The Cheater Read online

  Carter smiled and nodded. Jill was being so nice about the whole thing. It only made Carter feel worse.

  Carter waved as Jill drove off. Then she went back into the house.

  She rinsed Jill’s glass and put it in the dishwasher. Abruptly the phone rang.

  Carter glanced at the clock. It was after midnight. Could it be some kind of emergency for her father?

  She picked up the receiver. “Hello?” A high-pitched voice whispered, “You were with Adam tonight, weren’t you? Weren’t you?”

  It was Sheila.

  Carter was too stunned to speak.

  Sheila said, “You don’t have to answer me, ’cause I know the truth. I know what’s going on between you two.”

  “Sheila, nothing’s—”

  “Don’t lie to me, Carter! I know you’re a big liar. I don’t even want to hear what you have to say. You just listen to me.

  “Adam can’t keep any secrets from me. I know everything he does. And I’ll find a way to keep you and Adam apart—for good.”

  Chapter 10

  “So, how’d it go with your grandparents on Saturday?”

  Dan and Carter were walking down the hall at Shadyside High Monday afternoon, on their way to advanced math class. Carter was dreading it.

  Dan smiled. “It was nice. Boring, but nice. It was my grandmother’s birthday. She’s seventy.”

  “Seventy. Wow.”

  “What did you do on Saturday night?”

  Carter swallowed hard. “Me? Oh, I was with Jill”

  She didn’t have time to say more than that, to her relief. They had reached their classroom.

  Dan and Carter went in. Dan sat next to Carter, and Carter sat next to Jill. Adam wasn’t in his seat.

  Jill gave her a funny sort of smile. Carter gave her one back.

  Mr. Raub closed the classroom door. A second later it opened again. Both Jill and Carter looked up. Carter saw the dread she was feeling reflected in Jill’s face.

  It was Adam. Last one in, as usual.

  He cast a smug glance toward Carter and Jill. Both girls quickly turned away. Adam loped to his seat in the back of the room.

  Carter felt Dan’s eyes on her. Had he caught Adam’s glance? Did he wonder what it meant?

  When class was over, Carter let Dan and Jill go on ahead of her. She walked slowly down the hall, sure that Adam would approach her.

  He did.

  She felt a tap on her shoulder and turned to face him. He opened his mouth to speak, but she spoke first.

  “Adam, I’ve had enough,” she said in a low voice. “Our little arrangement is over. From now on, you’re going to leave me alone. Do you understand?”

  Then, nervously, she waited for his reaction. Would he burst into a violent rage? Would he walk away?

  He stayed calm and didn’t look the least bit rattled.

  “You’re right about one thing, Carter,” he said. “Things just aren’t working out between us, are they? We do need to change our ‘relationship.’”

  Carter didn’t know what to say. Why was he acting so agreeable? What was he up to?

  “I’ve been thinking it over, Carter,” he went on. “And I don’t think we should go out again.”

  She was too wary to feel relieved. This was what she wanted—but there had to be a catch.

  “I’m glad we agree,” she said carefully.

  “You know, the little service I performed for you—I think we both know what I’m talking about. It was pretty valuable, right? I mean, most people would pay a lot of money for it. Yet you got this valuable service for free. That’s not fair, is it?”

  She said nothing.

  “I figure taking an important test like that—and getting good results—it must be worth at least a thousand dollars.”

  So that was it. He wanted money.

  She couldn’t believe it. She was angry now, and she let him know it.

  “Listen,” Carter said, trying not to speak too loudly. “You offered to take that test for me. You told me that all I’d have to do was go out with you once. I’ve done much more than that now—much more. But no matter what I do, it’s not enough. How much longer is this going on?”

  Adam casually studied the lines in his right hand. “It can stop whenever you want, Carter,” he said. “Of course, I’ll have to tell your father everything….”

  Carter’s muscles tensed.

  He had complete power over her. If she didn’t do what he wanted, he could ruin her life.

