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Chapter 17
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The Billionaire was Stolen by my twin sister Chapter 18
I say, “Leonid, you were wasted at the dance!”His eyes narrow. “No, I wasn’t. They did a drug test on me on the hospital. It came up positive for MDMA.Oh. My. God. “I don’t even know what MDMA is!” I cry.“It’s ecstasy. And you know that because you’re the one who put it in my drink.”“You were drunk by the time you got to Ash’s house. I saw you guys drinking out of a flask, you were drinking in the limo, you were drinking at the dance! How can you be so sure that the punch I supposedly gave you had that MD whatever in it? Because I know so many drug dealers!”At this, Leonid finally releases my arm, and I massage it even though it doesn’t hurt. I can see marks from where his fingers were. “I’m telling you, it wasn’t me.” He’s confused, he’s still angry, but I can see that he wants to believe me.Leonid’s mouth gets hard; his eyes narrow. He spits out, “Those guys you met on the beach were drug dealers! Rennie took me to their house so I could score weed for our fishing trip.”My wh
The Billionaire was Stolen by my twin sister Chapter 19
I want to push him off the bleacher. And then it occurs to me. It’s the second time he’s told me to have fun.Which is boy speak for “I’m jealous.” Leonid is jealous! Of Alex. Of me and Alex, together.It’s working. The plan is working!I pack my bag up and say, “So are we getting pancakes or not?”“I thought you had to pack,” he challenges.“I might have time for one pancake,” I say, giving him what I hope are flirty eyes.Leonid Leonid stands up, stretching. “All right. Whatever Princess Sophia wants, she gets.” But I can tell he’s happy, because he puts his hands on my shoulders and gives them a quick squeeze.Wednesday night, I’m still thinking about what Ms. Chirazo said about my college essay. Maybe I’m being stupid. I should do whatever the hell it takes to take to get into Oberlin and score some good financial aid. Ain’t no way private planes are in my future. And I don’t know why, but no matter how many beers I drink, I can’t stop thinking about Alex and Sophia jetting off to
The Billionaire was Stolen by my twin sister Chapter 20
Alex turns to me with a big grin on his face “You want to go for a walk or something? I’m not tired.”“Now?” It’s after midnight, and I’m basically in my sleeping clothes. “But we’ve got school tomorrow.” Plus, my feet kind of hurt from all the walking we did today. I’ve got two blisters coming, one on each pinkie toe. I didn’t want to wear heels, but Mom insisted because I was going to an interview. And when we were strolling around Wellesley’s campus, she leaned in and whispered, “Never, ever, ever, Sophia,” and pointed to a group of girls who were walking to class in PJ bottoms and slippers. I rolled my eyes, because yeah, right, like I would ever.“Come on, Sophia. Let’s have an adventure without any chaperones.” He groans. “This was supposed to be a trip about our futures, but I haven’t felt more like a little kid in a long time.”I laugh. I know what he means. Both our moms were completely on top of us today. They asked, like, double the questions Alex and I did on the college t
The Billionaire was Stolen by my twin sister Chapter 21
Cool, cool.” Leonid drums his fingers on my steering wheel. “So did Lindy finally man up and make his move?”My eyes go wide. Did Alex make a move on me? I mean, we did kind of hold hands. But it’s not like that’s a move move. I’m not going to tell Reeve that, though. Better he thinks Alex did. “Why? Are you jealous?”Leonid makes a “pfft” sound and looks out the window. “Is Lind jealous of our pool time?” he counters.I force a swallow. “He doesn’t know about it.” I want to tell Leonid, Please don’t say anything, but I can’t do that. Instead I think fast and say, “Does Rennie?” even though I’m sure of his answer. Because if Rennie even had a clue about us, I’d definitely know.Leonid scrunches up his forehead. “Nah. I haven’t mentioned it.”“Okay.”“Okay.”So neither of us has told anyone. Rennie and Alex don’t know. But I’m dreading the moment they do. Because this is happening. The train is on the tracks, and it’s speeding up.Leonid takes his hands off the steering wheel and lets
