you spoken to anyone since youâve been home?â
âColleen and I have been playing phone tag and I havenât heard from Bianca and Rachel.â
âI wonder what kind of mischief those two have been getting into. They sent me an e-mail, saying they were coming.â
âIâm sure they were auditioning all summer long.â
âFor what?â Anthony asked. âYou know I love them both, but when are they going to get a clue?â
Bianca and Rachel Torres were identical twins and heiresses to the Torres Taco fortune, which included a line of frozen Mexican dinners. Bianca and Rachel were two of the richest teenagers in Manhattan, but there was one thing their family fortune couldnât do for them: make them stars.
Paige didnât want to be mean, but Bianca and Rachel were desperately untalented. They were constantly trying to find a way to claim their fifteen minutes of fame, often with disastrous results. First they tried to be models (they were bored walking down the runway and didnât like the constantchanging of clothes), then actresses (they couldnât remember their lines and asked if it were possible to have cue cards made) and then pop singers (dogs AND cats howled when they heard the twins sing). Now they were determined to claim their fame via reality TV and were always trying out for shows.
Anthony glanced at his watch. âTheyâll be here soon enough, so Iâm sure theyâll let us know what theyâve been up to.â
âWhy canât they be happy running for something like Homecoming Queen?â
âDonât even suggest that! Weâre only allowed one homecoming queen. Can you imagine what would happen if one of them lost?â
âWeâd have one pissed-off runner-up,â Paige said.
âYou think? Anyway, letâs forget about Bianca and Rachel,â Anthony said, raising his daiquiri glass. âHow about a toast?â
Paige clinked her daiquiri glass against Anthonyâs. âTo us! And the best year ever!â
âThat includes finding ourselves boyfriends,â Anthony added.
âBut if we donât, then weâre each otherâs date for the Senior Prom, right?â
âRight!â
Just then the doorbell rang and Anthonyâs eyes lit up. He took a sip of his daiquiri and then grabbed Paige by the hand, dragging her with him to the front door.
âLetâs get this party started!â he exclaimed.
chapter two
A nthony DeMarco loved throwing a party.
There was something creative about the whole process. Putting together a guest list, coming up with a theme, ordering the food, deciding what you were going to wear, then watching as your guests arrived and seeing how they interacted with each other.
It was kind of like directing a movie. In your mind, you saw how the movie needed to be set up before being filmed. From the sets to the costumes to the actors. All the elements were pulled together and put into place. And then action!
Anthony loved movies. What he wanted more than anything else was to work in the movie business after college.
Like the best movies, the best parties always had some sort of drama. Either a couple had just broken up and they were seeing each other for the first time or someoneâsex-boyfriend showed up with a new girlfriend and the ex-girlfriend pretended she didnât care but she really did and either tried to make her ex-boyfriend jealous with another guy or started a catfight with the new girlfriend.
Tonightâs party was a little low-key. Everyone was reconnecting from being away for the summer. Most of the girls were showing off their summer tans in outfits that left little to the imagination. Lots of short shorts, miniskirts, halter tops and cropped T-shirts that bared midriffs and exposed toned tummy muscles.
The guys were exposing just as much skin as the girls. There were skimpy tank tops and tight T-shirts to display buff summer