The Cheater Read online

  “Okay. We’ll play tennis on Saturday,” he said unhappily.

  Carter felt terrible. “I’m really sorry, Dan,” she said again. She couldn’t stop apologizing.

  “Don’t worry, Carter. I understand. It’s okay.”

  But for the rest of the afternoon, he acted distant. Carter was afraid that it wasn’t okay.

  She met Adam on the corner of Village and Mission Friday night, dressed, as the last time, in jeans. He came by in his Mustang and drove her to the movies.

  They watched a horror movie, a silly one that was more funny than scary, since the gory effects were so obviously fake. After the lights went down, Adam put his arm around Carter’s shoulders. She didn’t make him take his arm away.

  When the movie ended, Adam and Carter found the Mustang in the parking lot and got in. Adam pulled out without saying where he was going.

  Carter had assumed he was taking her home. But she soon knew they weren’t driving in the direction of North Hills.

  “Where are we going?” she asked.

  Adam just said, “No place special.”

  He turned down Fear Street. Carter remembered that Adam lived on Fear Street.

  She stared out the window at the dark trees that lined the road. Huge, ramshackle old Victorian houses surrounded a few smaller, newer houses— run-down little boxes. Adam pulled the car into a driveway next to one of these.

  It was a one-story house with a rickety porch stuck on the front. Except for a yellow bulb by the side door, the house was completely dark.

  “Well,” Adam said with a hint of sarcasm, “here we are. Home sweet home.”

  He pulled the keys from the ignition and started to get out of the car.

  Carter made no move to follow.

  It was obvious to her that no one was home. She wasn’t sure she wanted to be so completely alone with Adam.

  On the other hand, she was curious to see what his house was like. And she couldn’t forget that kiss—that kiss he had given her a week before.

  Would he kiss her again?

  Half of her was afraid he would—and the other half longed for it to happen again.

  He closed the car door and headed to the house. He didn’t look back. He seemed to know that she’d follow him. And she did.

  He unlocked the side door and flicked on the light. Carter found herself in a tidy kitchen.

  “We’ve got the place to ourselves,” Adam said. “Mom works nights.”

  He opened the refrigerator, grabbed a couple of sodas, and led her to the couch in the living room. He turned on a lamp and sat beside her.

  The living room was neat, but shabby. The furniture—a worn couch, a rag carpet, some scuffed wooden chairs, and a coffee table covered with white cup rings—reminded Carter of the furniture she’d made fun of in a mountain cabin her family had rented once.

  “So,” said Adam, flipping open his can of soda. “Did you get your test score yet?”

  “It was great—seven thirty. Thanks for doing such a good job, Adam.”

  “No problem.” He took a swig of soda, then put the can on the table and turned toward her. He touched her hair, then her earlobe.

  “Nice earrings,” he said. “Are they new?”

  Carter’s hands flew to her ears. She’d meant to take the diamond earrings off before this date, but she’d forgotten. She felt embarrassed to be wearing such extravagant jewelry in a modest house like Adam’s.

  “Daddy gave them to me,” she said, blushing.

  “After he heard your test score, right?”

  He fingered her earlobe, watching the diamond sparkle in the light. It seemed to fascinate him.

  Carter pulled her head away. “Let’s not talk about the test,” she said. “That’s all over now.”

  “All right. I’ll change the subject. Let’s talk about your friend Jill.”

  “What about her?”

  “She’s cool. You know my friend Ray Owens? Ray really likes her.”

  “So?” Ray Owens had five tattoos and three earrings. Unlike Adam, he wasn’t smart. As far as Carter was concerned, Jill and Ray lived on two different planets.

  “So I want you to fix them up. We’ll double— you, me, Ray, and Jill. Tomorrow night.”

  Carter gaped at him. Not only was he demanding another date with her, now he wanted to drag Jill into it too.

  Jill would never go along with it. How could Carter explain it to her?