  “Look,” she said angrily, “I’ll give you the money if you promise to leave me alone!”

  “That might work,” he said. “Give it a try.”

  He walked away slowly, casually. She stared after him, burning with anger and frustration.

  Where would she get a thousand dollars? she wondered glumly as she walked to her locker.

  She pulled open her locker door and glanced into the mirror inside. There was a flash, then a sparkle.

  That was it.

  She touched a hand to her left ear. The diamond earrings. She’d have to sell them. She had no choice.

  She took the earrings off and put them in an envelope. If only she had the box with her … But this would have to do.

  After school she took a bus to the Old Village. There were some antique shops there. Carter remembered going once with her mother. Mrs. Phillips’s stepmother had died and left her some jewelry, most of it “not to my taste,” as Carter’s mother had put it. She’d taken the jewelry to a shop on Antique Row and sold it.

  Now Carter clutched the diamond earrings her father had given her and scanned the four antique shops in front of her. She tried to remember which one she’d gone to with her mother. That was the one she didn’t want to go to now. She didn’t want to take any chances that her parents would find out. And she didn’t want anyone to recognize her.

  Bentley’s was the shop her mother had gone to. Carter chose the one farthest away from it. It was called Corelli’s Antiques.

  A little bell rang as she pushed the door open. A tall old man stood leaning over a glass counter. Behind him Carter saw a wall full of antique clocks, all set to the correct time and ticking and whirring noisily.

  Carter approached the glass counter.

  “Hello, miss,” said the old man, straightening up and smiling. He had a slight Italian accent. “How may I help you?”

  Carter opened the envelope and let the diamond earrings fall into her palm. She held them out to the old man.

  “Someone gave me these earrings,” she said. “But I already have a pair like them. I was wondering how much I could get for them.”

  The old man studied her face. Does he suspect something? Carter wondered. Maybe he thinks I stole them.

  She glanced away, pretending to be fascinated by a marble statue of an angel. When she turned back to the man, he was examining the earrings through a jeweler’s loupe.

  “These earrings are of fairly high quality,” said the man. “I suppose I could give you seven hundred dollars for them.”

  Seven hundred. That wasn’t enough. And Carter knew her father had paid closer to three thousand dollars for them.

  She shook her head. “I know they’re worth a lot more than that.”

  The old man sighed. “All right,” he said. “Nine hundred.”

  “Fifteen hundred,” said Carter.

  The old man laughed quietly. “No, my dear. One thousand dollars. That is the most I will pay.”

  The man’s expression was firm. Carter knew he wouldn’t go any higher. She bit her lip.

  “All right,” she said. “One thousand dollars.”

  The old man took the earrings and slowly counted out ten hundred-dollar bills. She stuffed the money into the envelope that had once held her earrings. Carefully tucking it into her backpack, she went home.

  She spent the rest of the afternoon in her room, trying to do her homework. But she couldn’t concentrate.

  She took the envelope full of money out of
her backpack and opened it. She held the money in her hands, staring at it.

  A thousand dollars. She was holding a thousand dollars in her hands. And she was about to hand it all over to Adam.

  For what?

  For a good score on her achievement test. For helping her get into Princeton—maybe. For making her father happy. For keeping it all a secret.

  Was all that worth a thousand dollars to her?

  It was. It was worth a thousand dollars, and a lot more.

  * * *

  Her father was late coming home from work. He was usually late these days. He couldn’t leave the courthouse without being mobbed by reporters and photographers and curiosity seekers. The Henry Austin case was heating up.

  So, the Phillips family ate dinner later than usual. The judge felt that it was important for the family to have that time together. He demanded that Carter and her mother wait to eat with him.

  That night Mrs. Phillips didn’t call Carter to dinner until after eight o’clock. Carter was starving by then. She hurried downstairs to the dining room.

  Her father was already seated at the head of the table. Carter went over to him and kissed him hello. Then she took her place.

