Switched by Sienna Mercer Page A

school in fifteen minutes, and I still don’t know what I’m
supposed to talk to Brendan about.”
    “Okay,”
Olivia said, hurrying to finish applying her eyeliner. “Want to know the secret
to an awesome first date?”
    Ivy
nodded impatiently.
    “Ask
questions. Get him to talk about himself: his family, his friends, what he likes.”
Ivy thought, That’s it? and looked at Olivia skeptically.
    “It’s
all about getting to know each other,” explained Olivia. “And, if he’s really
boyfriend material, he’ll ask you some questions, too.”
    Ivy
got nervous. “What will I do if that happens?”
    “Talk.
Tell the truth. Tell him about what you like and what drives you crazy. The
only thing you might want to leave out is your brand-new, cheerleading twin
sister. That might freak him out.”
    “No
kidding,” Ivy said, rolling her eyes. “That should be the number one rule of
romance: no secret twin sister revelations until at least the third date.”
    Olivia
giggled and stuffed her clothes into Ivy’s fuzzy black backpack. “And remember,”
she said, slinging on the bag, “even if you’re not the perky fashion victim,
you could try smiling once or twice.”
    Ivy
heard a door slam upstairs. “My dad’s home.” She winced. “And I don’t think now’s
really the right time to introduce you to him. No offense.”
    “I’m
not going to tell my parents about you either,” said Olivia, “at least not
before we figure a few things out for ourselves.”
    Ivy
nodded. “We’d better sneak out the window,” she said. She led Olivia up the
staircase and threw aside the curtain.
    “This
is so secret agent.” Olivia giggled as Ivy pushed her out into the backyard.
    A
minute later, they’d reached the bottom of the driveway. “So what’s this
meeting I’m going to?” Olivia asked.
    “I’m
not completely sure,” admitted Ivy. “Sophia is constantly signing me up for
clubs and stuff. I think she didn’t want to tell me, because she knew I wouldn’t
like it.”
    They
took the shortcut through the woods behind a neighbor’s house.
    “Whatever
you do,” Ivy instructed as they marched down the leaf-covered path, “don’t look
happy to be there. No perkiness, no enthusiasm, no ‘Hi, guys!’ You do any of
that, and they’ll eat you alive.”
    “Got
it. Where’s the meeting going to be?”
    “I’m
not sure. I know it’s not at school though. It will probably just be a bunch of
”—Ivy hesitated—“Goths debating something.”
    Suddenly
Ivy started to have second thoughts. What if somebody says something that
makes Olivia suspicious? She stopped at a fork in the path. “Anyway,” she said
nervously, “don’t pay too much attention to anything anyone says. At all.”
    Olivia
looked at her in confusion.
    “You
know, b-because,” Ivy stammered, “Goths can have really strange . . . uh . . .
senses of humor.”
    “Okay,”
Olivia said, and shrugged.
    “I’m
going this way to the mall.” Ivy gestured down one path. “Keep going straight,
and you’ll end up back on the field behind school. You’re meeting Sophia by the
front doors.”
    They
hugged. “You’re going to be irresistible!” said Olivia.
    “Don’t
do anything I wouldn’t do,” Ivy answered. “Seriously.” Then she hurried off
down the path to the mall, determined not to throw up at any point during her
first date with Brendan Daniels—even on the escalator.

Chapter 6
    Bring
on the Goths! thought
Olivia.
    “You’re
late,” said Sophia, charging up with her black scarf swinging. “I’ve been out
of the photo lab for twenty minutes already. You weren’t trying to back out on
me, were you?”
    “No,”
said Olivia, making sure she didn’t bounce. “I just ran home to change. And I couldn’t
find my”—she hesitated and Sophia peered at her skeptically—“my fuzzy backpack,”
    Olivia
finished.
    Sophia’s
mouth dropped open. “You mean my fuzzy backpack that you borrowed and
never returned!”
    Oops .