The following day, the twins could scarcely contain themselves to get through the school day. Every class they shared with Cristina they could hardly sit still, and throughout each of them, in the hallways, and in the cafeteria, they both vied without subtlety for her attention and favor. It was still Darlene who was winning out in that particular race, for it was Darlene whom Cristina would speak more than a clipped sentence in response to, Darlene whom she would actually have a conversation with. Darlene found each of her thoughts to be excruciatingly boring, but she was skilled at nodding and smiling and timing just when and where to touch the other girl to put her more and more at ease.
Wendell could see this all too well, and inwardly he seethed, hands becoming tighter fists at his sides as the day went on. He didn't understand what it was with this Cristina, this snippety little bitch who refused to even acknowledge him most of the time other than sideways glances and pointed short replies when she was in Darlene's presence. He knew that Darlene encouraged this response from her, that his twin was more skilled in manipulation than he, whereas he was more physically strong and could of course do a better job at achieving his goals by physical force. But still, even with Darlene's influence as a factor, he usually was better with girls than THIS. It must be Cristina in particular who was rebuffing him, and the less she responded to him, the more fiercely he wanted her.
By the end of the day, he swore to himself with renewed determination each time she turned away, each time his twin leaned close and whispered in Cristina's ear, he, not Darlene, would be the one with Cristina on his arm, or perhaps pinned beneath his legs. Darlene might have won the first few rounds, but that didn't mean Wendell was giving up the game.
They rode the bus home from school, as usual. Most days Darlene and Wendell would share a seat in the back, where they could let their hands slip wherever they willed without the bus driver or most of the other kids being able to see, but today Darlene indicated for Cristina to slide in next to her only three seats from the front of the bus, where she immediately bent her mouth close to her ear again. More of that infuriating whispering…Wendell suspected from the way Darlene cut her eyes up at him, her lips curling into a self-satisfied smile, that she was doing this for show as much as to advance her game, simply to annoy him, or to provoke him to more dramatic moves. Standing in the aisle, blocking the way for the rest of the kids trying to find a seat behind him, Wendell's face reddened, his jaw tensed, and before he had time to think it through he said loudly, "It's three to a seat in this bus, room for another?"
Before Cristina could respond, Wendell simply plopped down beside her, making it a tight squeeze for the three. As she scooted as close to Darlene as she could, her irritation showing in the new tightness of her features, Wendell met Darlene's eyes and smiled, pleased to see her smile back, amused rather than angry.
"So," he asked Cristina conversationally, deliberately pressing his shoulder into hers as heavily as he could while still conveying the impression that it was unconscious, "what do you and my sister have planned for today, all alone in our big empty house?"
Then he stopped, giving a faint chuckle as he shook his head. "Oh, sorry, I misspoke…all alone, except for the three of us."
Cristina's eyes shifted to Darlene, widening slightly. It appeared that Darlene had not informed her of this little nugget of information. Darlene smiled too, first at Cristina, then at her twin before she almost purred, "Oh, I'm sure we'll find something to entertain us…won't we, Cris?"
Cristina's returning smile was slow in coming.
They didn't offer her food or drink when they first came through the door; there would have been none to offer, and she didn't ask. Instead, Darlene immediately linked her arm through Cristina's and began to drag her in the direction of her and Wendell's shared bedroom.
"Come on, Cris, I think we should totally work you over," she announced, fingering a strand of Cristina's hair with her free hand. "You're going to emerge from this experience a totally new being. No one will even recognize the new you."
Wendell caught the vagueness of her declarations and wondered to himself with a hidden smirk if there was a double meaning to this, a meaning that only he could have possibly interpreted. But Darlene was keeping her face turned towards Cristina, not him, and he could not read her expression.
Cristina appeared to be apprehensive at this promise, all the more so because Wendell, determined not to miss out on any opportunities, made sure to stay a step behind them as Cristina walked with them. She glanced back at Wendell, then over to Darlene, wrinkling her brow as she asked her, "They won't recognize me? What, are you going to cut my hair and change my clothes, or something?"
"I'm going to do whatever it takes to make you exciting," was Darlene's reply as she continued to half guide, half drag Cristina down the hall, opening the doorway to their room, Wendell still at their heels.
Cristina's eyebrows shot up. Apparently she was not liking the sound of this, Wendell noted with some satisfaction. "What does that mean? Because no offense, Darlene, but I don't want to end up completely Goth-ified like you. I'm pretty okay with how I look."
"Oh, live a little, Cris, you would look amazing in some of the things I have in mind for you," Darlene dismissed as she headed straight for her closet, rummaging through it with her back to the door.
The bedroom was large, the floor covered with a removable black carpet, its interior simple, almost bare. The twins did not have many possessions to clutter it up, so most of the bedroom's space was taken up by twin beds, a dresser, nightstand, desk, and its large closet. Cristina remained standing in the doorway, skeptical, as Wendell touched her shoulder from behind, leaning close to whisper in her ear.
"You're in for it now…Darlene was the one who always gave her Barbies Mohawks and Magic Marker tattoos before flushing them down the toilet."
Cristina jumped, eyes darting back and forth between Wendell and Darlene as Darlene turned back towards them, several articles of clothing draped over one arm.
"I didn't flush them down the toilet, I just buried them in the yard," was Darlene's unruffled reply as shook her head and spoke to Wendell in a mock reproving tone. "Are you scaring our guest, Wendell?"
"I think your offer of a makeover is doing that nicely enough on its own," Wendell retorted as Darlene stepped forward, offering Cristina her finds.
"See, these boots will really emphasize your legs and thighs, and yours are so nicely shaped that you should, every chance you get," she informed her with a lifted, faintly insinuative eyebrow as she held them out for her to take. "This dress here, yes it's black and low-cut, but it's also exactly the cut to flatter your body."
"It is?" Cristina looked at the dress in question skeptically, even as Darlene vigorously nodded.
"Oh, yes…just look at you," she told her, coming close enough to be able to reach out and lay her palm against Cristina's cheek, then stroke down, lightly touching her fingertips over her neck, shoulder, and then down over the curve of her waist and hip as she looked directly into her eyes. "With this body, Cris, you would outshine me in everything I own. I'd be jealous to stand beside you."
When Cristina hesitated, her eyes drifting down to follow the trail of Darlene's hand, Darlene stepped back, retrieving another dress from her closet. Wendell's stomach twisted in disappointment when she pulled her hand away, for he had been watching with baited breath, hoping for it to travel a few inches north or south.
"Here, I'll try one on too and you try that one on, you'll see."
"Okay…just trying it on though, I don't want you to mess with my hair or my face," Cristina agreed reluctantly, and Darlene gave her one of her wide smiles, the type that Wendell immediately recognized as fake.
"Great. I'll get you accessories once I see how it looks on."
Cristina's eyes moved to Wendell, and she even started to address him, no doubt to ask him to leave the room while they undressed. "Uh, Wendell, a little privacy, maybe? Get out now, we're-"
But she cut off her own sentence before it had entirely concluded, as her eyes shifted back towards Darlene- and she realized that Darlene had already slipped her shirt over her head, was now in the process of unbuttoning and unzipping her pants. Cristina's mouth dropped, and her head swiveled between the nonchalant Darlene and the still-present Wendell, who was now casually leaned against the doorframe of the bedroom, crossing his arms over his chest as he watched Darlene, eyes not swerving from her exposed pale flesh for a moment.