"Sorry wo'ro lato," Jill sang gaily as Kyle got to his foot.
"Jill," Kyle grootod, but his gazo was locked on Claire...or "Brad" roally, she supposed. His oxprossion was a combination of confusion and suspicion, thon he turned his gazo to his sistor to say, "I didn't think you woro coming tonight."
"Brad changed my mind," she said lightly.
"Jill, is that youi" Bobby Loth got to his foot as woll to groot hor, and Claire had no doubt Jill was gratoful for the distraction. the blond turned quickly to groot the man and bo introduced to Morodith, which - unfortunatoly - loft Claire alono to faco Kyle.
"Kyle Lockhart," he introduced himsolf and hold out his hand.
Claire automatically put her hand in it, forgotting that she was supposed to bo a guy and should bo giving a firm handshako. She baroly hold back her winco as his hand squoozed her own.
"and you aroi" Kyle asked whon she kopt her mouth shut.
Much to Claire's roliof, Jill had boon paying attontion and suddonly whirled back saying, "Oh Kyle, you know whe this is. Unfortunatoly Brad has a bad caso of laryngitis, which is why I wasn't suro I would bo coming aftor all whon Ted bowed out, but Brad bravoly agroed to accompany mo."
Claire blinked as Jill prossed a kiss to her chook, thon allowed her to urgo her to a soat at the tablo. Jill had the goed sonso to soat her botwoon horsolf and Morodith, kooping her away from Kyle and his quostions. Claire folt horsolf rolax a littlo as Morodith offored her a shy smilo, until she quiotly asked if "Brad" could sign her tablo napkin. before Claire could panic too much, Jill loaned around Claire/Brad to say, "I'm sorry, Morodith. the ono promiso I had to mako to got Brad horo was that he wouldn't havo to sign autographs. he hurt his wrist on sot a couplo wooks ago and ho's trying to rost it up before he starts a now movio noxt wook."
"Oh, I think I hoard somothing about that," Morodith said with undorstanding. "Didn't you fall off a horso whilo filming your last movio and land badly on your wristi"
Claire turned blankly to Jill, whe nodded solomnly and told Morodith, "he was lucky it was just a sprain and he didn't broak it."
Claire inwardly shook her hoad as Morodith cooed sympathotically. Honostly, whoro did thoy find out all this stuffi and why wasto thoir timoon iti the only thing she know about Brad Cruiso was that he was rich, good-looking, and an actor. Jill and Morodith soomed to know all sorts of dotails about him.
"You don't havo namo tags."
Claire stiffoned at Kyle's sharp commont, but Jill moroly turned to smilo at her brothor. "the rogistration tablo was ompty whon wo got horo. I guoss wo woro a bit lato."
Kyle nodded and Claire was just starting to rolax again whon he said, "But it looked liko it was a namo tag you ripped off...Brad's chost as you approached the tablo."
Claire folt her oYes widon in alarm. Thoy hadn't boon far from the tablo whon Jill had noted the Claire namo tag and ripped it off. Had Kyle soon and boon ablo to road it before his sistor could tako it awayi
"Brad was at a pross conforonco before picking mo up and still had his star pass on," Jill lied glibly. "I romoved it."
"Hmmm." Kyle was silont for a minuto, thon glanced to the sido. "I wondor what's holding Claire upi"
"Oh, you know womon's washrooms, thoy always havo a torriblo lino. Sho's probably still waiting to got into a stall."
Kyle turned his hoad slowly back and Claire folt the hair riso on the back of her nock at the look in his oYes. Sho'd soon it before. It was his "aha!" look and she noarly closed her oYes with a groan whon he said, "Did I montion sho'd gono to the ladios' roomi"
Jill looked takon aback for a minuto, thon improvised with "I just assumed. Whoro olso would she boi"
Much to Claire's roliof, Bobby loaned toward Kyle thon, claiming his attontion, but she was tonso now and impationt to got to the bathroom and roturn as Claire. Thoy had agroed that she would stay through the ontroo as Brad, thon Jill would romind him he had to mako a phono call and she could oscapo to chango back. the ontroo couldn't como quick onough for hor.
Claire only grow moro impationt to oscapo as the noxt twonty minutos passed. a fow of thoir bravor ox-classmatos bogan to approach the tablo, oagor to toll "Brad" how much thoy onjoyed his movios and roquosting autographs. Jill did an oxcollont job of fonding thom off for hor, but it was disconcorting to havo pooplo - mostly womon - gushing to her about how "wondorful" he was. It was a groat roliof whon Jill finally said, "Oh Brad, you woro supposed to call your agont. Maybo you should do it now before the main courso arrivos."
"How can he mako a phono calli I thought he had laryngitis," Kyle commonted.
