8.

"They're getting married?" Cloe asked in shock, the next morning at school. "Quick work wasn't it?"

"Yeah!" Alice grumbled. "I had to act like it was fine, but I hate the very idea."

"What did Chad say?" Cloe asked.

"He thought it was good. When we were speaking about it later that night he said he thought that Mark would make Mom happy, and that was the most important thing!" Alice said disgustedly.

"Well isn't that good? I mean, you don't want your Mom to be unhappy, do you?" Cloe asked.

"Of course not. But I don't want her to be happy with him either. I better find out what's wrong with him before they get married!" Alice said.

Cloe shook her head. "Okay, you do that..anyway, are we still on for tonight? I wouldn't mind meeting this brother of yours."

"You'll hate him. I do." Alice replied darkly.

"You don't hate him. You hate that he doesn't agree with you, but you don't hate him!" Cloe corrected her, and Alice had to laugh.

*****

"So this Cloe chick is your best friend?" Chad asked as he drove. Their Mom had let him have the car for the night.

"Yes." Alice replied.

"Is she a nutcase like you?" Chad asked.

Alice didn't reply to that.

"Look Alice, I know you don't like him, but you're going to have to try to make an effort for Mom. She loves him!" Chad said.

"You don't understand. There is something weird about the guy-and I don't care what you think. You just like him because he complimented you on your great football prowess and said he was sure you'd become a pro after college!" Alice replied angrily.

"You're very wrong about that Alice." Chad said calmly. "Just do me a favor alright-don't make things difficult for Mom!"

"I wont." Alice said quietly. "There's the cinemas. If we park near here we can meet Cloe at the Pizza Parlor afterwards."

******

"I just don't think Sean Connery was bad enough." Alice said, as they walked into the pizza parlor a few hours later.

"He had an evil laugh though!" Chad argued.

"Yeah, but evil laughs don't equate with evil people." Alice said, thoughtfully. She was wondering whether or not Mark had an evil laugh?

She spotted Cloe sitting in a booth, and led her brother over to her best friend. Cloe was dressed really nicely Alice noted, and she smiled at her brother.

"Chad-Cloe, Cloe-Chad." Alice said, dropping into a seat.

"It's nice to meet you. Alice talks about you all the time." Cloe said to Chad.

Chad grinned. "I bet she does. And I bet I can guess what kind of things she says!"

Cloe smiled. "No, she says nice things. She was so excited when she found out you were coming for a holiday." She insisted.

Alice rolled her eyes, but said nothing.

"Well she speaks about you a lot too!" Chad said.

"I'm going to get the pizza-the lot alright with both you?" Alice asked, having had enough of this by now.

Chad nodded, not taking his eyes off Cloe. Cloe nodded, not taking her eyes off Chad.

Alice sighed. This was shaping up to be a long night.

*****

"I liked your friend." Chad said later that night. They were walking up the pathway into the house, having dropped Cloe off home on the way.

"I noticed." Alice replied grumpily.

"Huh?" Chad looked confused.

"Well you and her didn't take your eyes off one and another all night." Alice said. "And you didn't even hardly speak to me."

"Why? So we could discuss Mark and how strange he is?" Chad teased.

"I know that you both think I'm crazy-" Alice began.

"-Yes!" Chad interrupted.

"But I am going to show you both. I am going to find out what it is about Mark which is so strange, and then you will both be eating your own words!" Alice continued. And her head held high in the air she stalked inside.

"Oh, your home. How was the movie and pizza?" Alice's Mom asked.

"Fine." Alice replied.

"Hmm...well, Mark was wondering whether or not you could babysit James tomorrow night. He has an important dinner date with a client, and since James and you both seem to get along so well..." Her Mom trailed off.

"I'll do it!" Alice said, her mind racing. It was the perfect time to see what else she could find out about Mark. She had to find something on him- and soon! Maybe it was only something little, something practically insignificant, or maybe it was something bigger, but Alice was convinced that there was something strange about her Mom's new fiancée!

As she was walking upstairs Chad grabbed her arm. "What gives? You agreed to that pretty fast!"

"Let go of me!" Alice snapped. "And I happen to have babysat for James on a few occasions and we get along well. It's easy money, that's all."

"Remember what I told you Alice! Don't make things difficult for Mom!" Chad warned.