The Billionaire was Stolen by my twin sister Chapter 22
Selena! I need you!” It was my mom. A side effect none of us had expected was that Mom was now cranky as hell. She’d never been like that before. Everything seemed to bother her. How messy the house was getting, what Dad would make her to eat, the smells coming from Pat’s bedroom. I had always been Mom’s girl, her baby, but even I wasn’t immune. She flipped out when I put some special sweater of hers through the laundry.Honestly, I was a little afraid of her.“One sec!” I shouted upstairs. And then to Rennie I said, “Can you come over?” I hoped it was obvious in my voice. I didn’t want to be alone with my mom. I needed her.“Um . . .” I could hear her switching the phone from one ear to the other. “Actually, my mom needs my help with taking down some wallpaper. Sorry. I’ll call you later!”I was mad. I was so mad. But not at Rennie. At my mom. I blamed her for making my friend not want to come over, not Rennie for being a sucky friend. I trudged upstairs.Mom was in bed. Her eyes wer
The Billionaire was Stolen by my twin sister Chapter 23
Vehemently, I shook my head from side to side. “I don’t want to change schools.”Mom zoomed right along, fixing a bright smile on her face. “Or we can move. Your dad and I have always talked about going back to the city some day. Picture it, Sunday afternoons at the art museum, picnics at the park.”I said it louder. “I don’t want to change schools!”Dad patted my leg. There were tears in his eyes. “We want you to be happy. That’s all we want.”“And all I want is to stay at Montessori,” I said. With Leonids.Nadia and I are lying on the couch watching TV, and my mom’s on her computer working on her Thanksgiving spreadsheet. It’ll be a small Thanksgiving this year. My dad’s brother’s family is coming from New York City, and our California grandma was supposed to come, but she decided at the last minute she didn’t want to make the trip, which upset my mom. Next year, she keeps saying, we’ll go to California instead.A couple of times we’ve had Rennie and her mom over for Thanksgiving. L
The Billionaire was Stolen by my twin sister Chapter 24
As always, our class will be singing on Main Street during the Jar Island holiday tree lighting next Tuesday, which means we have a week to get these numbers in tip-top shape. So let’s dive right in!”He tinkles a few keys and we begin our standard warmups. It feels good to use my throat, to hear my voice blend into everyone else’s.Afterward Mr. Mayurnik says, “Great. Now that we’re good and warm, we need to figure out who will be singing our solos. Can all the sopranos to come to the front of the room.”I’m a soprano, so I stand up. As I squeeze through the rows, I get nervous. Instantly nervous. I do okay singing in the back of the class, but here, with everyone looking up at us, I feel my throat close up. My dad pops into my head, because he always says that I have a pretty voice. So pretty he makes me sing “Happy Birthday” twice before he’ll blow out his candles. He doesn’t even care that the cake gets covered in melted wax.But that memory doesn’t make things better. It makes me
The Billionaire was Stolen by my twin sister Chapter 25
My body goes cold. Selena and Mary were one thousand percent right.Leonid’s not a trustworthy guy, not at all. I’m so mad at myself for falling for it when I know better.Leonid doesn’t see me coming. He’s fiddling with his radio. I can hear the music as I get closer. It’s hip hop, the volume turned way up. And he’s drumming his hands on the steering wheel. Whoever he’s off to see, he’s sure pumped.I knock so hard on the glass my knuckles hurt. Leonid startles, and when he sees that it’s me, his jaw drops. He fumbles to turn the radio off and then tries to get his window to roll down.“Hey, there,” I say, all fake sweet. “So nice to see that your leg’s better.” I drop the act, let my smile go flat. “Don’t bother texting me later. Or any other day.” I walk away.I hear his truck door open and then slam shut, his feet pounding the pavement. I’m speed walking as fast as I can, but Leonid must be sprinting, even with his bum leg. I let my laptop bag fall on the ground; I don’t even care.
