That's What's Up! by Paula Chase Page B

“To my house, Liz.” She emphasized every word, hammering the story into Lizzie’s head. “Remember, we’re having a sleepover ... right? A sleepover at my crib.”
    Lizzie nodded along, trying to keep the truth separate from the lie.
    â€œSleepover, sleepover, sleepover,” she chanted under her breath. She took a seat on the carpet in her room. “Next time, you guys just kidnap me so I won’t know the truth about where we’re going. Makes it easier for me to play dumb.”
    â€œI’ll keep that in mind,” Jacinta laughed.
    Lizzie hugged her knees to her chest. “I can’t believe I’m doing this.”
    â€œLive a little, girl,” Jacinta teased.
    Lizzie rolled her eyes. “If we’re caught, I won’t be living at all.”
    â€œWe won’t get caught,” Jacinta assured her.
    To Lizzie’s surprise, Jacinta’s confidence was infectious. She made the whole plan seem so innocent and logical. “And we’re gonna surpriseMina, okay?” Jacinta said. “So don’t tell her you’re rolling down there.”
    A happy chill tap-danced down Lizzie’s spine. This was just the type of action Mina would love a piece of. She couldn’t wait to see Mina’s face when they burst into the arena Friday night.
    â€œOh my God, she’s going to freak.”
    â€œI know. Until then just chill,” Jacinta instructed. “Just plan it like a regular sleepover. Right?”
    â€œRight,” Lizzie said. She twirled a strand of hair around her fingersand let it unfurl on its own as she declared, “Man, the things we do for love.”
    Jacinta chuckled wryly. “Puh ... trust, I’ve done dumber things for it.”
    Lizzie didn’t argue. But in her mind she thought, dumber than sneaking away for the weekend without anyone knowing?
    Doubtful.

A Kink in the Plan
    â€œI feel like slapping somebody today (slap, slap).”
    â€”Ludacris, “Slap”
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    H eat rose in Jessica’s cheeks. Swallowing hard, she tried to suppressthe storm welling in her chest. Maybe she’d heard her father wrong. Her fork clattered to her plate, dinner forgotten, and she pierced her father with narrowed eyes as if it might help her comprehendbetter.
    Her father sipped from his glass, smiled and completed his announcementabout the family riding down to O.C. together. “So we’re all set.Your grandparents can’t wait to see us tomorrow.”
    â€œBut you said I could ride down with the Lintons,” Jess said. The calm in her voice belied the emotional maelstrom roiling in her chest. Only her face, set in classic Jess argument mode, hinted at the tantrum to come.
    She gazed across the table at Sara, their twin senses silently communicating.
    Sara blanched. She looked as if she wanted to duck. Instead, she sat back in her seat and moved the mashed potatoes, gravy and pork chop around on her plate as Jess demanded, “Why? Why can’t I ride down with the Lintons? You said I could.”
    She folded her arms as if to say, “this better be good.”
    Their dad, always the picture of calm in the face of her storms, smiled. His brown eyes and coffee-bean complexion were the same as Jessica’s. So were his long, lean body and strong will. He was the one match Jessica had never conquered. “Because it’s been awhile since we’ve traveled as a family,” he said calmly. “I want to spend some time with my girls before you all disappear into the crowd at the beach.”
    â€œYour dad and I miss Johnson Family Time,” their mom said. She stood beside her husband’s chair, beaming. A petite blonde, whose face was Sara’s without the rich, light-cocoa coloring, Jennifer Johnsonlooked from one of her twins to the other and her eyes began to tear. “You girls are always either gone with friends, at some activity or another, or squirreled away