Temptation by R.L. Stine

for years.”
    â€œAnswer my question,” he insisted, not backing away, not giving her room to move. “Why were you spying on me? Why did you do that?”
    â€œCalm down and we can talk,” Jessica said, holding her ground. She straightened the hem of her dark sundress, then started to button the cardigan sweater she wore on top of it.
    â€œI’m not going to calm down,” Gabri said heatedly. “Answer me!”
    â€œAll right, all right,” she replied, rolling her eyes. “You weren’t playing by the rules.”
    â€œHuh?” Some of the fury drained from his eyes, replaced by bewilderment.
    â€œYou can’t just attack that girl,” Jessica said, shaking her head, her mane of red hair bobbing behind her. “You have to make her desire you first.”
    â€œAre you crazy?” Gabri cried, his dark features distorted by his anger. “She liked me.”
    â€œI saw what you were doing,” Jessica insisted. “She wasn’t even looking at you. You can’t do that, Gabri. That’s not our bet.”
    Gabri raised his face to the sky and let loose an animal cry of rage. When he stopped, he seemed a little calmer. “I should’ve let you strangle in her hair,” he muttered.
    She laughed, a dry, humorless laugh.
    â€œStop laughing at me,” he snapped. “You think you’re so funny.”
    â€œYes,” she agreed smugly. “I do.”
    He pointed at her, his eyes narrowing. “I’m warning you, Jessica. Two can play dirty at this game. Laugh all you want, I can play just as dirty as you. You’d better watch out.”
    Jessica yawned loudly. “You don’t scare me, Gabri.”
    â€œYou’d better watch out,” he repeated, starting to spin himself back to bat form.
    It’s those two teenagers who had better watch out, Jessica thought, smiling as she thought about Todd, about the nectar, about how easily she was going to win this bet, and how much she was going to enjoy winning it.
    A few seconds later two bats floated up from the rock cliff,circled the dark sky briefly, dipping low over the wildly leaping waves. Then hissing angrily at each other, their glowing red eyes met, locked in challenge. Then they soared off, swallowed up by the heavy clouds, retreating to their lairs to wait, to plan, to dream of how they would soon quench their relentless thirst.

CHAPTER 9 A QUICK BITE IN TOWN
    â€œHow’s the ocean?” Mr. Daniels asked, padding to the kitchen counter in the baggy bathing suit he always wore around the house. Sleepily he poured himself another cup of coffee.
    Matt had gotten up early, before eight o’clock, and feeling energetic, he had slipped out of the house without waking his parents and taken a long walk along the beach. “It’s wild,” he told his father, pulling open the refrigerator door and removing a carton of orange juice.
    â€œVery descriptive,” Mr. Daniels said sarcastically, standing at the counter, sipping coffee, staring out the kitchen window at the orange sun in the clear sky.
    â€œNo. I mean, the waves are wild. Very high. Coming in at different angles,” Matt said.
    â€œDon’t drink from the carton,” his father scolded. “Get yourself a glass.”
    â€œI only wanted a sip,” Matt told him, returning the cartonto the fridge, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. “Did Todd call?”
    Mr. Daniels glanced up at the kitchen clock before replying. Nine-thirty. “No.”
    â€œI was supposed to meet him last night, but we never hooked up.”
    â€œHe didn’t call,” Mr. Daniels said, yawning. “You want to play some tennis today?”
    â€œMaybe later,” Matt replied. “I want to go bodysurfing this morning. It should be awesome with the waves so wild.” He walked over to the wall phone and picked up the receiver.
    â€œWho are you calling?” his