played on the junior varsity teams in both football and basketball, but were not good enough to warrant a rabid fan base or even a mention in the school newspaper or during the pep rallies. Their good looks prevented them from being teased about unrelenting acne or frightening monobrows but, when compared to the freakishly beautiful Stepford kids at Sebastian High, were not enough to bless them with a second glance from any of the popular cheerleaders.
They were just … enough. Nothing more and nothing less. But after their visit to Texas A&M the previous weekend, and with Chris’ edgy new look, they’d decided to change that. And so, careful planning of the pool party and its invitees was paramount. Their first draft of the guest list included twenty five hot and popular guys and two more-than-slightly overweight girls, one of whom wore braces. The twins had become quick friends with the girls at a pep rally. But upon second examination of the list, they’d realized that it was skewed, and that they had zero hope of getting any hot guys, let alone a couple dozen, to show up to a party that only included other hot guys and a couple of fat chicks.
So they sat down again, crossed off all of the hot jocks that they figured had little chance of showing up anyway, and changed their strategy. There were a few guys on the JV football team that would be moving into varsity next year, and with whom they’d developed a friendly comradery, if not best friendships. The twins were pretty sure they’d show up for the party, and even bring a few more friends with them—exactly what the brothers wanted. With the addition of a couple of the less popular cheerleaders and a few of the student council leaders, who never passed up an opportunity to “network” and be viewed as popular, the list was complete and ready to be put into action.
“Where the hell are Fred and Barney, anyway?” Cole asked as he looked around nervously. “Melissa’s gonna be coming out of her yearbook meeting any minute now, and the whole plan hinges on this.”
“Don’t worry, bro,” Chris said as he looked around the busy hallway. “They’ll be here. They’re so fucking predictable, it’s sad. As soon as that door opens and she walks out, their little cavemen sniffers will pick up her scent, and they’ll be falling all over themselves to get at her.”
Cole laughed. “How did we ever start calling them Fred and Barney, anyway?”
“I dunno. Who cares, at this point? The way they grunt and snort every time they score a touchdown, it’s disgusting. And I swear they drag their knuckles on the floor whenever they walk down the hall past a pretty girl. Watch when they round the corner, I’m telling you. They’re fucking cavemen. Tyler and Dylan just don’t fit them very well. Fred and Barney are much better.”
The door to Room 213 opened up and several kids exploded into the hallways. The brothers looked around at the chaos around them. Inside the room, they could hear Melissa’s voice laughing and talking with a couple of other students and the yearbook advisor, and then she said she’d see the teacher tomorrow.
“Three … two … one …” Chris said, as he tapped Cole on the shoulder.
Melissa Robinson stepped into the hall just as Tyler and Dylan rounded the corner, huge smiles stretching across their faces. The jocks were two of the most popular guys in school, and everyone gravitated toward them as if they were a giant black hole in deep space. They were stunningly beautiful, with movie star good looks. In fact, a couple of talent scouts had approached them with interest. But the jocks were too immature for any kind of serious work, and they couldn’t memorize a line or sound believable when reading for auditions, and so that opportunity never took them anywhere. It didn’t seem to faze the boys; they were perfectly content being stars of their school’s sports teams and the object of adoration of just about everyone at Bradley Sebastian High School.
“Let’s go,” Chris said, and he and Cole moved forward in perfect synchronization toward Melissa.
“Hey, Melissa,” Cole said, as they approached her.
“Hi, Cole,” the pretty blond said sweetly as she smiled.
It didn’t surprise Cole that she remembered his name. She was one of the most popular kids in school. But she was also smart as hell, and genuinely nice. She probably could name just about every kid in school and tell you something special about each one.
“You’ve met my brother Chris, right?” he said as he looked around to watch Tyler and Dylan. The jocks simultaneously got a very confused look on their faces, and they slowed their gait as they continued walking toward Melissa.
“Oh, my God, Chris,” Melissa said as she turned him around to get a better look at his hair from every side. “Is that really you?”
“Yeah.” Chris laughed. “I was having a midlife crisis.”
“At eighteen?”
“Yup. The men in my family don’t live real long, so I figured I’d better take advantage of the moment for crisis before it passed me by.”
Melissa laughed out loud, but naturally, causing everyone in the hall to look their way.
“Hey, Melissa, we’re having a pool party at our house this weekend, and would love it if you could come,” Cole said a little louder than he would normally speak. “We heard you’re heading to Harvard in the fall, and well, we’re kinda staying local, so it’d be great if you could come to the party and celebrate the past four years with us and get pumped for your move out East.”
“Awww,” Melissa said with an award-winning smile. “That’s so sweet. Of course, I’ll come,” she said as took one of the flyers and read it. “I have another party to go to later Saturday night, but I can stop by for your pool party for a couple of hours earlier in the afternoon.”
Cole knew she’d say yes. She was one of those people who somehow always seemed to find enough time and energy to not only make an appearance at almost every event going on, but also make people feel like they were important to her and that they had her undivided attention. She was key to the twins’ plan, and though not surprised, he was glad when she said yes, especially within earshot of Tyler and Dylan.
Chris had been watching the two cavemen since they rounded the corner, and smiled when he saw them stop only a few feet away, pretending to tie their shoes as they listened closely to the conversation.
“Great!” Cole said loudly. “We’ll see you Saturday.”
“You guys are so sweet,” Melissa said, and kissed them both on the cheeks. “And you,” she said to Chris, “look very hot with that midlife crisis thing going on there.” She winked at him, and walked away to join her friends down the hall.
The twins turned around and walked in the other direction, passing Tyler and Dylan as they continued down the hall. They took ten steps, and then turned around just in time to see the jocks pull an invitation from a wastebasket a few doors down from where they’d just been standing.
“I get Fred,” Cole said with a grin. “I’ve always wanted a little girl named Pebbles.”
Their parents would have been so proud.
The party started out a little slow, but an hour after its advertised start time it was out of control. The first police visit was only half an hour later, and that knock on the door was accompanied only by a very weak suggestion that the boys lower the music and maybe slow down on the drinking to make sure it all lasted the entire afternoon. And a wink. The cops were old friends of the boys’ parents, and seemed almost excited that the twins were getting into a little trouble.
Cole and Chris weren’t sure what to expect as far as the number of people showing up. They’d passed out thirty invitations, but saw several in the wastebaskets at the high school the same day they handed them out. They’d have been happy with a dozen or so kids there, as long as Fred and Barney were among them. They knew there wasn’t a chance in hell the two jocks would show up if invited; instead they’d have made a public display of laughing and teasing the twins. So, they’d been intentional in not inviting them, but making sure they overheard their conversation with Melissa. There was no way the cavemen would not show