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TWISTED--A Love Story "Ooooh, Brad!" exclaimed Sami, as she stretched out on the couch at her sister's apartment. "Thelma and Louise" was in the VCR. It was her favorite movie, and Brad Pitt was her favorite actor. "I'd give my eyeteeth to be in Geena Davis's place right now!" "He's got nice abs," Carrie admitted. "I can't stand guys with a bunch of muscles. I like guys who are well-defined. Like Brad Pitt, or Austin." "Or Alan," snuck in Sami. Carrie shook her head. "You still seeing him?" "Yeah," confessed Sami, waiting for the lecture. Thankfully, Sami gave her sister a reprieve. "I'm sure Mom and Dad gave you a lecture already. I won't give you one." "Well, you're still friends with him. And you know him better than Mom and Daddy. I mean, you dated him a few months ago, before you and Austin got back together." "Sami, it's not that Mom and Dad dislike him. They just have a rule, and I had to live by it, too. As long as you're living under their roof, you aren't supposed to date guys more than two years older than you. He's twenty-one years old. And five years is a pretty big age difference when you're sixteen." Carrie handed Sami a bowl of popcorn. "Enough of that. Let's settle down and watch the show." Sami smiled. She and Carrie were more than sisters. They were each other's best friend. She couldn't think of a time when she and Carrie had gone to beg angry at each other. She remembered when the two of them shared a bedroom and caught up on the latest gossip before going to sleep. On countless occasions, they would fix each other's hair and painted each other's fingernails and toenails. Sami remembered the time when she'd decided to put a black-cherry rinse on her hair and turned it burgundy for several weeks. Marlena had hit the roof, but Carrie had been gracious enough to compliment the new color job. "Burgundy looks good on your hair," she'd said. "It makes your blue eyes even bluer." When the movie was nearly over, Sami asked, "Looking forward to your trip to Estes?" "Yeah. My bags are already packed and ready to go." Carrie smiled. "Just me, and Austin, and a cabin in the mountains. We've planned this for almost two months." "You have candles, soft music, maybe a bubble bath for two?" "And a candlelight dinner, too." Sami chuckled. "Honeymoon before the wedding. I can only imagine what married life would be like for the two of you." "Better, I'm sure." "I want to know all the juicy details." Carrie laughed, then threw a pillow at her sister.After a comfortable silence, Sami said, "'Legends of the Fall' is coming out on video next Tuesday. Want to watch it?" Carrie stretched. "Sure. Why don't you come over next Friday. I'll fix dinner, and we can both watch the movie." "What'll you be fixing?" "How about spaghetti?" "You're on. And you can tell me all about your trip to Estes, while you're at it." **** "Alan, thanks for fixing my car," said Austin Reed, the next morning. "You've saved me a small fortune." "No problem," Alan said, smiling. "Just a minor adjustment to the carburetor was all it needed. This thing should run fine for you now." He and Austin were standing outside of Alan's apartment, next to Austin's car. It was one of those cars put together in the early eighties that never ran well to begin with. Since Austin hosted a popular TV show in Fort Collins, he was able to afford a newer, nicer car. Trouble was, he didn't have enough time to search for one. So, until he did, he was forced to keep the car that he had running. Austin had the darkly handsome looks that made him TV host material. His eyes were blue and sparkling, and his body was the result of working out in the gym three times a week. He took great pains in his appearance, and he took even greater pains now, since Carrie was back in his life. "That should get you to Estes Park and back." "Thanks, Alan. Carrie and I are gonna have a great time. Estes is going to be gorgeous." "Drive safely." "Thanks. I will. Thanks again for fixing this beater for me. So, what are the damages." Alan shook his head. "Forget it, Austin. Don't worry about paying me." "Hey, that's nice of you." "Just have a good time this weekend. That's all I ask." "We will. Promise." Austin climbed into the car and started it. "And thanks again!" Alan watched Austin drive off, and a calculating smile touched his face. "Don't worry about paying me, Austin." He closed his eyes and thought of the simple adjustment he'd made. Not only did he repair the carburetor, but he had tampered with the alternator, so that the car would run only on the battery. Austin's car would run out of juice before it could reach Estes Park. Alan laughed, imagining the look on Austin's face as he passed him on the highway. He planned to reach the cabins before Austin did, and have Carrie before Austin could. Knowing Carrie's schedule as well as he did, he knew that Carrie would leave as soon as her classes let out, and would be the first to arrive at the cabins. She would be there, all alone, and Alan would have an hour or two to spend with his beloved before Austin got there. Sami had been invited to the frat party for a reason. If anyone wondered where Alan was, he could truthfully say that he had gone to a fraternity party, and that Samantha Brady was a guest. He had invited her, after all, and because of that, she could provide him with an alibi. "This plan's gonna go off without a hitch!" Alan thought, gleefully. He sighed as a pulse begain to hammer in his ears. "I haven't got any classes today," he thought. "I can spend a few hours in my closet." "And after tonight," he continued, as he headed back to his place. "I won't need it. I'll have the real thing." Copyright © 1998, w3PG, inc. |