you really want me to be responsible for letting out the werewolf secret to the world?’
Justin groaned. ‘You know I don’t. But –’
‘I’ve done it for you,’ Daniel said. ‘Remember your first football game?’
Daniel had saved Justin’s butt by taking his place during the first game of the season. ‘Fine,’ he said. ‘But we’ll have to swap shirts. Riley might be distracted by all her planning, but even she’d notice if “I” came back wearing In Sheep’s Clothing merchandise!’
Daniel hesitated. ‘But . . . this is “limited edition”.’
Justin stepped forward and started tugging at his brother’s collar. ‘Of course it is – you’ve only made one.’
By the time he sat down in Justin and Riley’s booth, Daniel was already feeling better. His skin wasn’t itching, his nails weren’t growing, his ears hadn’t changed shape and his teeth weren’t tingling. He was totally, completely relaxed . . .
. . . or, at least, he was until Riley looked up from the list in her hands, biting her lip. ‘Justin?’
Daniel said nothing.
Riley blinked at him. ‘Justin?’
A voice in his head roared: You’re not ‘Daniel’ any more, doofus!
‘Yeah?’ he blurted. ‘I am Justin.’
Riley frowned, her eyes narrowing for just a moment, before she shook her head. ‘Do you think your brother would freak if I suggested that our band audition to play at Homecoming?’
‘What?!’ Daniel felt his jaw drop. ‘In Sheep’s Clothing ?’ He had started the band that summer, and Riley – preppy, upbeat Riley – had shocked everyone when she won the audition to be their lead singer.
‘Yeah,’ she said. ‘Unless we started another band as a side-project? I mean, that does sound like me, but I think I’d have remembered.’
Daniel shook his head in disbelief. ‘You want us – I mean, them – to play at Homecoming? Seriously? ’
She nodded. Daniel felt his head whirl with horror.
Be Justin! he ordered himself. Be Justin!
Justin would never yell ‘No way! ’ to that question. Justin probably wouldn’t question anything that made Riley happy, even if what made Riley happy was volunteering the band to play at a barn dance.
Daniel tried to smile like Justin. That shouldn’t be hard, he thought, considering we have the exact same face. Still, even he could hear the strain in his voice as he answered. ‘You can always ask him,’ he said. ‘But I have to warn you, Daniel has some . . . opinions on mainstream school stuff like Homecoming.’
‘Opinions, hmm?’ Riley tapped her pen against her lips. ‘Well, I’m sure I can talk him into it. I’ll prepare some really good arguments.’
Daniel clamped his jaw shut to hold back the howl of protest that wanted to escape. Desperately, he looked down at Justin’s plate for a distraction. It was empty.
Argh. He’d been so nervous with Debi, he hadn’t had even a single bite of his own meal. He was starving! But if he ordered more food, that might make Riley think Justin was weird. Daniel couldn’t let that happen.
It was only when Riley cleared her throat that he realised just how long he’d been staring at the empty plate. Uh-oh.
‘Justin?’ Riley shook her head, her eyebrows scrunched with worry. ‘Are you still hungry?’
‘Nope,’ Daniel muttered. Then his stomach rumbled so loudly, he had to speak just to cover it up. ‘I’m fine! Totally normal appetite. Really.’
‘Ohh-kay,’ Riley said. ‘If you say so.’
‘Totally.’ Daniel forced a smile. Distract! Distract! ‘So,’ he said, pointing at the list in her hands. ‘Do you have your eye on any committees in particular?’
Riley stared at him. ‘I just told you five minutes ago – I’m applying for the Homecoming Game and Dance organisation jobs. Remember?’
‘Oh!’ Daniel winced. ‘Right.’
Riley looked hurt. ‘Weren’t you listening?’
‘Of course I was!’ Maybe I should have asked Justin to prep me before I took over for him. ‘But why don’t you remind me what you’ve got planned so far?’
It was a fool-proof way to get Riley started. As she launched into the mile-a-minute description of her plans, Daniel tuned out, leaning back against the wall of the booth.
Now let’s see how Justin’s me-impersonation is doing.
Opening up his senses, he tuned in his werewolf-sharp hearing to the voices coming out of Debi and Justin’s booth.
Debi’s voice was as sweet as always, but for some reason, it was starting to sound a little desperate. ‘So, did you even like the movie?’
There was a long silence. Then Justin said, his tone as bleak as if he were at a funeral: ‘. . . Yeah.’
Yeah? Daniel winced. Is that really all you can think of?
Debi’s voice was definitely sounding strained now. ‘What about the movie theatre? I think the new screens are great, don’t you?’
Another long silence felt like torture against Daniel’s ears. Finally – finally! – he heard his brother say, ‘Well. They don’t . . . really . . . rock, do you know what I mean?’
Daniel cringed and sank lower in his seat. Nobody in the world would know what you mean!
Justin probably thought he was sounding artistic and soulful. But he was actually sounding like the most depressed person on earth! I don’t talk like that, Daniel thought. Do I?
‘Justin?’ Riley’s voice snapped him out of his agony.
‘Yeah . . . I am Justin.’ Daniel looked up to find her looking worried.
‘You don’t like that idea?’ she asked.
‘Ah . . .’ Desperately, Daniel tried to remember what she’d just said. He’d been so busy listening to Justin and Debi, he hadn’t heard a word.
Groaning silently, Daniel admitted the truth to himself: He was just no good at dates . . . even the ones that weren’t his own!
How had he ever thought that he could date Debi?
On
