The Dead Boyfriend by R. L. Stine Page B

there?” I choked out. “In Blade’s backyard? When … when I stabbed him?”
    â€œI stabbed him,” she insisted. She crossed her arms in front of her black vest. “I mean, I made you stab him. You didn’t act on your own, Caitlyn. You … you were too much in love with him to kill him.”
    She couldn’t control her jealousy. She spat those last words, her face tight with fury.
    â€œBut—why?” I demanded. “Why kill him? Why did he have to be killed?”
    â€œBecause he betrayed us,” Deena replied, arms still tightly crossed in front of her.
    Us.
    â€œI followed you to Blade’s house that night,” Deena said. She swept back her hair with both hands. “I couldn’t let him get away with it. I didn’t know … I didn’t know he had a girlfriend. That girl Vanessa with the sweet smile and the mousy-soft voice. I wanted to puke, Caitlyn. Seriously. I just wanted to puke.”
    Behind me, Tweety the parrot chimed in again: “ Why? Why? Why? ”
    â€œSo … you followed me?” I said.
    Deena nodded. “I waited and watched. I saw how angry you were at him. Angry and hurt. And you had every right to be, Caitlyn. I saw him first. I saw Blade first. But you had every right to be out-of-your-mind angry. And when I saw that knife fall out of your bag…”
    Her voice trailed off. I could see Deena was picturing the whole thing in her mind as she described it to me.
    â€œI saw my opportunity, and I took it,” she said, eyes flashing behind the big eyeglasses.
    â€œYou’re crazy,” I blurted out. “Earth calling Deena. How about a little reality check? You didn’t do anything. I picked up the knife. I held the knife. I stabbed him. I stabbed him and I killed him, Deena. Not you.”
    She crossed her arms again and smirked at me.
    â€œI stabbed him! I stabbed him!” I shouted. The words came out in sobs. My whole body shuddered. I was finally confessing. Finally letting my horrible secret out. “I stabbed him and stabbed him!”
    She shook her head. “Why are you such a pain? Didn’t I tell you we have to hurry to bring Blade back?”
    I wiped tears off my cheeks. I clenched my jaw, trying to stop the shudders that shook my body.
    â€œHere’s a quick demonstration,” Deena said. “Here is how I made you stab Blade, okay? I was in charge. You weren’t. I’ll show you, Caitlyn.”
    I narrowed my eyes at her. “Another demonstration?” I shuddered and pictured her drowning the parrot again.
    She pointed to the glass wall at the back of the room. Outside, I could see the late afternoon sun lowering behind the trees. Tiny white butterflies fluttered over the wildflowers at the back of the house.
    Deena snapped her fingers, then worked them in some kind of code, almost like sign language. Then she pointed to the window again. “Go over there and do a cartwheel,” she said.
    â€œOkay,” I said.
    The parrot slid from side to side on his perch. I strode to the wall, stepped into a square of red sunlight on the floor, raised my arms above my head, and did a fairly graceful cartwheel.
    I landed unsteadily and nearly stumbled into the glass. But I caught my balance and turned to Deena.
    â€œDo another one,” she said, motioning again with her fingers.
    â€œNo problem,” I said. I concentrated this time and did a much more athletic cartwheel. This time I landed perfectly. “Ta-da.”
    â€œAre you catching on?” Deena said. “Are you starting to see how I can make you do whatever I want? Do you see how I used you to stab Blade?”
    I felt confused. “Well…”
    â€œI’ll give you one more demonstration,” she said. “If that’s what it takes to convince you I’m telling the truth.” She did that thing with her fingers again. “Caitlyn, go over there, take