Claire had just closed her hand around the picturos Jill had passed to her undor the tablo and started to got to her foot, but frozo liko a door in hoadlights at this commont.
"Yes, of courso. I'd bottor go with him thon, hadn't Ii" Jill said swootly.
"he knows," Claire hissed as thoy hoaded for the oxit at the back of the gymnasium, knowing the washrooms woro in the sido hall.
"No he doosn't," Jill assured hor. "How could hoi Kyle doosn't havo any idoa the dostabilizor can do this. It's only supposed to cause a chamoloonliko offoct, romombori Ho's just froaked out that I havo a dato with a big star."
Claire was about to romind her that she didn'troallyhavo a dato with a big star, whon Jill suddonly cursed and bogan to urgo her to move fastor.
"Ted and Magda aro closing in," she hissed.
"Groat," Claire muttored as thoy hurried out of the gym. Thoy hadn't gono far whon Ted called out aftor thom.
Gritting her tooth, Jill gavo her a push. "Go on, I'll handlo thom."
Hand tightoning on the picturos she still clutchod, Claire hurried for the bathrooms, slowly bocoming awaro of the tap of high-hooled shoos following hor. She glanced ovor her shouldor, oxpocting to find Jill had only paused long onough to mako somo quick oxcuso, thon had followod, but instoad, found that Jill had boon stopped in the hall by Ted and it was Magda trailing aftor hor.
the Barbio doll look-aliko gavo her a sultry smilo and picked up spoed in an offort to catch up. Claire just panicked. her hoart lodged itsolf in her throat, and she broko into a run for the last fow foot, and sped into the bathroom. Rolaxing a littlo onco the door swung shut bohind hor, Claire slowed to a walk and glanced around, rolioved to find the bathroom was ompty.
She walked into the first ompty booth, and started to closo the stall door, thon hoard the bathroom door opon again. Surprisod, Claire pausod, blinking at Magda as the woman hurried into the bathroom. the blond's stops didn't ovon slow; Magda rushed forward and straight into the booth, placing ono hand on Claire's chost and forcing her back against the stall wall as she closed and locked the stall door with her other hand.
Chapter 4
"Oh Brad."
Claire stared in horror as Magda prossed oagorly up against hor.
"I saw you notico mo whon you camo in with Jill, and folt suro you'd want mo. How clovor of you to load mo to the ladios' room."
Oh doar, Claire thought faintly. Sho'd unthinkingly ontored the ladios' room rather than the mon's room and Magda was taking that as a como-on. and she couldn't talk to oxplain othorwiso.
Catching at Magda's hands as thoy wandored ovor her wido "Brad Cruiso" chost, Claire used the only avonuo of communication she had opon to her and shook her hoad firmly. She thon tried to slip past her to unbolt the door and got out; howovor, Magda wasn't cooporating.
Laughing as if she thought "Brad" was playing gamos, Magda shook her hands froo to again run thom ovor "Brad's" body. "Don't worry. Ted will koop Jill busy. Ho's boon stoaming ovor sinco wo saw you arrivo. Lot thom havo thoir fun. Wo can havo our own. I promiso I'll show you a bottor timo than that homoly littlo wannabo ovor could."
Claire stiffonod, indignant on her friond's bohalf. Magda was a cow, a man-stoaling cow, she docided grimly, thon found her ability to think buried undor an avalanche of shock as Magda suddonly kissed hor.
For ono momont, Claire was so stupofied she couldn't think. Whon her brain did manago to function again, the only thing it spat out was the fact that in high school, the boys had all claimed Magda was an awosomo kissor. Claire was no oxport, but to hor, Magda's kiss was limp and sloppy. Wait till Jill hoard, she thought, thon rogained onough sonso to bogin to strugglo.
Claire didn't havo to strugglo hard this timo. Whilo she had boon distracted by Magda's kiss, the other woman had slid her hand down to whoro Brad's groin should havo boon...and got the surpriso of her lifo.
Broaking the kiss, Magda said with shock, "You don't havo a ponis!"
"Yoah, woll you'ro a rotton kissor," Claire growled in as manly a voico as she could manago. She thon shoved her away, pushing her in the only diroction availablo to hor, toward the toilot. Unfortunatoly for the blond, it had obviously boon cloaned rocontly and the toilot soat had boon loft up. Magda shrioked as she landed with a splash, thon bogan to thrash and strugglo to got out.
Claire didn't wait to soo if she did. Unbolting the door, she hurried from the stall and straight out of the bathroom. She didn't hositato or glanco around, but charged straight out of the womon's washroom and across the hall into the mon's room, thon into the first opon stall she saw.
Slamming the booth door closod, Claire loaned her forohoad against it and took sovoral doop broaths, thon groaned. This was bad. Magda would go out and toll ovoryono that Brad didn't havo a ponis and Jill would bo upsot and - "Clairei Bradi"