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The Billionaire was Stolen by my twin sister Chapter 40
I miss you,” I whisper between kisses. Then I look up at him, and my pulse quickens as I wait for him to answer.A cocky smile spreads across his face. “Course you do. You can’t get enough of me.”I stiffen. I come over here in the middle of the night against my better judgment, and he’s joking around like it’s nothing? Is everything a joke to him? I stand up straight and try to push him away, but he doesn’t let me. His voice gets serious as he says, “I miss you, too. You know I do. I . . . I just don’t know how to act. Everything’s so f**ked up.”I sigh. “I wish . . .” I stop, and Leonid pushes my hair out of my eyes.“Your hair’s wet.”“I just had a bath,” I say, and he nods.“What were you going to say?” he asks me. “What do you wish?”“I wish it didn’t have to be like this. It’s so . . . complicated.” More than Leonid even knows. “We haven’t talked about Rennie once.”He looks down at the ground. “I don’t want to talk about Rennie right now.”I’m about to say, If not now, then whe
The Billionaire was Stolen by my twin sister Chapter 39
Pat gives me the eye. “What do you think?”I shake my head. “That little pot-smoking pig! You know, he threatened to put me and Lil in jail for insulting an officer.”“Dummy. But wait. What was going on?”I sigh and turn down the heat. I don’t even know where to begin. “You remember that girl I brought to Ricky’s basement on Halloween night?”“The one who helped herself to one of my beers and then didn’t drink a damn sip?”“Oh, shut up. I gave you money for both of us. Anyway, yes. That girl. She . . . she basically disappeared.”Pat shrugs. “Not surprised. She was weird.”“She wasn’t weird.” But even as I say it, I know I’m lying. Mary was weird. I love the girl to death, but she wasn’t exactly normal.“She was too. Okay, not ‘weird’ as in ‘freaky.’ But . . . she seemed like she’d never been to a party before.”“She probably hadn’t. She’s very sheltered.”I pull two pieces of steak out of the pan and put them in Shep’s food bowl. He loves steak. But he barely sniffs them. He doesn’t
The Billionaire was Stolen by my twin sister Chapter 38
I hear Alex say, “How are you holding up?”I can hear the surprise in Leonid’s voice when he says, “I’m all right.”“Come on, man. I know how much you cared about her.” Alex pauses. “I’m still pissed at you for going after Sophia ”“That’s over.”It hurts to hear him say it, but it’s time.Then Alex says, “If you ever want to talk—I’m here for you.”There’s this long beat, and I’m holding my breath, hoping. Hoping that Leonid will let him in. Alex has always known how to talk to Leonid. His opinion is the only one Leonid has ever really cared about besides Rennie’s.Gruffly Leonid says, “I’m good. But thanks.”I let out the breath I was holding. Then I hear Alex say, “All right,” and then a few seconds later the front door opens and closes.I step out, thinking it’s Leonid who left. Only it wasn’t.Leonid looks up and sees me standing there. “Oh, hey,” he says, startled.“Hey,” I say. I busy myself picking up plastic cups.We work in silence. When we’re almost done, I hear a muffled s
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I guess so.” I don’t want to hurt Mary. That’s the last thing I want. And this thing with Leonid really is over. Maybe Kat’s right.I park in Mary’s driveway, right behind her aunt’s Volvo. It doesn’t look like anyone’s shoveled the snow; it’s melting in patches. When I get out of the car, the bottoms of my boots crunch on broken glass. Selena and I look at each other, uneasy.We go up to the front door and ring the bell, but no one answers. I have this weird feeling, like someone is watching us. It’s the prickly-back-of-the-neck feeling I get late at night when the whole house is asleep and I go downstairs to get a glass of water. I always run back to my room fast.Selena starts knocking on the door, hard.“This is creepy,” I whisper.Selena keeps knocking until her knuckles turn red. “Shit.” She presses up close to the window. “It looks like a tornado blew through there.”I press my nose up against the glass. Oh my God. The dining room chairs are knocked over; the entryway table is
The Billionaire was Stolen by my twin sister Chapter 36
