"Bennett, Cherie - Sunset Island 011 - Sunset Paradise" - читать интересную книгу автора (Bennett Cherie)

Sam laughed. "Somehow I think that if I
get the chance to tour with Graham Perry, I'll get over my deep sadness at leaving the monsters behind." She waved at her friends. "I'm outta here!"
Sam's mind wandered as she drove back to the Jacobses' house. She really did feel good about her life, and she didn't particularly want to go back to college. And yet sometimes she wondered whether she was missing some essential experience and would end up sorry years from now. That was what her parents always said, and maybe they were right. . . . Fat chance, Sam told herself. She stopped at a light and peered out through the windshield at the pouring rain. I'm more a make-things-happen-now kind of babe. My parents are totally wrong.
"Becky! Allie!" Sam called when she ran into the house. She shook the droplets of water off herself and sorted through the mail sitting on the hall table. She saw Susan Briarly's familiar stationery, the envelope addressed to her in Susan's girlish, slanted handwriting. This i& the second time she's written me back before I've written to her, Sam realized. So sue me. I'm a terrible correspondent. She pocketed the letter and went in search of the twins. She found them
in the den, listening intently to some music through a dual set of headphones.
"Hi there," Sam said, pulling one headphone off Becky's ear. She knew it was BeckyЧAllie had cut her hair a while back, when she had wanted the world to see that she and her identical twin were two different people.
"Hey, I'm trying to concentrate here!" Becky snapped, and put the headphones back in place.
"Fine," Sam muttered, though she knew neither girl could hear her. She picked up the copy of Rock On magazine that was sitting on the coffee table and plopped down on the couch to read.
Some time later, after Sam had read an article about a new female rap group and an expose' on the secret life of Janet Jackson, the twins pulled off their headphones.
"I think Jim Morrison was God," Becky said solemnly.
"No lie," Allie agreed.
"You were listening to an old Doors tape?" Sam asked.
"Yeah, the greatest-hits one," Allie said. "Our band is going to cover some of their tunes."
"Done the Zit People way, of course," Becky added.
"Of course," Sam agreed seriously.
Lord Whitehead and the Zit People was the band Becky and Allie sangЧor rather chantedЧbackup for. The leader of the band was thirteen-year-old lan Templeton, Graham's son. lan had invented something he called industrial music. He and his friends banged on household appliances while a tape of famous rock music played. Then they chanted rhythmically along with the chorus of the tune. Sam had heard them play, and as awful as the music sounded, the band was actually getting kind of good, in a bizarre sort of way.
"We're going to do 'Light My Fire,'" Becky said. "lan says it can be a political statement about the apathy of youth in an over-industrialized society. We're going to set fire to a microwave while we all chant 'Light my fire, light my fire, light my fire."'
"Uh-huh," Sam said, trying to keep a straight face. "Let's just hope that wherever you're performing has fire insurance."
"Oh, very amusing," Allie scoffed.
"We're totally on the cutting edge of music," Becky told Sam, "which is more than I can say for the Flirts."
Sam rolled her eyes. She'd told them they were too young to be backups for the Flirts, and so ever since they'd joined lan's band,
they'd been extremely competitive with her.
"We're not trying to be on the cutting edge," Sam said. "We're just trying to be good."
"Well, we'll give you our professional critique after we hear you tonight," Becky said loftily.
"Now there's something to look forward to," Sam said under her breath as she got off the couch. "You two want to eat something before we go shopping?" she asked them.
"We made a pizza," Allie informed her. "There's a piece left on the kitchen table, if you want it."
Sam walked into the kitchen, which looked as if a hurricane had hit it. There were shreds of mozzarella cheese on the counter and on the floor. Mushrooms, onions, and peppers had been left out on the counter. Some pepperoni had been ground into the floor under someone's heel. Two dirty dishes sat on the kitchen table, with, as promised, one lonely, congealed-looking slice of pizza left on a cookie sheet.
Sam swore softly and popped the slice of pizza in the microwave. Then she strode purposefully back into the den. "You left the kitchen a mess," she said in a level voice, fighting the urge to scream at them.
"Oh, yeah," Becky said laconically.
"We got involved in our music," Allie added.
"Well, now that you're uninvolved, would you please clean up?" Sam asked.
"You can do it," Becky said casually, looking through some tapes.
"I could, but I'm not going to," Sam told her. She stood there waiting patiently while the twins purposely ignored her.
Sam sighed heavily. Why did Becky and Allie have to make it so difficult? They could be such angels at times, but at other times they more than earned Sam's nickname for themЧthe monsters.
"Look, let me make myself clear," Sam said. "Either you two go clean up the kitchen or I'm not taking you shopping and you're not coming to the Play Cafe tonight to hear the Flirts."
That got their attention.
"Who are you supposed to be, our mother?" Allie asked.
"Yeah, since when do you get to make the rules?" Becky put in.
"I'm not the servant in this house, and I'm not cleaning up after you," Sam snapped. She turned on her heel and marched back into the kitchen just as the buzzer went off on the microwave. Hey, that's the first time I ever gave the twins an ultimatum, without
checking with their father first, Sam realized as she slid the pizza out of the microwave. For a moment she wondered if she'd overstepped her bounds. She might not be a servant, but she was, after all, an employee. The next thing she knew, though, the twins were in the kitchen, silently cleaning up. It worked! Sam thought exultantly, nibbling at her slice of pizza. It actually worked! She was careful to keep her face expressionless, lest the twins know how triumphant she felt. Maybe Emma wasn't the only one who was good with kids!
Two hours later, Becky, Allie, and Sam pushed open the front door to the Cheap Boutique, the hippest place on the island to buy clothes. "Light My Fire" was blaring through the sound system.
"It's like some kind of sign!" Becky marveled before she and her sister ran to the back of the store, where the wilder clothes were displayed.
"Hey, Sam!" a friendly voice called.
Sam turned around to see Darcy Laken, a girl she'd met through Emma. Darcy was as tall as Sam, but had a fuller build. She looked athletic and strong, which is exactly what she was. She also had long black hair to die for, and startlingly lovely violet eyes.
Sam noted her white jeans and the violet tank top that emphasized her remarkable eye color.
"Hi, Darcy," Sam said happily, pleased to see her.
It was funny, really, because at first she hadn't liked Darcy very much at all. Darcy was very directЧoutspoken, evenЧand it had taken Sam by surprise. Maybe she just reminded me too much of myself, Sam mused. Anyway, she'd come to see that Darcy was a genuine, loyal friend with a great sense of humor. On top of that, she was slightly psychic, which added an element of mystery and glamor to her that Sam simply couldn't resist.
"Is this one of those shop-till-you-drop days?" Darcy teased.
"For the twins, maybe," Sam said. "I'm supposed to be on something called aЧyuckЧ budget."
"Tell me about it." Darcy laughed. "The last time I bought myself anything was for my high school graduation, and even then it was on sale!"