Sophia figure it out? Does anybody else know? Are we going to have to leave town? What about Brendan? Is Sophia mad?
Ivy suddenly realized she should be spinning around. She was rushing to catch up to the other girls when Charlotte Brown crashed into her, hard.
“What are you doing?” Charlotte shrieked as the cheer ground to a halt. “You’re supposed to be over there! What is your problem?”
“Charlotte!” yelled Ms. Barnett.
The Energizer Bunny shut her trap.
“If you’re going to be on this squad, I expect to see some teamwork!” Ms. Barnett scolded. “You girls will talk to your fellow cheerleaders with respect!”
“Yes, Ms. Barnett,” Charlotte said, staring at the floor.
“And next time, Charlotte”—Ms. Barnett tapped her clipboard—“you’ll try to be more aware of the other girls.”
Charlotte looked like her eyes were going to pop out of her head. “But it was her fault!” she protested, pointing at Ivy.
“I am not interested in playing the blame game,” Ms. Barnett said coolly. Then she raised her eyebrows and scanned the rest of the squad. “I hope you’ve all learned something today, and not just about handclaps and tumbling. See you at practice next Friday.” She gave a double clap. Dismissed.
Charlotte stalked off with a grim look, leaving Ivy to beeline it to the back of the gym.
Sophia looked angry. “I cannot believe . . .” She stamped her foot.
Ivy’s heart sank into her stomach.
“. . . that all I got to see was half a cheer!” Sophia concluded, a grin spreading across her face. “At least I got some pictures,” she sang.
Ivy shook her head. “You did not.”
“Oh, yes, I did,” her friend replied.
Ivy herded Sophia and Olivia out of the gym and down the hall to the bathroom.