  “How’s the case going, Daddy?” she asked.

  Her father frowned. Carter noticed how lined his face was.

  “It’s going well, I suppose,” said the judge. “The prosecution’s case is very strong.”

  “All the papers say they think he’ll be convicted,” said Mrs. Phillips. “He sounds like a terrible person. I think he actually enjoys hurting people.”

  “Yes,” said the judge. “The facts that have come out of this trial are very troublesome.”

  He sighed. The stuffed fish was served, and Carter began to eat.

  “Why don’t we talk about something else,” said the judge. “How’s the Spring Fling coming along?” He turned to his wife.

  “I had a terrible time at my meeting today,” Mrs. Phillips said. “Rita Weston may have a degree in design, but she has the worst taste when it comes to floral arrangements….”

  Carter tuned out. She hated to hear her mother drone on about her committee meetings.

  She was lost in her own thoughts when she glanced up to reach for the butter and found both of her parents staring at her.

  “Carter, didn’t you hear your father?” said Mrs. Phillips. “He asked you a question.”

  “Oh. Sorry, Daddy. What is it?”

  She turned to her father, so he could see that he now had her full attention. His face was red.

  “Your earrings, Carter,” he said. “Where are your earrings?”

  Chapter 11

  Carter set down her butter knife. What was she going to tell him? Not the truth, that was sure. She had to put him off somehow.

  “Oh, Daddy,” she began, “I had such a scare today. I wore my earrings to school, like I always do. But after gym class, when I was changing in the locker room, I noticed that one of them was missing!”

  Her father paled slightly and put down his fork. He lifted his napkin and wiped his lips. Mrs. Phillips didn’t bat an eyelash.

  “Did you find it?” asked the judge.

  Carter could hardly bear the hurt on his face.

  “Don’t worry, Daddy,” she reassured him. “I did find it. I spent ages looking for it, but it turned out to be stuck in the sleeve of my sweatshirt. It must have come off while I was changing.”

  Judge Phillips was obviously relieved and started eating again.

  “But when I examined it, I saw that the back was loose. That’s why it fell off so easily. So on my way home from school I took the earrings to a jeweler to get them fixed.”

  “You should have told me first, Carter. I would have taken them back to the place where I bought them. Which jeweler did you go to?”

  Which jeweler? Carter racked her brain for the name of a jewelry store. She remembered the shop in the mall, the one with the necklaces she and Dan had checked out.

  “I took them to that place in the mall—what’s it called?—Sparkles, that’s it.”

  Judge Phillips made a face. “I wish you hadn’t done that, Carter. What kind of jeweler calls itself Sparkles? Will they do a good job there?”

  “Oh, Daddy, I’m sure it will be fine. Stop worrying.” Carter wished she felt as carefree about the whole thing as she sounded.

  “When will they be ready?” asked the judge. “I’ll pick them up for you. I don’t want you to have to pay for this. After all, those earrings were a gift.”

  “No, you don’t have to do that, Daddy. You and Mother are so busy these days. Besides, I’m at the mall all the time. I’ll pick them up. I don’t mind.”

  Nervously she watched her father, silently begging him to accept her excuses and lies.

  The more he asked her, the more she had to lie. And with each lie she dug herself a deeper hole. She wanted him to believe what she said, but every time he fell for another lie she felt more and more guilty.

  She could tell by the way he was eating, concentrating more on his food and less on her, that he was tired of talking about the earrings.

  “All right, Carter,” he said. He was focusing on his plate, picking out a fish bone. “I’ll give you the money for the repair. Let me know what it comes to.”

  “Thanks, Daddy. I will.”

  She felt even more guilty now. He was going to give her more money. But she wouldn’t turn it down. She knew she might need it—soon.

  The next morning, on her way back from gym class, Carter passed a knot of kids in front of the cafeteria. Carter recognized most of them—they were in her grade—but she didn’t know them well. They were the girls in secretarial programs, the guys in vocational, or kids who were just in the regular school track, not in honors classes like Carter.

