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  Tyson and Tom Davis know they should be doing something with their time other than playing video games, but their two older brothers aren’t home, and they have to take advantage of the easy access. Their mother wishes they would put more effort into studying, but she has accepted that her twins will never be brain surgeons. They have other gifts, like their gentle, good natures and the way they get joy out of life’s simpler pleasures.

  When the doorbell rings they call their mom, but she’s on the phone and tells them to answer it. Tom reluctantly puts down his joystick and picks up the half-eaten ice pop he had set aside. He opens the door without looking outside first, which he knows he’s not supposed to do, but he wants to get back to the game. He is surprised to see Josie Taylor, a girl from school, standing on his front step like it’s the most natural thing in the world for her to be doing. She starts talking, but Tom can’t seem to focus on her words. He sees Zoey and Megan by the minivan. They scare him a little. They’re always telling secrets and giggling.

  Tyson wonders what is keeping Tom and bets it’s a Girl Scout selling cookies. Last year Tom completely forgot to order the Thin Mints, and there is no way Tyson’s going to let that happen again. He hurries to the door. To his surprise, there is no Girl Scout. He eagerly agrees to Josie’s proposal. Hanging out with four girls for the afternoon beats playing video games with his brother hands down. Plus it’s a nice, warm day and it will be good to be outside.

  5:10 P.M.– 6:45 P.M.

  Chapter 9A: Josie

  “Where are we headed?” Tyson asks as we pull away from their house.

  “To Celebration,” Zoey replies. Then she leans forward and tells Katy and me, “The deli on Celebration Avenue has free papers by the door. I’ll run in when we get there. Fifty minutes left!”

  I drive a bit too fast into Celebration, which luckily is only two exits off the 417 from the boys’ house. As soon as I pass the sign welcoming us to Celebration, I feel like I’ve left Orlando and entered small-town America. The Disney Company built it to feel that way. The houses are done in a Victorian-meets-the-Old-South style with big wraparound porches and white picket fences. The whole town is really clean and uncluttered. I feel instantly calmer whenever I come here. I pull up in front of the deli so I don’t have to find a parking space, and Zoey jumps out. A minute later she’s back, empty-handed.

  I lean out my window. “What happened?”

  “They’re all out,” she says dejectedly. “The guy said a group of girls came in and took the whole pile.”

  “Oh, that’s just not playing fair,” Megan says, hopping out of the car. “C’mon, we’ll check the other stores.”

  Celebration only has four other places to check, so it doesn’t take the two of them very long. “All we could find was this.” Zoey hands Katy a flyer advertising a town picnic.

  “I don’t think that’s going to cut it.”

  “Wait a second,” I say, turning around to face everyone. “Remember we went to Mr. Simon’s house on our Last-Hurrah Hal- loween? He lives here in town. He must get the paper, right?” I’m already pulling away from the curb as Megan says, “Maybe next Halloween should be the Last Hurrah instead. As I recall, Mr. Simon gave out full-size Snickers.”

  “Face it, Megan,” Zoey says with a sigh. “We’re just too old. Last year was embarrassing enough.”

  A few more turns and we are in front of his house. I turn off the car. “There’s no way I’m going in there alone this time.”

  Katy quickly undoes her seatbelt. “We’ll all go.”

  Everyone piles out of the minivan, including the boys.

  “Uh, sorry,” Katy says, holding up her hand. “You guys have to wait in the car.”

  “Can we sit on the curb?” Tyson asks.

  “I don’t see why not,” Katy says. They plop down on the clean white curb and somehow manage to give the impression that they are comfortable. Tyson gently rests Fang’s tin on his lap. For teenage boys, they are very well behaved.

  We hurry up to the front door and this time Megan rings the bell.

  He opens the door and it takes a second for him to recognize us as his students. “To what do I owe this pleasure?” he asks, smiling. “Did you run out of gas?”

  “Not exactly,” I say. “We sort of need to ask you a favor.” He is wearing shorts and a t-shirt and looks even hotter than he does at school.

  He steps aside for us to come in. Before he closes the door he says, “Are those the Davis twins?”

  I nod.

  “Are they coming in too?” he asks.

  I shake my head.

  He gives them one last look and then closes the door the rest of the way. “So what can I do for you?”

  Megan steps forward and blurts out, “We need a copy of the Celebration paper, but we can’t tell you why or else that would mean you were helping us and that’s against the rules and one of us” — she glances hard at Katy — “is very particular about the rules.”

  “I think I have it somewhere,” he says. “And don’t worry, I won’t ask any questions.” He winks and heads off into another room.

  “He’s so cute,” Megan whispers. “Maybe I’ll take photography next year! Should I ask him if he has any Snickers left?”

  We all strongly shake our heads.

  “Oh my god!” Zoey says loudly, then swiftly lowers her voice. “We could get another item on the list right here!”

  “Which one?” Katy asks, confused.

  “The underwear from a teacher!”

  Megan squeals. “We’d definitely win, then!”

  I grab Zoey’s arm. “No, we can’t do that! What if he catches us? He’ll fail me!”

  “Don’t be such a worrier,” Megan says. “I’ll run upstairs. It’ll only take a second. You can tell him I went to find a bathroom.”

  Before I can say anything she turns and runs up the stairs.

  I lean my head against Katy’s shoulder and squeeze my eyes shut. In my head I make a silent plea for Mr. Simon not to come back before Megan returns.

  A few seconds later Katy twitches her shoulder and I open my eyes. He’s back with the newspaper in his hand. He hands me the paper and looks around. “Where’s your other friend?”

  My mouth appears unable to function, so Katy gives the excuse. We stand around for another few seconds and then hear a toilet flush upstairs. Good thinking, Megan. She comes down the stairs, her eyes shining. There’s a new bulge in the front pocket of her shorts.

  “Any problem finding it?” he asks.

  Megan grins. “Nope. Second door on the right.”

  I force myself to speak. “Thanks, Mr. Simon, we’ve really gotta go.”

  “See you in class tomorrow, Ms. Taylor,” he says as we file past him out the door. “Hi, boys,” he calls out to the twins.

  “Hi, Mr. Simon,” they say together, and stand up when they see us coming.

  I clutch the paper so tightly I feel like my hand is going to bleed. We jump in the car and I fumble with the keys. Finally we pull away and around the corner. I put the car in park and turn around to Megan.

  “So what did you get? Boxers? Tighty-whities?”

  She shakes her head and pulls something black and yellow out of her pocket. “Tada! A leopard-print thong!”

  “No way!” Zoey says, grabbing it from her. “This must be Ms. Robinson’s, I mean Mrs. Simon’s!”

  Katy and I just gape. The boys whistle. I guess she isn’t as frigid as we all thought!

  “Yup. It was either this or the French maid outfit! I figured she’d miss this one less.”

  “Oh, we are so going to win!” Zoey says, bouncing in her seat. “I can’t believe she wears that stuff. I’ll never look at her in class the same way again!”

  “Time check,” Katy says.

  Zoey checks her watch. “Uh-oh, only twenty minutes left and we still need so many things.”

  I throw the car into drive and head out of town. Katy takes out her list and crosses off the newspaper a