"Replica03 - Another Amy - Kaye, Marilyn" - читать интересную книгу автора (Kaye Marilyn)

"Did you tell him about the actress?"
"No, the only time I saw him was at the dinner table, and I couldn't bring it up in front of my parents."
"Did he say anything about yesterday?" Amy pressed. "Is he still mad at me?"
"I don't know! Like I said, I didn't talk to him. For crying out loud, stop worrying, it's only Eric."
He might have been "only Eric" to Tasha, but Amy saw him from a different perspective. Tasha just didn't get it. Amy wasn't going to fret about Eric now, though. She was too excited, and she couldn't wait to get to school.
"Slow down!" Tasha exclaimed. "Some of us are just ordinary human beings, you know. Hey, have you thought about what's going to happen when other kids at Parkside see the actress? They're bound to notice how much you two look alike. What are you going to say?"
"First of all, I'll bet some of them won't even see a resemblance," Amy replied. "Hair color can make a big difference in a person's appearance. And if they do notice, well, I'll just say that everyone is supposed to have a twin somewhere."
They weren't the first people to arrive at school. The teachers were already there, and so were students who'd come to use the library before homeroom. Still, there were no kids hanging out in front of the building. And the mobile home was in the same place it had been the day before.
Amy and Tasha approached it with trepidation. If the same guard was on duty, they were going to have a rough time convincing him to let them see the actress.
But he wasn't there. There were no guards at all in front of the mobile home. Amy was amazed at her luck. This was almost too good to be true. She adjusted her headband and tried to tuck her T-shirt into her jeans more neatly.
"How do I look?" she asked anxiously.
Tasha rolled her eyes. Amy laughed nervously and knocked on the mobile home's door.
No answer. Amy knocked again. Then she pressed her ear against the door.
"Hear anything?" Tasha asked.
Amy shook her head. "No one's in there. Where could she be so early?"
"Amy, I don't think she actually lives in that trailer. I went on a Hollywood studio tour once, and there were trailers like this all over the place. Our guide said the actors hang out in them while they're waiting to be called onto the set."
"Oh, well, I'm glad I didn't wake her up," Amy said. "That could definitely get things off on the wrong foot. She'll show up eventually. I just hope it's before the bell."
"Something's going on," Tasha said. "Look, they're bringing equipment into the gym entrance. Ooh, I hope that means we won't have phys ed today."
Amy watched as men in jeans dragged huge cameras and lights into the building. Then her gaze was drawn to a small plate next to the mobile home's door. "Tasha, look!"
A name was spelled out in gold letters. "Aimee Evans," Tasha read, pronouncing it "Aye-may."
"No, I'm sure it's pronounced Amy,' it's just spelled in a fancy way," Amy said. "Oh, Tasha, she is my clone, she has to be! This couldn't be a coincidence!"
Tasha looked at her watch. "It's only ten minutes till the bell."
They didn't have to wait that long. A car pulled up in front of the school, and two men jumped out. One of them was the guard from yesterday, and when he saw the girls in front of the mobile home, he wasn't pleased.
"What are you two doing here?" he demanded.
"I have to talk to Aimee Evans," Amy told him.
"Forget it," he barked. "Get out of here."
"Please," she begged, "it's important."
He shook his head. "Sorry, kid. Just because you look like her doesn't mean you're going to be her best friend."
"No kidding," Tasha said stoutly.
He ignored her. "Look, don't make trouble, okay? Aimee Evans doesn't want to see you."
"How can you be so sure?"
"Because I was here yesterday!"
"She could have changed her mind."
"Franklin, what's going on over here?" The gray-haired man they'd seen previously was coming toward them. When he saw Amy, he gasped in horror. "What did you do to your hair?" he practically shrieked.
"Take it easy, Mr. Hardy," the guard said. "This isn't Aimee Evans. She's some kid from the school who looks like her."
Mr. Hardy was dearly relieved, but he was still frowning. "Aimee isn't going to like that."
"She doesn't like it already," Franklin told him. "These girls were here yesterday, and Aimee threw a fit."
"What else is new?" Mr. Hardy muttered. He turned to look at the school. "Students have to be kept out of the way. I'm going to talk to the principal right now." He started in that direction.
Tasha ran after him. "Mr. Hardy, wait, I'm a reporter. I have a press cardЧlook," she called as she tried to open her bag. The contents poured out onto the cement. Mr. Hardy didn't even look back.
Amy helped her gather her stuff, and the guard helped too, but he wasn't any more cordial than he'd been before. "I don't want to see either of you kids around here again, do you hear me?"
"Oh, this is great, just great," Tasha moaned. "I won't be able to write about the movie, and now we're going to be reported to the principal."
"Don't worry, he doesn't know our names," Amy said. Her thoughts were in a jumble. This wasn't turning out as she had planned. She was going to have to come up with another way to make contact with Aimee.
The girls separated to go to their homerooms. Amy found her homeroom class in a state of excitementЧhalf a dozen girls were gathered around Jeanine, giggling like hyenas.
Linda Riviera was semihysterical. "Jeanine, are you serious? Is this for real? We're going to be in the movie?"
"Maybe, "Jeanine said. "You have to be chosen. And it won't be a real part, of course. They just need extras."
"Extra what?" Amy asked, joining the group. She knew she was doing exactly what Jeanine wanted her to do, acknowledging that the girl had information Amy didn't. Still, she was curious enough to give her rival a thrill.
"The director is looking for people to be in the background for some scenes," Jeanine informed her importantly. "They want kids who look like ordinary students."
"So we'll be perfect," Linda said.
"Some of you will be perfect," Jeanine corrected her. Her eyes swept over Amy. "I'm sure they only want kids who look halfway decent."
Amy tried not to smile. Apparently, Jeanine had not yet seen the star. "Don't worry, Jeanine, I'm not going to compete with you. I have no desire to be an extra."