  All except for one. Adam was standing in the center of the group. He had his arm around a skinny, pale, freckled girl with light red hair. Sheila.

  It was the first time Carter had seen them together since she’d gone out with Adam. The sight of them together was a bit of a shock. She wasn’t sure why.

  She’d always known that Sheila was Adam’s girlfriend—Sheila wouldn’t let her forget it. But somehow, she’d thought of the Adam she knew as a different person from Sheila’s boyfriend. The Adam she knew wasn’t going out with Sheila—he was going out with Carter.

  He was a brilliant boy from the wrong side of the tracks, who wanted more out of life than his friends did. A boy who lived on the edge, who had a fierce sort of charm. Someone who could teach Carter things she had never learned in her plush, protected world.

  Suddenly Carter saw that the Adam she thought she knew existed only in her mind. She’d made him up. He wasn’t real.

  This was the real Adam—the guy standing beside the cafeteria door with his shirt unbuttoned and his skinny girlfriend clinging to his chest. The guy surrounded by girls in tight jeans and purple nail polish and guys who cared more about what was under the hood of a car than what was in a girl’s mind. The real Adam had tried to scare her with a bloody heart, to threaten her, and blackmail her, using her for everything he could get.

  Now she hurried past this gang of kids, hoping Adam wouldn’t notice her. She glanced back and saw him laughing and gazing in another direction, apparently unaware of her.

  But then she noticed Sheila, standing cradled in the crook of his arm.

  Sheila was staring at her with smug hatred, her small green cat’s eyes gleaming.

  “You lose, rich girl,” her glare seemed to say.

  Carter hurried down the hall.

  After school that day Carter tucked the envelope full of hundred-dollar bills into her backpack and walked to The Corner. She knew that Adam was working that afternoon.

  Carter took a seat at the counter, and Adam immediately came over to her. “I hope you’ve got something for me,” he said.

  She didn’t answer him. She produced the envelope and slipped it over the counter to him.
<
br />   He took it, but didn’t open it.

  “It’s one thousand dollars, cash,” Carter said. “Exactly what you asked for.”

  He put the envelope in his pocket. “I’ll count it later,” he said. “But it had better all be there.”

  “It is,” Carter said firmly. “Now, I expect you to get out of my life, leave me alone, never speak to me again.”

  She stared at him, trying to intimidate him. He stared back, unwavering.

  A man at the end of the counter shouted, “Hey! Can I get a menu, please?”

  “Adam!” Carter said. “Did you hear what I said?”

  “I’ve got a customer to take care of,” Adam said. He walked away.

  Carter grabbed her backpack and hurried out.

  I’ve just given him a thousand dollars, she thought. He’s got to be satisfied with that. He’s just got to be!

  Carter didn’t see Adam after she gave him the money, except during math class. And then he ignored her, pretended he didn’t know her, just as before—before the test, the dates, before the terrible last couple of weeks.

  At the end of school on Friday Carter breathed a sigh of relief.

  It worked, she thought. Adam hasn’t bothered me for three whole days. At last, he’s out of my life. It took a thousand dollars, but I’m rid of him.

  “Gary asked me what we did last Saturday night,” Jill said. “I changed the subject, but what if he asks me again? Should I tell him the truth?”

  Jill and Carter were standing outside the library, ready to go home for the weekend. Jill had a date with Gary that night.

  “Don’t tell him,” Carter advised. “You don’t know him well enough yet. You don’t know how he’d react if you told him you went out with a guy like Ray.”

  “I hate to lie to him, though—” said Jill.

  “You don’t have to lie,” Carter said. “Just be vague. Just say you and I went to some club in the Old Village to hear a band. He doesn’t have to know more than that.”

  Dan came by. Carter flashed Jill a look that said, “Shush—no more talk about this,” and smiled at him.