  Still, Carter was careful when she answered him. Diplomatic.

  “Jill’s already got a boyfriend. She’s really not free to go out with other people.”

  “That’s not important,” Adam said. “Ray’s my friend. He wants to go out with Jill. You’re going to set it up. No problem, right?”

  She started to protest, but he stopped her by pressing his mouth against hers.

  She melted. It was a great kiss. But then he pressed down on her harder. She tried to get up. He wouldn’t let her. His chin brushed roughly against her cheek.

  “Stop!” she screamed. “Stop!” She jumped up, started to back away.

  He followed her, grinning, and pressed her against the wall.

  Chapter 6

  Carter struggled, trying to get away from him, trying to breathe. But he held her hard against the wall. She gave one big push against his chest.

  He smiled at her arrogantly. She was pinned. He had complete control of the situation. They both knew it.

  Then all at once he let her go.

  She moved away quickly and straightened her shirt. “Whoa. Look, Adam,” she said angrily. “You took the test for me. I appreciate it. We agreed that I’d go out with you—once. This is already our second date. I have a boyfriend. I’ve done more than I had to. Now you’ve got to leave me alone.”

  Adam’s eyes burned with anger. He began to pace the room.

  Carter felt a stab of fear. His eyes were cold with pent-up anger. He seemed capable of anything.

  “What’s your problem, Carter?” he sneered, turning on her. “Aren’t you having a good time?”

  She was really afraid of him now, afraid of doing something that might let that fury loose.

  “Listen,” she said, “if I set up this double date, will you leave me alone?”

  She could almost see the anger in his eyes fade. It had worked. His cool demeanor returned.

  “It’s worth a shot, Carter. You won’t know until you try.”

  She stood still for a minute. She didn’t know what to do next.

  “Go on,” he told her. “Call Jill now.”

  He pointed toward a table in the hallway, next to the kitchen. The phone sat on the table.

  Carter walked stiffly to the table and picked up the receiver. With a glance at Adam, she dialed Jill’s number.

  Please don’t be home, Jill, Carter prayed. If Jill wasn’t home, then maybe she wouldn’t have to do what Adam asked.

  But Jill answered the phone.

  “Hi, Jill. It’s me.”

  “Hi, Carter. Is something wrong?”

  “Wrong? Why do you ask that?”

  “Well, you’re calling kind of late.”

  Carter had no idea what time it was. She glanced at her watch. It was after eleven.

  “Sorry, Jill. I didn’t mean to call so late. Maybe I’d better call you back tomorrow.”

  Carter glanced at Adam. He was sitting on the arm of the couch, watching her. At her last words, he shook his head firmly.

  “No, it’s okay. Gary and I are just hanging out,” Jill said. “What’s up?”

  “Well, Jill,” she began, trying to sound cheerful, “Adam Messner asked if you and I would like to double tomorrow night.”

  “Double? You mean, you and Adam with me and Gary?”

  “Um, no, not with Gary. With Ray Owens.”

  “What?”

  “It might be fun, don’t you think?” Carter bluffed.

  “Hold on a minute, Carter,” She heard Jill put down the phone and tell Gary she was taking th
e call upstairs. When Jill picked up the extension, Gary hung up the downstairs phone.

  Jill spoke in a hushed voice. “Carter, what’s this all about? Adam and Ray? What about Dan? What about Gary?”

  Carter twisted the phone cord nervously around her finger. She was in a tight spot. She didn’t want to say anything to Jill that would make her suspicious. And she couldn’t say anything that would make Adam angry.

  “It’s just a date, Jill. It’s not as if we’re going to elope with them or anything.”

  “I don’t get it, Carter. Why would you want to do this?”

  “Just for fun,” Carter said brightly. She let go of the cord and started playing with the handle of the drawer in the phone table.

  “Fun? You think going out with losers is fun?”

  “Don’t say that, Jill. I mean, how well do you really know them? You’re prejudiced.”