I’M HIGH UP IN THE rear balcony of Holy Lady of the Sea, and it is pure agony. There aren’t enough tears in the whole wide world. My sobs echo those of the congregation below me.There is a brass urn on the white marble altar. And a sea of flowers. Roses and mums and lilies and snapdragons, a cross made of white carnations, wreaths with pink ribbons hanging down the front. So many flowers, even though it’s snowing on the other side of the stained-glass windows.I don’t know when I got here. I don’t know what day it is. I don’t know the time.An old lady takes a seat at the organ behind me and begins a sad hymn. Everyone stands up, and the preacher walks somberly down the center aisle, followed by two altar boys holding big wooden crosses. It is a struggle for my mom to keep up. I see her through my tears. Black pencil skirt, black sweater. She can barely stand. Aunt Bette supports her on one side, my father on the other.I rub my eyes and look again. It’s not my mom. It’s Ms. Holtz. S
The Billionaire was Stolen by my twin sister Chapter 34
The muscle in Leonid’s jaw twitches. Stonily he says, “If you cared that much, you would have told me that Sophia came by the day of my open house. But you didn’t. You saw how upset I was, but you said nothing.” To me he says, “Let’s go.”Desperately Rennie cries, “Wait! Wait.” She stumbles in her heels and straightens up again. “I was going to drop this bomb at midnight, but screw it.” She doesn’t take her eyes off me as she says, “Sophia drugged you at homecoming. She put something in your drink. I found a picture of her doing it!”Everything goes slow-motion for me. As I turn my head to look at Leonid , I feel like I’m underwater.Rennie is panting. Waiting for Leonid to say something. “Let me show you the photo. I’ll show you. I’m not lying, Leonid ! I’ve never lied to you.” She smirks at me. “Guess what, Sophia? Your perfect life is over. You’re going to jail, you stupid bitch.”It’s over. I’m done for. Leonid, my friends, my whole entire life is ruined.Leonid face is expression
The Billionaire was Stolen by my twin sister Chapter 33
Calmdowncalmdowncalmdown.“What’s that noise?” my mom asks.“It’s Mary,” Aunt Bette says. “I told you. She’s ready to go home.”I hear my mom say, “Bette, please. Please stop torturing me like this.”I’m still standing on the stairs, stuck in place. Something is wrong. Very wrong. Suddenly I’m afraid to go down there.“You need help, Bette,” my mom says, and she sounds like she’s crying. “I’m taking you away from here. This house is making you sick.”“No no, I’m fine, Erica,” Aunt Bette says desperately. “She wants to leave! She wants to leave with you! I’ll be better when she’s gone!”“This house is in shambles, and you’re—you’re not well,” my mom chokes out. “You can’t stay here any longer.”Aunt Bette backs up. “You can’t go without Mary. She’s going to be upset. She’s going to hurt someone.”“We’re leaving. Now.” Mom has the door open. I stare at it and force it closed. She’s shocked as the knob flies out of her hand. The door bangs shut, and the dead bolt clicks.Aunt Bette cries
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Leonid throws up his hands. “All right. I can see that I’m not wanted. Ungracious prick. I’m out.” He yells out toward the pool house, “Merry Christmas, kids! Santa’s getting his ass kicked out.” And then he stumbles off toward the gate.Nadia and a couple of Alex’s older cousins have come outside; they’re watching us from the front of the pool house with wide eyes.I take Alex’s arm. “He shouldn’t drive,” I say. “He’s drunk.”Alex doesn’t make a move; he just watches as Leonid stalks off. I push Alex in Leonid direction as hard as I can. “Hurry, Alex!”Reluctantly, Alex follows him. “Give me your keys. I’ll drive you home.”Leonid tosses his keys out onto the lawn. “Nah, I’ll walk.”“Leonid!” I call out. “Let him take you.”But he’s already halfway down the street, his black puffy coat blending into the night sky. I go looking for his keys, but it’s too dark. Alex comes back to my side and shrugs. “Give me your phone,” I say to him, and he hands it to me. I use it like a flashlight a
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I keep concentrating on cutting my lettuce into tiny pieces and dipping each one into the dressing.Derek plops down with a tray full of french fries and says, “Yo! Did you guys hear about how Mr. Dunlevy got a DUI over the weekend?”“Yeah, I heard,” Rennie says. “Coach Christy was pissed. I mean, he gets paid extra to teach us driver’s ed.”I take another bite of salad. Chew. Chew. Chew.“Sophia, weren’t you and Leonid in driver’s ed with him last year?” Alex asks. “Did he ever smell like booze?”I shrug. Leonid shrugs too. Neither of us says anything. “Huh,” Alex says, and there’s this slight edge in his voice. He’s looking at me, and then he jerks his thumb in Leonid direction. “You were so chummy-chummy at your party on Friday. And now you can barely stand to look at each other. What gives?”I almost choke on the piece of hard-boiled egg in my mouth. It tastes like dust.Lazily, Leonid says, “Sophia and I remembered that we don’t actually like each other,” and Rennie smiles a cat
