The Cheater by R.L. Stine Page A

of the other car—just for a second.
    It shifted to the right side of her car now. With a loud crash, it rammed into her.
    â€œNo!”
    It was jolting her into the other lane. Into the oncoming traffic.
    Carter gasped as she saw headlights ahead. Another car was roaring toward her.
    The car behind her kept pushing, pushing, pushing her to the left, into the other lane.
    â€œI-I’m losing control!”
    The car began to slide.
    Desperately she struggled to straighten the wheel.
    Too late!
    She screamed—closed her eyes—and waited for the crash.

Chapter 12

    W ith a heart-stopping jolt, her body slammed forward against the seat belt, then bounced back into the seat.
    It took Carter a second to realize that she had stopped her car. She dropped her head on the steering wheel and shut her eyes, panting, waiting for her heart to stop racing.
    When she opened her eyes, she saw out the side window that the oncoming car had swerved and come to a stop on the far side of the road. The other car—the one chasing her—must have sped away.
    She heard a car door slam. Then she heard footsteps crossing the road toward her.
    She lifted her head.
    It was a man—a good-looking man in his thirties. He tapped on her window. She rolled it down.
    â€œAre you all right?” he asked, squinting down at her.
    Carter nodded. “I-I’m very sorry,” she stammered. “The car behind me—it was driving too close.”
    The man frowned. “You’d better report that to the police.”
    â€œI will,” she lied.
    â€œWhat about your car? Is it okay?”
    â€œI think so,” Carter replied shakily. “Anyway, I think it will get me home. I live nearby.” Then she asked, “What about you? Were
you
hurt?”
    â€œNo, I’m fine. Why don’t you try to start the car, see how it works.”
    Carter nodded. She sat still for a minute, staring at the dashboard, still trying to catch her breath. Luckily for her, the car had ended up in a thick hedge beside the road and not wrapped around a tree or telephone pole.
    She started up the car and slowly backed out of the bushes. “It seems fine,” she told the man. “Thanks for your help.”
    He waved and went back to his car, shaking his head.
    She drove home carefully, one eye on her rearview mirror, afraid that the other car would appear again. It didn’t.
    But when she pulled into her driveway, her headlights rolled over someone standing beside the garage, waiting for her.
    Adam.
    She parked the car and got out, slamming the door behind her.
    â€œIt
was
you!” she cried. She was furious. “I knew it! What were you trying to do, kill me?”
    â€œHuh?” Adam acted confused. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. I don’t want to kill you. No way.”
    â€œThen why were you chasing me?” Carter screamed. “Why were you—”
    â€œI’ve been here, waiting for you,” he interrupted. “I need more money.”
    She glared at him angrily, her chest heaving.
    Was he telling the truth? Was it someone else chasing her?
    â€œI don’t have any more money,” she said. “I just gave you a thousand dollars! That’s all the money I had!”
    â€œYou can get more, Carter. Think about it. You’ve got lots of valuable things.”
    He gestured toward her luxurious house. “That place must be full of stuff you could sell. I bet there are plenty of things you could take that your parents wouldn’t even miss.”
    â€œYou’re crazy!” Carter cried. “I can’t steal from my parents.”
    â€œWhy not?” Adam said coolly, grabbing her arm. “You’ve cheated on a test. You lied to your father and your boyfriend. I think you can handle stealing.”
    Her face burned. He let her arm drop.
    â€œYou’ve got until tomorrow night,” he told her. “Bring another thousand to