  “I am not. I’m very open-minded.”

  “Well, if you’re so open-minded, you’ll give it a shot. Come on, Jill. As a favor?”

  Jill sighed. “I don’t believe this. All right, Carter. Since I happen to be free tomorrow night, I’ll go out with you and Adam and Ray. But I want you to know that I’m doing this for one reason, and one reason only: something’s going on with you and Adam, and I’m going to find out what it is.”

  Adam came up behind Carter. She turned toward him and gave him a nervous grin. “Great, great. I’m looking forward to it too, Jill. See you tomorrow night.”

  She hung up the phone, still fiddling with the drawer. Absently, she pulled it open.

  Adam stood behind her, peering over her shoulder as she glanced into the drawer.

  Something gleamed among the scraps of paper and pencils and tape in the drawer. Something shiny and black.

  A gun.

  Adam reached around her and picked up the pistol. She stared at him in shock.

  “Like it?” he asked her.

  She was shaking now. She was alone in a house on Fear Street with a guy who had a gun.

  “Is it yours?”

  He nodded. “You never know when you might need a gun, Carter. Who knows, even you might need one someday. Want to hold it?”

  He pushed the muzzle against her.

  She gasped and pushed the gun away. “Are you threatening me?”

  “I don’t need a gun to threaten you, Carter.” He was grinning smugly.

  Shaking, she ran into the kitchen.

  Adam didn’t try to stop her. His laughter followed her, though, loud and cruel.

  A few seconds later she was out the door and running down the street as fast as she could. She didn’t think about where she was going. She just ran.

  Fear Street. Dim yellow light fell on the street sign. Carter ran past the sign, her heart thudding.

  Got to get away. Got to get away from here!

  She saw a bus pull up to the curb. She jumped on. With a wheeze, the bus doors closed and it pulled away.

  She stumbled to a seat in the back of the bus, panting. She pressed her face against the window, watching for Adam.

  No. He hadn’t followed.

  It was late, so the bus made very few stops. The only other passengers were two old men and a middle-aged woman in a flowered dress.

  The bus wound its way through Shadyside toward North Hills. Trying to calm herself, Carter watched the town go by outside her window. The streetlights cast empty pools of yellow on the asphalt, which darkened as the bus passed them by.

  Up Park Drive. Carter got off a couple blocks from her house. She started for home.

  The street stretched dark, quiet, empty.

  Empty, except for the slow approach of a car behind her.

  First, she heard the hum of the car’s engine. Then she saw the headlights illuminate the sidewalk.

  She waited for the car to pass her. But it didn’t. It inched along, a few yards behind her, as if it were following her.

  Carter turned to look. The headlights glared in her face.

  She couldn’t see anything. She shielded her eyes from the light.

  She turned and started walking more quickly.

  The car kept a steady pace behind her.

  What’s going on? she wondered, frightened. Is it Adam?

  She tried to see who it was again. The lights were too bright.

  She began to jog. What’s going on? Why is he doing this? She began to run. The car still followed.

  It stayed right behind her, its headlights focused on her like a spotlight as she ran.

  Chapter 7

  Finally she was fumbling for the keys on the front porch of her house, then she was darting into the safety of the front hall. She slammed the door and leaned against it for a long while, waiting to catch her breath.

  She worked up the courage to peek through the side window.

  Was the car still there?

  Yes. There it was, in front of her house. Its headlights still on.

  Who is it? She still couldn’t see the make of the car.

  Carter continued to peer out the window, frozen.

  What do they want? Why was that car following me?

  A moment later the car peeled out with a squeal of tires.

  Carter hurried up to her room, her entire body trembling. Her parents were in bed.

  Carter usually turned off the hall light outside her bedroom. But she decided to leave it on. It made her feel a little safer.

  Who was in that car? It had to be Adam, she thought. The bus had taken such an indirect route to North Hills. Adam could easily have beaten her home.

  Then she remembered what had happened the first time she came home from a date with Adam: Sheila had been waiting for her.

  Could it have been Sheila in the car?

  Carter undressed and got into bed, still trembling. If only she could have seen what kind of car it was. It could have been a Mustang, she thought. It could have been Adam’s Mustang.

  I just don’t know….

  The next day she went to the club at eleven to meet Dan. She went into the locker room and changed. When she came out, she found Dan waiting for her at the snack bar.

  He was sitting at one of the white wicker tables, which was covered with magazines and catalogs of sports equipment. To her surprise, he hadn’t changed into his tennis clothes—he was still wearing jeans and a blue oxford shirt.

  She walked over to kiss him, expecting him to smile at her as usual. He didn’t smile, and he didn’t kiss her back.

  She sat across the table from him. “Why aren’t you dressed?”

  He ignored her question. “What’s going on, Carter?” he asked quietly. “Are you dumping me?”

  Carter was shocked. Where had this come from?

  “Dumping you?” she said. “Of course not! Why are you asking me that?”

  He didn’t answer her directly. Instead he asked her, “What did you do last night?”

  Her stomach knotted up. What did he know? “I went out with my parents,” she lied. “Just like I told you.”

  “I heard you went to the movies with Adam Messner.”

  She tried her best to act outraged. “That’s ridiculous. Who told you that?”

  “Ryan Dalton said he saw you there. At some horror movie. He was sitting three rows behind you.”

  “He made a mistake. I didn’t go to the movies last night. I went out to dinner with my parents. I swear I did!”

  Dan just looked at her.

  “He must have seen another girl who looked like me,” said Carter. “Ryan doesn’t even know me. And besides, Dan, why would I go out with Adam Messner?”

  She went to him and put her arms around him, to reassure him. He stiffened when she touched him and made no move to hug her back.

  I can’t believe this is happening, she thought. Why did Ryan Dalton have to be at the movies last night?

  She held him tighter, willing him to believe her. At last Dan’s expression did relax a little.

  He wants to believe me, she thought. A
ll I have to do is distract him. I’ve got to change the subject.

  She reached across the table and picked up a thick boating catalog. She started flipping through the glossy pages.

  “Hey, Dan,” she said, trying to sound cheerful. “If you could have any one of these sailboats, which would you pick?”

  She passed the catalog to him and smiled.

  He smiled back at her, a weak smile.

  It’s working, she thought. I’ve convinced him that everything’s okay. This game makes him feel as if everything is back to normal.

  He picked a graceful wooden sloop.

  “Maybe we’ll go on a cruise together someday,” Carter said. “We’ll get a boat like this and sail from island to island, just the two of us.”

  Dan said, “Someday. Maybe.”

  “Come on, let’s play tennis,” said Carter. “Go get dressed. I’ll meet you on the courts.”

  Dan went into the men’s locker room to change. Carter picked up her tennis racquet and walked down to the courts to practice her serve while she waited for him.

  When Dan arrived, they played an easy match. By the end Carter felt fairly sure that things were okay between them. When they parted at the locker rooms, he gave her a kiss and a smile.

  “Have fun with your grandparents tonight,” she called.

  He rolled his eyes and waved goodbye.

  The women’s locker room was empty. Carter opened her locker and pulled out her tennis bag.

  She heard the locker room door open and rapid footsteps move toward her. She looked up. It was Jill.

  “Hi,” said Carter, smiling.

  “Hi,” said Jill. She didn’t smile back. “I’m glad you’re here. I was hoping to talk to you before we get together tonight.”

  Carter suppressed a sigh. The date tonight. She wasn’t looking forward to it—especially after her scare last night and Dan’s accusation that morning. Also, she hated to drag Jill into the whole thing.

  But what could she do?

  The more she knew of Adam, the more ruthless he seemed to her. She knew he would tell her father that she’d cheated on the math test if she didn’t cooperate with him. She had to keep Adam from telling. She’d do almost anything.